Full focus

Daria began the game by moving her knight to f3, while Mimoko moved her pawn to e6. "Hoh, that's a much better response than yesterday," Daria gawked as she moved her pawn to c4.

"My mind is much clearer now," Mimoko smiled as she moved her pawn to c5.

"Much more talkative too," Daria chuckled as she moved her pawn to e4.

"This time, I will beat you," Mimoko declared as she moved her knight to c6.

A confident smirk appeared on Daria's face as she moved her knight to c3, while Mimoko moved her knight to d4. "I'm not easy to surpass. Even Grandmaster Morphy only wins against me a third of the time," she stated as she moved her bishop to e2.

"What do you mean?" Mimoko asked as she moved her knight to e7.

"We tend to draw most of our games, usually by repetition," Daria stated as she castled on the king's side.

"That makes sense," Mimoko nodded as she moved her e-knight to c6.

"The wild thing is that most of his wild gambits end up leading to draws or even wins. Then again, considering I lost to that "Madman's Důras gambit" yesterday, perhaps there is some merit in studying some of the wilder moves more," Daria mused as she moved her pawn to d3.

"Wait, are you saying you DON'T make crazy moves?" Mimoko gasped as she moved her bishop to e7.

"I know this might come as a shock, but I tend to be a more serious player and tend not to make irregular or meme plays," Daria stated as she captured the knight on d4 with her knight.

"I don't believe you. Especially considering how you act around me," Mimoko glared as she captured the knight on d4 with her knight.

"Work and home are two different places. Besides, this is me when I'm truly serious," Daria stated as she moved her bishop to e3."

"So then why were you making things hard on me yesterday?" Mimoko asked as she castled on the king's side.

"Because your mental fortitude was lacking. I doubt your state of mind would have truly improved if I just told you everything. In fact, I honestly expected a period of turmoil until you managed to clear your head and face me again properly. However, your friend ended up changing all that," Daria stated as she moved her bishop to g4.

"Tanabe-kun?" Mimoko asked as she moved her pawn to b6.

"Yes, him besting me with such a mad gambit ended up improving your mood more so than I expected. In fact, I dare say that loss was more beneficial for me in the long-term," Daria nodded as she moved her knight to e2.

"How so?" Mimoko asked as she moved her pawn to f5.

"The loss not only cleared your head, but forced me to sit down and talk with you as your mother. Not to mention, it made me all the more aware of a major weakness I have," Daria stated as she moved her bishop to h3.

"What is it?" Mimoko as she captured the knight at e2 with her knight.

"That I need to be more aware of unexpected plays, both on the board and in life. If I had been more vigilant, Michiko never would have gotten the opportunity to enslave me, but even then, I still can't believe her plan even worked," Daria stated as she captured the knight at e2 with her queen.

"Yeah, that's what I don't get. No one in the Desperado league should have a higher rating than you, so unless you agreed to be part of the wager on your own volition, the DESPER shouldn't have dragged you in," Okisato stated as Mimoko moved her pawn to f4.

"She likely summoned the Ultima-master then. It's rated 3200 just like me, meaning it could technically force me into a match. Not to mention, I did ened up agreeing to Michiko's proposal, but even then, she didn't frame it as a chess proposal, so I don't understand how I was forced into the wager," Daria stated as she moved her bishop to d2.

"What exactly happened?" Okisato asked as Mimoko moved her pawn to f3.

"I went to the salon and had Michiko do my hair. Then when she was done, she gave me a facial massage. It was then that she asked me if I was 'down for being a part of something exciting'. She then stated I'd be a 'prize of the winner', but when I asked what she meant, she simply said it would be a photo-op. Then I was chloroformed," Daria stated as she captured the pawn at f3 with her g-pawn.

"YO! I got chloroed before I was dragged into a game, but the asshole said I couldn't get my time back since he knocked me out after starting up the DESPY," Iori stated as Mimoko moved her bishop to g5.

Okisato began to think while Daria moved her bishop to g2. He couldn't make sense of why Daria was dragged into the game.

