Wizard Chess: The Gauntlet
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Good sportsmanship at Hogwarts was always more of a suggestion than a rule, which explained why Mamori was currently stationed at his assigned spot with his throat burning from the courtesy of some upper-year entrepreneur. The initial taste of the Girding Potion had been like eight hundred drunk people simultaneously vomiting in his mouth nearly sending his stomach acid into full revolt and bringing tears to his eyes. But he has convinced himself to go through the torture and actually swallow the potion with his wallet twenty galleons lighter as a result of today's retail therapy.
Whether it was genuine effectiveness or pure placebo didn't really matter, because he did feel considerably more powerful than usual with his mind sharper and his body stronger. The problem was that the lingering aftertaste several rounds of mouthwash couldn't get rid of keeps reminding him of his poor financial decisions, even though he is technically in his peak condition.
Today marked one of those rare occasions when the pink-haired badger violated his year-end resolution to stop consuming questionable liquids. But stumbling upon this wizard chess event during his post-meal wandering had seemed too interesting to pass up. He'd signed up, which meant he had to win. And winning meant using every advantage available.
Looking around, there were a few faces he recognized. Their king was Mahlioz, someone Mamori found reassuringly competent (definitely not because they'd given him free stuff last year). Prat, serving as rook, had been his teammate in unofficial quid games twice last year. Actual Puff quid teammate Landon stood as bishop on the opposing side. Several players — particularly the opposing team's vertically challenged king — had clearly raided their trust funds for the occasion, their elaborate outfits made Mamori's simple while hoodie look positively pedestrian. Not that he was jealous... well, maybe a little. Perhaps their next shopping spree could sponsor his potion fund instead.xx ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
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𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛as strategized𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒white team l. knight𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑠sta. 5 6 | eva. 10 11 | str. 5 6 | wis. 7 8 | arc. 3 4 | acc. 10 11𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠Non-Human Enthusiast | Foulplay (Girding Potion: +1 to all stats)𝑜𝑜𝑐-𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒bankrupted myself for this potion so pls don't eliminate my boi r1 tyx
Last edited by Mamori Anezaki on 3 Dec 2025, 12:28, edited 1 time in total.
| iNPC: Ilya Voronov |
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#D2445E |
Wizard Chess: The Gauntlet
It was a day in October, and the clock might as well be striking thirteen, for what was about to happen next. She knew what she'd signed up for by giving up her afternoon--wizard's chess. Not any kind of chess, but she and many others would be the pieces.
As she now waited, on her gleaming white square, she realized she was one of the youngest, but certainly not the shortest. She stood on the second square counting from the left, which meant her role was knight. However, she didn't feel much of a knight--what with all the tall figures across from her and in the same line as her (aka her team), and the fact that she was a first year with barely any knowledge of dueling or spell work. Although she had an academic average of O, she never really did much practice, always just theory.
There were three other Hufflepuffs in her team, none of which she knew every well, only by sight. But the fact that there were Hufflepuffs -- the house always deemed as boring, lifted her spirits.
Their king and queen were Clark Baird, and Ara Villa, a fourth year Slytherin she has never seen. She didn't know the two on either sides of her, either. But they were mostly all fourth years, and were probably more experienced than her. She was beginning to feel unnerved by all the silent figures on either sides, save the occasional hums of murmuring, as if they were all indeed, statues in a game of chess.
Usually, a battle begins with trumpets and banners, however, this battle, however small it might seem, began with a second year officiator, speaking and ending her speech with "have fun". How was there to be fun, when it was a game to prove their house worthy, and their team better than the other?
But anyway, here goes nothing.
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Stats: Stamina: 6|Evasion: 6| Strength: 5| Wisdom: 4|ArcPower: 6|Accuracy: 8|
Role: black team, left knight
Action: as strategized
No ability applied.
Word count: 322/200
Last edited by Maisie Fenwick Rose Williams on 13 Sep 2025, 14:32, edited 1 time in total.
Wizard Chess: The Gauntlet
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October 2025, Duelling ClubThe duelling club was among those places at Hogwarts often frequented by Miss Elisa Wagner, third year pupil in the House of Slytherin. In fact, the library and the common room (and of course, the dormitories) were the only other locations that saw Miss Wagner as much as the duelling club.
Now having been in her house's duelling team for exactly a year already, one could say the path from the Slytherin common room to the duelling club was more familiar to Elisa than the back of her own hand. That day however, the young girl found herself heading to the fourth floor not for a duelling session but for a game of wizard chess.
