Chapter 47: The Game

Note: The Chapter is bit long to avoid the technical terms. Hope you find it interesting.

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Up on the stage, the board was prepared. It was a perfect grid of 8×8 squares (64 in total), all alternating white and black. Upon it stood the armies with 16 chess pieces each: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights, and 8 pawns.

Down the dais, the people flocked like bees. The projector, with its humming voice, showed the game onto a wide wall for the larger audience. The front row leaned forward with their phones raised as they recorded every detail. Journalists snapped photos in rapid succession with their flashes.

The Chambani representatives struggled to calm the crowd, urging them to sit. Yet most preferred to stand, as none wanted to miss the chance of a closer look. The atmosphere grew exciting and euphoric as it turned over more like a regular concert than a normal challenge match.

Rohit felt his nerves tighten. He could see the Chambani family alongside the Fujimaru family, their eyes fixed on him. Watching from the crowd was one thing, but being on stage under that weight of attention was another altogether.

Thankfully, he wasn’t alone. His associates were visible in the front, and Mrs. Singhania’s reassuring presence anchored him.

At that moment, Secretary Pathak hurried forward, murmuring reminders of the rules. To Rohit, they passed like drifting air — unnecessary, for he already knew the basics, if not at a professional level.

The rules were simple enough.

The king, most precious of all, moved one square in any direction.

The queen, the most powerful, flowed across the board any number of squares, in any direction.

The rooks patrolled verticals and horizontals, while the bishops cut across diagonals.

The knights were the unpredictable heroes that could leap in their curious L-shape — two forward, one aside, even vaulting over others.

And the pawns, humble foot soldiers, advanced only one step — except for their first, when they might leap two.

Pathak gently patted his shoulder.

"Remember, young master," he whispered, "castling is the key."

Rohit chuckled quietly, recalling his own as past original’s blunders with castling — bold experiments that had ended in disaster. He only nodded now, signaling the host representative that he was ready.

Jayesh extended a hand, his smile thin and polished.

"Let’s keep this in the spirit of friendship."

Rohit squeezed his hand firmly, forcing a smile.

"Yeah. Likewise."

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Jayesh leaned closer, tightening his grip.

"Don’t expect mercy from me," he whispered.

Rohit only smiled, restraining the urge to curse, but held Jayesh’s hand so tightly that Jayesh’s knuckles whitened. A flicker of surprise crossed his rival’s face as he struggled to pull free. Rohit finally released him, so as not to seem rude under so many watching eyes.

Jayesh clenched his fist under the table but forced courtesy into his tone.

"Your choice of color, friend."

"Black," Rohit said, settling into his seat.

Jayesh’s grin widened.

"Much appreciated."

As white moved first, Jayesh made his opening with a flourish—sliding both knights out confidently, their white shapes projecting across the board.

The match had begun.

The hall fell into a heavy hush. Even the projector’s faint hum seemed loud now as the board lit up on the wall.

Jayesh sat back, smug grin wide, confidence radiating from someone already convinced of victory. Rohit, by contrast, appeared calm on the surface—though inside he felt the pressure like an ex interrogating him about a one-night stand.

He forced steady breaths, reminding himself, ’

Relax. This is only chess, and composure is a weapon in itself.’

Rohit moved first—pawn forward, clearing the choke point before his king and opening space for his bishop on the left. Two simple moves, yet one cut away his most vulnerable weakness while the other masked offense for later strategy.

Jayesh gave a smug smile, voice carrying just enough for the front rows to hear.

"Nice move... going strategic from the beginning, aren’t we?"

Rohit stayed silent. His mind wasn’t on the mockery—it was on the board, imagining himself in Jayesh’s seat, calculating how he would strike fast if he sought Rohit’s king.

As expected, Jayesh mirrored him, opening the path for his own bishop on the opposite side. Rohit matched, clearing his straight opposite pawn. He simply wanted to confuse Jayesh about which side his bishop would strike from.

Jayesh wasted no time—his bishop came out early, aggressive and hungry.

Rohit surprised the crowd by holding his bishop back in the corner and advancing pawns instead—fortifying the king’s flank like a wall rising brick by brick.

