AfroCat 2015

19:08 Welcome to the hot Ghanaian soil. The popular AfroCat is about to begin, the one kids all across equatorial Africa are looking forward to! No crops are harvested today, the men drink banana beer and the women discuss tactics! AfroCat is simply the Super Bowl of the developing world!

19:12 We are waiting for Tomash, ChilePeppers’ new signing, who is replacing Renee in the tournament—she took a fall in training and won’t be competing. Tomash has already rounded Cape Horn and is heading unerringly for the Rock ’n’ roll Gaming Hall in downtown Kladno… And before I even finished writing this, here he is.

19:13 He’s a likeable young man, so we’ll see… He’ll be playing between Paczessa and Jooki.

19:14 Game started 19:12

19:15 The tournament is soundtracked by the woeful VH1 channel

19:19 The first letters go, in true Valentine’s spirit, jointly to Chile

19:30 The game is as evenly matched as expected; after several rounds only four players remain without a letter. Both Mongolians, the home favourite Gindraa, and also Marpoo, who is competing for the first time in the new colours of the KK Královské Vinohrady stable!

19:36 Jooki is having dinner alongside the game.

19:36 Fate shuffles the cards, we play them.

19:46 Minor technical difficulties resolved and we continue our dream run! Vera already has three letters and now Gindraa, with a trick worth twenty points, opens her tournament account too.

19:47 The last player with clean hands is Paczessa of the Mongolian Smoking Chingiss Dashinchilen.

19:48 Moments later Paczessa consigns that piece of news to history.

19:50 Gindraa starts reeling Vera in. The second letter came quickly—four tricks were enough.

20:01 Jooki and Marpoo on three letters. The game is dynamic and full of surprises…

20:07 The first match points are upon us: Shmoulinka and Vera. Vera’s is certainly a surprise—let’s recall she is a member of the Smoking Cat Hall of Fame.

20:15 Paczessa picks up a third letter; the drama at both tables is slowly building to a climax.

20:16

At the Kladno rock ’n’ roll joint they don’t do fries with a dip, only with a main course. Total cr-p:(

20:17 Paczessa on four letters and needs to survive the next game!

20:23 More match points: Oleandr and Jonagold. Now that’s drama, friends, that’s drama!

20:38 The first round ends in quick succession: 10th Jonagold, 9th Vera, tied for seventh Paczessa and Oleandr—the Mongolians won’t be claiming a fourth title in a row…

20:38 The final begins at 20:36 Chilean summer time

20:40 The final word is “Leoš”, so this is bound to run like clockwork. Even the first game is nicely balanced—and Jooki loses it!

20:42 The best Pepsi Max in downtown Kladno! Yes, that’s rock ’n’ roll!

20:47 Shmoulinka and Lucka… Gindraa and Marpoo leading at this moment.

21:01 The only 100% player in the final is Gindraa; Tomash and Marpoo have already lost their first games. Native huts all across Ghana are shaking with the excitement of little fans. Only Dalmar Dume, this Diego Maradona of the Ghanaian cat, has yet to issue any statement.

21:12 Shmoulinka first on match point; the Ghanaians are framing the final standings for now.

21:16 Jooki currently at 57% in the final!!!

21:20 Jooki finishes on 50% as the first one out in the final, and it looks like sixth place. The bookmakers are rubbing their hands. For Jooki, the worst result of his career.

21:23 In an interview for the Mongolian media, Oleandr blames his defeat on a recent hand injury and insufficient recovery time.

21:28 Shmoulinka fifth; Gindraa and Tomash are playing for the title, but Lucka and Marpoo are tough opponents and we may still be in for plenty…

21:32 Gindraa loses for the first time in the final, and we’re curious whether this will be the traditional streak of this Ghanaian doyen!

21:35 Lucka on match point; the next game could already decide it. The newcomer Tomash is currently in the lead!

21:43 Gindraa, today’s master of the final tricks, this time for 19 and a second letter.

21:44 Tomash is very close to victory…

21:47 Lucka loses the last game of the tournament and the newcomer Tomash wins the second edition of AfroCat. Congratulations to Chile!!!

21:49 Thank you for your attention, and on Friday we look forward to watching the US Open together from the Pub in Prague’s Dejvice. I sign off with the greeting: Play the cat, my friend, and you’ll live to see the future!