Jul 23, 2024
Author's Commentary #2:
Time to talk about Chapter 2: The chess club's members. This chapter actually underwent a notable change after receiving some feedback. That change being that there is now a basic explanation on how chess works. Since I've played chess before, I'm very familiar with how the pieces move and chess notation. However, not everyone knows how chess notation works. After receiving the feedback, I decided that this would be the best place to drop all the information on chess notation both because this is the 2nd chapter and because it introduces a rookie in the form of Utami. It also worked out in that it allowed me to highlight Mimoko's knowledge of the game.
Speaking of which, let's talk about Mimoko Inoue, the main female protagonist. First off her name. In kanji, her name is spelled as followed, 井之上 実最子 (Inoue Mimoko). Her first name, 実最子 can mean "sincere", "above all", and "a knowledgeable thinker", which is fitting for her character since she is a prodigy and all-around good person. As for her last name, 井之上, it can translate to "wellhead", "to reach", and "to ascend". Fitting since Mimoko is likely to ascend to the top of the chess world due to her talent.
(If I made any mistakes with the translations, feel free to correct me).
As for her background in chess, she first played a game of chess when she was 3, and has been playing ever since. While she could have chosen to start her chess career then, she chose not to, mainly because she viewed chess more as a fun hobby than a profession. That, and at the time, she didn't want chess to consume her life. Her parents respected her wishes and didn't pressure her in the slightest. As time went on, Mimoko continued to hone her chess skills through online matches, though always played anonymously as a guest in order to avoid drawing too much attention to herself. She's never played in a tournament, though was taken to one by her mother when she first showed an interest in the game. On her 18th birthday, her parents got her a nice chess set and bag, which Mimoko interpreted as them trying to nudge her to pursue chess. Feeling the time was right, Mimoko decided to finally start her professional chess journey, which led to her seeking to establish a chess club, so others could experience the joys of chess. Above all, she encourages everyone to simply have fun.
She shares her birthday, July 23rd, with Judit Polgár, one of the strongest female chess players of all time. Speaking of which, many characters in this series share their birthdays with famous chess players.
Finally, as stated in her character bio, her favorite piece is the king. The reason for that is because to Mimoko, the king is the most important piece on the board and the core of the game itself.
That's all for this commentary, I hope you enjoyed it.
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