The top 10 best games of Season 7 [Special]

"Welcome back... Well, care to explain the note?" Kisha glared.

Hey, I really was exhausted yesterday, but then I woke up today and was motivated. Just how I roll.

"So that means..."

Yes, we finally start the top 10 lists. But I'll be tweaking the order a bit. Rather than talk about the characters, I want to do the games.

"OK, as long as we get the lists, order doesn't matter."

In that case, here are my top 10 favorite games from Season 7 starting with...

Number 10: Game log #161: An evil and humiliating checkmate.

On a list like this, I feel including the first game of the Chess Olympics is required as it's thanks to this that my motivation was reinvigorated 10-fold and lasted months on end before burnout began to take hold again.

Number 9. Game log #274: Fucked by the pieces.

"Really?"

Yes, really. I had a maniacal grin on my face when I wrote this. Besides, gotta include an Iori game somewhere on the list.

"Implying this is the only one?"

Maybe, you'll just have to see for yourself.

Number 8: Game log #195: RA-RA-RASPUTIN.

For this one, it's less so the game itself, but rather the theatrics taking place during it. Rasputin's raving, crowd surfing, and drinking bleach while all this is going on.

Number 7: Game log #167: Yarr, harr, ahoy n' avast.

Do what you wasn't cuz a pirate is free, you are a pirate. Yarr harr fiddle dee dee.

"Gonna comment?"

Yes, yes. Like entry number 8, I had fun writing this one, but unlike number 8, the action on the board was exciting and reflected the pirate nature of the match perfectly. That gives it the edge.

Number 6: Game log #314: Batshit crazy wizard.

This one might surprise some folks given it was one of the last games of the season, but it was a game that I not only had fun writing, but helped give me the push I needed to finish up the arc. Nándor completely sold the match and is why I had so much fun writing this.

Number 5: Game log #210: Gutter rat.

This was a lovely slice of humble pie. Zsa Zsa was an egotist prior to this, but getting a taste of her own medicine with the very opening she used to throw a game was delicious. The underpromotion to avoid stalemate was also good, and did I mention the Hungarian roast Okisato delivered to Zsa Zsa after mating her? Can't get more peak than that.

"Clearly you can, because this is only number 5 on the list."

Touche.

Number 4: Game log #179: Baron Buster Blitzhölle.

To the surprise of no one, this game makes the list. How couldn't it have with how thematic it was. The only things keeping it out of the top 3 is the fact that those games were just better.

Number 3: Game log #187: King David's Drăculeșting pitfall mate.

The first appearance of Kaylee, and by far an amazing game from start to finish. I really love how the action started with 2. Ke2 and ended with 37. ke2 mate.

Number 2: Game log #310: Out of the dunes.

Perhaps one of the biggest games of the season story-wise, I actually dreaded writing this one for the longest time, even having to go back and redo the game itself. But once I finally settled on a theme for the match, it became a hit. It's only shortcoming is that I rush through things at the beginning, though to be fair, the game is 74 moves long.

Number 1: Game log #173: Crimes against the queen.

And here we have perfection. This game was pure peak. What made it even more spectacular is that the game was played against a 2600-level bot from Chess.com.

"It was 2600?"

Yes, that made the victory all the more spectacular, and that's just for the game itself. Jadwiga getting humbled to the point where she develops trauma from having the opening played against her made this the most savory kind of icing, and worthy of being my favorite game of Season 7.

"But how does it stack up overall?"

That's a question for another day.

"Damn right. Next up, the top 10 worst games of Season 7. Don't go away, cuz Mario's actually giving us the content we were promised."