Elisa's initialisation to wizard chess -- the kind that did not use real live wizards as chess pieces, very much unlike the game she would be participating in a few minutes' time -- began when she was around nine years old. Having expressed interest in learning as she watched the adults play, her father taught her the rules and strategies that she quickly mastered. Of course, dealing with the talking chess pieces proved a little more difficult, as authority had never been Elisa's strength.
Finding herself crossing the threshold to the duelling room, Elisa still couldn't believe she was actually doing this. Signing up had been a thoughtless decision -- one pulled by her instinctive competitiveness more than by logical reasoning. If she had once had trouble ordering her own chess pieces around, how on earth would she able to cooperate with her teammates as chess pieces themselves to cross the chessboard? A resolution to follow whatever direction given to her was made, after which she found herself crossing the room to position herself on her designated square.
For this chess game, Miss Elisa Wagner would be a bishop.
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Action: as strategised
Elisa Wagner | Clément Guillaume Cantegrel
SHOP | GALLERY
sta 6 | eva 10 | str 3 | wis 9 | arc 8 | acc 10
SHOP | GALLERY
sta 6 | eva 10 | str 3 | wis 9 | arc 8 | acc 10
Wizard Chess: The Gauntlet
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@Archer Duncan @Elisa Wagner @Mamori Anezaki @Mahlioz Evethisawe @Livia Machavariani @Aodhan Shaw @Astra NorrickFEARLESS | LOVELY CREATURE | EVASIVE MANUEVERS
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────Prat entered the dueling club with the kind of calm that came naturally to him. Measured, deliberate, a rhythm that said this was hardly worth the weight he'd usually impart upon the sports of his choice. Wizard's chess was not a battlefield he held in the same regard as dueling or Quidditch, yet here he was, willing to lend the unruly crowd the soft gift of his divine presence, to this momentary reprieve. His gait carried none of the strain of competition, only the ease of a boy who had decided upon him to play for the sake of amusement.
His eyes, however, much like usual protocols did not stay idle. They scanned the gathering of all the faces present, cataloguing them. Archer, Astra, Livia, Mahl, Elisa; all familiar faces, names and alignments. Their presence lent the scene a certain balance that reassured Prat of predictability. Even Mamori, whom Prat recalled from a previous Quidditch game had found his way into the unlikely ensemble along with who was a new face, one only glimpsed in passing corridors, Aodhan.
Prat afforded them all a moment of acknowledgement, brief, before filing the momentary interaction away.
But any trace of goodwill soured when his gaze landed on clark. The boy's presence was like rot on otherwise steady ground, his face was a grotesque parody of trollish features wrapped in human skin. A soggy rotten pumpkin's husk carrying a troll-faced goblin; that was Clark. Prat's lip twitched in faint disdain. No, not at clark's position but rather the overall existence that he pitifully was.
To add to the opponent team's further lack of intelligence, the butt faced goblin had been elevated to the role of King.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────XXXXXXAction: Wouldn't you like to know?
| Prat Pass - Slytherin | |
Sta: 7 | Eva: 10 | Str: 6 | Wis: 7 | Arc: 7 | Acc: 13 |
Sta: 9 | Eva: 15 | Str: 0 | Wis: 7 | Arc: 5 | Acc: 15 |
Wizard Chess: The Gauntlet
Credit to Maisie Gemmell
Mentions: Malcolm McGregor, Clark Baird, Camilla Carter
Opportunity was around every corner at Hogwarts, or so it seemed. Aislin had already been made duelling co-captain of Ravenclaw, despite belonging to the house of blue and bronze for a very short period of time and having a grand total of zero duels under her belt. What she did have were ideas and a respectable willingness to try new things. So chess combat? She had the vague inkling that one of her cousins might have mentioned something like that once. If it came down to real combat with spells, which she'd supposed it would since it was taking place in the duelling club, she could make a person dance and sneeze and possibly set them on fire, though she was still getting the hang of that one. As it turned out, she was in luck, chess combat operated on a totally unique set of moves. Aislin signed herself up.
She was not the only first year here: there was Malcolm, on her side today rather than an opponent, and a few other faces from classes or the boat ride. Most of the other players seemed older and unfamiliar. Aislin didn't dwell on that, though, nor on her limited knowledge of chess. More of her time was spent admiring her King's commitment to the theme, adjusting the black vest she'd worn to match her team's color, and rolling her wand between her hands. The organizer of today's combat was another student she didn't know, but she waved at her anyway. Whatever she'd gotten herself into was not yet clear, but Aislin was ready to take her corner spot as Rook.
Action: Doing as strategized
Stats: STA: 7 • EVA: 6 • STR: 4 • WIS: 7 • ARC: 4 • ACC: 7
Abilities: Charmer
Bridget Collins (1st gen) • Alejandros Espinosa (iNPC) • Phyllis Stanwood (1st gen iNPC)
Wizard Chess: The Gauntlet
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x─── 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆 !
