Seeing your reviews give me great pleasure! Thanks to all who reviewed! Its nice to feel relevant, if only slightly...

Now its time I think I should say sorry for confusing you. Many people messaged me saying they could not understand the "chess speak" I was using. I'll tone it down in the next few chapters. Sooner or later though, if you have read through the story, I'll be more flexible with the way I write.

So let me clarify some words that were said in the last chapter.

Kingside- A chess board is 8x8 squares. If you were to split it in half, one side would have kings, and the other would have queens, correct? The side which has kings is referred to as the Kingside, and the side which has queens is referred to as the Queenside. When you castle, you can castle Kingside, or you can castle Queenside, for example. When Juane reads the book given to him by Blake, detailing what a Kingside attack was, the book is talking about the strategy around attacking the enemy king. I'm sure, if any of you have ever played chess, the one thing everyone wants is a quick finish, because they seem cool, and make the game a bit more exciting! An attack is just when two or pieces attack one square in hopes of winning something.

Opening: The opening refers to the first 10 or 15 moves, give or take. Chess has near limitless amount possibilities, but the two parts of chess that can be memorized is the opening and the endgame(I'll talk about this later). The Ruy Lopez is the name for chess opening characterized by 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 5. This is not the only opening, in fact, there are many, all with unique names. The French defense, for example, is one of these openings.

Lines- A line, commonly used in football in fact, is a series of moves that happen one after the other, which have been proven to be correct for both sides. For example, 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 5, is the Ruy Lopez Line used in the story. So when Ruby refers to the LINE in which you play 3…a6 after 5, she is talking about the standard continuation, which most people play. When Jaune goes into a Ruy Lopez against Qrow, everyone reacts in similar fashion, disappointment. If you ever, EVER, play chess with a grandmaster, never go into a line in which he probably knows more than you. That is why Weiss remarks Jaune as having sealed his fate. Qrow, probably, knows 90% of all opening positions, being a grandmaster, so there is little you can do to surprise him in the opening. The Ruy Lopez is one of the most popular by beginners and masters, as it leads to complicated games, and as a result, there is little chance of a draw. So as you can expect, its not a great decision to choose such a challenging line against a grandmaster.

Variations- Variations, as you would expect, are what make chess difficult, and fun, for most people(At least for me). Did you know that the Ruy Lopez's main line can go on for 30+ moves? Playing perfectly, every single chess game would be practically the same. But to win, however, one needs to induce some inequality in the game. A variation is what you would expect, another line that stems from the main line of an opening. The Cozio defense, which Qrow uses to throw off Jaune, is meant as a safeguard to Qrow. Qrow had no idea if Jaune had just memorized 30 moves perfectly, or if he was actually thinking for himself, so he played a variation which Jaune had little chance of knowing, thus taking Jaune out of his memorization(Not that he did, of course).

Combination- Although this word was not used, it was implied. A combination is a series of moves that give an advantageto one side. To understand this, you must know the difference between strategy and tactics. A strategy is a long term plan to gain advantage. A tactic is a short term plan to gain advantage. Jaune employs a tactic in the game below, in fact.

Minor Piece- Refers to knights and bishops. Pawns are not included, as they are just pawns.

Major Piece- refers to rooks and queens.


A win by an unsound combination, however showy, fills me with artistic horror - Wilhelm Steinitz

[Jaune Arc vs Qrow Branwen]

e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nge7 [Ruy Lopez: Cozio Defense] 4. c3 d6 5. d4 Bd7 6. O‑O Ng6 7. Ng5 h6…

And now…

8. Nxf7!

Qrow noted that the student held no hesitation upon making his move. If the kid knew how to do anything, it was to give a wake-up call. Technically, he already passed initiation, because all Qrow said was to surprise him.

But never in a hundred years would he expect something as ridiculous as this.

"Forgive my rudeness, but are you as drunk as me right now?" The master said. He was sitting up in his seat now, rather than in a casual, laidback position. Any sane man would in this situation, anyways. The boy was still focused on the game however, his eyes narrowed on the position in front of him. The audience that gathered around them had been stunned speechless.

Not one of them had the will to sacrifice a minor piece against a grandmaster. The risk of defeat was too much; there was too much at stake.

"Well….I'm completely lost." Yang mumbled. Weiss scoffed and waved her hand in dismissal.

"He probably just gave up or something." She mused. Blake and Ruby, who stood beside her, were silent in deep thought.

"The king's been lured out of his hiding place. The only way can take the knight is by the king." Blake said, with a slight smile. Shaking her head, she continued,"Damn, my head hurts just by thinking about it."

