Nov 24, 2025
Author's Commentary #1:
I've decided to do some author's commentary for this novel. So first off, let's talk about Chapter 1: An Underground chess match.
If you read this when it first came out in the original, you'll notice that this chapter has undergone some major revisions since its original February 19, 2024 release. In addition to updating my writing style, I also added in some things to better flesh out the story, like giving a better explanation on the WWCF cards and introducing Mimoko's family here rather than at the start of Volume 2, season 2 in the original.
Now for the game. The game took reference from Gunnar Gundersen vs A H Faul primarily due to it having an en passant checkmate. According to chess.com, the rarity of getting an en passant checkmate is 1 in 200,000. As for the game in this chapter, I actually had to change a move Okisato's 11th move from Kf1 to Ke2 since the former would have resulted in Inojin having a chance at victory while this new move seals his defeat after he captures the rook at a1 and promotes his pawn to a queen. Believe it or not, a victory for Okisato was still guaranteed even with the original Kf1 followed by the bxa1=Q move. However, it wouldn't have been an en passant checkmate, so the move needed to be changed in order to prevent Inojin from having a shot at victory. Another notable change was that I nerfed Inojin by downgrading his rating from 2120 to 1321. I mainly did it because I felt an over 2000-rated player wouldn't make the mistake of promoting the pawn since doing so leads to mate.
Before we end, let's discuss the main male protagonist, Okisato Tanabe. He's just you average Japanese high school student, or so he claims. Turns out he's got a rating of 2434, showing he's highly skilled at chess. He obviously takes a lot of inspiration from Kiyotaka Ayanokoji from Classroom of the elite. I essentially wanted him to be Ayanokoji with a chuuni twist, which is why he acted the way he did at the end of the match. Now onto the character bio segment.
In general, when I do a character bio, I'll always include their name as it would be spelled in Japanese and their native language, if applicable, their birthday, and their favorite chess piece. Though I'll often do one when a new character is revealed, there are times I might delay the bio until later.
So without further ado, let's start off with Mimoko.
井之上 実最子 (Inoue Mimoko) is how her name would be spelled in kanji. Her first name, 実最子, can mean "sincere", "above all", and "a knowledgeable thinker", which is fitting for her character since she is a prodigy and all-around good person. As for her last name, 井之上, it can translate to "wellhead", "to reach", and "to ascend". Fitting since Mimoko is likely to ascend to the top of the chess world due to her talent.
As for her background in chess, she first played a game of chess when she was 3, and has been playing ever since. While she could have chosen to start her chess career then, she chose not to, mainly because she viewed chess more as a fun hobby than a profession. That, and at the time, she didn't want chess to consume her life. Her parents respected her wishes and didn't pressure her in the slightest. As time went on, Mimoko continued to hone her chess skills through online matches, though always played anonymously as a guest in order to avoid drawing too much attention to herself. She's never played in a tournament, though was taken to one by her mother when she first showed an interest in the game. On her 18th birthday, her parents got her a nice chess set and bag, which Mimoko interpreted as them trying to nudge her to pursue chess. Feeling the time was right, Mimoko decided to finally start her professional chess journey, which led to her seeking to establish a chess club, so others could experience the joys of chess. Above all, she encourages everyone to simply have fun.
She shares her birthday, July 23rd, with Hungarian grandmaster, Judit Polgár, one of the strongest female chess players of all time. Speaking of which, many characters in this series share their birthdays with famous chess players both intentionally and unintentionally.
Her favorite piece is the king. The reason for that is because to Mimoko, the king is the most important piece on the board and the core of the game itself.
As for Mimoko's family, Kotora is 12 years old and was born on February 29th. On non leap years, his birthday is celebrated on February 28th. Believe it or not, his mother Daria's birthday is actually February 27th. She even thought they'd be sharing a a birthday, but Kotora ended up being born 2 days later.
井之上 小虎 (Inoue Kotora) is his full name in kanji. His first name, 小虎, ends up translating to "little tiger".
Since Mimoko's the only member of her family that plays chess, none of her family members have a favorite piece. Kotora has played chess though, and developed a distaste for it thanks in no small part to Mimoko always destroying him in it. Now onto Daria and Ichimitsu.
Daria's full name in kanji is 井之上 堕美闇 (Inoue Daria). Her first name, 堕美闇, can translate to "lazy", "beautiful", and "ignorant".
Now on to Ichimitsu. 井之上 一光 (Inoue Ichimitsu) is how his full name is spelled in kanji. His first name, 一光, can translate to "one" and "radiance".
Ichimitsu's birthday falls on November 30th and he's 45 years old. He tends to stay at home and makes a living trading stocks. He also enjoys reading the paper, or rather holding the paper like he's reading it.
Now while I said these three don't have a favorite piece, if they ever were to, Kotora's and Daria's would be the queen, while Ichimitsu's would be the king.
伊之助 猪仁 (Inosuke Inojin) is how Inojin's name would be spelled in kanji. 猪仁 can mean "boar" and "humanity", while 伊之助 is actually the same as Inosuke Hashibira's name from Kimetsu no yaiba and translates to "Italy", "to reach" , and "a nickname". There really isn't much significance behind his name. I just liked how it sounded.
His birthday is April 21st and his favorite piece is the knight. The reason for that is because he views himself as a good-looking guy on a horse. Unlike a knight though, he's not chivalrous in the slightest.
田辺 興郷 (Tanabe Okisato) is how Okisato's name would be spelled in kanji. His first name, 興郷, can translate to "enthusiasm" and "hometown". It can also mean "to become lively" which is certainly what Okisato does when his victory's in sight. As for his last name, 田辺, it can translate to "rice paddy" and "edge". Obviously, it's referring to the edge as in the outermost part of something, but Okisato can be edgy. Another reason I chose this as his last name was because it is common, which is fitting for Okisato who is trying to pass as just a normal person.
(If I made any mistakes with the translations, feel free to correct me).
He shares his birthday, July 6th, with Adolf Anderssen, a German chess master and unofficial chess world champion known for his sacrificial play style and for being the rival of the legendary chess player, Paul Morphy.
Finally, his favorite piece is the pawn. To him, pawns are the most useful pieces both on and off the board.
That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.
