The Unexpected Defeat of King Rafalec

This is Commander Egemen Aktas reporting from the field. Yesterday, I was involved in a series of skirmishes against King Rafalec of District 6502 and his formidable army. King Rafalec was first to attack and his initial blow caught us off guard. After an excruciating battle against his much larger army, my troops were feeling tired physically and mentally. It was during this tired phase when I sent my royal guard to make attacks against the king's position. After pinning the king down, my highly-equipped royal guard gathered a considerable advantage which was enough to win us the battle. However, the king and his men retreated and we were out of time. 

We followed the king and his men deep into the jungles of their territory. Both sides were reinforced with fresh troops and ready to fight. We battled for supremacy over the field. After a few carefully thought-out and unexpected maneuvers from my men, we had reached a certain place in the game where we had a clear advantage. However, we were attack-hungry and left vulnerabilities in the defence. The opposing king didn't hesitate to take advantage of our weak spots and within a few moves, our advantage withered away. He now had the upper hand. Things went from bad to worse, as some of the District 6502 units received field promotions and became elite troopers right before our eyes. We lost the battle and retreated back to our own borders. 

The king's men didn't stop there. They pursued us into our own district and challenged us to the third round of a bloodthirsty battle. My army was reinforced just in time as men from the reserves were called up to fight. When they arrived, the men said that they were willing to fight til they drop. Even if they weren't called up, these loyalists were ready to volunteer. I was very thankful to have such courageous warriors at my command. We were ready.

This decisive battle started off as most battles do. We raced to dominate the centre of the battlefield. Our general infantry stepped up to one another right at the centre. It was a deadlock as both sides held on to their positions like sticky rice and beans. This was far from enough to win the battle. I ordered some of my more experienced men to go support our infantry in the centre. The centre-stage always attracts more drama than just a few soldiers.

As shown in the picture above, King Rafalec sent his cavalry to the forefront of his defences. From there he would have a wide range of options. Had I hesitated to send more support to my infantry in the centre, that infantry would have disappeared under the hooves of the king's men in no time. Also, by sending my experienced men from the d-file to support, I opened up the way for my elephant troopers in the c-file to enter the realm. 

The king wasn't waiting around to play games. He send his mighty elephants to the centre of the field. I couldn't be having that!! His elephants were better trained than my own. I had to stop this. I didn't want his men dominating the centre of the field. Good thing, I had opened up the way for my elephant troopers and now they were ready to be deployed. I sent them to directly challenge the opponent's counterparts. Plus, my snipers on the f-file were ready to assist as I had already given them the order. 

It went down exactly as I saw it play out in my mind. His elephants saw their target and didn't delay. They came rushing in. They captured my troopers in the process but were, in turn, captured by my own team of snipers. My snipers didn't wait there either. They advanced their position to get a greater scope on the field. This was only the beginning.

King Rafalec supported his centre-stance by sending troops from the d-file. I needed my experts in the field, men that would not only deter possible attacks but who would also gather information - anything we could use against this much bigger force challenging us. I sent my cavalry jumping over our front lines for surveillance. Their very presence would thwart certain attacks from taking place.

The opposing king had seemingly left the centre-stage be as it is for his next move. Perhaps the presence of my horseback assassins helped him decide to deflect attention from the centre. His infantry inched forward along the g-file as I ordered my Elephantine Explosives Experts (EEE) to take a better position in the field. Their expertise would be very valuable in the upcoming moves.

King Rafalec's forces expanded by sending their units into the 4th rank along the western front. I took the opportunity to advance my EEE unit up a rank to assume greater control of the centre. Things were quiet now, with each side making quiet moves and subtle gains. I was eyeing the area of d4 with my horseback knights. A clash with the opposing force's cavalry would surely end with my brave infantry securing that area. 

Just as I was eyeing the centre, the king sent another unit of elephant fighters to challenge my EEE unit. Some last-minute intel told me that my men could be walking into a trap by attacking. Whether his cavalry or his h-file infantry came to support, the area of g5 would fall into his domain. With my artillery brigade on the h-file completely cut off from the rest of the army, I was not in a position to attack. I ordered my infantry along the h-file to advance and support the position of the EEE unit. 

The opponent's elephant fighters retreated as they didn't find what they were looking for. If they had struck first in that position, my troops would advance. If I had struck first, they would control more areas immediately in front of my defences. The bait didn't work. Perhaps mine would. I gave the command for my horseback warriors to take d4. I was hoping that an altercation with the opponent's cavalry would lead to my infantry moving into that position.  

That didn't work either. The king's defences moved up the 3rd rank to repel my unit. Retreat would not have been inspiring and so I moved forward, capturing the opponent's cavalry. They disappeared under the hooves of our horsemen. Not long after, my own horsemen disappeared as the king's elite forces took them out. 

