Chapter 20:

False sense of security

En Passant Grandmaster Volume 5

Mimoko beamed with pride as she sat in the secret puzzle cafe in Ryokoma.

"Well somebody had a good round," Daria chuckled.

"At my expense," Mizuse laughed.

"Oh I'm sure you've still got a chance. Rize, a big favorite, lost to Cinnamon. That'll shakeup things big time."

"Ahaha, that might mean I'll be facing her next," Mizuse nervously smiled.

"Then rub that bald head of yours," Safumi grumbled as she lounged on a couch.

"And are you 3-0?" Doraaki growled.

"You not?" Safumi smirked.

"Well... Yeah, I got a little too cocky..."

...

Going back in time to the start of the 3rd round...

Doraaki blinked in surprise as she found herself before Tenju. "Tenju! Been ages! You holding up?"

Tenju looked up, mumbled something to herself and shook her head.

"Well, nice to see you here. Guess this means you cleared the first phase. You 2-0 too?"

"Yes..."

"Dang, who'd ya beat?"

"..."

The conversation would end there as the round began. The game between Doraaki and Tenju opened with Doraaki going d4, Tenju going d5, and then Doraaki playing c4, the Queen's gambit, which Tenju accepted by capturing the pawn at c4 with her d-pawn.

"Wow, you actually took it," Doraaki thought as she smiled and moved her pawn to e4.

"Even without Taira telling me, I know capturing in the Queen's Gambit is the best play," Tenju thought as she moved her pawn to e5.

"Heh, maybe I shouldn't go too hard on her," Doraaki thought as she moved her knight to f3. "Nah, easy win's an easy win. I wanna make the team," she thought as she shrugged and watched as Tenju captured the pawn at d4 with her e-pawn.

"Hmm, here, right?" Tenju thought as she glanced up as Doraaki captured the pawn at c4 with her bishop.

Doraaki blinked in confusion as Tenju smiled and nodded before moving her bishop to b4. "Uh, OK?" she thought as she moved her b-knight to d2.

Tenju continued on with no concern for Doraaki's attitude as she moved her knight to c6.

"Huh? Maybe she's just jittery because of everything. Eh, still wanna be on the team, so sorry," Doraaki thought as she moved her knight to g5.

"Yes, I see it," Tenju thought as she nodded and captured the knight at g5 with her queen.

This caused Doraaki to huff with confidence as she moved her bishop to b3, completely unaware of her peril, until Tenju captured her pawn at g2 with her queen. Doraaki then misstepped and moved her pawn to a4, allowing Tenju to move her pawn to d3. This caused her to panic and move her pawn to f4, sealing her fate.

"Well that was easy. I can convert this position even without Taira's help," Tenju thought as she captured the pawn at e4 with her queen.

At this point, the game was over as once Doraaki moved her king to f2, Tenju responded by moving her bishop to c5, forcing it to g3. Next came queen g6, sending the king to f3, and finally knight to e5, forcing Doraaki to capture said knight with her d-pawn.

"Checkmate," Tenju mumbled as she moved her queen to g4, winning the game.

"Geh!? I fucked up against Tenju!? Fuuuuck," Doraaki groaned in dismay.

...

"So that's what happened. You were playing well up until the 7th move, but made the wrong play, completely costing you the game," Daria sighed.

"On me for letting my guard down, but Tenju... Tenju does feel a bit different. She didn't bother talking with me after and just up and left. If you face her, don't take her lightly."

"You losing to Tenju's a riot. She's the dumbest of the bunch, yet you botched an easy win off her. Guess that means you're not making the team," Safumi laughed.

"There's still three rounds to go, and 5 available slots. Not to mention, many players on 3-0, including the maestro," Doraaki scowled.

"You think they'd pit me against the maestro?"

"If you continue to win, facing me is a high probability, though losing to me also has its advantages in tiebreaks," Daria smiled as she fanned herself.

"Lol, that's savage," Iori grinned.

"Oi, what makes you think you'd get to face her?" Safumi snarled.

"When I beat you next round, that's 4-0 for me."

"Oh, you're cruisin' for it. You're on."

...

The next day, the pairings were posted minutes before the 4th round was to begin. Gritting her teeth in fury, Kuon stared at her opponent's name and stormed into the playing hall. Though she normally hated having to play in the 4th round of any tournament, here she didn't have much of a choice. She wasn't the only one in a foul mood though.

"You kidding!? I gotta play Derpy!?" Iori cried.

"How is that an issue? If you play properly, you're more than capable of beating her," Mimoko huffed.

"Oi, you seen her record? She's 3 n' 0, 8 n' 0 if we count the elimination rounds, and she's beaten girls higher-rated than me. The hell wouldn't I be nervous!?"

"Look at you sweating over a baby!" Safumi laughed.

"Oh? You're up against Tenju. Hope you flub like I did," Doraaki smirked.

"I'm a grandmaster, unlike you. I can whoop Tenju in my sleep," Safumi scoffed.

The full game:

White: SPCM Himitsukun (Doraaki Soken) (2206) Black: SPCM Himitsutan (Tenju Kuroshiro) (1362)

1. d4 d5

2. c4 dxc4

3. e4 e5

4. Nf3 exd4

5. Bxc4 Bb4+

6. Nbd2 Nc6

7. Ng5 Qxg5