The Rebel erZito
There I was facing off with the rebel erZito and his men. I was told that they wouldn't stand a chance, and that their army was weak. Face to face, it looked to be a different story. We seemed to be very well matched. Regardless, I had a duty to uphold. Our mission was simple: to capture the rebel and his men, preferably alive. They had created way too much chaos for us to let this go. My commanding officer specifically chose me for this special operation based on my previous experiences dealing with different rebel groups. This time, these men were a much bigger force than usual for rebels in the region. And they had gone too far.
ErZito and his men were responsible for spreading misinformation about certain infectious viruses in the region. Their propaganda had caused these viruses to spread to uncontrollable heights in and around the nation. We weren't the only nation affected by their wrongdoings but we were easily the only nation capable of putting an end to their nonsense through kinetic force. These guys were deadly and we knew it wasn't going to be a walk in the park.
My personal suspicion was that they were directly trying to spread the virus through their propaganda. It wasn't a side effect that the viruses raged on even stronger after their misinformation campaign. It was their goal from the beginning. These narcissists were responsible for way too many civilian deaths than the viruses could have claimed on their own. Their deeds would not go without consequence. I, Commander Egemen Aktaş, would be the one to bring them down once and for all. Upon their capture, they would be tried for their crimes. It's unlikely that they would see the light of day again, except through the bars of their prison cells.
The engagement in combat started rather normally. They didn't have the hit-and-run tactics other rebel groups had. They didn't play those games and we weren't into playing into any of their games either. However at the end of the 11th round, we had to retreat. Their men on the e-file were about to play a move that would result in a devastating start for our side. We had to prevent this from happening and taking my drone unit from d3 to e2 was the best way.
To my surprise, erZito and his gang played a move that we know to be reserved for seasoned battalions. Or rather, they didn't play a move played by most rebel groups, the kind of move that's easy to defend and ends up with our fist dominating centre field. That move would have been advancing on the e-file. Instead, they left the e-file where it was at, thus creating an ever-looming threat ready to strike at a critical time. Instead, they advanced on the h-file. Really, this wasn't an active move but a quiet move, one that waits for the opponent to make a mistake before clamping down and capitalizing on their error. I couldn't allow an early loss in the face of these two-bit bandits.
The centre was still in the hands of the rebel group. And there wasn't much I could do to directly attack the centre without suffering heavy losses. I had to make a quiet move and hope the rebel leader would get impatient and advance along the e-file, thus opening the way for me to absorb their attack before driving their forces out of the centre. The opposite happened. The rebels sent their anti-air rocket missile systems to f5, thereby strengthening their position over the centre. I hate to admit it but we were off to a slow start while these lowlives did their best to dominate the centre.
I couldn't let that missile system loom around for too long. I sent a squad of armoured personnel carriers(APCs) to take them out. They retreated into their base while still eyeing their position in the centre. These anti-air rocketeers moved expertly. However, I bought myself some time.
Next, my disbelief over the expertise the rebel commander displayed led to a dissonance from what was real and what wasn't. This in turn, led to my impatience and the exact thing that I should've avoided happened. I pushed my men up along the f-file, hoping the rebels would fall for the bait. Unfortunately, they took advantage of my impatience and advanced along the e-file. Gone was the possibility of successfully absorbing their advance along the e-file. They rebels nestled into the centre and all I could do was accept the new positions in the field. I had to attack other areas because their centre-hold wasn't exactly a weak spot. My own weak spot was that my personal feelings were too invested into this drama. I needed to stop these bandits in their tracks and put an end to their constant spreading of misinformation. There was a big responsibility on my shoulders.
I ordered my spy to mobilize to e1. This wasn't an ordinary spy. He was well-trained in every aspect of combat and had plenty of experiences behind him. My commanding officer put this special agent, known to us simply as Agent 44, under my command for this mission. Though it was our first time working together, we were definitely on the same page about bringing an end to erZito's evil. My spy on e2 would serve to keep an eye on my armoured vehicles at h4 as well as make the leap to g3 at the first opportunity. From there, both units could work together to bring an early end to this altercation. However, it wasn't that simple. Seeing what I had in mind, erZito commanded his other unit of anti-air missile systems to mobilize to e7. With the backing of erZito's right-hand man Tito at d8, the two units carried immense power potential. I had to retreat once more.
