games for money-chapter 4

A RIDDLE

We both stared at the computer. He stared back at us. Eventually, he said, “you want to start, or should I log off?”

“No, no”, I said hastily, “don’t. you…you can start”.

Malhaar reached for a sheet of paper. I groaned. If she wrote it, then there was no way anyone would understand what she was writing.

“All right.”

He took a deep breath and started,

“a vicious game of victory,

An interesting type of war,

though a game for two

it may be,

there are no less than 16,

for each of the two,

it may not be very hard,

to know what I mean,

but what comes next,

it’s the real test,

the real game,

get the main opponent,

you have him in check,

but none of your,

16, we may say,

must move even an inch,

and one more hint I shall give you,

the answer,

what I mean,

is no longer than a word.”

he stopped and the said abruptly, “Bye” and logged off.

Malhaar’s head was still bent over the sheet, but within a minute she straightened up and said “This is a tough one.”

I shrugged and picked up the sheet of paper. “a vicious game of victory. What could that mean?”

“a war maybe”

“Yes perhaps. Well, to me it seems that the biggest clue we have is the one line about sixteen. It seems to be quite a big giveaway.”

“Well, what has sixteen on each side?”

“Not a war. A war would have a lot more people.”

“But it is a war”, she argued, “that’s what it’s saying. They’re literally confirming that It’s a war.”

“Well…maybe they’re hinting at a different kind of war.”

“Like mentally?”

I nodded, still lost in thought.

“no, that won’t work. Vicious remember?”

“Maybe it’s a war where minds are the weapons but not the soldiers.”

“Where would that-”, she stopped abruptly, realizing what I had realized. “chess” she breathed.

“Yep. But that’s just the first bit.”

“Oh yeah. But it should be easy. Right?”

I shrugged again.

“Get the main opponent? That could mean either your human opponent or a chess piece. Mostly the king.”

“The king. It’s not so easy to ‘check’ a human.”

“So how?”

I thought I knew but I stayed silent for the idea was ludicrous. Unfortunately, Malhaar took one look at me and decided that I knew.

“Tell me. Now”, she said with that weird look in her eyes that screamed ‘you’re going to do it. and you’re going to do it now.’

Ah well. I guess I have to. “Betrayal.”

She knew she wouldn’t get an explanation out of me, so she sat down and began to work through the riddle. After about five minutes, I hear her scream in delight. There it goes, I thought, and the realization dawns. 

“So do you mean that the king's own pieces must turn on him to win the game?”, she said breathlessly.

I nodded.

“Oh! I gotta write a story on this thing” (too late fella. Idea taken)

The man had appeared on screen again. “you people have an answer?”

I nodded to Malhaar. She said dramatically, “Betrayal”.

The man’s face was unemotional at first but as he confirmed the answer and told us it was correct, I thought I saw a hint of a smile.