CHAPTER FIVE: ITS A MAD, MAD, MAD CHESS WORLD, PART 1

Shortly after class dismissed, Liam, Mateo and I went out to go get food, We went to this local street vendor near our school and decided to eat there, "ZHISH ISH THE BEST!!" Liam noted, I reacted "I told you this place was the best."

Meanwhile, Nareen, Michael and the coach stayed at the school after hours, choosing between which competitors to choose

Nareen arrived late, but excused himself by saying "Sorry coach! You know how the academic things get." and the coach nodded him

Michael started the meeting by saying "Well, That's for the men's division, How was it over on the women's side Nareen?" 

Nareen replied, "You're kind of a dick for ordering me around like that, anyways, is Elara and Mireya coming over?"

The coach nodded, "Yes" and shortly after they came inside,

Elara Suen, walked in saying "Sorry we're late.", A second year chinese pale girl with long dark black hair with purple hints at the ends of her strands, around 170cm in height, behind her was Mireya Calderon, a short 164cm third year that owns a bob cut usually dressing sweaters 

"Have you guys chosen who you pick as competitors?" The Coach asked

"Yeah Coach!" Mireya agreed optimistically, Elara asked "Who have you guys chosen?"

Michael shrugged and leaned back into his chair, "I dunno." and Nareen reacted in disbelief, "Well anyways, I have one in mind I wanna pick." The coach said, "Who's that guy who beat you again?" He gestured towards Nareen

Before it was revealed, Mireya burst out laughing, "You LOST??!!", Nareen stared at her intimidatingly, "Yeah I lost! What's it to you! You wanna fight?!" Mireya irritated asked "Yeah I do! You wanna go??" 

Before anything could escalate Michael butt in saying "Shut your mouths.", and Nareen took a step back and said "You think I'm going all that way to watch you lose, I have better plans." Elara continued asking, "So who's the lucky guy?"

Michael said, calmly; "Marco Villanueva, He plays similarly to me, But without a shadow of a doubt, I would win."

Nareen reacted "Psh, He just got lucky."

Nareen took a step back from the group and sat down, still thinking about his loss, "How could it have gone differently?" He asked himself, He pondered and looked outside from the glass, "I feel so shitty right now." He muttered to himself

His mind wandered off back to where it all started, A younger more gentler time for Nareen

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A younger Nareen was watching a Regional chess tournament, and as one competitor won he turned around and exclaimed "THAT'LL BE ME NEXT!!" infront of his parents, but they shrugged him off and said "You will be, Nareen."

As a child prodigy, Nareen quickly surpassed the neighborhood kids, This caused his neighbors to hate him and fractured the household, causing deep guilt in Nareen. He was neglected, barely being noticed until he reached inter school in Primary 

To escape his grief and connect with his parents, Nareen invested everything into chess. However, this was initially a desperate move rather than a passion, as he used the game as a distraction.

At school he dominated the competitors, even though it was his first year at Primary-- none of his seniors could even touch the level he was in, everyone was envious of him, He was crowned the best among his peers

"What's so fun about losing?" He told himself

He dedicated countless hours to the grind, His brain worked differently from others, He never got tired, his brain focused purely on chess, he understood one thing; once you reach a certain point no matter what sport it is, it gets lonely

He was Primary 6 (12 years old) when he first entered his inter school tournament, he lost the second round, realizing its a mad, mad, chess world, and after that he never stopped his grind to the life of chess

"You know there's a guy who hasn't lost at all since he started chess?" 

"Oh that kid... I hope im not up against him."

Nareen heard all the murmurs and got excited, what the look of someone who purely dedicated their life to chess would look like, running across the venue looking for anybody who looked slightly intimidating

until he bumped into a younger Michael Fauante, (10 years old) and noticed his calm, and expressionless face, not even noticing Nareen had bumped into him, even though he was younger than him, Michael was chosen due to pure skill having not lost to even against Highschoolers

"Stop Nareen! A habit like that is unhealthy, You're keeping yourself playing by sheer will! A person who doesn't know their limits is destined to fail! You don't even care about technique, skill, openings, You're going on just with your passion!" a former chess compadre yelled out towards him

Nareen stayed silent until bearing a joyful face saying "That just means I have more to learn doesn't it?!"

By the time he lost to Michael his vision of chess was jaded, Never truly knowing what loss was until that point in his life, so when he lost to Marco again, a spark reignited in him that he didn't want to let out


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"I really hate losing!" He yelled internally, tears forming in his eyes as his peers focused on the upcoming district meet

Michael looked back at him, but didn't comment further; "Those who dedicate themselves to the life of chess must bare the repercussions of losing." He thought

The coach cut in saying "Anyways, Here's the final line up for the men's category!"

FIRST BOARD: MICHAEL FAUANTE
SECOND BOARD: NAREEN KAYA
THIRD BOARD: MARCO VILLANUEVA
FOURTH BOARD: MATEO RIVERA

Michael butt in asking, calmly; "Wait why Mateo? He lost didn't he?" 

