Full focus

Daria began the game by moving her knight to f3, while Mimoko moved her pawn to e6. "Hoh, that's a much better response than before," Daria gawked as she moved her pawn to c4.

"My mind is much clearer now," Mimoko smiled as she moved her pawn to c5.

"Much more talkative too," Daria chuckled as she moved her pawn to e4.

"This time, I will beat you," Mimoko declared as she moved her knight to c6.

A confident smirk appeared on Daria's face as she moved her knight to c3, while Mimoko moved her knight to d4. "I'm not easy to surpass. Even Peter only wins against me a third of the time," she stated as she moved her bishop to e2.

"What do you mean?" Mimoko asked as she moved her knight to e7.

"We tend to draw most of our games, usually by repetition," Daria stated as she castled on the king's side.

"That makes sense," Mimoko nodded as she moved her e-knight to c6.

"The wild thing is that most of his wild gambits end up leading to draws or even wins. Then again, considering I lost to that "Madman's Důras Gambit" yesterday, perhaps there is some merit in studying some of the wilder moves more," Daria mused as she moved her pawn to d3.

"Wait, are you saying you DON'T make crazy moves?" Mimoko gasped as she moved her bishop to e7.

"I know this might come as a shock, but I tend to be a more serious player and tend not to make irregular or meme plays," Daria stated as she captured the knight on d4 with her knight.

"I don't believe you. Especially considering how you act around me," Mimoko glared as she captured the knight on d4 with her knight.

"Work and home are two different places. Besides, this is me when I'm truly serious," Daria stated as she moved her bishop to e3."

"So then why were you making things hard on me yesterday?" Mimoko asked as she castled on the king's side.

"Because your mental fortitude was lacking. I doubt your state of mind would have truly improved if I just told you everything. In fact, I honestly expected a period of turmoil until you managed to clear your head and face me again properly. However, your friend ended up changing all that," Daria stated as she moved her bishop to g4.

"Tanabe-kun?" Mimoko asked as she moved her pawn to b6.

"Yes, him besting me with such a mad gambit ended up improving your mood more so than I expected. In fact, I dare say that loss was more beneficial for me in the long-term," Daria nodded as she moved her knight to e2.

"How so?" Mimoko asked as she moved her pawn to f5.

"The loss not only cleared your head, but forced me to sit down and talk with you as your mother. Not to mention, it made me all the more aware of a major weakness I have," Daria stated as she moved her bishop to h3.

"What is it?" Mimoko as she captured the knight at e2 with her knight.

"That I need to be more aware of unexpected plays, both on the board and in life. If I had been more vigilant, Michiko never would have gotten the opportunity to ensnare me, but even then, I still can't believe her plan even worked," Daria stated as she captured the knight at e2 with her queen.

"Yeah, that's what I don't get. No one in the Desperado league should have a higher rating than you, so unless you agreed to be part of the wager on your own volition, the DESPER shouldn't have dragged you in," Okisato stated as Mimoko moved her pawn to f4.

"Perhaps she summoned the Ultima-master then. It's rated 3200 just like me, meaning it could technically force me into a match. Not to mention, I didn't agree to anything, so I don't understand how I was forced into the wager," Daria stated as she moved her bishop to d2.

"What exactly happened?" Okisato asked as Mimoko moved her pawn to f3.

"I went to the salon and asked Michiko do my hair. Then the next thing I know, I'm staring Xiao Lin in the face and getting chloroformed," Daria stated as she captured the pawn at f3 with her g-pawn.

"YO! I got chloroed before I was dragged into a game, but I'm pretty sure the DESPY thing waited until I woke up to start counting down," Iori stated as Mimoko moved her bishop to g5.

Okisato began to think while Daria moved her bishop to g2. "It just doesn't make sense. Even if the Ultima-master is the same rating as you, it should be impossible to drag you in as a wagering chip, since the wielder needs to be 500 points higher rated than you, which is impossible." 

