Banter amongst the Danish team

With the opening ceremony concluded, the teams all headed back to the hotel to begin their strategy meetings for the 1st round. The men were up against Denmark, which was a somewhat formidable, but nonetheless a team that Japan could likely beat. The most notable thing out Denmark though was it's top board, featuring Skaberghast himself. But aside from him, the other players didn't seem too intimidating.

"There is a chance Skaberghast won't play since teams tend to rest their top players early on, but even if he does play, you should be able to win on the lower boards," Daria stated.

"In that case, I'll play-"

"I'm the top board, so I face the top player," Ginji sneered.

"And how do we know you won't throw?" Okisato glared.

"How mean! We're all representing our countries here, so league kinship matters not."

"Let him have this. If he can get a draw, we could win on the three lower boards," the masked man interjected.

Okisato scowled and accepted the reasoning as Daria moved onto the women's matchup.

Unlike the men, the women had drawn a powerhouse, France.

"We really got a tough match-up. And remember, I can only play 8 rounds so if I play now, that's only 7 rounds left for me. And if we play teams like India, Prussia, America, China, Norway, or Russia, you'll need me at the top board. That means I'd only have 1 game left assuming we face all those aforementioned teams. I was hoping we'd get lucky in the early rounds, but sadly we're being thrown into the thick of it."

"Do you have to play though?" Mimoko asked.

"It depends. France's top player is a grandmaster known as Collette Femme-Fatale. Her rating's 2600."

"Collette Femme-Fatale... Ah! She's that model that works under Mizuse-sama's modeling brand!" 

"Correct, and she can be rather clingy when it comes to her idol. If you face her, expect some hostilities. The others are solid as well. The Utsugi sisters, Alice and Mimosa,  are both international masters with ratings of 2424 apiece with Alice being a SPCM. SPCM Fifi Bealieu is also a 2400-rated international master, though the reserve board is SPCM Fleur Monique, who's only rated 2205. I doubt any of the top players will sit out, mainly because we're the number 3 seed. My question to you all is do you think you can beat this line-up without me?"

Iori was the first to grin. "They sound like complete scrubs. Sit this out, Mimo-chan's mom, we'll sweep em easy." 

"I concur. I should be able to handle one of the 2400s. At worst, I draw," Utami nodded. 

Tenju clenched her fist. "Alice... She's always hated me, but never could I ever fight back against her on the chessboard. But with Taira by my side, I'll crush her. I want that gold medal for Taira."

"I think that tells you all you need. Don't worry, Okaa-chan, I'll handle the top board," Mimoko smiled.

Daria let out a sigh before a grin appeared on her face. "Well worst case scenario, we lose and we get an easier team, but looking at you all now, I think you can take them."

...

The next morning, all teams gathered at the arena for the 1st round. Just as predicted, both Denmark and France were fielding their top players for the match-ups.

"Oh so good to see you, Ginji," Skaberghast snickered as he and Ginji shook hands before a glaring Okisato. 

Okisato decided not to bother engaging with the two and instead turned his attention to his opponent, a man with long wild pink hair and shaved eyebrows named, Jern Ræv.

"Oi, why ya not paying attention to me, huh!?" Jern snarled.

"My apologies, but your teammate and I don't get along," Okisato grumbled.

Jern blinked for a bit before scoffing. "Well you and me both. In fact I hate everyone here. Wakuta's a creep in a mask and talks weird along with Retskcirb. And don't get me started on Sommer Lyserød. I hate that guy!"

"Oi, why ya talking shit about me!?" a bald young man wearing a pink scarf glared as he butted heads with Jern.

"Shut it, ya smooth twink!"

"What was that, ya browless caveman!?"

"You're browless too!"

"I had hair last night, but Leyla shaved me for luck!"

"What a loser, letting that girl make you her bitch."

"Huh!? I enjoy every second of it!"

As the two bantered, the man at the remaining board, sat menacingly staring at Mori. "You control the shadows... But I will corrupt the light to take back... the shadows."

The man was dressed like Wakuta Ogeldax, a character from Ogel's Roboticle series. Known as the series antagonist and master of shadows, Wakuta was always in character. The reserve member, Retskcirb Eht, also dressed like a character from one of Ogel's many franchises, though had blended both the character with his own personality.

Mori, however, wasn't into it. 

"I don't get anime, comics, or cartoons from anywhere. Nor do I get toys. You a Gundum or something?" Mori grumbled. 

"I... AM... the shadows," Wakuta replied. 

"Great, a chuuni. I fucking hate chuunis. I'm gonna need to sooth my mind with a porno mag once this is done."