My order to my personal guards to advance along the g-file wasn't so that they could directly defend my unit on h4. Rather, it was to open up more space so the armoured vehicles could have a safe place to retreat. Otherwise, they'd be done for. And I certainly wasn't going to wait around for this imminent attack because that would mean that my tactile fortress would be compromised. With my personal guards capturing the anti-air rocketeers and then being in-turn captured by Tito right at my doorstep. It was too much of a loss. I was paving the way for the APCs to return safely.
Return safely they did, thereby avoiding a great loss. However, I didn't like the way things were going. ErZito and his men were gaining more ground and we kept finding ourselves in positions to retreat. However, they played a careful game which meant they were making a lot of quiet moves. Their next move was just as quiet. Their guerrilla unit which had previously jumped from f6 to d7 to open up the way for an attack on my APCs had now jumped to b6. These guerrillas were invisible to the eye but thanks to our advanced communication technologies, we were able to track their every movement with great precision. They didn't know that but I was hoping we could let them know by neutralizing these combatives with a surprise attack.
Next, I ordered Agent 44 to move to d2. This would open up the way for my APCs to mobilize once again in a safer direction if it came down to it. Then, I saw that erZito's anti-air missile systems had moved to f6, directly challenging my fleet of drones on c3. I wasn't ready for such an exchange just yet.
Instead I sent another unit of armoured personal carriers for the exchange. The guerrillas on c3 jumped on the occasion and captured my unit on d4. Next, if I proceeded to capture this stealthy unit with my drones, that would be the end of my drone unit because the anti-air missile systems were waiting to strike. I sensed a special need and use for the drones in this type of asymmetrical combat and so I wanted to keep them around.
Instead, I sent other soldiers to capture the guerrilla unit on d4. The rebel leader was insistent in his use of quiet moves. He moved his tank-destroyers to c8, securing the corridor along the c-file for his own side. This was a rag-tag group of soldiers equipped with way more anti-tank weapons than this battle needed. We were briefed on the possible dangers they posed to all of our units due to the heavily armed nature of the insurgents.
Here I was faced off with an opponent who was proving to be an expert on quiet moves. I needed more of my units in the field, ready to do damage. I ordered the remaining unit of APCs from g2 to e3. There they'd be closer to the centre and ready to pounce on these bandits. Another quiet move from our opponents followed. Tito was sent to d7. What did erZito have in mind for his right-hand man? Time would tell.
In an effort to cut off Tito from having too much access to areas near my mobile fortress, I moved my men up along the f-file. This also served to secure a piece of the centre for my own units to move around. It wasn't a big piece, but we needed every inch we could gain against these quiet rebels. I wasn't surprised at this point to see another quiet move as new intel informed us of the stealthy guerrilla unit's new position. They were pivoting around near their own lines to a8. These guys were pretty quiet for a bunch of loudmouths who spread so much misinformation about the deadly viruses floating around. I couldn't wait to report back home with erZito and his men locked up and bound tightly in one of our APCs.
Finally, I had the opportunity to push forward as I sent my APCs to g4. Perhaps this would be the beginning of the attack that would lead to erZito's arrest. I had my sights on the anti-air missile systems on f6. It would be nice to get them out of the way for the optimum performance of my drones. However, the cherry on the cake would be in the wide-open entrance to erZito's hideout upon having his men along the g-fie capture my unit of APCs in return. That's exactly what he sought to avoid as he ordered Tito to d6 to keep an eye on things.
Tito on d6 was a perfect opportunity for me to put my drones to use. I had my fleet of drones lock and load to b4, thereby shishkebabbing Tito against one of the anti-tank units at erZito's side. He had no choice but to move Tito out of the way of the skewer I set up. Tito was an important asset to this rebel commander and we were briefed on the ins and outs of their relationship as well as Tito's combat techniques long before we accosted these dangerous criminals.
The shishkebab was delicious as my drones struck f8. They were, in turn, captured by the other unit of anti-tankers. This was a nice little victory on the battlefield that boosted my men's morale. However, things were far from over. I was coming for their head. ErZito was going down.
