Ch.2 – EP19 Time Trouble

【9:40】

The taxi slid into the venue’s rotary, and the sound of the brakes split the summer heat.

The two who’d blazed over from a building near Kyoto Station practically jumped out as they kicked off the ground.

“Sora, it’s 9:40 now. I already did check-in. Follow me!”

Akira said it shortly and took off running.

“Sōma-senpai, pay the taxi!”

“Why me!?”

“Because, you lost the bet, so you’re my slave♡ (※See EP05)”

“Guh…!”

Shouting thanks, they waved to the driver, and Sora and Momoko chased after Akira’s back.

They sprinted up the stairs. Second floor—Exhibition Hall 2. On the standing signboard: “All-Japan High School Chess Championship.”

Akira took in the venue at a glance and pointed.

“Sora, that one’s your board. It’s 9:43 now!”

“Sora, it’s okay. You’ll make it. Calm down!”

“—Going!”

He slid into the chair and saw White’s 1st move e4 already placed on the board. The high schooler across from him had his arms folded and a confident smile on his face.

“Pleased to play you,” Sora bowed and sat.

On the clock, his side read 01:00. —Because of the late-arrival penalty, his remaining time was only 60 seconds.

It was like the forfeit countdown was walking straight toward him.

Sora closed his eyes.

With fingertips resting on the edge of the desk, he took the beat. Four beats in, four beats held, four beats out, four beats held.

(Low-altitude flight—don’t drop. Return to a shape you can come back to.)

Momoko (inwardly): (…What are you doing, Sora?)

Sōma: “Hey, thirty seconds left! He’s got his eyes shut and isn’t even looking at the clock!”

Akira: “This is bad… he can’t waste a single second, seriously bad…!”

Across from him, White—Kōta—watched without moving an eyebrow.

Kōta (inwardly): (Why won’t he move? Why is he counting “beats”?)

The audience’s whispering pricked at his chest.

“6, 5, 4, 3—”

Sora opened his eyes. c6.

His finger smoothly pushed out the black pawn, and he hit the clock with a click.

Remaining 00:01.

(Made it.)

____________________________________________________________________________________

【Opening: The Rhythm of 21】

》 ★Move 1: Kōta 45:30 — Sora 00:01 (1. e4 c6)

Increment +30 seconds—Sora’s clock jumped to 00:31.

Kōta (clicks tongue): (I thought I’d get a forfeit win… Caro-Kann Defense? Unexpectedly composed.)

Sōma: “It’s the 45 minutes + 30 sec/move rule. Sora’s gotta play every move inside those 30 seconds. If he spills over even once, it’s instant death!”

Momoko: “He’ll be fine. Sora will make it work.”

》 ★Move 2: Kōta 45:57 — Sora 00:31 (2. Nf3 d5)

As if savoring Sora’s time trouble, White deliberately took his time, Nf3.

Sora stared only at Kōta’s eyes, and at 10 seconds remaining hit d5.

》 ★Move 3: Kōta 42:22 — Sora 00:40 (3. exd5 cxd5)
》★Move 4: Kōta 41:20 — Sora 00:49 (4. Bb5+ Nc6)
》★Move 5: Kōta 41:00 — Sora 00:58 (5. Nc3 a6)

Sweat slowly spread across Kōta’s back.

(…He doesn’t look at the clock? He’s staring at me the whole time while he moves… what is he playing at?)

Akira (low): “Sora’s time is gradually increasing—no, he’s making it increase.”

》 ★Move 6: Kōta 38:45 — Sora 01:07 (6. Bxc6+ bxc6)
》★Move 7: Kōta 34:32 — Sora 01:16 (7. Nd4 Bb7)
》★Move 8: Kōta 32:02 — Sora 01:25 (8. O-O e6)

Sora’s remaining time: 01:07 → 01:16 → 01:25 (consuming 21 seconds per move − adding 30 seconds = +9 seconds)

Kōta: (His remaining time always increases by nine seconds…? He’s moving every time in “21 seconds”? Impossible—)

Spectator: “Huh, exactly 21 seconds per move? Is he playing around?”

》 ★Move 9: Kōta 28:20 — Sora 01:34 (9. Qf3 Nf6)
》★Move 10: Kōta 26:29 — Sora 01:43 (10. d3 Qe7)

Each time the colon between minutes and seconds on the digital clock blinked, Kōta’s heartbeat went ragged.

(Don’t think about extra stuff. Focus. Next is—)

》 ★Move 11: Kōta 25:09 — Sora 01:52 (11. Bg5 O-O-O)

(It’s fine, in this line I can win—)

Beside the board stood a black-and-white evaluation bar. It’s a thermometer of advantage showing “how favorable and for whom,” calculated by AI. For instance, “+1.0” means White is slightly better; “−3.0” is close to a crushing advantage for Black.

At this moment the eval was +0.7 (White better), which was no more than a visible kind of breathing. Sora—felt the state not by the AI bar, but by the beats of his opponent’s breathing.

》 ★Move 12: Kōta 22:39 — Sora 02:01 (12. b3 h6)
》★Move 13: Kōta 17:19 — Sora 02:10 (13. Bxf6 gxf6)

Kōta (sweat on his brow): (Again 21 seconds. Why does he keep staring at me and not at the clock!?)

Momoko (inwardly) (It isn’t just the board. Breath, blinks, the faint rise and fall of his shoulders. Tempo empathy is the skill of “stealing” your opponent’s beat… He’s matching his opponent’s beat, shifting the center of gravity of time.)

