Chapter 34:

Skittles room skirmish

En Passant Grandmaster Volume 1

As Mimoko returned to the skittles room, she was met with a stare-off between Kuon and Okisato. "What's going on?"

"M- Mimoko-sama. My apologies, but I know not the full story," Utami trembled.

"I was just enjoying myself, but the moment you won your game, this woman couldn't help but shout at the top of her lungs, hurting my ears and souring my mood," Okisato grumbled.

"Boy, a woman can shout when she sees something that upsets her," Kuon glared.

"This might not be the playing hall, but it's still respectable to not shout at the top of your lungs when someone you want to lose wins."

"What do you mean?" Mimoko asked.

Kuon's gaze instantly shifted towards Mimoko, pure bloodlust and hatred oozing out of it. "You... You dared... YOU DARED TO BEAT HAGEMI! HAGEMI'S MY RIVAL!"

Mimoko recoiled in shock, but before Kuon could make a move, Okisato blocked her with his hand. "And there's that loud shouting. Ah, my ears. I think you need to be taught a lesson in chess."

Kuon's anger subsided slightly. "Boy, are you issuing a challenge to me?"

"It can be informal, but I'd prefer formal as you losing elo would be suitable compensation for the pain you've inflicted upon my ears."

"Boy, you won't beat me," Kuon scoffed as she flashed her WWCF card before Okisato.

Mimoko's eyes widened as she stared at Kuon's rating of 2699. "You're a grandmaster?"

Kuon glared and spun back around towards Mimoko. "You shut up!"

"Not a fan of Inoue-senpai's talent, huh? Well I'm down for a formal match. It won't help with the norm, but a rated match against you would help in raising my elo," Okisato growled as he cracked his shoulders.

"With that attitude, how could I resist. Very well, we'll do 10 minutes no increment, rated, so that I can doom your grandmaster aspirations."

"Tanabe-kun, don't mess this up, please," Mimoko thought as a board materialized before Okisato and Kuon.

Okisato stared at Kuon for a bit before smirking and moving his pawn to a3, causing Mimoko's jaw to drop in horror. "T- THE ANDERSSEN OPENING!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!? SHE'S A GRANDMASTER!" she shouted as Kuon moved her pawn to d5.

"Do keep your mouth shut, lest you want it sewn shut," Kuon glared as Okisato moved his pawn to d4.

"Hmm, she's certainly full of herself. Little does she know the Anderssen's one of my specialties," Okisato thought as Kuon moved her queen to d6.

He then moved his knight to f3, while Kuon mirrored him and moved her knight to f6.

His following move of pawn to c4 elicited a laugh from Kuon. "Oh you stupid, stupid, boy. That's a free pawn for me," she sneered as she captured the pawn at c4 with her d-pawn.

"I'm 17, hag," Okisato snarled as he moved his knight to c3.

"That is why I treat you as a young boy, because you ARE younger than me, and immature and stupid as well," Kuon glared as she moved her knight to d5.

"Nah, you're the one devolving, in more ways than one! CHECK!" Okisato grinned as he moved his queen to a4. His sadistic persona had revealed itself.

"So you had an insane side to you. I guess perhaps this is a coping mechanism for you," Kuon scoffed as she slid her bishop to d7.

"'Coping mechanism'? For what!?" Okisato snickered as he captured the pawn at c4 with his queen.

Kuon shot Okisato an unamused glare as she captured the knight at c3 with her knight, nor did she seem phased in the slightest when Okisato promptly captured said knight with his queen. "All the boy did was even things out," she thought as she moved her knight to c6.

As soon as Okisato moved his pawn to e4, however, Kuon grinned and moved her queen to g6.

"Ugh, that idiot's going to lose a pawn," Mimoko growled as Okisato moved his bishop to e3.

Just as predicted, Kuon captured the pawn at e4 with her queen, however Okisato was still in sadistic mode and moved his bishop to d3. Kuon scoffed at the play and simply moved her queen to e6, but Okisato didn't let up and moved his bishop to c4, prompting Kuon to move her queen to g6.

