Mario Nakano 64

Mario Nakano 64

It's a me. I'm an aspiring light novel writer hoping to one day see my works in anime form. I hope that my works at least brighten up your day and give you something to look forward to.

registered at: Jun 30, 2023
MyAnimeList iconMyAnimeList icon
Roles
  • Author
  • Artist
  • Badge

    badge-gold

    gold
    Achievement
    Thumbs up Level 5
    Comments Level 6
    Published Novel Level 4
    Published Chapter Level 6
    Artist(Submit fan art) Level 1
    Novel Cover Upload Level 3
    Time(Daily access) Level 6
    Participant - MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2023


    Apr 13, 2025

    Author's Commentary #39:

    It's finally time to discuss the final chapter of Season 1, Chapter 39: The 7 secret chess maestros.
    The idea of there being secret super grandmasters was a by product of my "if this novel gets a video game adaptation, it needs to have this" mentality. However, as I thought about the idea more, I got inspiration for a new arc of the story and subsequent arcs as well.

    If you remember back in Chapter 30: Peter Morphy, the names of all of Japan's SPCMs (secret puzzle cafe managers) were mentioned. In addition to beating Himitsudono of the Ibaraki prefecture, Okisato's also beaten Himitsutan of Kyushu, and Himitsukun of Hokkaido. He also can challenge Himitsusama of Okinawa and Himitsuchan of the Tochigi prefecture. He has met Himitsuue, but can't challenge her until he beats all the other SPCMs in Japan. Himitsusan, however, is the only SPCM he hasn't encountered yet.

    As for the DSPCMs (deputy secret puzzle cafe managers), I originally introduced the concept of them back when I first did my major revisions to Season 4. They're essentially secret puzzle cafe managers in countries that don't have a maestro. Said countries can get anywhere from 1 to 6 DSPCMs, based off of a global chess power ranking system. For example, a place like Serbia would get 5 spots due to it's chess prowess while a place like Montenegro would only get 2. Nations can also get more DSPCMs than originally allotted, though the total number of DSPCMs can never exceed 6. City states such as Monaco and San Marino, can only ever have 1 DSPCM due to them being city states.

    One final thing to touch on with SPCMs and DSPCMs is the fact that they can compete in tournaments. Originally, I had it so that once someone became an SPCM they were effectively retired from competitive play, but I reversed this as I felt it didn't make sense in the long run.

    Now onto the maestros. They are this world's secret top chess players. Each one is located in a different country and each has 7 SPCMs serving under them. Japan's maestro is Maestro Himitsu.

    Speaking of maestros, Season 2 was once officially titled, The fallen maestro. If you read my initial post, you'll know that I originally decided to have a Season 2 Part 1 and Part 2. However, I decided to reverse that decision and have Season 2 just be Season 2, and Season 2 Part 2 be Season 3. Though Seasons 3 could be considered The Fallen Maestro arc.

    Just as I mentioned before though, Season 2 was thought up and written before I thought up the concept of the maestros. However, it does have some small build-up moments which will lead into Season 3. Not to mention Season 2 will also introduce some integral characters to Season 3. I hope you look forward to it.

    That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.

    icon-reaction-1
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-2
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-3
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-4
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-5
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-6
    Loading...
    0
    En Passant Grandmaster cover
    En Passant Grandmaster
    Chapter:39


    Apr 13, 2025

    Author's Commentary #37:

    Time to discuss Chapter 37: A new era of chess.
    Originally, the whole point of this chapter was to highlight everyone's new ratings. While this is still largely the case with the revisions, I've now decided to introduce a character in this chapter that won't appear until much later in the story, but will have an important role in it. I'm of course referring to Noa Ben-Horin, Maccabee's daughter.

    ノア・ベン・ホリン (Noa Ben-Horin) is how her name is written in katakana. נועה בן-חורין (Noa Ben-Horin) is how her name would be spelled in Hebrew. Her first name would be spelled as 希愛 in kanji and means "hope" and "to love".

    Her birthday is July 1st, as it could be considered the half-way point in the year.

    Her favorite piece is the knight, mainly because it's her father's favorite piece.