》 ★Move 14: Kōta 11:17 — Sora 02:19 (14. a4 Qb4)

Kōta (startled): (Before I know it, I’m the one low on time! What do I play—)

》 ★Move 15: Kōta 07:16 — Sora 02:28 (15. Qxf6 Rg8)

Kōta (a silent scream): (Stop it… that 21 seconds…!)

》 ★Move 16: Kōta 01:52 — Sora 02:37 (16. Nde2 Bg7)

Kōta (turning pale): (The time has flipped. Now I’m the one in time trouble…!)

》 ★Move 17: Kōta 00:54 — Sora 02:46 (17. Qxf7 Qh4)
》★Move 18: Kōta 00:04 — Sora 02:55 (18. Qxe6+ Kc7)

Kōta (hands trembling): (If I don’t move within 30 seconds, I lose…!)

》 ★Move 19: Kōta 00:06 — Sora 03:04 (19. Rae1 Qg5)

Kōta (vision wavering): (Scared… Who am I playing right now— a person, or time…?)

》 ★Move 20: Kōta 00:07 — Sora 03:13 (20. f4 Bd4+)

Kōta (thought cut off): (Faster, faster—!)

Up to here the eval was +2.6 (White overwhelmingly better).

But the instant Kōta pushed the pawn to f4 to drive off the queen, the diagonal near f4 slackened around the white king, and Black’s “king-line check” u got through. The eval swung to −99.9 (mating zone) and the bar turned all black.

Spectator: “Huh! What just happened?”

Sora sensed the reversal not by the AI’s calculated eval, but by the beat.

And with the bishop Bd4+ check—

____________________________________________________________________________________

【Convergence: 21 Moves, 21 Seconds】

》 ★Move 21: Kōta 00:10 — Sora 03:22 (21. Nxd4 Qxg2#)

White’s knight removed the checking bishop, but now Black’s queen slid to g2.

The sound of the piece landing rang almost gently.

Kōta (vacant): (…Checkmate? …I lost…)

What welled up in his chest wasn’t the bitterness of defeat, but—a strange relief.

(It’s over… I’m released from this pulse…)

Sora bowed quietly.

“Thank you for the game.”

“…,” Kōta nodded and averted his gaze. (Never again—yet I’ll never forget it.)

The murmurs in the seats overlapped into a wave.

“Wait, when did White become the one in time trouble?”

“21 seconds and 21 moves—what is that, a curse?”

“No, it’s a strategy—a way of stealing your opponent’s time.”

Sōma clawed at his hair.

“He did it…! He mated him along with his time!”

Akira gave a small laugh and folded his arms.

“An explainable surprise.”

The digits on the clock came to a quiet stop.

In 21 moves—the 21-second rhythm converged on the final number.

The spiral drawn on the board tightened shut right here.

____________________________________________________________________________________

【After the Game: Where the Breath Sits】

<PGN>1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bb5+ Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. Nd4 Bb7 8. O-O e6 9. Qf3 Nf6 10. d3 Qe7 11. Bg5 O-O-O 12. b3 h6 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. a4 Qb4 15. Qxf6 Rg8 16. Nde2 Bg7 17. Qxf7 Qh4 18. Qxe6+ Kc7 19. Rae1 Qg5 20. f4 Bd4+ 21. Nxd4 Qxg2#</PGN>

※ If you’re new to chess and want to follow the moves,you can try copying the PGN between <PGN> and </PGN> into the analysis board on Lichess(https://lichess.org/analysis).
Please note that, due to site limitations, copying the text may take a bit of extra effort.

As Sora was checking the scoresheet, Momoko ran up to him.

“So it really was 21 moves.”

Sora wiped his sweat and gave a short laugh.

“Right here, our breaths matched. So—I felt it would end.”

Momoko poked a finger into his chest.

“Listen, next time we won’t end it. We’ll extend it. Show it. Not just take, but give a game. —Up to the quarters: ‘classical beauty.’ Semis: ‘sharpness.’ Final: ‘make them gasp.’ Just like Master’s curriculum.”

“Roger,” Sora nodded deeply.

Four beats in, four beats held, four beats out.

He’d already left his breath on the center of the board.

Akira took his scoresheet and silently gave a thumbs-up.

Sōma thumped his shoulder.

“Gonna go with 21 seconds again next round?”

“Well. If the opponent’s breathing changes, I’ll change my beat.”

“Then what about when you face someone who won’t let you steal his beat?”

Sora smiled. “Then—I’ll sing.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll turn it into sound. The tempo of an explainable surprise.”

Momoko burst out laughing.

“What are you, a poet! Okay then, next up I’m expecting a poet’s check.”

An announcement rang out: “Round 2 pairings have been posted.”

The hall rippled again. Piece sounds multiplied; footsteps overlapped.

Sora stood up.

(If you won’t quit—win the championship.)

Elena’s voice rang in his chest like distant lounge ice.

Time is also an enemy. But today—it was an ally.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

Sora headed for the pairing board alongside Momoko.

Four beats, four beats.

The shape he could return to was already etched into his body.

And thus Sora—advanced to Round 2.

The next spiral on the board was quietly beginning to open.

____________________________________________________________________________________

【Sandra’s Appearance】

Meanwhile, a large crowd had formed around a different board.

A-01, Alexandra’s board.

The favorite from Eastern Europe with ELO 2400. Officials, media, and spectators had gathered to watch her first game.

(To be continued)