The Game of the Centuries - two collectors go berserk

The Game of the Centuries – Move by Move

This happened several centuries ago, or maybe it´s happening right now? Or still? Who can tell what time really is?

The aussie vikings, under their in equal measures feared and fearless king Powder (so named because he and his men are all powdered white), have somehow succeded to sail across the globe and launched an attack against the vikings living on the shore of the Baltic, lead by old king Herman. Probably Powder wants to plunder Herman´s supposed stash of chess pieces…

The aussies sent one of their men straight for the dark king - 1. e4 - and the baltic vikings, beeing scandinavian, replied by sending one of their berserkers to engage the bold enemy - 1. - d5. This is viking chess! No strategical overthinking, no hypermodernistic nonsense, just draw your weapon, roll your eyes, bite your shield and charge!

The game (or battle, rather) is on!

A pleasure to play with you good man and away we go…

You should enforce a unique rule for this game - if a piece can take something, it must do so!

"It´s a good thing they brought tombstones", said king Herman. "Victory or Valhalla! And bring me more mead!"

The queen ponders the lone tombstone and worries for the evil spirit that breathed life into an inanimate object…

2. exd5

The Red Queen is a hothead. Contemplating is not her forte. Perchance she is just taking aim?

But daylight is scarce here up north in november. It´s well past midnight, too dark to see, let alone fight. King Herman is snoring, sleeping his mead off.

While the men stood there watching their fallen comrade the queen charged. It was hard to se if it was a stone or a berserk standing before her but she obliterated it all the same. Women may not, if fallen, go to Valhalla but they sure can go berserk.

2. - Qxd5.

Mystique, intrigue, and satire ... a great thread. I gotta follow this one.

This ^do it

Alas they are prone to fall over. The material - I guess resin mixed with ground stone - is quite heavy so they weigh like triple weighted wooden pieces but with that weight evenly distributed. So not for blitz games. But they look great! I like that the rooks too are shield biting berserkers. Those of my other set are not (I´ll post pics).

A warrior on horse emerged from the aussie ranks. 3. Nc3. "Come back, woman!" king Herman yelled at his queen. She obeyed, but reluctantly. 3. - Qd6. "Women...." said Herman "this was supposed to be some enjoyable manly swordplay but if she interferes it may well be a bloody massacre".

The knight strode into the setting sun to face the bold queen …

The Queen receded into the shadows, plotting a trap to be sure … from the shadows she plotted …with the opposing army well viable in the fading light …

Meanwhile others looked pensively from the sidelines…

love these berserkers...

As the morning sun broke, the battle field had changed … the armies had crossed the river of wood that surrounded the ebony and maple fields … the knight continued to strike out against the callous Norse queen.
(Edit: user error, an eagle eyed spectator noted my pawn structure was wrong … too early in the morning to be swapping boards … it is now corrected below!) 🤦‍♂️

The backup army intimidated from the across the border …

4. Ng5

The lone pale rider followed the retreating dark queen. "Come back, goddamit!" king Herman roared and so she did.

4. - Qd8

No apology necessary. It´s a three days per move game so we´re both way ahead.

After the queens safe return there was a lull in the exchange while the aussies enjoyed some incomprehensible ball game and the swedes drank more mead and rattled with their swords.