"The solution was there the whole time," Peter stated as Mimoko captured the bishop at d2 with her bishop.

"Huh? That doesn't make sense," Okisato grumbled as Daria promptly captured the bishop at d2 with her queen.

"That is why you are still far from beating me, or perhaps you lack the answer due to a simple lack of knowledge," Peter stated as Mimoko moved her pawn to e5.

"I know better than to think you're calling me stupid, but I still don't get it," Okisato grumbled as Daria moved her pawn to b4.

"Then how about you, Maestro Himitsu?" Peter asked as Mimoko moved her pawn to d6.

"Hmm... I think I know what you're implying, and I'm not in love with it," Daria sighed as she captured the pawn at c5 with her b-pawn.

"Illegal rating inflation?" Okisato asked as Mimoko captured the pawn at c5 with her d-pawn.

"Quite likely," Daria scowled as she moved her pawn to a4.

"But it still seems hard to believe given your rating," Okisato scowled as Mimoko moved her queen to h4.

"I'll admit, I've never seen such an incident myself, but I'd constantly hear of such possibilities existing from Skaberghast," Peter nodded as Daria moved her pawn to a5.

Okisato's expression darkened. "So it's the sinful six," he snarled under his breath as Mimoko moved her rook to f6.

"Hmm? You say something?" Daria asked as she moved her queen to b2.

"No... nothing," Okisato grumbled as Mimoko moved her queen to h5.

"Though if we want to talk about rating inflation, the executive board is probably the best documented instance of it," Peter snarled as Daria moved her pawn to f4.

"What do you mean?" Okisato asked as Mimoko moved her rook to h6.

"The only reason they have 2900+ ratings is thanks to getting chip implants. In short, they're leeches that rely on said implants to do the chess for them. Most never think for themself, and the only ones I've encountered that do are at best 2600-level or lower."

"Ah, Ai-chan is an executive board member!" Mimoko exclaimed as Daria moved her pawn to h3.

"Ai Kamuro? Ah, her," Daria groaned as Mimoko captured the pawn at f4 with her e-pawn.

"You know her?" Mimoko asked as Daria moved her pawn to f3.

Daria scowled. "Unfortunately I do. She's considered one of the WWCF's top information-gathering officers and is known as the woman with a million faces. But if there's a constant about her, it's that she can't resist bald women," she growled as Mimoko captured the pawn at h3 with her bishop.

"A million faces? Maybe that's why she's a bald woman herself," Okisato mumbled as Daria moved her rook to f2. 

"Tanabe-kun, why are you beginning to blush?" Mimoko scowled as she moved her rook to f8.

"What do you mean?" Okisato shrugged as he tried to downplay things.

Daria began to grin mischievously. "Looks like my little Mimoko's gonna have to go bald for her man," she giggled as she captured the pawn at b6 with her a-pawn.

"OKAA-CHAN!" Mimoko cried as she went red in the face. 

"Wait, you reaaly got the hots for Oki-kun!?" Iori gasped.

"No. Ugh, I thought you said you were serious when you played," Mimoko pouted as she captured the pawn at b6 with her rook.

"Serious in play, not always in conversation. Though love is a serious matter," Daria teased as she moved her queen to c1.

"Alright, full focus! I'm NOT losing to you!" Mimoko declared as she moved her rook to g6.

"Just to be clear, you really don't have a thing for an ass like Tanabe, right?" Yuusuke asked as Daria captured the pawn at a7 with her rook.

Mimoko responded with a silent glare as she moved her pawn to h6.

"S- Sorry."

Daria let out a laugh. "Ah, you're lucky Hagemi's not here, boy. She'd slap you silly for your insensitive remark," she grinned as she moved her a-rook to a2.

"Don't invoke her! Otherwise she'll show!" Yuusuke trembled as Mimoko moved her rook to g3.

