SMUGGLED SET FROM IRL PROVES EN PASSANT IS NOT REAL!!!

It was at great peril that this set made it past the censors of chess.com, because everyone knows that "en passant" is nothing more than a coding error on the part of the original programmers of the site.  Extensive research has revealed that what happened is that they wrote in code for the pawns to take diagonally, but forgot to write it out as an option for when the opponent's pawn moves the initial two squares.  By the time they realized their mistake, it was too late, the site had launched.  When questions of rules irregularities and cheating began to circulate upon the accidental discovery of the glitch, the site managers doubled down, making up the fake rule, "en passant", as they could not figure out how to fix it, and besides that horse had already left the stable.  Soon enough, "articles" by so-called chess.com "historians" began to appear, in old-timey typeface, on seemingly low rez, yellowed mimeographs purporting to discuss a new rule, "en passant", as early as the Middle Ages.  Do you know how easy it is for anyone with even a modicum of computer graphics skills to generate a counterfeit image like that?  You don't?  Well, it's very easy.  Indeed, some these ersatz "chess historians" may show up even on this very thread, perhaps upping their game with sophisticated "deep fakes", as they will backed up by the almost infinitely deep pockets of their Masters at chess.com.  That is, if this post is not immediately deleted.  Perhaps most egregious, the site recently enlisted an otherwise respected top tier pro chess player to post a "how to" video on the subject!!!   There will be follow up reports on this story;  presuming this account is not summarily banned on some false pretext in order to perpetuate this atrocious cover-up!!!

And now, the proof:

UPDATE!!!  CNN just called, they've had their finger on the recently revived pulse of chess, due to the popularity of TQG series on Netflix, and Lockdown.  They've seen this OP, and the correspondents noted that they they had never heard of "en passant" either, despite having watched the series several times.  Being newshounds, of course they are always looking for a scoop on a good chess scandal.  Chess.com, it's time to end this charade, it's common knowledge that you tried to fix this error numerous times (V2,V3, etc.), but it's time to come clean.  Just acknowledge it was an honest mistake, and then we can all move on, albeit playing under the cloud of this most regrettable, and apparently unfixable sticky wicket.  

Also, a few notes on the set itself –– this is an extremely high quality, precision set, and a real bargain at only $234.65.  People quite often complain on here that the weights of pieces, especially knights, aren't consistent across a given set.  Well, these pieces weigh exactly the same, to the tenth of a gram, as their counterparts ... of both colors!  As far as the quality of material, the lab tested it at literally 99.756% plastic.  What the rest is made of couldn't be determined.  But still, 99.756%, that's pretty spectacularly pure.  The pieces have a good heft in the hand, but not so much that one'e wrists and hands would unduly tire after a long day of vigorous play.  Also no issues at all, as far as leaning from the vertical, as has been reported with some of the recent Chavet sets.  The one thing that could perhaps be noted as a concern is that the pieces seem rather large for the squares of the board, as the bases seem to be a little cramped it terms of their proportion to the squares' edges.  But to make lemonade out of lemons, that's a lot of additional free superb quality plastic at no extra cost!

Detailed pics below:

Tried to call the number on the rules sheet for some follow up on this rapidly unfolding story, but only a message saying some dude named Erik (they specified it was with a "K" for some reason) had just bought the company 45 minutes ago and it has been "liquidated".  Weird.

It says, in all caps,  DO NOT RETURN TO THE STORE ––  it's been said that anyone who tried was never seen again... 

Real investigative journalism never comes without risk. 

Quoting everyone these days cause on the last thread it looked like I was having an endless conversation with an imaginary friend named Rummy, after his posts were deleted.

Plus, "quoting is good journalistic practice" they said.  I have a News Reporter Certificate now.

Ha, there must be a lot of members feeling reeeeeally sheepish for jumping all over those posters who went "all in" and freaked out the first time they saw the so-called "en passant rule".

Newsflash: you were wrong all along.

Sorry, editorializing a bit.

Worth noting :  it's been 3 hours since the original article, and there has not been one, ONE! refutation of its veracity.  Most likely the promulgators of this foul, fraudulent rule are gobsmacked, and flummoxed.

On further reading of the pawn moves, it is clear that meticulous care was taken to be clear and accurate i.e. "The Pawn moves forward only (never backward)".  That the writers took the time to clarify the rule, which otherwise could easily be misunderstood, shows an attention to detail that obviates any possibility of not mentioning "en passant", if it did, in fact, exist.  

ummmmmmmmmmmmm

well whatever you say

                                     ".."en passant", if it did, in fact, exist"...                                                                                               Well that's what we're here to find out.

You bring up valid concerns, but it must be pointed out that it did not just  "catch on" at, for instance [*a competitor chess site*], see, chess.com does not even allow you type the name of other sites, they are that power hungry for internet dominance.  Reliable sources have come forward and revealed that in fact, when [* competitor sites*] refused to adopt chess.com's new "rule", and threatened to report them to whoever one reports such things to, they were simply hacked with the same intractable code that created the problem in the first place.

In Search Of...

Here's another little known ghost in the machine at chess.com, if you prefer to play white.

When you go to live chess, the board comes up from white's perspective.  Just move any legally movable white piece before issuing your challenge, and you'll be playing as white, every time.

Just one of the many tidbits our team discovered in our deep-dive examination of the source code, and subroutines. 

Sigh...Another troll forum.

Timing is the essence of wit.  In this case, its time should have been nine days hence.

So it goes.

Sigh ... Another gratuitous unwarranted remonstrance from yet one more feeble keyboard warrior with their sanctimonious knickers in a twist.

ummmmmmmmmmmmm

well whatever, you're blocked.

Is that a haiku?

Thanks for the comment.  I did the math after locating my counting beads, so .... nine days "hence" would be ... April First!  Great riddle!  String or nothing haha.

So ... no, this is not an April fools joke, otherwise it would have been posted then.

It's Breaking News buddy, and that's what Carpe Diem is all about.