"You can't deny the kids got heart, I respect his drive to the passion of chess, aside from him no one significant came into my mind, well aside from SIPS Varkas Eidolon but I heard he lost his drive and he's only here to test the waters on how much potential he still has left."

Michael replied; "I know him, Yeah he's lost his edge, I think this line up is fine."

Elara continued by saying, "Here's the lineup for the Women's category."

FIRST BOARD: ELARA SUEN
SECOND BOARD: MIREYA CALDERON
THIRD BOARD: SOPHIA KAPOOR
FOURTH BOARD: LINA FJORD

"You chose Lina Fjord!!???!?" Mireya yelled out, Elara shrugged asking "Why not?"

"WELL YOU DO KNOW ME AND HER HAVE A RIVALRY RIGHT? (That skank thinks she can get an upper hand against me.)"

Nareen got back, tears finally gone from his eyes and, Michael noticed, saying "Welcome back." Nareen slowly got back into his old demeanor by starting the conversation saying; "WELL! Either way, There's still a month to choose again right?"

The coach nodded, saying "If you guys have better ideas I'll be open to suggestions. If you guys don't have anything else to say, Let's end this meeting here, Michael and Nareen clean up the room for me will ya'?" He asked closing the door behind him as he left

Elara and Mireya turned back at us and Mireya put her tongue out teasingly; "Blehhhh, That's what you guys get for losing!", Elara whispered "Wait didn't you lose?" "SHUT IT!"

They both left the room and it was Nareen and Michael left, Michael stood up from his chair but was halted by Nareen asking "What does it feel to lose?" towards Michael, "Stupid question, I've never lost."

Nareen teased him by saying "Come on, You're lying everybody has lost!!' tugging on Michaels shoulders

"Weirdo," He said patting away Nareens hands "If you don't believe me, Why not try me against a game?"

Nareen smiled saying "I know I don't have that skill to beat you one against one." Michael looked back at him saying; "Then quit being a chess player, You're more useless than shit." Nareen took a step back and took the words in, The memories of losing flooding back into his mind

"Don't look like that, You're lucky enough to be Vice-President." Michael reassured, "I guess assholes like you do have a heart!" Nareen smiled 

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BACK TO MATEO, MARCO AND LIAM 


We just finished eating, Liam continued eating due to buying more pork ribs, "THIS IS THE BOMB!" He exclaimed

I ignored him, asking "Who do you guys think will be chosen for the 4 players?" Mateo shrugged "I aint got a clue but im confident mr-i-beat-loud-mouth will be chosen." 

I asked "Who?" 

"YOU IDIOT!!" 

I smiled, being reassured, "Just a few more steps closer until I reach Michael's level." I thought, A vision of Michael being atop a mountain while I climbed above it envisioned itself in my head, "Yeah, I can win." I reassured myself

Liam continued eating but in between eating he told me "YOU GUYSH KNOW MY SHISTER IS ON THE BOARD COMITTEE!"

Mateo and I reacted in shock "For real?! How come you've never told us this.", Mateo continued by saying " I know your sister is good but I didn't think she was that good."

Liam continued by saying "WHY DO YOU ZHINK IM SHO GOOD!! HEHEHEHE!", Mateo turned his back and said "Well I don't know about that."

Suddenly, somebody went up to us, A blonde fellow, he asked "Which one of you is the kid who beat Nareen?" intimidatingly

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mateo replied, "Back off dude." then the guy slammed his palm into our desk, making our food shake and continued saying; "It's important... 'dude'."

Mateo stood up facing the buff guy and asking "He's not with us, So back off.. You're looking for someone else."

He raised his hands up saying; "Look man I don't want a fight, In fact I want to applaud you."

Mateo gestured over to me and said "It's him."

I raised my hand and asked; "Well.. What do you want?" I asked nervously, He examined my body and asked; "What's your elo?" I replied "1600...", 

He looked confused, "Really? Nareen is 1800 elo, Maybe he's lost his edge." 

I asked confusingly; "What exactly did you want anyways, It's not really polite for you to walk up to us like this."

He showed us his school id, it was different from ours; "Victor Hale" a third year from another school, "You took away Varkas Eidolon, he was meant to be the third board not you."

Mateo butt in by saying "You have a problem with that?" and Liam threw his fists up saying "YEAH IF U WANNA KILL HIM FOR THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH US."

Victor walked back, and said "Nothing, I just didn't expect Varkas to be outpicked... But remember this, Chess isn’t a game. It’s the law. Every move is a ruling. Break it, and you face the sentence."

He walked away and we looked at each other confused, 

Mateo asked "Who was that guy?"

"I haven't a clue dude." 

"WHAT IF HE TRIED TO FIGHT YOU!!"

Mateo sat back down saying "There's one of him and three of us, We'd be fiiiine."

Suddenly, Elara walked outside the school with Mireya and called out Liam saying "LIAM! ITS TIME TO GO HOME!" and Liam replied "YES SIS!! I'M COMING!!", running back to his sister, "I'll SHEE U GUYSH TOMORROW!" He told us, 

Me and Mateo looked back at each other saying "She's hot." and we instinctively packed our bags, ready to head back home aswell