Chapter 352:

Onward to the Bermuda party

En Passant Grandmaster

In the playing hall, Volkner panted as sweat flooded down his face. "I have to save this. Where do I go? WHERE DO I GO!" he thought as he glanced madly around the board.

Despite the game only being on move 12, Volkner had been in a think for over an hour. With Red Reaper angrily hovering nearby, he had to win this game, or at least draw.

To understand how things got to this point, it was necessary to rewind the clock to the start of the round. Volkner had opened with the standard pawn to e4, while Wei Bo had responded with the nonstandard pawn to b6.

Volkner began to relax, as this could be a break for him. Things continued down the main line with d3, bishop d7, bishop d3, e6, knight f3, and c5 all being played. Things got a bit shakier after that as Volkner decided to capture the pawn at c5 with his d-pawn, opening the door a bit for Wei Bo, who promptly captured said pawn with his bishop.

A king's side castle erased any edge Volkner had, though at the least, things were in draw territory. Even after knight c6, bishop d2, and g-knight e7, things were still even. Then the waters got muddied a bit when Volkner moved his bishop to c3. Wei Bo castled king's side, and waited. He could sense Volkner was slipping up.

Then came knight e5, prompting knight captures e5 and bishop captures e5. This proved to be the start of Volkner's undoing as after Wei Bo moved his knight to g6, Volkner moved his bishop to g3. Wei Bo's gaze narrowed as he immediately moved his pawn to f5.

It was then that Volkner moved his knight to c3, allowing Wei Bo to move his pawn to f4. Color rapidly vanished from Volkner's face as he realized he had just made a massive blunder. Worse, his teammates saw it which effected their psychs as well.

Now, nearly an hour later, Volkner sat, trembling, wondering how in the world he could save this. "I have to save this. Where do I go? WHERE DO I GO!" he thought as he glanced madly around the board. "A4 seems right... A4!" he thought as he moved his pawn to a4.

He was right that a4 was the right square, but he was supposed to move the knight there, not the pawn. Worse, Wei Bo decided to punish him further by capturing the bishop at g3 with his f-pawn. Volkner captured said pawn with his h-pawn, but Wei Bo moved his queen to g5, inching ever closer to victory.

Volkner attempted to create counterplay by moving his bishop to c4, but Wei Bo captured the pawn at g3 with his queen, tightening the screws further. And then, Volkner gave Wei Bo a choice, by moving his queen to e1. He could either go knight h4, or knight f4. He chose the latter.

"Check!" Volkner nervously shouted as he captured the pawn at e6 with his bishop.

Wei Bo simply nodded and captured said bishop with his d-pawn. Now beginning to soil himself, Volkner moved his pawn to e5.

"Checkmate," Wei Bo stated as he captured the pawn at g2 with his queen, winning the game.

China had now beaten the German Empire of Prussia 2.5-1.5. Red Reaper seethed with fury as he ordered Volkner to follow him outside. The poor wreck of a man did so, but as the two set foot outside, Raymond approached them with Diederich in tow.

"His suspension period is over, so he may now rejoin you," Raymond stated as he let Diederich go.

"Yo, gramps. So how- BLUGH!?"

As soon as he laid eyes on Diederich, Red Reaper wasted no time in beating him an inch within death, all while furiously cursing in German. "UNSERE TITELHOFFNUNGEN SIND DURCH EUCH GEFÄHRDET! DU KONNTEST DEIN VERDAMMTES MAUL NICHT HALTEN, UND JETZT HABEN WIR EIN WEITERES SPIEL VERLOREN! SCHEIßKERL! SCHEIßKERL [OUR TITLE HOPES ARE ENDANGERED BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU COULDN'T KEEP YOUR FUCKING MOUTH SHUT, AND NOW WE'VE LOST ANOTHER MATCH! SHIT HEAD! SHIT HEAD]!"

With the exception of Volkner who had long since foamed at the mouth and passed out, the others watched in terror as Red Reaper punished Diederich.

"How kind of Diederich to volunteer himself as a punching bag. Now Budapest needn't worry about any more forecasts of 10-ton rain," Raymond thought as he headed back inside.

...

Later that night, everyone gathered before one of the hotel's ballrooms as Raymond stood before them. "Congratulations, you have made it past the half-way point of the tournament. Now, you will be granted a day of rest tomorrow, and tonight, the Bermuda party."

The Bermuda party was a staple event taking place every Chess Olympics following the 6th round's conclusion. It was meant to be a fun occasion to help players unwind, but that didn't mean they couldn't play chess at the party. But if they did, they'd have to do it in a specific way.

"Now, some ground rules. First off, have fun. Second, should you wish to play chess against someone, you must ante up a bet before DJ D.R. Passant. Then, you may play your chosen match on the grand stage, but be warned; once you enter these doors, you can't leave until the party ends. Towels will be provided, but should you lose, you'll have to deal with your soggy clothes. And one final note; pairings for round 7 will not be announced until tomorrow night. Now, enter and have fun."

The doors slowly opened to reveal a disco-lit dance floor. A DJ turntable manned by the WWCF's chief media officer, international master, D.R. Passant, was present, sitting atop a stage. Rocking his signature turquoise pawn suit, D.R. Passant was all smiles as he welcomed everyone in.

"WHO'S READY TO PAR-TAY!?"

But what really drew everyone's attention was the giant tank filled with blue-colored water. This was the infamous Bermuda Big Buck Blueberry Betting Booth, or 6B for short. Here, players could ante up a cash prize to challenge someone to any chess variant, with the exception of chess boxing, with the winner getting splashed with cash, and the loser taking a dip in the blueberry juice.

No one was required to partake in it, but naturally, many would.

"Eyeing the 6B?" Daria smirked as she noticed Okisato staring intently at it.

"Yeah, there's someone I really want to challenge."

Okisato approached D.R. Passant and whispered something in his ear.

"We got a bet! First one of the night! Would Mr. Sejad Varešanović step up please!"

"He wants to challenge uncle Sejad? Didn't he just beat Miralem today?" Azra asked.

"Right, but Sejad didn't play. Guess Oki wants to see what he's made of after all. They were starin' each other down yesterday," Miralem snickered as Sejad approached Okisato.

"So you wish to challenge me? Very well. How much you betting?" Sejad glared.

"900 euros, because this is an easy bet," Okisato smirked.

"Oh, taunting me? 1000 euros and I'm in."

"Deal!"

"AND WE GOT A BET! Players, TO DA TOP OF DA 6B!" D.R. Passant grinned.

The full game:

White: Volkner Keiner (2743) Black: Wei Bo (2763)

1. e4 b6

2. d4 Bb7

3. Bd3 e6

4. Nf3 c5

5. dxc5 Bxc5