"Obviously, pawn g3 is the right move here," Utami thought as Okisato moved his pawn to d5. "Wait, WHAT!? THAT IDIOT!" she cried as Kuon pounced on the opportunity and captured the pawn at g2 with her queen.

"Calm down, Utami-chan. This is actually a good position for him to be in," Mimoko grumbled as Okisato captured the knight at c6 with his pawn.

"Check," Kuon sneered as she captured the rook at h1 with her queen.

"Mimoko-sama, I fail to see how that fool can win this," Utami groaned as Okisato moved his king to e2.

"Trust me, I'm upset with his methods, but I know the winning moves when I see them. Barring no blunders, Tanabe-kun will win," Mimoko grumbled as Kuon captured the rook at a1 with her queen.

Kuon raised an eyebrow. "You think the boy will win? Preposterous! He's down both his rooks."

"Don't need 'em, in fact, you capturing them helped speed things up. CHECK!" Okisato snickered as he captured the pawn at d7 with his c-pawn.

"I fail to see what your deluded mind perceives as a victory," Kuon snarled as she moved her king to d8.

"Then I guess you'll find out," Okisato snickered as he moved his knight to e5.

"I do still have my queen left, and have no intention of losing it," Kuon scoffed as she moved her pawn to e6.

"Who said I needed to capture it to win? In fact, you choosing your queen over your king, screwed you. Check!" Okisato snickered as he captured the pawn at f7 with his knight.

Kuon's eyes widened in horror as she began to tremble at the reality of her scenario; mate was imminent. She clicked her tongue and captured the pawn at d7 with her king, however Okisato didn't let up the assault and moved his knight to e5.

"Don't need your rooks either," he sneered as Kuon moved her king to d8.

Okisato then slid his bishop to g5, prompting Kuon to defend by moving her bishop to e7. However, Okisato simply moved his queen to d3, forcing Kuon's king to c8. Yet that wasn't safe either, as Okisato captured the pawn at e6 with his bishop, forcing Kuon's king to b8.

"Guess I'll give you a consolation knight," Okisato snickered as he moved his knight to c6.

With no choice, Kuon bit her lip and trembled in frustration as she captured said knight with her b-pawn and watched as Okisato moved his queen to b3. "Damn you... DAMN YOU BOY! HOW DARE YOU HUMILIATE ME WITH AN ANDERSSEN OPENING OF ALL THINGS!" she roared as she moved her bishop to b4.

"Hey, it was your desire to protect your queen and not your king that screwed you. Then again, maybe you shouldn't have gone after my rooks in the first place. CHECKMATE!" Okisato snickered as he captured the bishop at b4 with his queen, winning the game.

Kuon gritted her teeth and clenched her fist ferociously, but dejection quickly deflated her rage. "This is why I hate playing during the 4th round, either in the playing hall or the skittles room," she muttered as she got up and stormed away.

Mimoko let out a sigh of relief as she turned to face Okisato. "I guess the Anderssen isn't the worst opening, but still not the best."

"It's more underrated than you think," Okisato argued.

"Why's that?"

"I guess it's best to give some background. My birthday is July 6th, the same as Adolf Anderssen."

"Ah, so you feel some sort of affinity for the opening because of that, yes?"

"Exactly."

A smile formed on Mimoko's face. "In that case, do your best to find new and exciting lines."

"Why the shift in mood?"

"Aren't you the one that says you're good at reading people? Figure it out yourself," Mimoko pouted as she turned and sat down in a nearby chair.

She then pulled up her chess bag and smiled warmly. "So Tanabe-kun shares a birthday with a chess great too. Hmm, that reminds me of my own recent birthday..."

The full game:

White: Okisato Tanabe (2434) Black: Kuon Nanya (2699)

1. a3 d5

2. d4 Qd6

3. Nf3 Nf6

4. c4 dxc4

5. Nc3 Nd5

6. Qa4+ Bd7

7. Qxc4 Nxc3

8. Qxc3 Nc6

9. e4 Qg6

10. Be3 Qxe4