Chapter 40:

Match of the century

En Passant Grandmaster Volume 3

The game continued on with Daria moving her pawn to e3 and Himitsudono moving his knight to f6. Daria had been upset at the foolish opening she had just witnessed, but if Himitsudono was hoping it would throw her completely off her game, he was in fantasy land. Daria was in top form.

D4, d6, d5, knight b8, e4, Daria was quickly taking complete control of the game. B-knight d7, bishop e2, a5, bishop e3, b6, Himitsudono was trying his best to create counterplay, yet given his position, it was easier said than done. A king's side castle, g6, h3, bishop g7, knight d2, knight c5, king h1, and suddenly, things were close to even. H5, f4, knight g4, and h captures g4 later, things truly were dead even.

Daria was by no means slacking off. She was a prodigy ahead of her time, and truly was playing to the best of her abilities. However, she had not once played against such a line utilized by Himitsudono. And with Himitsudono playing at an even, arguably higher skill level than her, the potential existed that the unbeatable monster, Daria Inashiki, might finally get humbled in humiliating fashion.

"Check. Seems you're running out of steam," Himitsudono chuckled as he captured the pawn at g4 with his h-pawn.

Daria scowled as she was forced to move her king to g1. "Not in the slightest. I can see a path to your condemnation."

"And not a draw at worst?" Himitsudono taunted as he captured the pawn at f4 with his e-pawn.

"This isn't Armageddon," Daria snarled as she captured the pawn at f4 with her rook.

"Perhaps in a different sense," Himitsudono chuckled as he moved his rook to h7.

Daria shook her head and captured the pawn at g4 with her bishop, but no sooner did she do so did Himitsudono move his queen to h8, preparing to unleash a vicious assault. This sent Daria into a long think, eventually determining that the best move forward was king f1. This right here would ultimately prove to be the most decisive move of the match.

...

"Mimoko, check out this puzzle I got for ya," Daria smiled as Mimoko groggily sat down at the breakfast table. Before her was a game setup exactly to match the game between Daria and Himitsudono up to Daria's 19th move.

"So what's the puzzle?" Mimoko asked.

"Black to move."

"Rook h1, check."

"Very good, but then I go bishop g1."

"Why there?"

"Because this is a puzzle."

"Fine, then rook captures g1, check. You're still-"

"King captures g1. You're down a rook now. Not looking good at all," Daria scowled.

Mimoko smirked and shook her head. "Your mind games won't work on me when it comes to chess. This position is completely lost for White, so long as I play bishop d4, check."

A warm smile formed on Daria's face. "Correct. This position... is completely lost for White."

...

A young Daria went pale as she stared at the board before her. "No... NO! If I go king f1, it's mate in 3! My only other move... is rook f2. But that... Knight d3, knight f3, bishop captures f2, check, and I'm forced to move my king to f1. Knight captures b2 later and I'm down a pawn... Dammit!" she fumed in her mind.

Once all those moves she had predicted came to fruition, Daria moved her queen to d2. Himitsudono slid his bishop away to c5, setting off a series of back and forths between him and Daria. First came bishop h3, then bishop captures h3 and g captures h3. Himitsudono could have chosen to capture the pawn at h3 with his queen, but instead chose to capture the pawn at c4 with his knight.

"Check. I've had enough of this farce!" Daria fumed as she moved her queen to g5.

"And what exactly would this "farce" be?" Himitsudono asked as he moved his king to f8.

Daria gritted her teeth, but was unable to answer properly, responding with nothing more than a frustrated growl as she moved her pawn to e5.

"I take it's because you're down a knight's worth in material. Oh, and check again," Himitsudono snickered as he captured the pawn at h3 with his queen.

Sweat began to run down Daria's face as she moved her king to e2, but Himitsudono gave chase, capturing the pawn at e5 with his knight. Daria captured said knight with her knight, but in came rook e8, pinning said knight to the king, and prompting Daria to move her king to d2. Himitsudono then captured the knight at e5 with his rook, and it was then that Daria, in a state of agitation and panic, moved her queen to d8.

"Check!"

...

"So, thoughts on the match?" Daria asked Mimoko.

"Whoever was playing as White was an idiot. King g7 and it's mate in 10."

"Mate in 10? But what if White goes king c2?"

"Bishop b4."

"Knight e4?"

"Okaa-chan... Rook captures e4?"

"That's right! But in desperation, White goes queen f6, check."

Mimoko shot Daria an unamused scowl. "King captures f6."

"Rook f1, check?"

"Queen captures f1. Okaa-chan, this isn't rocket science."

"But it was at the time. This was played back in 2005 you know. Engines and computers weren't as widespread even though Kasparov vs Deep Blue was a thing."

"Who was it played between?"

Daria simply smiled and shook her head. "Secret."

Mimoko narrowed her gaze as she stared back at the board. "I assume you want me to predict how this game ended then?"

"All I'll say is that it ended in mate. So?"

"It's a forced mate in 3, so it would go, a3, queen e2, check, king b3, rook e3, check, king a4, and rook captures a3, checkmate."

"Correct, but also not."

"Huh?"

"What you said is correct. That is a forced mate in 3. However, rook captures a3 was not the winning move. Rather, it was b5..."