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Reducio
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Wizard Chess: The Gauntlet
Date: Early October, 2025
Malcolm let out a nervous breath as he made his way to his assigned position on the chess board. At this scale, it looks much more like a battlefield. Which was fitting, he supposed. War is what the game is based on, isn't it? That's what he'd heard at last. And from what he'd seen from his experience with Wizard's Chess back home, he could believe that.
He swallowed around a lump that had anxiously formed in his throat as he looked around at his teammates. Half of team black was nearly divided. One half consisting of fourth years, and the other half, himself included, were just barely getting started at Hogwarts. Meanwhile the other team seemed to be a much wider spread of ages. And while seeing that he was one of several Puffs in attendance at this game, the fact that Clark was here made him a wee bit more anxious.
He hadn't exactly had a great track record with the half-goblin in his first month at the school. But the blond Irish boy reassured himself that maybe the older Hufflepuff lad had simply been having a bad day when he decided to start lobbing tableware at his face during a food fight. Yeah. That was probably why. ...Right? Regardless, he looked happy enough being King. Almost too happy.
And even if the king on his own team was someone who may or may not hate his guts, he had Maisie and Aislin here as well. While he hadn't known them long enough to consider them friends, per se, they were at least good people from the interactions they'd had so far. And, if nothing else, at least they were also on his team. Everybody else? Well, he supposed time would tell.
Malcolm was happy enough with his own position as bishop as well, all things considered. From what he'd heard, it was a position that he might at least be adequate at. Maybe.
He rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants legs and settled them on the wheels of his chair, before huffing out another breath in an attempt to settle his nerves. Everything was going to be fine. That's what he told himself at least.
ReducioSTA: 9 | EVA: 1 | STR: 1 | WIS: 9 | ARC: 6 | ACC: 9
Action: As strategized
Planting Ideas, Pruning Doubts, Gathering Wonder
Sta - 9 | Eva - 1 | Str - 1 | Wis - 9 | Arc - 6 | Acc - 9
Wizard Chess: The Gauntlet
Ava stepped into the enlarged chess board, eyes dancing across the checkered squares, the pattern swimming before her eyes like a school of fish within a pond.
She shook her head, clearing her vision as she took in the other people around her, opponents or otherwise. A scowl crossed her face the moment she spotted Clark parading around in an undeserved crown. Vivid memories, each accompanied with a foul smell, besieged her mind, each worse than the last. Her eyes narrowed at him for a moment.
Spotting Astra across from her, she noticed the Slytherin nod at her. Ava offered a wink back, grinning slyly at the opponent and her teammates. She followed the trail of people to spot Mahloiz, offering a grin as she waved quietly to her housemate. There were more Slytherin in her year at this game than there typically was within her classes.
Turning to her teammates (excluding Clark), she spotted her roommate quickly. By this point in the year they ought to be closer, but Ava hardly remained within her dorm, least of all during the night. She shyly waved to the girl, then moved to take her place.
She would be a knight today, although that was hardly fitting. She was no one’s night in shining armor, but she would play her part.
Action: stuff
Stats: STA • 7 | EVA • 10 | STR • 6 | WIS • 6 | ARC • 5 | ACC • 13
Wizard Chess: The Gauntlet
ROUND 1 of 5
A note to all players: The word count minimum is 200 words. The next deadline to post and submit the strategy is 6 days, the deadline should be around the same time as before and linked in Discord. If you believe a mistake has been made in the calculations of this round, please contact me ASAP so it can be addressed promptly.
And just like that, the match exploded into motion, though honestly, it looked more like opening night for the Viridian Vipers Duelling Club.
The Kings were the most notable immediately, despite doing almost nothing. Mahlioz stoically enduring like chess was her birthright, and Clark Baird leaning extra hard into his villain arc fully kitted out in props for his role, both radiating magical auras as if this was all just very normal thank you very much.
But as the action started, both teams clearly had one thing in mind: wrap their Queen in as much magical bubble wrap as they could muster. Hardly surprising. If she was Ara or Archer, she’d want a whole fortress between herself and the flinging spells too. There they were, Ara Villa, draped in smoky shadows, and Archer Duncan, practically glowing trading blasts. It was the kind of thing that made Camilla wish she’d brought popcorn instead of an officiator's badge.
Before the Queens could blast each other into next week, their Bishops acted. Elisa Wagner, another tunured Viper (Seriously, was there anyone from the Vipers in this match? Was Camilla herself about to be recruited?), flicking up a shield around Archer that shimmered with light, and Malcolm McGregor one of the many "first year captains" of this incoming year, somehow managing to spin defensive magic at double-speed despite his age, his shadowy shield around Ara rippling like a midnight pond. Both shields crumpled in the face of the Queens' Wrath, but the bishops had done their job, shielding to the best of their ability.