Ruby bit into her nails. Something in her gut told her the brave knight's sacrifice wasn't entirely correct, but on the other hand, she could not. To take, or not to take was the question, funnily enough. The knight was ripe for the taking, and there was no immediate threat of defeat, yet the old and weak king would be out in the open.

And plus, her uncle was drunk at the moment, so there was no way in hell he could think straight.

The master considered what to do next, and played his next move.

8. …Kxf7 9. Bc4+

The speed of Jaune's reply caused the older man to raise an eyebrow, giving a pointed look to the incoming student. He scoffed to the side. Cheeky kid…

The bishop, once staring in to the dark knight's cruel eyes, had now shifted his sights to the exposed king. No black piece could come between them without incurring a severe consequence. With his tired, old legs, the king could do nothing but move….

So Qrow, seeing no better option, played the only move available.

9. … Ke7?

"Wait…why would Uncle Qrow not move the king back to his original square?" Ruby inquired, tilting her head. The master saw no reason to withhold the information from her.

"Because then your friend here could pin my knight on g6 to the king with Qh5. And then I would lose it rather stupidly."

Jaune didn't know what needles had to do with chess, so he asked,"Pin? What's a pin?"

Almost half of the audience face vaulted into the floor, causing the man to laugh at their comical display."A pin is when you attack a more important piece through another piece. With Qh5, if you can imagine it in your head, if my king was on e8, the knight would no longer be able to move away, since doing so would mean the king would be under attack. Do you see?"

Jaune nodded his head, and played his next move.

10. Qh5!

The students shook their heads in disbelief. The grandmaster had already seen that move and expertly defended it! There was no point in such a move. All Qrow would have to do is defend with a something and the game would be over.

"Aww, man… I thought Jaune was gonna win. Well, figures, I couldn't get away with anything like that with Qrow in a million years." Yang was getting ready to leave the group of students to finish her own intiation. But she couldn't help but feel her hear go out to the blond boy. Her lilac eyes softened a little bit.

You tried your best, Jauney Boy…

Ruby and Blake exchanged glances, and assessed the position in front of them. The White Queen had her sights set on the weakened dark knight, point blank. The two girls wonder why it was taking so long for Qrow to move, until they realized, with awe etched onto their faces, he couldn't.

The older man burst out laughing suddenly, before calming down quickly. The grin he gave Jaune was almost feral, his grey eyes open in amusement.

"….The pin is mightier than the sword. Never thought I'd get that lesson taught to me again so quickly." Qrow took another swig of his drink again, wiping his drink with his sleeve.

"Wait, why can't he just move the knight, its not pinned to anything!" Weiss exclaimed, arms crossed as she studied the position in front of her. Ruby clapped once in excitement, silver eyes opened in amazement. "It because its not pinned to anyone, rather its pinned to the square! Go Jaune!"

Yes, the black king was now shaking in his boots in fear, realizing his trusty knight could no longer move. If it did, immediate execution would follow with Qf7#! The once proud knight, now stripped of its mobility, was now no better than a walking duck, waiting to slaughtered.

Qrow then noticed something rather…. peculiar. So he played his next move, and stared at Jaune expectedly, seeing if he would make the correct move.

10. … Qe8?

Alright kid, you surprised me…..if you get this one….I'll let you join Beacon Academy, full honors….if not…I'll still let you in, but you'll feel pretty bad not making THAT one move….

Jaune returned the older man's look with confusion, shifting in his spot. Qrow was no longer focused on the board, rather, it seemed like he was focusing on him, waiting for him to do something. Staring at the position in front of him, he shifted in his spot uncomfortably.

Something deep within Jaune was gnawing at him, rather, it felt like an idea had invaded his body and mind, and threatened to take something away from him. Something deep within the back of his head was telling him,"This is a win, its right there, what are you waiting for?"

He hated his brain sometimes.

He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. His gut instinct was telling him that he had won. But to win against a master was considered impossible for someone like him. A one in a million year occurrence. To think such a foolish thought would be naive….Was it? Could it be true? Could he actually win?

He could feel the steam coming out of his ears as his mind raced to find an answer. What would win him this game? What miracle would win him this game? He scrunched his eyes, trying to find an answer within himself.

"Kid….you can find the answer to any problem by working backwards." Qrow stated slowly. Jaune shot a look of doubt at his opponent. Why was he helping him? What would working backwards do? He shrugged his shoulders and gave it a shot.

Alright, how could I possibly give checkmate to the king? Well….for starters, one way is if I get the knight to move so I could move the queen there. But that doesn't look like its going to happen soon….Ok, think backwards. How many squares do I have covered? The bishop covers that diagonal… Wait a second…..All I need is something covering the other diagonal, and then the king won't be able to move! But how? How?…..