It was time to advance my dominance over the playing field. I sent Agent 44 to f4. Combined with the special abilities of my APC unit, I could have them do a lot of damage. However, my move was countered by a surprise attack. ErZito's anti-air unit stopped my special agent in his tracks. I didn't know these soldiers were equipped to handle that kind of advance. Once again, we had to retreat.
Agent 44 was ordered back to f2 for the time being. Tito took the opportunity to capture some of my defensive outposts along the 2nd rank. I wasn't worried about losing some makeshift towers but I couldn't afford to lose my tank battalion along the 1st rank near Tito's position. The best defense is a good offense and I intended to offend by moving my APCs to e5.
They weren't able to stay there for long as erZito's personal henchmen attacked the APC's new position without hesitation. Now, I had some footing to push my APCs forward but where could I send them? G6 was possible but they'd likely get shot down by the unit tucked away on h7 since the beginning of the battle. Having some foot soldiers tucked away on g6 as a result of the exchange wouldn't be a bad gig but I felt I could do better than that.
I ordered the APCs to attack the anti-tankers on f8 by sliding over to d7. Of course, erZito wasn't about to let that happen. He moved his unit out of dodge over to c8 where they'd be aligned with Tito's dive into our defenses.
I felt I needed to cut off their lines by moving my APCs to hold down a new position at c5. Tito jumped over to d2 and I thought I saw what erZito had in mind with this play. Or perhaps this was all Tito's plan. His anti-air rocketeers had surprised me once before and I'm sure they were capable of much more than just what they had shown so far. If they moved to e3, with the backing of Tito on d2 right next to them, they'd successfully carry out an attack against my spy. There was no way I was letting that happen. I'd rather my spy face off with Tito one-on-one instead. However, there was something else I didn't foresee.
Tito captured my foot soldiers on d4, double attacking both my position and my APCs. This meant I would lose the armourerd personnel. I had to take this loss. It could have been worse. We could have lost Agent 44.
After I dodged Tito's attack, he went on to capture my unit on c5. Now, we were outnumbered but not outgunned. And I'm not one to play nicely to criminals. I wasn't going down like this. We needed to step up our attack and I knew Agent 44 would be instrumental. However, first I needed to involve my tanks that were stationed all the way over on a1. They needed to be more involved and I would have liked to line them up against Tito's position along the c-file but those anti-air missiles were locked into that very position. I knew that they knew they could use their anti-air missiles against ground targets too.
The d-file would have to suffice for my star tankers. After the move, the rebels moved up along the d-file as well. This looked bad. ErZito was expanding his position along the same key areas that were dominated by the rebels at the beginning of the game. All my forces were bunched up together and were easy to attack in their current formation.
I looked to my soldiers along the b-file for reassurance. If those men were in position along the 3rd rank, my drones could set up shop on c4 and attack the position of erZito himself. This could buy me some time to shuffle around my other units and give us more room to plan attacks. However, the rebels must have sensed the impending danger because they advanced along the d-file, cutting off my drones from where I wanted them to be.
I sent my fleet to g4 instead to defend our foothold. Tito moved to d5, probably hoping I wouldn't notice the danger of a possible discovered attack. While his rebels marched along centre stage, my own position would be attacked by Tito once again. Things were looking bad earlier but now they started to look dire. I needed help.
First, I got out of dodge once again by moving back to g1. There would be no discovered attacks this round. Tito sent his anti-tankers to c2. His anti-air rocketeers could easily be brought in next. Tito was right around the corner. And all the while, all my men were bunched up like sitting ducklings. Things were escalating way too quickly. I couldn't afford to lose this battle and return to headquarters without erZito.
In an attempt to thwart the attack, I challenged the anti-tankers' very presence in my lines by moving my tank unit up to f2. Tito didn't delay as he moved to d4. It was a crippling move that pinned my tank squadron. I was about to lose one more unit as erZito and his men gained critical momentum. Was I scared? Of course, I was. However, fear sets the grounds for fearlessness. Something needed to be done.