Note to self: never judge a chess match when half the school’s finest duelists are involved.
Every move made by both teams had been completely optimal until this point, but this was where strategy started to diverge. Black folded up like an origami fortress; King Baird tucked in behind his loyal inner ring, like some VIP convoy Camilla had seen in one of those documentaries. White, meanwhile, got bold with their rooks and knights shooting outward, bishops fanning out, the Queen holding the center line with the patience of a champion. Camilla could practically hear Prat Pass (the living sports highlight reel) and Astra Norrick muttering “hold the flanks!” under their breath as they swept to the wings, ready to bolt back if anything went sideways.
And who could miss the looming showdown between Mamori Inezaki, Camilla’s Quidditch buddy, and Ava Winchect, one of the most senior people in this entire game. A knight’s duel was brewing there, and Camilla would have to keep her eyes peeled so she didn't miss it. Then there was the other White Knight, Aodhan Shaw who had levied a challenge to the Black King right at the beginning, cozying up dangerously close to Ara. Or maybe Ara had closed the gap between them so she could give him what was coming to him? Was he about to turn the whole ‘knight in shining armor’ cliché upside down, another aspect that she had to keep her eyes on.
She couldn’t help rooting for Landon, the stationed like a barricade in front of King Clark; but no defense is perfect. Livia Machavariani, all of eleven years old and already masterminding Quidditch Slytherin’s playbook, had slipped into position with the silent nimbleness of a master assassin. The Black King might want to keep an eye on that one.
Actually, everyone in the room ought to keep an eye on Prat. If he wasn’t distracting opponents with sheer looks alone, Camilla didn’t know what to believe.
Seconds in, and already, half the players stood out. Magic and mayhemto ensue.
Team & HPReducioTeam White (a1-h1) 5145/5500 (93.54%)
Rook (left)- @Prat Pass 600/600
Knight (left)- @Mamori Anezaki 600/600
Bishop (left)- @Elisa Wagner 600/600
Queen- @Archer Duncan 645/1000
King - @Mahlioz Evethisawe 900/900
Bishop (right)- @Livia Machavariani 200/200
Knight (right)- @Aodhan Shaw 600/600
Rook (right)- @Astra Norrick 1000/1000
Team BLACK (h8-a8) 5995/6400 (93.67%)
/Rook (left)- @Aislin Darragh 700/700
Knight (left)-@Maisie Fenwick Rose Williams 600/600
Bishop (left)- @Landon Matthews 900/900
King - @Clark Baird 900/900
Queen- @Ara Villa 595/1000
Bishop (right)- @Malcolm McGregor 900/900
Knight (right)- @Ava Winchect 700/700
Rook (right)- @Blaize Valerian 700/700
Last edited by Camilla Carter on 16 Sep 2025, 02:59, edited 1 time in total.
PC of Kiyoshi Sato
Wizard Chess: The Gauntlet
Stamina: 9 ♚ Evasion: 15 ♚ Strength: 0 ♚ Wisdom: 10 ♚ Arcane Power: 6 ♚ Accuracy: 8ReducioPotions: None [foulplay null, im too broke to afford these potions]
Abilities: Obnoxiously Strong, Foulplay
Racial Abilities: Gobbledygook, WandlessHe was right! The bloody lunatics on the opposing side did consist of his dratted leg-snapping menace. Clark had nothing but bad times with that boy, and he only wanted him to suffer a fate worse than death. He looked at Livia and grumbled. She felt judgmental and idiotic. Clark needed to go figure out how to befriend her, so they could pick on Prat together. A dream come true, it could be.
Clark admittedly couldn't see everyone, he was much too short and being behind Landon only meant he had to stare at his posterior. With a slight side eye, he readied his sceptor. He wanted to bash someone with it. If he could finally get to use his tools as what they are, rather than as 'aesthetic' decor for his outfit, then finally, he would have a use for everything. He remembered the pirate sword he brought, fake it was yes, but still fun to whip around.
Clark turned towards Ara and gave her a fake sigh. His to-be wife was horrid at defending herself. Did he need to step in? Could he step in? Or was that out of line. Is he nuts or is he limited on what he could do? He instead heaved a deep sigh and faced back towards the only thing that met him eye-level. The only thing that left his little space was a middle finger directed towards Mahlioz. Clark was getting annoyed with these snakes.Action: [deliberating]
| You've gotta break some eggs to make an omlette, something something. |