The boy leaned back in his seat, shifting his eyes from the board to Qrow, to somewhere in the sky, and then somewhere back down. A look of wonder crossed his face and his face started to visibly heat up. It looked like he had trouble breathing.

"He's excited about something….He's probably found an answer…"Blake murmured, a sly grin coming to her face. The others waited with bated breath for Jaune's next move.

The blond boy shifted back and forth in his seat, scratching the back of his head rapidly. Qrow closed his eyes in resignation, and sat back in his chair. After a few seconds, Jaune played one of the last moves of the game.

11. Qg5+!

Jaune played this move with a resounding thud, which seemed to echo through the building. The crowd, once in arms at Jaune's foolish play, was now stunned into silence. He feared that the crowd might hear his beating heart, or his heavy breathing, due to the pin drop silence. He gave a glance at his newly found friends. His eyes tunneled on Ruby, who had a hand held to her mouth in shock, her silver eyes wide in wonder. He felt his cheeks redden, for he was the one to give such a wonder to his friend. The air around him grew heavy, the tense atmosphere cutting out his senses.

The queen, having served her purpose, sacrificed herself for the greater good. Allowing herself to become ambushed by a lowly pawn, all for the sake of victory. The black king, caught out in the middle of his forces, was nothing more than mincemeat to the white forces now.

The tension all came crashing down as Qrow slowly got up, and with shark-like grin, played the only move he could.

"Well done, kid." The master held out his hand for Jaune to shake.

11. … hxg5

With a smile that could light up the sun, Jaune got up, shook Qrow's hand, and played the final move of the game.

12. Bxg5#

[Result: 1 - 0]

[Winner: Jaune Arc]

The master stared at his king, caught in the middle of his mass of pieces, skewered rather beautifully by the white bishops. Qrow rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish smile coming to his face."Can't say I'm too- hic- proud of this one. Nevertheless…."

He grasped Jaune's hand firmly. The dark-haired man now adorned a serious look. "Your journey starts here and now, Jaune Arc. My defeat to you is sort of my...welcoming gift to you. Strong opponents will approach you constantly now. They will use whatever means necessary to get the upper hand. Prepare yourself, Jaune. Don't worry though, Beacon Academy is here to help you now. Study hard, and do your best, kid." And with that, the master grabbed his coat, slung it around his back, waved his his hand in farewell, and walked out of the room.

And then, Jaune heard the sound of hands clapping, from the person he least expected. He turned around and reeled back in surprise as Weiss Schnee stood in the center of the audience of students, clapping her hands politely, a slight grin on her face.

The next person to join in was a familiar blond bombshell, who let out a loud whistle, before joining in with Weiss."Well done, Jaune!" She gave him a huge grin, which Jaune couldn't help but return.

"A queen sacrifice! And a beautiful one too. Can't say I see that too often." Blake exclaimed, also clapping lightly in congratulation, with the students around her nodding in agreement. Jaune could only stare at the floor now, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

Pretty soon, everyone in the room erupted in cheers of congratulation, even the teachers joining in. Ruby stood next to her sister, clapping wildly, laughing cheerily in the midst of everyone.

With that sight in mind, the blond boy relished in the sound of congratulations being showered onto him. Never before had he felt such attention unto himself, and he hoped this moment would last forever. Alas, good things always come to an end.

After a short celebration of Juane's memorable victory, the rest of the students scoured off to finish their own initiations.

"That was something else Jaune! Never thought you'd pull a queen sacrifice out of your ass against my uncle!" Yang whistled, nudging the blond boy in question a little bit. Jaune recovered quickly, brushing off his suit.

"Yeah, I probably just got lucky."

"A player with skill is always lucky." Weiss recited from memory, giving Jaune a smirk, before bowing her head slightly in his direction. "I must say I'm sorry for treating you with such…. impoliteness earlier."

The sharp change in attitude from the heiress weirded the hell out of Jaune, but he took it in strides, taking the opportunity to make friends with the pretty girl."Its ok, I didn't even notice!"

The Schnee heiress was having none of it however, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, it doesn't bode well with me. I thought of you as a witless dolt who understood nothing, yet after seeing your play, I found myself a little…inspired."

The blond boy kept his mouth shut, staring blankly at Weiss.

Blake caught something with her eye, and tugged at Jaune's suit."Hey, Ruby's initiation is starting soon. I think you'll want to see this."

His curiosity piqued, Jaune, followed by Weiss, Yang, and Blake, headed over to where table 3, where Ruby sat, waiting for her instructor to begin the test. He spotted Ren, and after a short greeting, and a small congratulation on Ren's part, the two stood together.

"So, is Ruby's test going to be the same as mine?" Jaune asked.

