Hurriedly, Yunchang scribbled a few notes on a piece of paper, packed up carefully, and headed out early. When he arrived, he went straight to Han Yin’s office. There, he sat down and began recalling, move by move, the hundred positions he had analyzed overnight—all from memory, without a single chess piece to assist him.

In the middle of his focused recollection, the sound of the office door opening interrupted his train of thought.

“You’re early. Did you finally remember to get your sword back?”

“Not really. But now that you mentioned it”

“So, what are you here for?”

“Your money.”

“Money? I don’t remember owing you anything, rather the opposite”

“Not that, Remember that Chess puzzle at the tavern that you put up, I solved it.”

Confused, she watched as he took out a chess set and declared, “Let me set it up.”

With a dramatic flair, he flung the pieces into the air. Each landed perfectly in position, leaving her in awe.

“There. This was the puzzle.”

After examining it, she remarked, “It’s a draw.”

“Care to test that theory?”

“Sure, what did I allegedly promise to give the winner again?”

“10 pure gold bars.”

“Are you insane? That’s absurd!”

“Better think twice before offering then.”

“Like I’d waste money on this nonsense! I’m not half as wealthy as people think I am.”

“Well, if you’re half as slutty as people think you are, I would still bet on the wealthy part”.

“You dare—”

“I suppose when the Commander-in-chief is already this infamous, there’s no harm letting people know that she’s also a liar. Don’t you think so?”

Han Yin tensed up for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. Her voice softened, almost seductive.

"Impressive. Resorting to blackmail now, are we? It seems you've truly stepped up your game. Very well, I’ll indulge you—just this once…Under a condition."

“What is it then?”.

"You’ve had a day to work through most of this position. As for me, I have to think it all out right here, right now. So, you get five minutes to finish this game, but I get to think at my own pace. Is that acceptable?"

“Oh, really. You set up this position yourself, and now you need to think it through? Well, suit yourself. If anything, It just makes my victory more profound.

image [https://i.imgur.com/DbxNKJ6.jpeg]

While Han Yin was adjusting the chess clock, Yunchang put a note on the table.

“What’s that?”

“The final move,” he said smugly.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Really? I thought you’re only good at cheating at cards. What? You’re also a visionary now?”

Yunchang didn’t bother responding and immediately played rook to D2. Han Yin, noticing his move, smirked.

"Only the first move, and it seems you’ve already made a mistake. Advancing the pawn to E3 to chase away the bishop to E5, then moving the queen to E2, would have been better, wouldn’t it?"

"Only mediocre people think like that" Yunchang replied dismissively.

Han Yin promptly shifted her rook from the A-file to C8, putting pressure on the white queen.

"They say when a man plays chess, you can tell how he treats his queen. A gentleman would never blunder his Queen or about to by leaving her on a dangerous square like C2."

"Is that so? Lucky me, I’m no gentleman," Yunchang retorted.

To Han Yin's astonishment, Yunchang used his queen to capture the rook on C8. She hadn’t even considered this move, having focused entirely on the white queen retreating to B1. As she analyzed further, she realized the trade—a queen for two rooks—was exceptionally strong. Yunchang’s strategy became crystal clear: to exploit the asymmetry in the remaining pieces. Neither side had identical forces anymore, except for pawns, which significantly increased the match’s complexity and winning chances for both sides. However, Yunchang’s two rooks and a knight are still a bit stronger than Han Yin’s queen and bishop. Given that both sides play perfectly from now on, it’s almost impossible for Han Yin to win.

Over the next 50 moves, Yunchang’s behavior grated on Han Yin’s nerves. Each time he made a move, he’d wander around the room, lie down on the settee, or even doze off. This broke Han Yin’s concentration repeatedly. Her glare doesn’t make him uncomfortable like usual, as Yunchang seemed utterly unfazed, deliberately provocative, and dismissive of her presence. However, Yunchang wasn’t intentionally trying to rile her up—he was just incredibly sleepy. Staying alert while watching her analyze every move was far more exhausting than just taking a quick nap.

Despite her frustration, Han Yin played flawlessly, leading to this pivotal position.

image [https://i.imgur.com/ZD2Cs1Q.png]

Yunchang had been using his two rooks to corner her black bishop. The most natural response was to play bishop to A7, keeping the pin on E3. Then, even if Yunchang captured the F5 pawn with his rook, Han Yin still had Queen to D3. When Han Yin actually played bishop to A7, Yunchang froze, staring at the board with a stunned expression, muttering under his breath for nearly two minutes, leaving himself only one minute left on the clock.

"It’s fine," he mumbled. "She wouldn’t have seen it anyway."

Yunchang captured the F5 pawn, then scratched his head, visibly frustrated.

"Seen what? This move is pretty obvious, no?" Han Yin asked.

"Yeah yeah, pretty obvious," Yunchang replied curtly.

The reason for his momentarily agitation was that instead of playing Bishop A7, black had a shocking alternative: sacrificing the bishop and playing pawn to H4. If white took the bishop on B6, black could push H3 and nothing could stop the pawn’s promotion. Yunchang had been momentarily paralyzed by this realization. However, amidst his panic, he found a miraculous move: rook to E7. That’s right, pawn to H4, rook captured B6, pawn to H3, rook to E7, and after H2, white could take F7, forcing the black king to recapture, then play rook B6 to H6, stopping promotion. This sequence was so unorthodox that no ordinary player would dare attempt it, none other than the Legend himself.

Back to the actual game. After bishop to A7 and rook captured F5, Han Yin played Queen D3, confident the game was heading toward a draw, Yunchang decisively captured the pawn on F7 with his rook. Han Yin was taken aback. Only then did she realize the brilliance behind the move. Though white had sacrificed a rook for a bishop and a pawn, the coordination of white’s rooks and knight vastly outmatched her lone queen. With his forces advancing relentlessly, and a clear plan to exchange her last pawn, Yunchang’s victory became inevitable.

Yunchang understood that Han Yin excelled in complicated middlegame positions, where her killer instincts shone. By simplifying the position through exchanges, he brought the game into an endgame—his forte. With just a queen left, Han Yin couldn’t hope to fend off Yunchang’s relentless attack. After trading the H-pawn, Yunchang methodically advanced his pieces, using his knight to block all potential checks while tucking his king into the H-file.

image [https://i.imgur.com/Gwt9ToK.png]

Finally, in the decisive position, Yunchang played Knight G7, setting up a forced checkmate in 16 moves. Even with perpetual checks, white’s king could simply step up to G8, leaving black with no escape.

Han Yin, exhausted and visibly frustrated, stared at the board, clearly displeased with how the game had unfolded. Sensing her discomfort, Yunchang finally stood up and said:

"My sword, please”.

“Oh…yes. Here”. She reluctantly handed him the sword.

“Thanks, It’s nearly 7 in the morning, I have to meet up with Lei Wen soon."

Before leaving the room, he turned back and added, "You should check the note I left at the start of the game."

As he exited, moving swiftly to the meet up, Han Yin unfolded the note.

It read:

"Knight to G7, forced mate in 16 moves."