In my moment of fear, I moved away from the g-file and back into the h. Looking back, this was a mistake. I should've stayed put and possibly captured both the anti-tankers and Tito at the expense of Agent 44. However, it just didn't go down that way. This mistake forced me to think because something urgent needed to be done. I was clearly losing.
Quickly, I gave the command for Agent 44 to move into the centre of the field. I wanted him to launch one against erZito but from his position, he couldn't land on d8 without being intercepted by Tito. Meanwhile, the rebels were gaining way too much ground for any possibility of comfort. Their advance along the e-file put my remaining tank unit at great risk. However, what was at a greater risk were my drones on g4. Tito was eyeing them and could easily capture them. I couldn't afford to lose another unit. I needed my drones. And my men needed to know we were still in this game regardless of the desperate situation.
I tucked my drones into h1 and Tito took the opportunity to attack my position again. I was tired of dancing back and forth between the g and h-files.
After I waltzed back to the g-file, Tito positioned himself for another discovered attack while at the same time defending d8 from a possible attack on erZito by my well-equipped spy. My special agent had been on the sidelines for too long while Tito had all the fun. Tito was well aware of this and wasn't allowing Agent 44 to dance around in a freestyle.
I pulled my drones down to the 2nd rank from where they'd be able to launch an attack. However, erZito had his rebels attack my tank unit's position by moving up along the e-file. This was too much. This could have been the end. There was no room for error. There was no room for a defensive move either. If I tried to defend my tanks by blocking the rebels' position along the e-file, erZito's anti-tankers would be ready to spank me by dropping to the 1st rank, thereby revealing Tito's discovered attack. I'd have nowhere else to move. The rebels would easily capture my position and that would be the end of it. What could I do?
Since there was no time for a defensive maneuver, I had to attack. I had my drones attack erZito's position from d5 where Agent 44 would cover them from Tito's wrath. ErZito had no choice but to duck into h8. Actually, he did have a choice. He could have captured my drones using Tito. He had two units ready to move into the 1st rank and receive field promotions. It wouldn't have been a huge loss for his side and we would have continued this uphill battle for another few rounds. However, he had already made his choice.
Since my drones were blocking Tito's position from defending the 8th rank, it was time for Agent 44 to play. Our special agent swooped into d8 to deliver another blow against the rebel leader's position. ErZito was cornered with nowhere else to go and so he ordered his anti-air missile systems unit to protect him by standing in the way. However, both my drones and my special agent were locked into the anti-air rocketeers' position on g8. Agent 44 delivered the final blow by moving into the rebel leader's hideout with air support from my drones. ErZito was captured.
 |
| Checkmate |
The rebels were all captured. Tito and erZito were taken back to headquarters in handcuffs. Their men were sent to detention centres at another outpost. Agent 44 and I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear during our debriefing sessions. The thrill of victory was on our side once again. The populations of our nation and the neighbouring nations were notified of erZito's capture. Their crimes were exposed and the truth finally surfaced. All of the misinformation they had spread had caused many deaths but from this point on, the truth was known and the spreading of the viruses could be curbed quicker.
This was an excellent example of never giving up and fighting on until the last moment. Victory might be right around the corner even when things are at their worst. Our situation in the field was dire but my men and I pulled through. We didn't know what the final result would look like but we had the right mindset, without which a victory wouldn't have been made possible. Always remember to stand up for what is true even in the face of life's greatest challenges. Adversarial forces seek to take advantage of weak states of mind. Always empower yourself with positivity, calm, and clarity. These qualities will create a bright vision, whose light will blind wrongdoers in their act.