"The solution was there the whole time," Peter stated as Mimoko captured the bishop at d2 with her bishop.

"Huh? That doesn't make sense," Okisato grumbled as Daria promptly captured the bishop at d2 with her queen.

"That is why you are still far from beating me, or perhaps you lack the answer due to a simple lack of knowledge," Peter stated as Mimoko moved her pawn to e5.

"I know better than to think you're calling me stupid, but I still don't get it," Okisato grumbled as Daria moved her pawn to b4.

"Then how about you, Maestro Himitsu?" Peter asked as Mimoko moved her pawn to d6.

"Hmm... I imagine it has something to do with the Ultima-master. Considering Michiko likely had to summon it not only to deal with me, but to distribute DESPERs to the brainwashed SPCMs, I imagine the Ultima-master is responsible for dragging me into the match," Daria stated as she captured the pawn at c5 with her b-pawn.

"Correct. I've heard that wagers can be manually inputted into the Ultima-master by hand," Peter stated as Mimoko captured the pawn at c5 with her d-pawn.

"So that's why she was massaging my face with just one hand. Damn her," Daria scowled as she moved her pawn to a4.

"So the Ultima-master is capable of stuff like that. That's good to know," Okisato nodded as Mimoko moved her queen to h4.

"I take it you aren't too familiar with the Ultima-master, even though you're quite knowledgeable on the DESPERS," Peter nodded as Daria moved her pawn to a5.

"Yeah I still don't know much about the Ultima-master, in fact, I think Inoue-senpai's going to be the one that faces it," Okisato nodded as Mimoko moved her rook to f6.

"Well, first she has to get through me and maybe get a little more hands on experience before challenging the Ultima-master," Daria nodded as she moved her queen to b2.

"Her greatest challenge will likely be the new head of the Desperado league, Tsar Grigori," Peter stated as Mimoko moved her queen to h5.

"Lovely, he's a complete sadist and also one of the top players in the world," Okisato groaned as Daria moved her pawn to f4.

"Though if we're talking about threats, Manny Pewler's probably the biggest," Daria scowled as Mimoko moved her rook to h6.

Okisato quickly pulled out his WWCF card and did a search on Pewler, however, an error message popped up.

"Ah, that message appears when you try to look up an SPCM," Mimoko stated as Daria moved her pawn to h3.

"So then does this mean he's an SPCM?" Okisato asked as Mimoko captured the pawn at f4 with her e-pawn.

"Not exactly," Daria sighed as she moved her pawn to f3.

"What exactly do you mean?" Okisato ashed as Mimoko captured the pawn at h3 with her bishop.

Daria scowled for a moment before moving her rook to f2 and giving her reply. "Pewler's a member of the WWCF executive board."

"The executive board?"

"Yes, I guess you could consider them a tier below us maestros in terms of skill. All members are rated above 2900 but below 3000," Daria stated as Mimoko moved her rook to f8.

"So that's why the president's WWCF card changed to purple," Okisato nodded as Daria captured the pawn at b6 with her a-pawn.

"You saw it? Well, guess that means he probably won't get mad at me for telling everyone about the executive board," Daria chuckled as Mimoko captured the pawn at b6 with her rook.

"It is technically public knowledge, though the members of the board are secret. I actually don't know of any members aside from Pewler and Redfield," Peter stated as Daria moved her queen to c1.

"Me neither. I only knew about Pewler thanks to Wiley," Daria stated as Mimoko moved her rook to g6.

"Wiley? Who's that?" Mimoko asked as Daria captured the pawn at a7 with her rook.

Daria paused and went silent, before Okisato spoke up. "She's talking about Wiley Frisch, the American maestro."

"The American maestro?" Mimoko asked as she moved her pawn to h6.

Daria let out a sigh of relief. "Well, since you already know about him, I don't need to worry about spoilin' ya then. Ole Wiley's the maestro from America as well as a US senator. In fact, I hear he's runnin' for president," she stated as she moved her a-rook to a2.

