The 7 secret chess maestros

Himitsudono began applauding as the chess board lowered back into the counter. “Well done, Grandmaster Inoue. You have bested me and thus gain the following spoils of war. First, you earn a badge as proof of besting me. Second, a bounty of 1000 points. And lastly, the right to rematch me for just a single point, though that is only possible within a secret puzzle cafe.”

“So I can play you again. That’s amazing. I’m glad there’s something like that, though if you don’t mind me asking, are there other SPCMs to challenge?” Mimoko asked.

“Why yes there are, and they each have their own secret puzzle cafe, though they will not be as easy to beat as me. Though if you want a challenge, seek out the other 6 SPCMs of this nation and best them. I assure you that it is worth it even for a player of your skill. And speaking of a skilled player, here comes one now."

Mimoko and Okisato turned to see Peter entering. He immediately sat down and nodded as a tablet appeared before him. Within seconds, he had solved all 10 puzzles at the highest difficulty, perfectly.

"Now, would you like to purchase something with your wealth of points, Grandmaster Morphy?" Himitsudono asked.

"Yes, I want a lead on where one of the three maestros I have left to find is."

"'Maestros'?" Mimoko asked.

"Seems we meet again, Mimoko Inoue. Unfortunately, it seems your timetable will prevent us from having another match today, but I will be at the blitz tournament next week."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"My, seems Grandmaster Inoue truly is getting the lion's share of information for free. As for Grandmaster Morphy, the information you requested has been sent to your WWCF card. We thank you for your transaction."

"A word of thumb, Mimoko Inoue. You can purchase an app that lets you play the puzzles anywhere once a day, however, you'll get bonus points for solving the puzzles at a secret puzzle cafe. Hmm, so China is indeed where one of the maestros is. I was hoping for one of the more obscure ones, but I guess I'll know all their locations soon. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must take my leave to track down the maestro and best them before next week’s tournament."

As Peter left, Himitsudono chuckled. "Seems the biggest secret is now out in the open. The secret maestros are the seven super grandmasters that can only be challenged by beating all the SPCMs in their domains. As for the maestros themselves, they are truly the best of the best, and all have ratings over 3000."

"Wait, but I thought the highest rating achieved thus far was 2882!" Mimoko gasped.

"That's why it's a secret. So, think you can beat ALL the secret maestros?"

A smile began to form on Mimoko's face. "You bet! It sounds like fun."

"Then you should probably save up your points so you can buy the app. Students like us can't come here at midnight every night," Okisato nodded.

"How much is the app?"

"Well, for that, the price varies. Normally, it's 9,999,999 points, but there are ways to get it at a discount. For example, beating a maestro will lower the price considerably. Another way is to solve puzzles at the max difficulty and get a perfect score on them within your first three visits to a secret puzzle cafe and/or best a SPCM on your first attempt within your first three visits. And you, Grandmaster Inoue, have done just that. Thus, for today only, the app for you will cost only 1000 points."

"DEAL!"

Once the points were exchanged, a new icon appeared on Mimoko’s WWCF card.

"Ah yes, I should also mention that the app allows you to see the puzzle leaderboard. You may also order items you’d normally only be able to order from within a secret puzzle cafe and even challenge SPCMs you’ve bested to chess matches, if they are available. As for a final word of thumb, as long as you are within a secret puzzle cafe, you may challenge any SPCM or DSPCM, as well as request to rematch them and any maestro you’ve bested anywhere in the world from any cafe,” Himitsudono stated.

“‘DSPCM’?”

“Deputy secret puzzle cafe manager. It’s the official title for those managing secret puzzle cafes in nations without maestros. In fact, you beat DSPCM Gorana Petrović in the tournament, so now you should have her badge in your profile."

"They can compete in tournaments?"

"Very much so, though it's primarily the DSPCMs that do so. Us SPCMs are mostly retired players reaping the benefits from the frozen ratings the WWCF provides us for these roles. Though that doesn't mean we don't or can't compete. And to let you in on a secret, the way to tell if a SPCM or DSPCM is truly retired or at the very least not currently engaging in competitive play is if they don't show up in a player search. While all SPCMs and DSPCMs have red colored WWCF cards, they also have the ability to change it to the normal color so as not to tip off their opponent that they're a SPCM or DSPCM. And on a separate, but related note, since I am an SPCM, it means Japan is in fact host to one of the 7 maestros. Maestros are most certainly barred from tournament competition, but perhaps that might change in the future."