Check out the PGN for this game:
1. d4 { [%clk 0:10:00] } 1... e6 { [%clk 0:10:00] } { A40 Horwitz Defense }
2. e3 { [%clk 0:09:59] } 2... a6 { [%clk 0:09:58] }
3. Nf3 { [%clk 0:09:56] } 3... d5 { [%clk 0:09:56] }
4. Bd3 { [%clk 0:09:55] } 4... c5 { [%clk 0:09:54] }
5. dxc5 { [%clk 0:09:49] } 5... Bxc5 { [%clk 0:09:52] }
6. Nbd2 { [%clk 0:09:49] } 6... Nc6 { [%clk 0:09:46] }
7. Nb3 { [%clk 0:09:47] } 7... Bd6 { [%clk 0:09:43] }
8. Bd2 { [%clk 0:09:44] } 8... Nf6 { [%clk 0:09:41] }
9. Bc3 { [%clk 0:09:43] } 9... O-O { [%clk 0:09:36] }
10. O-O { [%clk 0:09:41] } 10... e5 { [%clk 0:09:30] }
11. Be2 { [%clk 0:09:34] } 11... h6 { [%clk 0:09:24] }
12. a3 { [%clk 0:09:31] } 12... Bf5 { [%clk 0:09:20] }
13. Nh4 { [%clk 0:09:25] } 13... Bh7 { [%clk 0:09:13] }
14. f4 { [%clk 0:09:22] } 14... e4 { [%clk 0:09:03] }
15. Qe1 { [%clk 0:09:18] } 15... Be7 { [%clk 0:08:50] }
16. g3 { [%clk 0:09:12] } 16... Nd7 { [%clk 0:08:38] }
17. Ng2 { [%clk 0:09:09] } 17... Nb6 { [%clk 0:08:25] }
18. Qd2 { [%clk 0:09:06] } 18... Bf6 { [%clk 0:08:11] }
19. Nd4 { [%clk 0:09:03] } 19... Nxd4 { [%clk 0:08:04] }
20. exd4 { [%clk 0:09:01] } 20... Rc8 { [%clk 0:07:58] }
21. Ne3 { [%clk 0:08:59] } 21... Qd7 { [%clk 0:07:48] }
22. f5 { [%clk 0:08:50] } 22... Na8 { [%clk 0:07:45] }
23. Ng4 { [%clk 0:08:45] } 23... Qd6 { [%clk 0:07:34] }
24. Bb4 { [%clk 0:08:41] } 24... Qc6 { [%clk 0:07:31] }
25. Bxf8 { [%clk 0:08:38] } 25... Rxf8 { [%clk 0:07:29] }
26. Qf4 { [%clk 0:08:35] } 26... Bg5 { [%clk 0:07:22] }
27. Qf2 { [%clk 0:08:18] } 27... Qxc2 { [%clk 0:07:19] }
28. Ne5 { [%clk 0:08:10] } 28... f6 { [%clk 0:07:05] }
29. Nd7 { [%clk 0:07:46] } 29... Rc8 { [%clk 0:06:54] }
30. Nc5 { [%clk 0:07:44] } 30... Qd2 { [%clk 0:06:42] }
31. Qe1 { [%clk 0:07:25] } 31... Qxd4+ { [%clk 0:06:39] }
32. Kh1 { [%clk 0:07:22] } 32... Qxc5 { [%clk 0:06:37] }
33. Rd1 { [%clk 0:07:14] } 33... d4 { [%clk 0:06:34] }
34. b3 { [%clk 0:07:10] } 34... d3 { [%clk 0:06:32] }
35. Bg4 { [%clk 0:07:06] } 35... Qd5 { [%clk 0:06:23] }
36. Kg1 { [%clk 0:06:43] } 36... Rc2 { [%clk 0:06:08] }
37. Rf2 { [%clk 0:06:13] } 37... Qd4 { [%clk 0:06:05] }
38. Kh1 { [%clk 0:06:06] } 38... Rxf2 { [%clk 0:05:55] }
39. Qa5 { [%clk 0:05:35] } 39... e3 { [%clk 0:05:34] }
40. Bh3 { [%clk 0:05:07] } 40... Qe4+ { [%clk 0:05:23] }
41. Kg1 { [%clk 0:05:04] } 41... Qd4 { [%clk 0:05:11] }
42. Bg2 { [%clk 0:04:56] } 42... e2 { [%clk 0:05:05] }
43. Bd5+ { [%clk 0:04:46] } 43... Kh8 { [%clk 0:04:58] }
44. Qd8+ { [%clk 0:04:44] } 44... Bg8 { [%clk 0:04:55] }
45. Qxg8# { [%clk 0:04:43] } { White wins by checkmate. } 1-0
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