Chapter 597:

Going in blind

En Passant Grandmaster

Not given any time to refuse, Saori was ushered over to the board where she discovered the rooks were now on the a and d-files, the kings were on the b-file, the bishops on the c and f-files, the knights on the e and h-files, and the queens on the g-file.

"Since your opponent is blindfolded, you will be required to declare your moves in algebraic fashion. The same goes for you, Mimoko Inoue," Raymond stated.

"Very well. Seeing as I'm White... f4," Mimoko nodded as she moved her pawn to f4.

"This is stupid. What's in it all for me?" Saori snarled.

"Like I said, win and Mimoko Inoue will be expelled from the tournament. Lose, and you'll admit she is playing fairly and fight any sullying of her name that arose from your accusations," Raymond glared.

"Bullshit!"

Slam!

A chill ran down everyone's spines as Raymond slammed his cane into the ground. "You WILL play chess."

Sweat running down her pale face, Saori nervously moved her pawn to d5. "D5."

"A4," Mimoko stated as she moved her pawn to a4.

"Rook d6," Saori grumbled, slowly vanquishing her fear of Raymond as she moved her rook to d6.

"Hmm, rook d6... A5," Mimoko smiled as she moved her pawn to a5.

"Stop smiling, cheater. B5," Saori snarled as she moved her pawn to b5.

"I didn't cheat. E4," Mimoko scowled as she moved her pawn to e4.

"Liar. Bishop f5!" Saori roared as she moved her bishop to f5. "Ngh!"

"Sorry, exf5," Mimoko huffed as she captured the bishop on f5 with her e-pawn.

"Little... Rook- ...!"

Saori quickly went pale as she realized she had taken her hand off her rook on the b6 square. "Rook... c6."

"False! The move is Rb6!" Raymond boomed. "Saori Saeki, another attempt to cheat and by my authority as arbiter of this game, I will give you an automatic forfeit!"

Saori gently nodded her head as she soiled herself. Never before had anyone terrified her like Raymond just had.

"Axb6. It's ironic you chose c6 to sell your lie on, as that would have made your position only slightly better than it is now," Mimoko scowled as she captured the rook at b6 with her a-pawn.

"Ahg! C CAPTURES B6!" Saori fumed as she captured the pawn at b6 with her c-pawn.

"Bxb5. Perhaps now I should mention that you've been saying the moves incorrectly. You see, instead of "captures", you say "x"," Mimoko stated as she captured the pawn at b5 with her bishop.

"SHUT UP! I'M NOT PLAYING YOUR GAMES! KNIGHT C7!" Saori shouted as she moved her knight to c7.

"Hah, what a pity. Bc6," Mimoko sighed as she moved her bishop to c6.

"It's not a pity! Knight g6!" Saori fumed as she moved her knight to g6.

"Seems like I'll be proving myself quite easily. Fxg6," Mimoko sighed as she captured the knight at g6 with her f-pawn.

"What!? FUCK!" Saori cried as she captured the pawn at f6 with her h-pawn.

"Ahem!"

"Uh, h captures g6."

"Delay the move's announcement by more than 2 seconds one more time and you'll lose automatically," Raymond warned.

"How ironic that you're quick to believe I'm cheating while you're blatantly cheating before us all. Nd3," Mimoko frowned as she moved her knight to d3.

"Castle," Saori snarled as she castled queen's side.

"You didn't call out "O-O-O", but you'll be given reprieve just this once since long castling is the only castling possible for you," Raymond warned.

"Rxa7," Mimoko stated as she captured the pawn at a7 with her rook.

"Fucking bullshit! Why do I need to call this shit out specifically!? Queen h7!" Saori fumed as she moved her queen to h7.

"Don't worry, it'll only be for two more moves at most. Qxb6," Mimoko declared as she captured the pawn at b6 with her queen.

"What!? Are you gonna... resign?" a slightly confused Saori asked as she moved her rook to d7. "Rook d7..."

"No, because I'm about to win. Qb7, check," Mimoko smiled as she moved her queen to b7.

"HUH!? Why the hell can you say "check"!?" Saori fumed as she moved her king to d8.

"Because it was check. Qb8, checkmate," Mimoko huffed as she moved her qurrn to b8, winning the game.

Saori's jaw dropped in shock as Mimoko removed her blindfold once Raymond confirmed the win. "No... SHE ORDERED ME TO SCRIPT THIS! SHE'S A CHEATER, SHE- MMPH!?"

"Did I not make it clear what the conditions were for this match?" Raymond glared as he shoved the rounded handle of his cane into Saori's mouth.

Tears began to ooze down Saori's face as muffled whimpers escaped her lips.

"2 days length in the WWCF holding facility. As for Mimoko Inoue, she may continue to participate in the tournament," Raymond stated as he warped away with Saori.

The full game:

White: Mimoko Inoue (2858) Black: Saori Saeki (n/a)

1. f4 d5

2. a4 Rd6

3. a5 b5

4. e4 Bf5

5. exf5 Rb6

6. axb6 cxb6

7. Bxb5 Nc7

8. Bc6 Ng6

9. fxg6 hxg6

10. Nd3 O-O-O