Chapter 34:

Irish Chigorin countergambit

En Passant Grandmaster Volume 3

Carol stared at the board for a bit before finally deciding to move her bishop to f4.

"Not taking it? Well the Chigorin Irish Gambit is my go-to counter for London Systems, in case you were wondering," Sorcha smiled as she captured the pawn at d4 with her c-pawn.

"Are Irish Gambits all you play?" Sorcha asked as she captured the pawn at d4 with her queen.

"Hmm, when I can, I always do," Sorcha replied as she moved her knight to f6."

"Well then it sucks for you, cuz I binged videos from my favorite chess Ewetuber on how to counter both Irish Gambits while I was in prison," Carol smiled as she captured the knight at b8 with her bishop.

"Ara, ara. I wasn't expecting that. Though I am quite confident in how well I know this opening," Sorcha smiled as she captured said bishop with her rook.

Her confidence didn't last long though as Carol castled on the queen's side, leaving her confused as to what to do next. She thought for a few minutes before finally deciding to move her bishop to g4.

"Seems she's got some skill, but is still an intermediate," Mimoko thought as Carol moved her knight to f3.

Rather than capture it with the bishop, Sorcha opted to instead move her pawn to e5, but that was her first blunder.

"Lol, you hung that pawn," Carol grinned as she captured the pawn at e5 with her knight.

"Ara, seems I'm beginning to slip," Sorcha chuckled as she moved her queen to b6.

"Damn right! Check!" Carol grinned as she moved her queen to a4.

"Seems I'll just have to get lucky then," Sorcha chuckled as she moved her bishop to d7.

"I heard hope chess is bad though," Carol scowled as she captured said bishop with her knight.

"Usually I tend to get lucky against my opponents though," Sorcha countered as she captured said knight with her knight.

"And what's the skill level of the opponents you play?" Carol asked as she captured the pawn at d5 with her knight.

"Hmm... I guess 1000 would be the average, though once I got lucky and beat a 2000-rated player. Check, by the way," Sorcha stated as she moved her queen to h6.

"What was the time control for that game?" Carol asked as she moved her pawn to e3.

"Hmm... Classical I think, maybe rapid," Sorcha shrugged as she moved her pawn to b5.

"So how did you beat them?" Carol asked as she moved her knight to c7.

"Well, they played a Queen's Bongcloud and from there I just got lucky and they resigned after a few moves," Sorcha stated as she moved her king to d8.

Carol began to laugh. "Guess luck really can be a factor in some cases. Though skill is ultimately the name of the game," she grinned as she captured the pawn at b5 with her bishop.

"Still, I like to rely on luck," Sorcha smiled as she captured the knight at c7 with her king.

"Then feel free to. In fact, maybe I should be a bit more respectful of Lady Luck," Carol chuckled as she captured the pawn at a7 with her queen.

"Oh? Not gonna rely solely on "Mad skillz"?" Sorcha chuckled as she moved her king to d8.

"I said skill's the name of the game, but sometimes you need some luck too. Luck that you're opponent will play in a way you know how to counter. Like this! Checkmate!" Carol grinned as she captured the knight at d7 with her queen, winning the game.

"Wait, HUH!? ...Ara, ara. I really was outclassed. Seems your revenge is complete. But will your friend last against Medeucesa? She is the strongest Rainbow executive."

"Yeah, she'll clobber her!"

"Here that, Deucesa? You lose, I'm shaving those prized dreads of yours!" Sorcha called out.

"Shut up! I need to concentrate here!" Medeucesa shouted back.

"My, I wonder what's gotten her so flustered."

The full game:

White: Carol Cooke (500) Black: Sorcha Glas (777)

1. d4 d5

2. Nc3 c5

3. Bf4 cxd4

4. Qxd4 Nf6

5. Bxb8 Rxb8

6. O-O-O Bg4