    Her mother was Japanese so she is half-Japanese. She was born in America though and lived there with her family until about 2 months prior to the start of the series. While she's only making a brief cameo here, I promise that when she returns, she will not only have a big role in the series, but also just might be someone that can go toe-to-toe with Mimoko on the chessboard.

    Now with that out of the way, I'll briefly list all the ratings changes before we discuss them. Okisato: 2434 to 2525, Yuusuke: 1478 to 1530, Iori: 400 to 1144, Utami: unrated to 1001, Maida: unrated to 1354, Numakawa: unrated to 900, Rodeo: unrated to 250, Yuzuha: unrated to 350, and finally Mimoko: unrated to 2700. Nyoan's rating also increased from 900 to 999.

    First let's talk about Iori's new rating as there's some significance behind it. As some of you might know, 4 is an unlucky number in Japan due to it's association with death. And since Iori is an ex-murderer, her having an affinity for the number 4 makes sense. This is also why I deliberately chose to have her have 4 million subscribers.

    Now onto Mimoko. Her breaking 2700 is both a testament to her skill and a nod to Judit Polgár, the first female chess player to achieve a rating over 2700. With her high rating, Mimoko is now rated higher than most of the Desperado league's members. Not to mention, even the ones rated higher than her would likely be unable to soundly beat her. Much like Gyro feared, Mimoko is now the new shining star of the chess world.

    That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.

    icon-reaction-1
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-2
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-3
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-4
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-5
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-6
    Loading...
    0
    En Passant Grandmaster cover
    En Passant Grandmaster
    Chapter:37

    Apr 13, 2025

    Author's Commentary #36:

    Time to discuss Chapter 36: Millisecond chess.
    Even though the climax is over, there's still a bit left before season 1 ends. Most notably the fact that Mimoko herself still has to play her final round game.

    Originally, Mimoko was actually going to have her match against Hagemi as the grand finale without even playing Peter, however, I wanted her to play and draw against Peter to set up their chemistry for later seasons of the story. As such, I had the Hagemi game take place in round 4 and had the game against Peter end in a draw by repetition.

    Intriguingly enough, a threefold repetition does not automatically end a game in real life. Rather, a player must call an arbiter over to prove the claim. There is also a fivefold repetition rule which unlike the threefold one, mandates that an arbiter declare the game a draw and void any subsequent moves. Since the DESPER acts as an arbiter, threefold repetitions always result in a draw when they occur. Funnily enough, chess.com also automatically ends the game in a draw if the threefold repetition rule is triggered.

    Like the stalemate game from Chapters 8-10, I doubt there will be many draw by repetition games in the series going forward. Though the chances of another one appearing are higher than another stalemate appearing. As for Mimoko and Peter, I can guarantee they will have a proper rematch and it will be amazing.

    That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.

    icon-reaction-1
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-2
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-3
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-4
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-5
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-6
    Loading...
    0
    En Passant Grandmaster cover
    En Passant Grandmaster
    Chapter:36

    Apr 13, 2025

    Author's Commentary #35:

    Time to discuss Chapter 35: Desperado.
    We've finally reached the climax of season 1. First off, some background on the match. Originally, the match I used for this chapter was a match I won against a 1800 rated chess.com bot on my own. However, I felt the match itself was incredibly lackluster and decided to rewrite the game. This time, I challenged a 2500 rated chess.com bot and played with all the tools available in order to bring you the game that is now featured in this chapter.

    A big reason the revision came about was because I ended up writing games with crazier moves in season 2, and when looking back on the original game for this chapter, I felt the game needed to be changed as it didn't feel like an Okisato game.

    This worked out really well as the revised game not only features a Barnes opening: Hammerschlag variation, but also an en passant that ends up sealing Gyro's fate. I couldn't ask for a more fitting game for the climax of season 1. In fact, I enjoy this new game so much, that it's now one of my top 5 games in the series.

    I will also confirm that Gyro is dead and won't be coming back. Though he'll likely reappear in flashbacks. As for his portrait in the Desperado collage, the purple "fire" is actually purple lightning, which references how he dies by electrocution. Originally, it was just purple fire, but I changed it to lightning.