Without thinking too much about the state of the battlefield, I gave the order to mobilize our own royal guard. As the highly equipped unit moved into d7, I started thinking about how I wasn't really thinking about the move I made. The idea was to prepare the area to create a temporary base on our right flank. However, what happened next caught us off guard.

King Rafalec's royal guard, a highly equipped team of experienced men, saw a window of opportunity to attack my position. Moving my men up to g6 would have been a disaster. In fact, this was a move that was better done before I mobilized our royal guard. I didn't have much of a choice and so I dodged the attack by moving to the side. This didn't leave any of my other pieces vulnerable to any immediate attack and so it wasn't the worst thing that could happen. 

Next, both the opponent and I had the same idea in mind: to mobilize more units. They sent cavalry to the king's side. From there, they could send their cavalry towards the centre. I had my eye on the centre as well. I sent my special forces to b5 to patrol the area. In fact, I was eyeing a centre infantry unit at d3 which would easily be captured by my special forces. What was great was that, if the king chose to defend the infantry, I could send my royal guard straight ahead and attack the position of another infantry unit. I was wondering about what the king could possibly do to defend both positions simultaneously. 

It was evident that King Rafalec's forces were not only great in size and numbers, but also in experience. It was as if he wanted to answer my question to what he could possibly do to defend both the positions of d3 and b2. The single-handed order of moving his cavalry to c4 did exactly that. I persisted by trying to repel the cavalry and to force them to retreat. My infantry moved up a rank to attack the position of their cavalry. My men were well supported by the team of snipers behind them. The cavalry unit needed to vacate the area.

Just when I thought the king would retreat his forces, he sent another unexpected attack from his a-file. Unable to move forward to any reasonable area in the field, I had my special forces retreat. We had just received a loss at the previous battle and the king was doing everything in his power to keep us on our toes in this battle. 

The cavalry captured my men's position in e5 and from here they posed a unique threat. For one, they were attacking my royal guard once again. They could have also attacked my position directly by sending the cavalry to f7. I would need to dodge again, this time with much greater consequences as my artillery unit along the h-file would be captured. I couldn't let this happen. Instead of ordering my special forces to retreat once again from their current position, I had my EEE unit attack and finish the cavalry unit where they were.

Of course, this came with its consequences. The king's elite squad captured my EEE unit. At this time, my men on g7 were vulnerable. If they were attacked, my artillery unit would also be at risk once more. And so I moved a fresh wave of horseback assassins to f6 where they would directly block the king's elite unit from penetrating out defences. I was eyeing g4, from where my horsemen could deliver a double attack blow to the opponent. 

My opponent, being as experienced as he is, sensed the impending danger and advanced his men up a rank to protect the g4 area I was eyeing. I wanted to see if the king would let his infantry at d3 go unnoticed and so I sent my royal guard to scope out a good position of attack. 

The king saw this coming and personally took it upon himself to move to d2 together with his special team of bodyguards. From this position, it would be impossible to attack his infantry. I wanted to mobilize my royal guard but the problem was that they were the only ones protecting my position at e6. And so, in order to give them greater flexibility, I personally moved up to the 7th rank, where my team of bouncers and I could keep a close eye on the men at e6.

The king's forces were making more subtle gains as they pushed into g4. This would complicate things for my cavalry but they wouldn't be left without anywhere to move. And so, I set out to synchronize my artillery units on both flanks - they're most powerful when they're communicating with each other. My artillery on the right flank moved to e8 where they would take over the task of defending our men at e6. This way, I could retreat back into 8th rank without worrying about my two artillery units being cut off from one another. 

As expected, the opponent moved into g5, attacking my cavalry. I had my men from the h-file take care of them. However, we all knew that it wouldn't stop here. 

I was expecting the king to capture my men using his forces along the h-file. However, if there's one thing I've learned from engaging in conflict with this guy, it's to expect the unexpected. The king moved into the space with his elite unit, probably not wanting to open up his own artillery to attack. Here, I moved too quickly once again. I retreated back into the 8th rank, thereby leaving the men at e6 under the protection of my artillery. 

I had moved too quickly and once again, the king took advantage of my weak spot. He sent his elite unit to capture my forces at g7. If I didn't find a way to protect my horseback attackers, the elite unit would capture them too. The battle was turning into one led by the elite unit's offensives. I moved my horsemen to h5 where they would not only be safe, but also ready to flank the king's defences. 

The battle was definitely being led by constant moves from the king's elite soldiers, who had now moved back to align with his elephant unit. Seeing this slight lull in combat, I sent my cavalry galloping to g3 in an effort to ramp up my own attacks. 