Jayesh’s smirk deepened. He had prepared a trap for a quick kill, but Rohit’s cautious pawn structure forced him to pause, to recalculate.

Jayesh shifted, clearing one wing while keeping his options flexible.

Rohit pushed forward his kingside pawn—deliberately neglecting his defenses on the right. In his mind, a plan was forming. Risky, full of flaws, yet he believed it was worth the gamble—his only shot to flip the board.

Jayesh’s king stood in a choking position, one that could be exploited by Rohit’s rook, bishop, and knights with a few calculated sacrifices. The pawn Rohit had just advanced was the key to unlocking it all.

Everything hinged on a single hope: that Jayesh, blinded by overconfidence, would fail to notice the trap until it was too late.

Yet in doing so, Rohit gradually lost ground—his pawns and minor pieces crumbling one after another under Jayesh’s aggressive pressure from bishop, knight, and advancing pawns.

The first cut came when Jayesh’s bishop captured a pawn on Rohit’s left.

With his knight behind in support, it aimed directly at Rohit’s bishop. Everyone expected a counter-capture, a trade to keep balance.

Instead, Rohit ignored the bait. Calmly, he moved the king’s pawn ahead.

Jayesh chuckled, leaning forward.

"I think I should show mercy..." He pushed deeper, positioning his bishop for a double threat against Rohit’s rook and bishop—still covered by his knight’s shield.

Rohit quietly moved his knight away from the opposite side—holding it back for later, a piece to turn tides at the right moment.

Jayesh’s grin widened as he pounced, snatching Rohit’s rook with smug satisfaction. Piece by piece, Rohit’s defenses crumbled under Jayesh’s relentless combinations. One side of Rohit’s board had been dismantled almost entirely.

And yet, Rohit’s king remained shielded by the queen—until Jayesh’s rook advanced, threatening it directly.

Then came the shock.

Instead of defending his threatened queen, Rohit executed short castling—his king sliding into safety while the rook shifted to guard the flank.

Gasps swept through the hall.

Castling at the cost of a queen was unorthodox, even reckless. Murmurs rippled; some whispered he had lost his mind.

Jayesh himself blinked, momentarily off balance. For the first time, his confident smile faltered.

Still, he steadied himself. ’

I’m overthinking,’

he told himself. ’

These moves are nonsense. He’s panicking.’

With a swift motion, he captured Rohit’s queen.

The audience buzzed—surely it was over now.

Time drained away as the game dragged on. Rohit bled pieces, his army thinning, pawns collapsing one by one. Yet each move edged his king farther from danger. His losses were steep, but survival came at a price—almost all his front-line pawns were gone.

Jayesh’s knight circled like a predator, closing in on the king. Rohit’s rook intercepted, striking the knight down—but in doing so, stood exposed in the vertical path of Jayesh’s queen and its supporting pawn. This was his first stage of counterattack.

Jayesh clicked his tongue, debating. He could claim it, but with other pieces in play, he opted for patience. Sliding his bishop forward, he set another trap, eyeing Rohit’s vulnerable king’s position.

Rohit ignored him. Instead, he advanced his king’s pawn again.

Jayesh barely glanced at it. To him, the pawn was no threat—just a desperate stall. In his mind, victory glittered only three moves away. Emboldened, he maneuvered his knight to tighten the noose.

And in that moment, he made the blunder Rohit had been hoping for.

The ’insignificant’ pawn stabbed forward diagonally as a suicidal crusader, recklessly cutting down Jayesh’s guard as if they were claimed heretics instead of a wooden chess peice.

Its presence was fragile, like a wounded soldier standing in broken boots and linen clothes for armor with a rusted sword stained with fallen enemy’s blood. Yet it stood tall, backed by Rohit’s rook, slamming a potential threat to the queen and providing deterrence to anyone who dared block its path—they would only be trampled. Now the pawn’s true target was the king at diagnoal.

"Check," Rohit said evenly.

Jayesh didn’t flinch. He had foreseen this—or so he thought. The pawn was exposed, an easy target for his bishop if he chose to retreat. With a confident smirk, he slid it back to base, recapturing the position.

"Guess it was all for nothing."