    One final thing I'll mention is that each major arc villain from here on out will largely embody one of the 7 deadly sins. Gyro, the main antagonist of season 1, embodied the sin of Tristitia (Sorrow/despair/despondency/melancholy). The reason for that is due to him constantly being in a state of despair after meeting Mimoko.

    Funnily enough, the DESPERs themselves are a pun on the word "despair" which is fitting since they can cause despair, and because Gyro, one of the minds behind them, embodies the sin of despair. Have fun guessing the sins of future arc villains. I'll make sure to reveal the sins they embody as soon as their arc is over.

    One final thing I'll mention is that "desperado" is also the term used to describe a piece determined to give itself up in order to bring about a stalemate. This is why it's fitting that many of the Desperado league members hope to bring about a draw when they see they are losing. I will also confirm that Gyro was one of the founders of the league and is second in command behind the Ultima-master despite there being other members more skilled than him.

    That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.

    icon-reaction-1
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-2
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-3
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-4
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-5
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-6
    Loading...
    0
    En Passant Grandmaster cover
    En Passant Grandmaster
    Chapter:35


    Apr 13, 2025

    Author's Commentary #34:

    Time to discuss Chapter 34: Showdown on the lagoon.
    Since it's the final round, DESPERs are allowed and Gyro and Zanni are wasting no time in unleashing them. Zanni's motive for why he enjoys collecting skeleton arms has finally been explained, and in short, he's batshit insane. His mass murder of his town is what led to his medical license being revoked and him becoming a cannibal. He adorns his room with all the skeleton arms he's collected and dubs it his "peace conference". He also tends to carry some around with him both for comfort and intimidation.

    One quick thing to note is that originally, this chapter was split into two separate chapters, with the latter of the two being titled, Learning from history. Thanks to the new chapters being added and me not wanting to mess up the overall chapter order of the series too much, I decided to merge the chapters as I felt they also worked better together.

    Now onto a different topic. If you saw the collage of the Desperado members, you'll notice that there is some foreshadowing within it. For example, Zanni's portrait is actually from this chapter and depicts the hell lagoon he summons with his DESPER. Cypress' on the other hand references the blitz timer and the blowtorch from Chapters 8-9, Nyoan's references her first appearance in Chapter 16, Inojin's references the fact that he's attacking during a sunset, and Peter standing on his own references the fact that while he is a Desperado, he does his own thing. There's other references hidden there for the other characters, as well as some teasers of future members. See if you can guess all the references before they're revealed in future commentaries.

    Originally, the game for this chapter was going to be a complete replay of the first game between Yuusuke and Zanni, with Yuusuke winning with the Rook h6 checkmate that he missed back then. However, that option was not viable as getting the game to that position would have required forcing Zanni to make unnecessary or intentional blunders, which I didn't want. As for how Yuusuke managed to beat Zanni, it's all thanks to some training he received from Mimoko the night prior. After getting yelled at by his mother for all the blunders he made in his first game against Zanni, Yuusuke approached Mimoko and asked her for help on how to beat Zanni in the future. The two then went over the game with Mimoko pointing out how Yuusuke could have beaten Zanni. Yuusuke then took all that knowledge and applied it here.

    Now, Zanni will never hurt anyone ever again, aside from himself. As for more on his fate, Redfield plans to drop him off on a mountainous deserted island and observe how long it takes for him to die. While Yuusuke didn't intend for Zanni to have such a cruel fate, he ended up unintentionally giving one to him anyway, hearkening back to what Okisato told him about the DESPER back in Chapter 11. With Zanni out of the picture, the only threat left is Gyro himself.

    That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.

    icon-reaction-1
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-2
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-3
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-4
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-5
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-6
    Loading...
    0
    En Passant Grandmaster cover
    En Passant Grandmaster
    Chapter:34


    Apr 13, 2025

    Author's Commentary #33:

    It's time to discuss Chapter 33: Hagemi vs Mimoko.
    The long-awaited Mimoko vs Hagemi match is here, and it didn't disappoint. Both played to the best of their abilities, but Mimoko was a step above and thus beat Hagemi.