Okisato began to scowl. "Don't tell me, is Pewler his main opponent?" he groaned as Mimoko moved her rook to g3.

"Sadly yes. Pewler's also a senator and from the rival party to Wiley's. I also heard both are their respective party leaders in the senate and have hated each other for years," Daria stated as she moved her queen to e1.

"Wait, he's a Desperado, right? Then it would be bad if he becomes president?" Mimoko asked as she moved her rook to f6.

"I don't disagree with your sentiment. Pewler is in some cases worse than that scumbag Kamoshida," Peter scowled as Daria moved her pawn to e5.

"Worse than that piece of shit? How so?" Okisato trembled.

"He's far more ruthless. In fact, it's probably more applicable to compare him to Tsar Griogri, though unlike him, he himself is registered with a DESPER," Peter stated as Mimoko moved her f-rook to g6.

"So I take it he's a pretty proactive guy," Okisato grumbled as Daria moved her queen to e4.

"He's also got a good public image," Peter stated as he showed Okisato an article on his phone.

Okisato stared at the screen for a bit before sighing.

"Tanabe-kun, do you not understand English?" Mimoko asked as she moved her queen to g5.

"I can more or less read it. Speaking it is whole different story though."

"To be honest, I wouldn't recommend trying to confront him. From what I've heard from Wiley, he's truly one of the most evil villains out there," Daria stated as she moved her queen to e2.

"Even worse than Michiko?" Mimoko nervously asked as she captured the bishop at g2 with her bishop.

Daria stared at the board and went silent for a moment before letting out a sigh and capturing the bishop at g2 with her rook. "Sadly, I fear he might be a more powerful and ruthless version of Michiko."

"Y- You're saying he's worse than Michiko?" Mimoko trembled as she captured the rook at g2 with her rook.

"Sadly I believe so. As such, I would recommend you best avoid a direct confrontation with him. From what I've heard, he's one of the stronger members of the executive board," Daria stated as she captured the rook at g2 with her queen.

"Then we need to stop him before he does what Michiko did to us to someone else!" Mimoko cried as she moved her queen to f5.

"Mimoko, that man is far worse, and far more powerful than Michiko," Daria sternly glared as she moved her rook to e2.

"But we can't just let the Desperados rule the world," Mimoko glared as she captured the pawn at d3 with her queen.

"Inoue-senpai, when I decided to go after a Desperado, I only do so after extensive research. We barely know anything about Pewler so it isn't wise to just book a plane to America to try and challenge him. Not to mention, Xiao Lin is still running lose and will likely be a more immediate threat to us," Okisato stated as Daria captured the rook at g6 with her queen.

"Tanabe-kun... It's honestly a little uncanny to hear you say something logical and reasonable considering how you approached our two most recent crises," Mimoko glared as she captured the queen at g6 with her queen, forcing Daria's king to f1.

"Well, as long as you aren't going to recklessly book a flight to America-"

"Tanabe-kun, I'm not that dumb," Mimoko glared as she moved her queen to g3.

Daria began to chuckle. "Well this game sure became lively. Still, it seems even the serious conversation didn't derail your focus," she smiled as she moved her rook to f2.

"Naturally, chess is my number one focus in the world," Mimoko smiled as she moved her queen to g3.

"I can certainly see that. Now enough of the somber talk, let's focus on the game," Daria smiled as she moved her rook to f2.

Mimoko nodded and moved her king to f7. The room then went quiet as Daria moved her king to e1, followed by Mimoko putting her in check by moving her queen to g1. This forced Daria to defend by moving her rook to f1, but Mimoko simply moved her queen to e3, forcing Daria to move her king to d1 and allowing Mimoko to capture the pawn on e5 on her next turn.

Daria attempted to mount a counteroffensive by moving her rook to f2, but Mimoko once again put her in a cycle of check, starting with her moving her queen to a1. This forced Daria's king to d2, but Mimoko soon forced the king to go to e1 after moving her queen to b2. She then moved her queen to c1, leaving Daria with no other choice but tho move her king to e2. She then slid her queen to g1, forcing Daria to move her rook to f1 in order to avoid a forced mate.

