This is a prompt that emilytennant-cumberbatch sent me on tumblr. I love both Sherlock AND chess, so I was more than happy to oblige to her request. It's not a very long fic...but I had fun writing it nonetheless. I hope you enjoy it!
I don't own diddly. All credit goes to Mof/tiss, and Sir ACD. Sigh, just three of my favorite men. Lol.
Sacrifice is Necessary
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Sherlock wasn't exactly sure how he had been roped into doing it. Yes, the mental stimulation was satisfactory, if there was a worthy opponent seated opposite him. Yes, he enjoyed the game itself. Yes, he wanted to prove Lestrade wrong.
So, with that main objective in mind, the detective now found himself sitting across a chess table from one of the world's finest, and youngest, chess champions. The boy was no more than seventeen, his bright green eyes peering at Sherlock's blue ones.
"Mr. Holmes, you may start now. I don't really feel like making this about speed, so take as much time as you need." The boy cockily said. Sherlock raised a brow at his snide tone, and then glared over to Lestrade as he chuckled.
He moved his first piece. 'Pawn to E4.' Sherlock called mentally. He removed his hand from the piece, and looked to his opponent. The young man glanced around, and moved his piece. Also a pawn, which he slid forward to the sixth position of the second row. He sat back a bit and grinned, signifying it was, once again, Sherlock's turn.
"Pawn to d4." Sherlock muttered as he slid the adjacent piece next to his first, the two lining up to create balance on his side of the board. The young man slides his bishop in to fill the void caused by his first move, smiling as if he knows where this is all leading.
"Bishop to b7, Mr. Holmes." Sherlock rolls his eyes at the blatantly cocky attitude he is giving off and moves his next piece just as swiftly.
"Bishop to d3." The boy stops, but only for a second, before he slides his next piece into position.
"Pawn to f5." He states, sliding it out as he has all his other pieces. The wooden carved pawn scrapes against the table, causing an intentionally raking sound. He smirks at the man opposite him, and then nods to acknowledge his turn is now done. Sherlock picks up the pawn he had just played, and sets it aside the table. He then slides his own piece, the first pawn, into that post. The boy's face doesn't fall, however, doesn't waver to show any misjudgment of the outcome.
"Bishop takes pawn at g2." He says, sliding the piece the entire length of the diagonal row, his eyes never leaving Sherlock's. The wood on wood sound is raking, and Sherlock simply stares the boy down as he knowingly irritates him. The move draws a path, as if to show Sherlock where he 'went wrong'. He then places his piece in where the detective's unmoved man was, and snatches it away with his hand.
Instead of a reaction though, Sherlock simply looks over the board, his eyebrow quirking as he views the possible outcome of three separate pieces. It is quick, far more quickly than John can even figure out what pieces he could move, much less should.
"Queen to h5, check." Sherlock says in his stoic tone. The champion slides his pawn into the defensive position, creating a block between Sherlock's queen and his own king piece. It is once again Sherlock's move. The detective quickly picks up the first moved pawn again, and takes the opposing pawn. This eliminates the block of black to white's path. However, it would seem that he has now created a block for himself. Sherlock sees three different options, and plays the next five moves out in his mind.
After seeing the most advantageous maneuver for his benefit, he now waits to see if his opponent will force his hand to one of the other plays. The boy now picks up his knight, and plunks it down arrogantly into position, directly on the left side of his own pawn. 'Ah, so I will have to use option two. Now, to adapt the options.' He thinks, and begins to skim over the board, as if he is watching a video of the potential match. He sees a truly tricky move, one that requires a bit of risk, especially if this boy is as good as Lestrade has claimed. He takes his first pawn, and steals the pawn of the enemy that lays in waiting in the next square. It removes the block for his queen, though it hardly matters. The boy seems stunned at first, as if Sherlock has made a large lapse in judgment. He looks up in confusion at Sherlock, and shrugs before he makes his move. He picks up the knight he moved prior, and takes Sherlock's unguarded queen.
"Your move, Mr. Holmes." He says in a tone of odd questioning. Sherlock stares directly into the boy's eyes, before his lips curl into an almost sinister grin. He takes his only moved bishop, and just as irritatingly as the boy had, slides it heavily into place.
"Bishop to g6. Checkmate." His low baritone says in a smooth confidence. John chuckles in almost relief, and slaps him on the back. Sherlock simply quirks an eye, unsure of why his friend is so surprised. However, the look on the faces of both the young opponent and the Detective Inspector is one of pure shock and mortification. Sherlock stands up, flipping his coat on over his shoulders.
"I believe the bet was 50 quid, correct?" Sherlock looks to John for confirmation, who nods in short response. Lestrade rolls his eyes, before fishing out his wallet. He pays over the money to John, and they begin to bicker. Meanwhile, Sherlock is already heading toward the main entrance of the library. The boy follows after him, his bag hitting his hip as he runs.
"Wait! Wait, Mr. Holmes. I don't understand!" He calls out. Sherlock stops and lets out a groan of frustrated impatience. He turns and gives the boy a look of confusion.
"What do you not understand?"
"You...you gave up your queen. That should be the most dangerous thing in a game to do. You never sacrifice the queen! But you still won!" His young shoulders dropped as his argument deflated. Sherlock chuckled just a bit, before placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"It's important to remember that sometimes, even if it is the most dangerous option, sacrifice is necessary." Sherlock said, nodding his head just a bit to drive home his point. It was just then that John and Lestrade were in view. The consulting detective looked up to his friends and recalled the instance from three years ago, when that same knowledge had played a key roll in their survival. He turned and strolled away from the young former champion, leaving the bewildered boy to ponder his words.
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Well, there you have it. The moves are legit, and are based off of one of my favorite games in chess history. Bonus points if you can figure out who the real opponents were. Teehee. Anyway, bit of clever fun for you all. Hope you liked it. Please say you liked it...please?