That being said, Yuusuke began to grit his teeth in frustration at the mention of his mother. "Inoue's mom's actually a chess prodigy, but clearly Inoue never knew the fact," he thought as Daria moved her queen to e1. "Inoue didn't have to grow up living in the shadow of some great parent... The hell... That's just not fair," he thought as Mimoko moved her rook to f6.

"Does Okka know you're actually a maestro?" Yuusuke asked aloud as Daria moved her pawn to e5.

"For a while, actually, but she's never beaten me," Daria stated as Mimoko moved her f-rook to g6.

Yuusuke clenched his fist. "I see... I'll be doing some more puzzles..."

Okisato took note of Yuusuke's expression and made a mental note to himself. "Jealousy... Never thought I'd see it from him towards Inoue-senpai," he thought as Daria moved her queen to e4.

"The nerve of him! Mimoko-sama is in the match of her life, and he decides to abandon? He truly is no better than a puddle of piss," Utami scoffed. 

"Now, now, Utami-chan, no need to be hard on Shousen-kun. He might just be nervous that watching might make me lose," Mimoko smiled as she moved her queen to g5.

"Yeah, don't be too hard on him. His mother's methods of raising him have already taken a bad enough toll on him," Daria frowned as she moved her queen to e2.

"Why is she like that?" Mimoko asked as she captured the bishop at g2 with her bishop.

Daria stared at the board and went silent for a moment before letting out a sigh and capturing the bishop at g2 with her rook. "That you'd have to ask her yourself."

Mimoko somberly nodded as she captured the rook at g2 with her rook.

"I do know why she's so harsh, but she's asked I keep quiet. Thus, I'm doubtful she'd tell you outright," Daria stated as she captured the rook at g2 with her queen.

"Does it stem from the fact that she's disappointed in how he pales in comparison to her?" Mimoko asked as she moved her queen to f5.

"Yes, but not in the sense that she views his lack of skill as a disgrace to her legacy, unlike a certain colleague of mine," Daria grumbled as she moved her rook to e2.

"Wiley, right?" Okisato growled as Mimoko captured the pawn at d3 with her queen.

"Hmm? You know about Wiley?" Daria asked as she captured the rook at g6 with her queen.

"Well I've beaten him, so I'm well-aware of how stubborn he is," Okisato stated as Mimoko captured the queen at g6 with her queen, forcing Daria's king to f1.

"Who's "Wiley"?" Mimoko asked as she moved her queen to g3.

Daria began to chuckle. "Well this game sure became lively. Still, it seems even the serious conversation didn't derail your focus," she smiled as she moved her rook to f2.

"Naturally, chess is my number one focus in the world," Mimoko smiled as she moved her queen to g3.

"I can certainly see that. Now enough of the somber talk, let's focus on the game," Daria smiled as she moved her rook to f2.

Mimoko nodded and moved her king to f7. The room then went quiet as Daria moved her king to e1, followed by Mimoko putting her in check by moving her queen to g1. This forced Daria to defend by moving her rook to f1, but Mimoko simply moved her queen to e3, forcing Daria to move her king to d1 and allowing Mimoko to capture the pawn on e5 on her next turn.

Daria attempted to mount a counteroffensive by moving her rook to f2, but Mimoko once again put her in a cycle of check, starting with her moving her queen to a1. This forced Daria's king to d2, but Mimoko soon forced the king to go to e1 after moving her queen to b2. She then moved her queen to c1, leaving Daria with no other choice but tho move her king to e2. She then slid her queen to g1, forcing Daria to move her rook to f1 in order to avoid a forced mate.

However, Mimoko could see the path to victory and moved her queen to e3, forcing Daria's king to d1. She then moved her king to g8, prompting Daria to once again mount a counteroffensive by moving her rook to e1. However, Mimoko simply captured the pawn at f3 with her queen, prompting Daria to defend her king by moving her rook to e2.