    Though there is one major thing to note about this game, that being Mimoko ends up making a huge blunder in the middle. I only realized this after I went back and put the game in the analysis engine which honestly baffled me. My only theory as to how this could have happened is that maybe when I first played this game back in March 2024, the engine at the time considered the move Mimoko made to be good, when it really wasn't. When I discovered this error, I decided to use it as a way to showcase that not only is Mimoko human and prone to mistakes, but Hagemi is too. Chess is often a game of people making mistakes and their opponents failing to realize they made a mistake, missing their chance to gain the upper hand.

    The WWCF president, Raymond Redfield, is the main reason this match occurred now instead of in the final round. Since there's no kanji for his name,
    レイモンド・レッドフィールド (Raymond Redfield) is how his name would be written in katakana.

    Redfield draws inspiration from JP of Street Fighter 6. His goal is to foster a world full of great chess players. He also believes that matters should be settled in chess, and will begrudgingly accept the death of a talented chess player should they fall in a DESPER match or standard underground chess match. However, should a talented chess player be killed outside of a chess match, he will subject the offender to a fate worse than death.

    His birthday is May 1st, which he shares with JP from Street Fighter 6.

    If he were asked to describe what the most important piece on the board is, his answer would be the king.

    That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.

    icon-reaction-1
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-2
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-3
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-4
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-5
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-6
    Loading...
    0
    En Passant Grandmaster cover
    En Passant Grandmaster
    Chapter:33


    Apr 13, 2025

    Author's Commentary #31:

    Time to talk about Chapter 31: Déjà vu.
    Gyro's been in this place before. Funnily enough, this chapter and game were written before Chapter 23: Hagemi's first match, meaning the game featured in that chapter was actually modified from the one in this chapter. As for why I did that, I felt it would be thematic to have the games play similarly in order to shine some more light on Gyro's character.

    The game was enjoyable to write and was also another me vs the chess.com bots original. I did use the move assist though since I needed to have Mimoko play like the prodigy she is and completely outplay Gyro. Speaking of which, the move assist tool has been very helpful in helping me craft some of these games. Since my own skill level in chess is intermediate-level, I need to rely on these tools in order to play the games like how the characters in the story would. For example, if it's Mimoko playing, I'll make use of the tools to make the best moves, if it's Yuusuke, I'll try to play as best I can on my own and choose to make some deliberate bad moves if need be.

    The chapter also gave us a taste of Gyro's despair and desperation as he's constantly hoping for Mimoko to make a mistake. I'll touch a bit more on Gyro in a future commentary. In fact, the very next one will offer some more insight on Gyro's motives, so look forward to that.

    That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.

    icon-reaction-1
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-2
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-3
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-4
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-5
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-6
    Loading...
    0
    En Passant Grandmaster cover
    En Passant Grandmaster
    Chapter:31


    Apr 13, 2025

    Author's Commentary #29:

    Time to discuss Chapter 29: Prelude to the third round.
    Obviously, this is a buildup chapter. The first notable thing about this chapter is... Mimoko's casual attire. Mimoko thinks suspenders look cute which is why she usually pairs them with a skirt and long sleeve shirt.

    Now onto the new Desperados. First off is Svetlana Smirnova. Her design was inspired by Jill Sturgeon from Metallic Rouge, who in turn reminds me a lot of Sibylla from Spy Kyoushitsu. There's no kanji for her name, but
    スヴェトラーナ・スミルノワ (Svetlana Smirnova) is how her name is written in katakana. However, since she's Russian, her name can be written as Светлана Смирнова (Svetlana Smirnova) in Russian.

    Her birthday is September 28th, which she shares with Aleksandra Goryachkina, a Russian grandmaster that is also one of the top female chess players of all time.

    Her favorite piece is the rook since she views it as an extension of her sledgehammer, which is her preferred weapon of choice.

    Now onto Haruki Kamoshida. 鴨志田 春樹 (Kamoshida Haruki) is how his name is written. His first name, 春樹, means "Spring" and "tree". It is also written the same as Haruki Yamauchi's name from Classroom of the elite. His last name, 鴨志田, means "duck", "aspiration", and "rice field". It is also written the same as Suguru Kamoshida's name from Persona 5.
    (If I made any mistakes with the translations, feel free to correct me).