The king considered my horseback knights an immediate threat for his defences and moved an artillery unit up behind them to repel their advance. I followed suit and aligned my artillery behind the cavalry to keep them locked into their new position. I chose my right-flank artillery to do this for two reasons. One is that, the king's elite unit no longer posed a direct threat to my snipers at e6. Secondly, I wanted my left-flank artillery unit to remain where they were, as they could capture an opponent unit at h4 without resistance.

The king sent his elite squad in the direction of my own royal guard, thereby wanting to exchange units. I wasn't ready for such an exchange and so I sent my special team to d6. 

The elite squad attacked my own position, and I was back to d7, the area I had left earlier. I'm reminded of my mistake of moving too fast once again. Had I stayed put, the elite squad could not have attacked as easily as they did. My mind kept thinking back to our previous loss on the battlefield.

The king's elite squad captured another unit of infantry, as my retreat had left those men on b7 vulnerable to attack. Meanwhile, I took the opportunity to capture their unprotected infantry on h4. It wasn't that the capture was very integral, but I cleared the way for an attack on the opponent king's position. 

What happened next seemed like just another attack on my position from the elite unit. It was an attack I could easily dodge and I didn't think much of it. However, moving into e7 was a terrible mistake that led to something else which I didn't see coming until it happened. King Rafalec would, once again, cripple my forces by hitting me where it hurt the most. 

His elephant unit moved into c5, pinning my royal guard. There was nothing I could do to save them. They would need to take this bullet for me. However, I wasn't willing to go down that easy. This was our own territory we were fighting on and a loss could easily mean a loss of territory. We had a window of opportunity for attack. And not having much else to lose, I decided to call in the order and we pushed forward. 

I gave the command for my artillery along the h-file to make an attack on the king's position. Never quit. Even though, I would lose my royal guard, here was an opportunity for attack. What I didn't know was just how much damage we could inflict with my royal guard still pinned in this helpless position. 

In a panic, the king moved into e3. Had he retreated back to the first rank, I'm not sure how my attack could have persisted. Having the king locked in e3 and my horseback knights securing the position for my artillery, we persisted in our attack. 

With confidence, I sent my artillery to attack the king's current position from behind. This left the king only one area he could move into. Coming into e3 was a big mistake that cost the king a whole lot. 

The king moved into the only area he could at d4. I could hear his relief for a split second but his banana was far from safe. I thought of how my royal guard could be of use right now if they weren't pinned down in a desperate position. I looked right. I looked left. I thought of freeing the royal guard from their misery but it wasn't possible. Then, a dormant feeling of hope that had been with me all along pointed me in the right direction. From my disadvantaged position, I gave the order for my men to move up a rank. 

My snipers on e6 moved forward to e5. They secured us a victory by crippling the king's position. He had no escape. We captured the king like Pokemon in tall grass. His team surrendered to us. The spoils of this battle went to assist the countryside and villages that were most affected by the fighting. They were given enough funds to rebuild and recreate. All of the troops that fought side by side were awarded medals. As they later told me, the thrill of victory was the only reward they needed.

This experience is a lesson to never quit no matter how hard the circumstances are. I've seen commanders lose their cool and surrender upon losing their royal guard. I've seen kings and rulers lose their royal guard and still win the battle. This was one example of losing your most highly trained soldiers, and still winning in the end. Never give up. 

*** Please note that this was only an expression of creativity, sparked by inspiration in the present moment. I don't support war in any way, shape, or form. I made an effort not to use the words 'enemy' or 'kill.' Hopefully one day, nations will put down their guns and bombs and solve their disputes over a chess board. How many more lives need to be lost before humanity wakes up? 

Here is the PGN for this game:

1. e4 1... e5  

2. Nf3  2... d6  

3. Bc4  3... Be6  

4. Bxe6  4... fxe6  

5. d3  5... Nc6  

6. g3  6... Be7  

7. h4  7... Bf6  

8. Bg5  8... h6  

9. Be3  9... Nd4  

10. c3  10... Nxf3+  

11. Qxf3  11... Qd7  

12. Qh5+ 12... Kd8  

13. Nd2 13... Qb5 

14. Nc4  14... d5  

15. a4  15... Qc6  

16. Nxe5 16... Bxe5  

17. Qxe5  17... Nf6  

18. f3  18... Qa6  

19. Kd2 19... Kd7 

20. g4  20... Rae8 

21. g5 21... hxg5  

22. Qxg5  22... Kc8  

23. Qxg7  23... Nh5  

24. Qd4  24... Ng3  

25. Rhg1 25... Reg8 

26. Qxa7 26... Qd6  

27. Qa8+  27... Kd7  

28. Qxb7  28... Rxh4  

29. Qb5+ 29... Ke7 

30. Bc5  30... Rh2+  

31. Ke3 31... Re2+  

32. Kd4  32... e5#  { Black wins by checkmate. } 0-1