Something Different

Something Different

I was a minor cultural diplomat at the time, escorting two guest aliens at our embassy. We had stopped at a large drawing room where a couple of the staff were playing chess as the aliens were curious what this was. I explained the rules briefly and the aliens nodded and asked if they could play; not knowing what to expect I of course agreed. We had known the K'nart were intelligent but they were still largely an unknown to us. The very fact that they were so new to us made a crowd gather.

The K'nart looked at the board in front of them then one tilted his head then made some comment in their clicks-based language to the other. The other waved his hand in a circular manner which I later understood to mean assent. They both then removed the queen pieces and began to play. I was strangely moved by their instant grasp of the game, although I was of course puzzled by the removal of the strongest piece from the board. I could only presume they wanted to simplify it for their first time, so as to better understand the others. What was strange, however, was that occasionally one of them would pause then wave a hand and the other would then seemingly have a second move in a row! We onlookers were mystified by this but whenever someone went to comment we shushed them, not wanting to interrupt the spectacle before us. Finally, though, one of them made a completely bizarre move which the other K'nart was unfazed by but to our shock lifted his queen from the side of the board and deposited it on a square then moved it crashing down to checkmate the other.

This was too much for our self-control and I cried out “But you can't do that!” The aliens both looked at me quizzically. I stammered that the queen could not leave and re-enter the board at will. They gave an expression we later learned was laughter and explained. They liked our little game but found it too simple. What they had done was make the queens invisible on the board until they captured or checked...the little pauses where one player did not move were actually when the move was invisible. Also, incredibly, every move they have made includes calculation of potential moves made by the queen so far so as to complicate things. To capture a piece with the queen though would be to give away its location.

They thanked us for the little diversion and indicated we should continue with the tour. To my knowledge, one of the K'nart has never played a human player at chess before or since; part of me is really glad about that: something tells me the board could never be a level playing field. On the other hand, think what they could teach us...

Nice

I told you to stop trolling

Perhaps you could extend that advice upon yourself?

Interesting, you would never actually have to make queen moves, just store up these "passes" and recall "all" legal possible maneuvers from her starting position for the given number of "passes" you have.  Once you store up a good number, maybe only as many as 4 or 5, you could likely legally place her anywhere at that point.

In short, making the most powerful piece more powerful actually simplifies the game.

I liked the creativity though.

Thanks, waffles.  Maybe the K'nart are more honest than us though.

 

I'm not too creative myself but I appreciate other's ability.  Fun story.

Thanks.  It felt a bit like cheating though, as the idea came in a dream.