There was still time before the round began, meaning the arbiters wouldn't step in until match time. Okisato didn't mind the shouting, but one who certainly did was a woman with long blonde braids.

"Will you two stop fighting!?" she shouted as she stormed up to everyone.

Sommer froze and went pale as he slowly turned around to face the woman. "Y- Yo, Leyla."

Leyla Lynggaard was Denmark's top female chess player as well as its crown princess. She was also smitten with Sommer, though could take things a bit too far when it came to teasing as evidenced by the fact that Sommer had been shaved bald.

"Chess is meant to be quiet, now be a good boy and shut up, please," Leyla pouted as she pressed a piece of tape over Sommer's mouth.

Sommer went red and nodded in obedience as a sadistic smile spread across Leyla's face.

"Good boy. You're such a good little bitch. That's why you turn me on, you submissive bundle of sexy."

Okisato cringed in disbelief at what was unfolding as Ryonosuke let out a sigh and covered his face with his hand.

"Wow, talk about barely disguisin' your kinks," a girl with spray-tanned skin and short white hair smirked as she pressed her breasts into the back of Jern's head.

Now Jern was the one getting flustered, as the girl was his lover, Julia Ravnetræ.

"Oi Julia! Don't press your pads into me!"

Julia glared and slapped Jern twice. "Anne's the one with the padded breasts. Mine are natural."

"Bullshit! You can barely fit into a c-cup without it falling-"

"Leyla, the duct tape?"

Leyla smirked and tossed the roll to Julia who within seconds, turned Jern into a duct tape mummy. Sommer burst into muffled laughter at the spectacle, though Jern clapped back and the two resumed their banter despite both being gagged.

"And I was hoping to end the banter. My apologies to the men of Japan for their rudeness," Leyla bowed.

"Think nothing of it. Though would you mind if I ask a potentially sensitive question?" Okisato asked.

Leyla tensed up, but allowed Okisato to ask.

"Why's Skaberghast on your team?"

The question caused Lelya to let out a sigh of relief as she expected the question to be centered around her interaction with Sommer.

"Well that's easy, I'm born n' bread in good ole Denmark," Skaberghast snickered as he flashed his Danish passport.

"You're but a blemish to our people, pervert," Leyla scowled.

"Please, I like bald girls, you like bald guys. We're two sides of the same bald fetishist coin."

"Du er en skændsel [You are a disgrace]," Leyla trembled as she stormed away.

Julia shot Skaberghast a glare before she too headed off.

"As you can see, the ladies of Denmark are of the tsundere variety. You wouldn't believe how many Danes in general got bald fetishes."

"I doubt it."

"Well everyone in Silkeborg was like me when I was growing up."

"Perhaps in a small pocket, but I doubt the entire city or country is as perverted as you and that girl."

"Damn right! We ain't bald shaving perverts like those two! They're just two of the more well-known Danes in the chess world!" Jern fumed as he freed himself from his duct tape cocoon.

"As I thought, now sees like things will be starting soon, so here's to a good game."

Jern however, smacked Okisato's hand aside. "I don't like you either. Somethin' about ya puts me on edge, almost as if you're some murderer."

"And if I was, then why would you do something like angering me by swatting my hand away?"

"Cuz I'm a fighter, that's why! See, I prefer cage fightin' but Julia tried to get me into something calmer and forced me into chess. I hate chess, too much thinking, but chess boxing allows me to go wild, and since it's technically chess, Julia has no complaints, so bring it chump! I may hate thinking, but I'm smart enough to beat a dolt like you even without dumbing you down with some blows!"

"You know I'm a grandmaster right?"

"Well I'm the iron fist of Scandinavia!"

Okisato let out a sigh but internally he was manically grinning. "Alright tough guy, I'll flex on you hard and make an opening round statement."

However, the one that would make their statement first was Ginji. 

As soon as the round began, Skaberghast opened his game against Ginji on board 1 by moving his knight to c3. Ginji smirked and responded by moving his knight to c6, eliciting a smirk back from Skaberghast as he quickly moved his knight back to b1. Ginji then moved his knight back to g8, resetting the board, before both him and Skaberghast repeated the same moves until the game was drawn due to threefold repetition. 

"Tch, of course he would try something like this, but I guess it's better than him throwing the game," Okisato thought as he shifted his focus back to his own game. 

With the score tied at 0.5-0.5, it would take at least two wins for a team to win the match, otherwise it would end in a draw. 

The full game:

White: Prof Manfred von Skaberghast (2804) Black: Ginji Inohara (2722) 

1. Nc3 Nf6 

2. Nb1 Ng8 

3. Nc3 Nf6 

4. Nb1 Ng8 (Game drawn due to threefold repetition)