Novel & Cerita Making First Move

"If you have any requirements, can you finish them all at once?" Looking at this woman's anger, Samuel knew that he had basically achieved his goal. He put away his shameless smile and suddenly became unusually serious, "Since we will decide the winner with one move and I have let you make one move first, naturally, I should set a rule on this. The rule is very simple. If I can still stand here after taking one move from you, then you will lose." "On the other hand, if I can't stand up, you will win. What do you think?"

He didn't expect Celeste to know how to play chess too. Trevor looked at Celeste. "You wanna go first?" The player who started first typically held a strategic advantage. Upon hearing that, Celeste made the first move. Trevor followed suit with his move. In the beginning, they both played cautiously, not giving anything away. They didn't talk either. Celeste focused solely on the chessboard, hardly sparing a glance at Trevor across from her. After a while, both Harry and Brandon realized that Celeste's playstyle was just like her personality—calm and measured.

I said in a monotone voice, settling into the seat across from him. A ghost of a smirk played on his lips before disappearing just as quickly. Without looking up, he nudged a piece forward. “Your turn.” I rolled my sleeves up to my elbows, already recognizing the challenge in his voice. He was being his usual self—dictating the pace before I even agreed to play. He’d already decided we were playing before I even sat down. “I don’t recall agreeing to a game.” I grazed a piece, considering my next move. “…You always take the center first.” I completed, moving the pieces.

I open my laptop and draft a message to my new allies, outlining the next steps, the first move that will ripple outward and force the board to adjust around me. The game hasn’t just moved forward. It has re-centered on me.

All that remained…was for the first move to be made. And when it was….there would be no turning back.

Let the game begin. --

Adeline exchanged glances with Loud and Jinx, and they both have confident looks in their eyes. She's not scared though... She trusts Madden that much. She turned to the other side to look at Sin and Trixie, then Andrei and Kimberly. They're all gallant behind Igor, and when her eyes met with Kimberly's, she looked away immediately. Mercy started the game, moving her first stone on the board then waited for Madden to move his own. Adeline watched keenly as Madden's eyes ran through the board before settling on one stone He touched the stone with two fingers and was about to move it when Adeline noticed something under the table.

He explained the rules with exaggerated seriousness, tapping pieces into place like a commander briefing a general. “Pay attention, sweet,” he warned. “I won’t repeat myself.” I leaned forward, chin in my palm. “You’re assuming I won’t beat you on the first round.” He scoffed. “Please.” We started. At first, I played cautiously, watching him. He moved confidently, almost lazily, like someone who assumed victory was inevitable. I mirrored him, quiet, thoughtful. The wind lifted strands of my hair across my face. He reached out mid-move and tucked them behind my ear without even thinking about it.

Arabella didn't seem interested but it looked like Ivan was trying to cheer her up. But Arabella didn't know how to play chess. She’d always loved the game—the quiet intensity, the way every move felt like a decision that could ruin or save everything—but she had never truly learned it. Never had the time. “See this?” Ivan tapped lightly on one of her pawns. “Pawns only move forward. One square at a time. Except on their first move—they can go two.” “Oh, okay.” Arabella nodded slowly, then reached for the piece again—more cautious this time.

In front of him was a massive chessboard with many metallic pieces. This must be one of the mechanisms. "Wow, really? You could at least say whether winning or losing lets you pass," Alexander muttered helplessly. Seeing that the red general's position was empty, Alexander lightly tapped his foot and leaped onto the general's spot. Clack, clack! The mechanism activated, and the entire chessboard came to life. "Cannon..." Alexander was about to make his first move when the pawns on both sides charged toward him at lightning speed. Boom!