...

"...Checkmate."

Daria stared in disbelief at the board. She had lost. She had lost the very first chess game of her life, and in such humiliating fashion.

"And thus, the match is settled. The best has been decided. I shall now announce the new ratings of those that shall now become maestros," Raymond declared.

...

"So why did you choose this match for our puzzle today, Okaa-chan?" Mimoko asked.

Daria proudly smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Because it was the most important match of m- Of the century. That's why."

Mimoko wasn't dense though.

"Okaa-chan... were you the one that lost this game?"

"Uh... I... Hey, there were practice-"

"Ugh. I can see why you were making such a big deal about this taking place in the 2000s. But what event did this match take place in?"

"Now that... will remain a secret until the time is right."

As Mimoko pouted in disapproval, Daria thought back to the day Mimoko was born and she first breastfed her. The warm smile on her face, the tiny infant she had just given birth to moments prior serenely drinking her milk, this was a moment that never would have come to be had she not lost that fateful match. Her great prowess was retained, but now the coldness that wielded was truly gone.

"Mimoko, someday you'll learn just what kind of chess player I was back in the day. I'm not exactly proud of how I was back then, but this very match I showed you was what truly brought me back from the brink. I've never been happier to have lost that match, and to him. I don't want to think of how things would be if I hadn't lost. Now, the chess world is brimming with newfound talent daily. Though that's all because none fear the terror and despair of facing the monster known as Daria Inashiki. But if the only way to protect you was to resurrect that monster, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

...

Groans echoed as a large pile of Fairy soldiers lay behind Daria.

"Too strong... Why?" one groaned as he twitched on the ground.

"No... I didn't sign up for such humiliation... Why is she so strong?" Bette trembled as she curled up into a ball on the floor.

"Maestro... I heard you were strong in your heyday, but THIS strong!? No wonder there were so many calling for you to get banned. You're too OP!" Ina thought as she hid out of sight.

Now, all that stood in Daria's way of victory, assuming no new challengers showed up, was Scharlachrot herself.

"So? You're the only one left, and should you lose, it's off to jail with you and the lot of you."

Scharlachrot gritted her teeth in frustration. "She got Bette, dammit! I can't risk getting caught, and my ace is no good against her. I knew maestros were strong, but this is unworldly strong! There's other ways out of the tunnels. Besides, we capture Mimoko, we can take her elsewhere away from this monster," she thought as she slowly began to retreat.

"Giving up?"

"I never challenged you to begin with," Scharlachrot scowled as she took off running.

"Okaa-chan?"

Daria slowly turned and gasped as she was greeted with a bald Mimoko. "Mi- Mimoko That really you!?"

Mimoko began to tear up as she pulled out her WWCF card, confirming her identity. "It's me! I didn't ask for this, but they forced it on me," she trembled as her face went red.

"You look smooth n' sexy, girl."

"OKAA-CHAN! It's embarrassing no matter how sexy it looks!"

"Hmm?"

Mimoko's face got redder. "I- I- WAAAAAAH! OKAA-CHAN, I WAS SCARED!" Mimoko cried as she leaped into Daria's arms.

Daria warmly embraced Mimoko and stroked her head as Iori and Carol arrived shortly after.

"Yo, what's with the pile? And how'd you get here, Mimo-chan's mom?"

"Ah, I'm the main rescue squad. Hagemi's with me too. Know where the others might be?"

"No clue. We got separated. Oki-kun warped-"

"-To China. Yes, I saw him just a bit ago. He's likely going to take down Xiao Lin, but I assume once he's done with that, he'll return here."

"Tanabe-kun's in China!? What on earth-"

"Eh, he said he was probably gonna take her down anyway, but ole graveyard showing up sped it up. AH! THE KEYS!"

Iori madly dove her hand into her breasts and let out a relieved sigh. "Phew, At least there's a few. Couldn't snag em all, but at least the ones I did grab weren't taken," she thought.

"BRAVISSIMO!" a voice cried out.

Everyone turned to see a mad-eyed Vittoria crawling along the wall of a building like a spider before leaping off and landing before them.

"I saw elo... HIGH ELO! Mimoko! Oh, Mimoko! FACE ME! And should you lose, it's back to jail," Vittoria cackled as she summoned a board before her.

Daria clicked her tongue and turned back to check on the pile of grunts. "Sorry, Mimoko, but you'll have to handle this. I'm not gonna let this quarry escape," she sighed as she stomped down on Bette's back.

"OW! The hell!"

"You're not escaping, especially after you lost. Mimoko, I'm just gonna take a quick detour to the WWCF holding facility. I'll be back in a few minutes," Daria stated as she tapped her hand on the Fairy grunt pile.

In an instant, she, Bette, and the entire pile vanished in an instant.

"YO! Your mom just took their asses to prison!" Iori gawked.

"And she'll have one more once I'm done with this one," Mimoko scowled as she prepared to face Vittoria.

The full game:

White: Daria Inashiki (2832) Black: Himitsudono (?)

1. c4 e5

2. Nc3 Ke7

3. Nf3 Nc6

4. e3 Nf6

5. d4 d6

6. d5 Nb8

7. e4 Nbd7