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Back to 2009 King's Cup Live Coverage

2009 King's Cup Commentary: Round 24

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Go to: Before the Tournament, Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, Round 7, Round 8, Round 9, Round 10, Round 11, Round 12, Round 13, Round 14, Round 15, Round 17, Round 18, Round 19, Round 20, Round 21, Round 22, Round 23, Round 24, Round 25, Round 26, Round 27, Final Round 1, Final Round 2, Final Round 3, After the Tournament.

As we approach the lunch break, players get hungry and tempers get shorter. A tile is found on the floor and there's an accusation that it was dropped intentionally, but no evidence. Near the bottom of the field, two players start playing the wrong opponents and have to put away a game mistakenly in progress. At the top of the field, needing to win all his games, Pakorn Nemitrmansuk (THA) is using his full time for each game and recounting, so both ends of the field are running late.

Charnwit Sukhumrattanaporn (THA) needs one more win, and gets it, 466-389 over Panupol Sujjayakorn (THA). He's into the finals and will be Gibsonized in the KOTH rounds after lunch. Jason Katz-Brown (USA) gets a much needed win too, 419-392 over Pakorn. Pakorn uses all but two seconds on his clock, and the recount runs to the end of the lunch break. I warn all players running late that their clocks will be started ten minutes after the scheduled end of lunch. Jason and Pakorn will face each other again after lunch, with Jason needing to win two of his last three games and Pakorn needing three.

Lunch is minced chicken with plenty of spices, a fried egg and rice, something that tastes like a Thai fish ball and coconut milk soup but is congealed and served in a banana leaf, the best chicken with peanut sauce I've ever had in my life, mango and sticky rice, and jackfruit. I can't bring myself to eat the last stick of chicken, because then it will all be gone.