    Considering Haruki's named after two big pieces of shit, you can probably guess that he's going to be a massive piece of shit, and you're right. This piece of shit will by far be one of the most vile and despicable characters in the story. Though believe it or not, Kakeru Ryūen from Classroom of the elite is by far the biggest inspiration behind his character. So much so, that I honestly imagine him sounding just like him when he talks.

    His birthday is May 30th, which he shares with Haruki Yamauchi from Classroom of the elite.

    His favorite piece is the king, because that's how he views himself.

    That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.

    icon-reaction-1
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-2
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-3
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-4
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-5
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-6
    Loading...
    0
    En Passant Grandmaster cover
    En Passant Grandmaster
    Chapter:29

    Apr 13, 2025

    Author's Commentary #24:

    Time to discuss Chapter 24: Lagoon pathways hotel.
    First up, the hotel itself. It actually draws inspiration from a hotel I once went to that featured an intricate waterfall and waterways running throughout the main room. Of course, the waterways weren't big enough to ride boats in them and were more for looking at. Thus, I decided to make Lagoon pathways far more ambient to that of a nighttime lagoon, and also have it so that the canals could be ridden in by boat.

    Now onto the new chess club members, Rodeo Gorou and Yuzuha Zenihara. Both of these characters aren't going to have much of an impact on this arc. The only reason I introduced them here was so that they could get ratings upon completing the tournament.

    As stated in the chapter, Rodeo likes rooks while Yuzuha likes knights. Rodeo likes rooks due to his belief that they're strong and tough like him. Yuzuha likes knights simply because they are horses and horses are her favorite animal.

    伍楼 路出男 (Gorou Rodeo) is how Rodeo's name is spelled in kanji. 路出男 can translate to "large", "exit", and "man". His last name, 伍楼 translates to "five" and "tower", which is fitting considering Rodeo's a large young man and has an affinity for rooks. Though ironically, rooks are actually one of the shortest pieces on the board.

    銭原 友珠羽 (Zenihara Yuzuha) is how Yuzuha's name is spelled in kanji. 友珠羽 can translate to "friend", "pearl", and "wing". 銭原 translates to "money" and "origin".
    (If I made any mistakes with the translations, feel free to correct me).

    Rodeo's birthday is February 23rd. The reason for that is that it's the day Rodeo day was this year. Rodeo day is always the last Friday in February.

    Yuzuha's birthday is September 9th. The reason for this is because September 9th is apparently the most common birthday in the world.

    マンフレート・フォン・スカベルハスト教授 (Prof. Manfred von Skaberghast) is how his name would be spelled in Japanese.

    His birthday is November 9th which he shares with Soviet-Latvian grandmaster and 8th chess world champion, Mikhail Tal.

    His favorite piece is the pawn, mainly because they can defend things with ease and make the game easier for him.

    レッド・リーパー・フォン・リヒトホーフェン (Red Reaper von Richthofen) is how his full name is spelled in katakana. He's often referred to simply as "Red Reaper". His original name was Frederick von Richthofen, however, he adopted the name, Red Reaper upon becoming an undead lich. フレデリック・フォン・リヒトホーフェン (Fredrick von Richthofen) is how his old name would be spelled in katakana. Originally, he was referred to simply as 赤い死神 (Akai shinegami) which is the Japanese translation of "Red Reaper". However, I felt that since "Red Reaper" is Red Reaper's real name, it makes sense to refer to him literally as "Red Reaper".
    (If I made any mistakes with the translations, feel free to correct me).

    His birthday is May 2nd which he shares with the Red Baron himself, Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen. Obviously, Red Reaper is literally based off him, and might even be his ghost in this universe. His rating of 2780 is also a nice reference to the fact that the Red Baron shot down 80 planes during his career.

    His favorite piece is the bishop, mainly because he believes they are the most fighter-plane-like piece on the board. Though the king is a close second since he views himself as king of the skies.

    One other thing I'll mention is that this chapter has been revised numerous times, mainly to include antagonists such as Red Reaper and Skaberghast who will become more relevant later. As such, I'll be holding off on going more in depth on them until they become more relevant in the story.

    That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.

    icon-reaction-1
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-2
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-3
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-4
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-5
    Loading...
    icon-reaction-6
    Loading...
    0
    En Passant Grandmaster cover
    En Passant Grandmaster
    Chapter:24