Mimoko smiled and thanked Himitsudono as Okisato decided to examine the secret puzzle cafe app. "Say, does the app allow you to teleport to any cafe you've visited?"

"My, I wonder if it does?"

"How many points?"

"A non-discountable 10,000,000,000, though I hear the price can be halved if you best at least 4  maestros like Grandmaster Morphy has done. And perhaps, there is a secret way to unlock a more affordable price for it on top of that." 

"Are there other ways to earn points besides the daily puzzles?" Mimoko asked.

"Why yes indeed. Winning a free-for-all 4-way chess tournament here at a secret puzzle cafe is the fan-favorite one. There is an entrance fee of 40 points, but the winner walks away with 40,000,000 points and that's just for the standard. The international variant will net you 4 billion points, but only if you win the whole thing, and let me tell you, even someone like Grandmaster Morphy struggles to win those."

"Why's that?"

"Because in 4-way chess, there's four players. You also win by capturing pieces and getting points. Three players could also mutually agree to take out the biggest threat before attacking each other," Okisato stated.

"You can also earn some points based on your performances at normal tournaments and regular 4-way chess tournaments hosted by the WWCF, now that you’ve found a secret puzzle cafe and completed a daily challenge,” Himitsudono added.

"Wow, I really hit the jackpot. Thanks Himitsudono."

"My pleasure. I look forward to your return, and eventually rematches."

...

"UGH! Those puzzles are hard! I only got 4 right!" Iori fumed as she headed to the bus with the others.

“What difficulty were you on?” Okisato asked.

“Duh, Max difficulty! I’m hardcore!”

As for the others, Utami managed to get 7 right at novice difficulty while Yuzuha got 5 right at beginner difficulty. Rodeo had only gotten 2 right, but largely due to attempting the advanced difficulty ones. Maida meanwhile managed to get an impressive 9 right at the advanced difficulty, while Azenira and Zago both got 5 right at the advanced difficulty. Numakawa however…

"The puzzles are far easier than the game, I got all 10 right," Numakwa boasted.

"Bet it was at beginner difficulty," Okisato growled.

"Geh, I will gradually increase the difficulty."

Yuusuke meanwhile struggled just to get 6 right at the advanced difficulty, though his mood only soured when he heard Mimoko and Okisato got the secret puzzle cafe app. "Ugh, you got the app? I'm never gonna get that thing. It's not fair.”

"Hey, do you have any idea how many years it took to save up for this?" Okisato groaned.

"Have you beaten a maestro, Tanabe-kun?" Mimoko asked.

"Maestro!? Wait, you mean like Himitsudono-"

"I still need to find all the cafes and SPCMs first and beat them in addition to the one I've found but still haven’t beaten before I can challenge Maestro Himitsu. But now that I have the app, I won't need to worry too much about getting the points to do that."

"Maestro Himitsu?"

"The maestro of Japan. I have no idea who they are, but it's possible I've met them without knowing. As for you, Shousen-san, did your mother not tell you about the maestros?"

"No, I have no idea what you're talking about, man."

"By the way, what happened to Zanni?"

"Oh I beat him and made it so that he'd destroy the DESPER and never hurt anyone again. Then the WWCF president had his guys drag him away."

"Seems you really decided to make him suffer. Well he deserves it."

"Unlike you, I'm a hero."

"Yeah, sure.”

As everyone got on the bus, Okisato sat next to Mimoko and gave her a warning. “Now that you’re an overnight prodigy, things will only get harder. I’m not just talking about dealing with the Desperado league, the entire chess world itself will likely be painting a target on your back thanks to your sudden rise. I’m sure you got a taste of what I’m talking about back at the awards ceremony. Some were happy, many were just plain shocked, and some were angered. You have celebrity status now, so there’s no turning back. Are you prepared for what might come?”

Mimoko stared at Okisato for a bit before smiling and nodding her head. “I understand your concern, but don’t worry. I’ll prove I’m worthy of the rating and title I’ve been given."