Rohit’s reply was calm, as he threw the question around.

"Are you sure?"

Jayesh’s smile flickered. "I’d call it a bluff."

But Rohit’s hidden bishop came alive—streaking diagonally across the board like a blade. It struck, killing Jayesh’s bishop and now bearing down directly on the king. The trap had sprung.

Alarm surged through Jayesh. He hadn’t anticipated the bishop holding the key position—it had been sitting quietly in the corner from the very beginning.

Desperately, he swung his queen to intercept. Rohit’s rook answered in the same instant, crushing it.

The crowd gasped—flashes lit the hall like lightning.

Jayesh lunged to retaliate, but Rohit held his hand.

"This strike is invalid," he said calmly. "My rook is protected by this knight." He pointed at the twisting knight with a satisfying smugness. Finally, the space around Jayesh’s king was closing down like a tightening cage.

Jayesh withdrew his hand with burning fury deep in his heart. He moved the king to the only space available. He identified the knight in check as the key threat and used his last knight to retreat for king safety.

His last hope was to threaten it in the next step while making room for his king by killing the rook or knight.

But before he could breathe, Rohit’s second knight landed with perfect precision. It targeted the exact spot the king was standing on.

Between rook and twin knights, the king’s escape was sealed.

"Check," Rohit murmured, leaning back with a faint, calm smile. "And mate, I guess."

Jayesh froze. His king was trapped with no way to maneuver. His army, though still large, was useless. His perfect victory had been stolen from his grasp.

He slammed his palm on the table and buried his face in it. He was on the verge of breaking down as his confidence shattered completely.

"Fuck it... how is this possible?" he kept muttering. "Impossible... Impossible!"

Rohit looked at the Chambani judge. "What are you waiting for?" He signaled at his wrist—time was ticking.

The Chambani judge, stunned himself, finally raised his voice.

"The winner... Rohit Singhania!"

The hall erupted—cheers, applause, gasps of disbelief. Cameras flashed; the audience buzzed with the shock of the upset.

Rohit extended his hand across the board.

"Hope the friendly spirit remains."

Jayesh finally calmed himself, though fury burned behind his forced smile. It was all an act—with the crowd watching, he had literally no choice.

He took the hand, squeezed it once with full power, then turned away with disgust.

Rohit clenched his hand as he felt Jayesh’s anger burn into his palm, but a grin was plastered on his face. He was satisfied by the outcome—and once again it was all thanks to his stupid rival who turned out to be oversmart.

"Yes, young master, we did it, we did it!" came the voice of Secretary Pathak. He was literally jumping down below as he came upfront to cheer Rohit. It was so unlikely for his dignified image of calculated and composed secretary, but in this moment it was justified. Rohit gave a curt nod, appreciating his enthusiasm.

Rohit glanced toward the crowd, hoping to find his mom, Ragini. But she was nowhere in sight. As his eyes swept across the hall, Fujimura approached with Mahesh Chambani at his side.

"That was a good match," Fujimura remarked warmly.

"You played well, young man," Chambani added.

Jayesh quickly cut in, his tone humble. "No, no, it was just a fluke. Honestly, I didn’t think it would turn out like that."

The two older men exchanged a knowing glance, then broke into laughter. Chambani clapped him lightly on the shoulder. "If you say so..."

Afterward, Fujimura introduced Rohit and Chambani to each other. Rohit responded with practiced humility, though in his mind he remained cautious. Impressions mattered, but he knew well the fickle nature of the wealthy.

Chambani and Fujimura seemed far more attached to Rohit, and soon inquired about meeting his parents.

Pathak stepped in smoothly, explaining that Mrs. Singhania had stepped away for an urgent call.

Just then, Rohit’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen.

A message from Ragini Singhania:

"Meet me at the emergency staircase. You got only five minutes for... pending rewards."

A smirk tugged at his lips.

Certainly, Mrs. Singhania. I’ll make the most of it.

The hint was clear. Rohit excused himself, citing an urgent call, and instructed Pathak to handle the rest of the auction.

As he moved toward the exit, he licked his lips as a quiet murmur escaped.

"My sexy queen... here I come..."