However, Mimoko could see the path to victory and moved her queen to e3, forcing Daria's king to d1. She then moved her king to g8, prompting Daria to once again mount a counteroffensive by moving her rook to e1. However, Mimoko simply captured the pawn at f3 with her queen, prompting Daria to defend her king by moving her rook to e2.

"Seems like mate is almost inevitable. Well done, Mimoko Inoue," Peter happily thought as Mimoko moved her queen to g4.

As soon as she moved her king to d2, Daria's eyes widened. "Dammit, I blew it in the end," she thought as Mimoko moved her pawn to f3. "Check," she stated as she moved her rook to e8.

"Sorry Okaa-chan, but I saw that mistake. Mate in 14," Mimoko grinned as she moved her king to f7.

"Saying that won't make me resign. I still have a rook you know," Daria stated as she moved her rook to e1.

"Perhaps a beginner would blunder this setup, but not me. Check," Mimoko stated as she moved her queen to d4.

"I see, though I will still struggle to the bitter end," Daria smiled as she moved her king to c2.

"Then I'll simply mate you proper. Check," Mimoko stated as she moved her queen to f2.

Now mate was inevitable. Daria moved her king to d1 while Mimoko moved her queen to b2. Daria then hastened her defeat by moving her rook to f1, allowing Mimoko the opportunity to move her queen to b1. This forced Daria to move her king to d2, allowing Mimoko to capture her rook at f1 with her queen. After Daria moved her king to c3, Mimoko advanced her pawn to f2. Once she promoted this pawn, it would be mate for Daria. Daria was no going down without a fight though as she moved her king to b3, however, Mimoko simply moved her queen to a1.

"No escape then," Daria sighed as she moved her king to c2.

"You played well though," Mimoko smiled as she moved her pawn to f1 and promoted it to a queen.

"Perhaps the next time I play you, I'll open with e4," Daria chuckled as she moved her king to b3.

"I'm looking forward to it. Checkmate," Mimoko smiled as she moved her f-queen to d1, winning the game.

The full game:

White: Maestro Himitsu (Daria Inoue) (3200) Black: Mimoko Inoue (2714)

1. Nf3 e6

2. c4 c5

3. e4 Nc6

4. Nc3 Nd4

5. Be2 Ne7

6. O-O Nec6

7. d3 Be7

8. Nxd4 Nxd4

9. Be3 O-O

10. Bg4 b6

11. Ne2 f5

12. Bh3 Nxe2+

13. Qxe2 f4

14. Bd2 f3

15. gxf3 Bg5

16. Bg2 Bxd2

17. Qxd2 e5

18. b4 d6

19. bxc5 dxc5

20. a4 Qh4

21. a5 Rf6

22. Qb2 Qh5

23. f4 Rh6

24. h3 exf4

25. f3 Bxh3

26. Rf2 Rf8

27. axb6 Rxb6

28. Qc1 Rg6

29. Rxa7 h6

30. Raa2 Rg3

31. Qe1 Rf6

32. e5 Rfg6

33. Qe4 Qg5

34. Qe2 Bxg2

35. Rxg2 Rxg2+

36. Qxg2 Qf5

37. Re2 Qxd3

38. Qxg6 Qxg6+

39. Kf1 Qg3

40. Rf2 Kf7

41. Ke1 Qg1+

42. Rf1 Qe3+

43. Kd1 Qxe5

44. Rf2 Qa1+

45. Kd2 Qb2+

46. Ke1 Qc1+

47. Ke2 Qg1

48. Rf1 Qe3+

49. Kd1 Kg8

50. Re1 Qxf3+

51. Re2 Qg4

52. Kd2 f3

53. Re8+ Kf7

54. Re1 Qd4+

55. Kc2 Qf2+

56. Kd1 Qb2

57. Rf1 Qb1+

58. Kd2 Qxf1

59. Kc3 f2

60. Kb3 Qa1

61. Kc2 f1=Q

62. Kb3 Qfd1#