"Seems like mate is almost inevitable. Well done, Mimoko Inoue," Peter happily thought as Mimoko moved her queen to g4.

As soon as she moved her king to d2, Daria's eyes widened. "Dammit, I blew it in the end," she thought as Mimoko moved her pawn to f3. "Check," she stated as she moved her rook to e8.

"Sorry Okaa-chan, but I saw that mistake. Mate in 14," Mimoko grinned as she moved her king to f7.

"Saying that won't make me resign. I still have a rook you know," Daria stated as she moved her rook to e1.

"Perhaps a beginner would blunder this setup, but not me. Check," Mimoko stated as she moved her queen to d4.

"I see, though I will still struggle to the bitter end," Daria smiled as she moved her king to c2.

"Then I'll simply mate you proper. Check," Mimoko stated as she moved her queen to f2.

"You do know policy requires us to play until there's a decisive result on the board right? Whether I want to resign or not, I'm required to play until it's mate, stalemate, or draw by repetition or lack of mating material," Daria laughed as she moved her king to d1. 

"That's good. I prefer mate on the board for the records," Mimoko smiled as she moved her queen to b2. 

With mate inevitable, Daria ended up hastening her defeat by moving her rook to f1, allowing Mimoko the opportunity to move her queen to b1. This forced Daria to move her king to d2, allowing Mimoko to capture her rook at f1 with her queen. Daria then moved her king to c3, resulting in Mimoko advancing her pawn to f2. Once she promoted this pawn, it would be mate for Daria. Daria was not going down without a fight though as she moved her king to b3, however, Mimoko simply moved her queen to a1.

"No escape then," Daria sighed as she moved her king to c2.

"You played well though," Mimoko smiled as she moved her pawn to f1 and promoted it to a queen.

"Perhaps the next time I play you, I'll open with e4," Daria chuckled as she moved her king to b3.

"I'm looking forward to it. Checkmate," Mimoko smiled as she moved her f-queen to d1, winning the game.

The full game:

White: Maestro Himitsu (Daria Inoue) (3200) Black: Mimoko Inoue (2714)

1. Nf3 e6

2. c4 c5

3. e4 Nc6

4. Nc3 Nd4

5. Be2 Ne7

6. O-O Nec6

7. d3 Be7

8. Nxd4 Nxd4

9. Be3 O-O

10. Bg4 b6

11. Ne2 f5

12. Bh3 Nxe2+

13. Qxe2 f4

14. Bd2 f3

15. gxf3 Bg5

16. Bg2 Bxd2

17. Qxd2 e5

18. b4 d6

19. bxc5 dxc5

20. a4 Qh4

21. a5 Rf6

22. Qb2 Qh5

23. f4 Rh6

24. h3 exf4

25. f3 Bxh3

26. Rf2 Rf8

27. axb6 Rxb6

28. Qc1 Rg6

29. Rxa7 h6

30. Raa2 Rg3

31. Qe1 Rf6

32. e5 Rfg6

33. Qe4 Qg5

34. Qe2 Bxg2

35. Rxg2 Rxg2+

36. Qxg2 Qf5

37. Re2 Qxd3

38. Qxg6 Qxg6+

39. Kf1 Qg3

40. Rf2 Kf7

41. Ke1 Qg1+

42. Rf1 Qe3+

43. Kd1 Qxe5

44. Rf2 Qa1+

45. Kd2 Qb2+

46. Ke1 Qc1+

47. Ke2 Qg1

48. Rf1 Qe3+

49. Kd1 Kg8

50. Re1 Qxf3+

51. Re2 Qg4

52. Kd2 f3

53. Re8+ Kf7

54. Re1 Qd4+

55. Kc2 Qf2+

56. Kd1 Qb2

57. Rf1 Qb1+

58. Kd2 Qxf1

59. Kc3 f2

60. Kb3 Qa1

61. Kc2 f1=Q

62. Kb3 Qfd1#