"Not quite…. the school creates tests based on your specialty. Each student is given something to test their own capacity at what they are good at. I was tested on opening theory, as the was my specialty." Ren said.

Opening theory, huh? He wondered what exactly that entailed. It sounded really scientific, and not fun at all. But nevertheless, he didn't know any better, so he gave the stoic man a nod. A crowd of students had suddenly assembled around them now. Jaune shifted in place."Wow, a lot of people are coming to watch, aren't they?"

Ren stared at him for a few second, before realization crossed his face. "You don't know Ruby's specialty do you?"

"No, what is it?"

"Ever heard of bullet chess?"

Jaune's eyes lit up at the mention of something he didn't know."Can't say I have. Care to explain?" Ren shot him a smile.

"Bullet chess is where each participant has a full minute to make all their moves. See that clock with the two buttons?" Ren pointed to a small clock-like device, with two separate times set on the screen, both at one minute.

"Ruby will move first, being white, and she will start the clock. As soon as she hits the clock, her opponent's time will start counting down from one minute. Then as soon as her opponent hits the clock, her time will start counting down, and the game continues until she or her opponent runs out of time or wins the game. Chess clocks are used in tournaments all the time, as it is the standard. Normally, people have a large amount of time to make their moves. something like one to two hours. In bullet chess, however, thinking is not an option, as there is no time! Makes it a lot of fun!"

Jaune gave a silent "oh", and waited in fascination for the instructor to arrive. Bullet chess sounded amazing to him, but he couldn't imagine himself having the skill to do that. Besides, bullets were for guns, not chess. Thinking of guns, he thought back to an action figure he had as a kid, which he remembered he broke on the first day he got it. He also remembered crying his eyes out. Ugh, that was a bad day...

"Jaune, what's wrong?"

Pulled out of his thoughts, Jaune hastily replied,"Nothing! Just thinkin' about stuff.…Pyrhha?"

The pretty redhead said a quick "hello" to Ren and leaned forward a bit, giving Jaune a cute smile."That was an excellent game you played, Jaune. I was impressed!"

He flushed in his spot, being at a loss for words."O-Oh! You know…I was just luck- Never mind about that. Um… It was all thanks to you though."

She straightened her back, staring into his eyes."Me?"

He gave a nervous laugh."Yeah, I would have never done what I did if you didn't tell me to listen to my gut! To be honest, I wasn't really thinking a whole lot. So I have to say, thank you." He gave, what he hoped was, a sincere smile. She turned away then, but he could swear he saw a tinge of red on her cheeks.

"No problem." Came the quiet reply.

Pretty soon, a large, burly man with a thick mustache walked over, baring a smile to all students present. He wore a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons, along with brown boots. His hands behind his back, he gave a hearty laugh to all of them.

"I see your reputation has given you quite an audience, Miss Rose. I'd expect nothing less from Taiyang's daughter." He slowly sat in his seat.

Jaune took a glance at the young girl, and boy did she look like a wreck. She was mumbling something to herself, and she seemed to be unable to sit still, and her face was colored white. It looked like the amount of students watching had got on her nerves. Yang, almost sensing her discomfort via a sixth sense, walked on over, whispered a few words into the fumbling girl's ears, and she almost instantly calmed down. The blond girl then walked on over to Jaune, with a slight grimace.

"Everything alright?" He asked politely. The girl waved her hand in dismissal. "Yeah, just Ruby being Ruby, ya know." Weiss and Blake then walked over to them, and joined them for viewing the game of the young prodigy. The heiress seemed to be thinking of something intensely, but Juane ignored it altogether.

"Ah, where are my manners? My name is Professor Peter Port, chess extraordinaire. It's a pleasure to meet you!" He gave another hearty laugh, and shook the petite girl's hand furiously. Ruby's eye twitched, so Jaune had to bite back a laugh.

"Anyways, let get this started. We both will have one minute, with a two second increment to make all of our moves. My only requirement is that you show me your proficiency at this time control. That mean making random moves won't impress me in the slightest, Miss Rose. Are you ready?"

Ren quickly whispered to Jaune,"Forgot to mention, but a two second increment means that with every move they make, they gain two seconds on the clock."

Nodding his head, Jaune wondered how a person was supposed to not make random moves, considering you had to spend less than a full second on each move. But Ruby held no fear in her eyes, nodding once in approval, her hands on the chess clock.

"Alright, lets begin!"

With that Ruby, started the clock, and the game started.

[Ruby Rose vs Professor Port]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ndf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. Bg5 e6 8. Bc4 Be7 9. O‑O…..

After the first few moves, Jaune could barely keep up with their hands! Like snakes, the two player's hands whipped around the board, furiously making moves and then rapidly pressing the clock. He could hardly believe how fast they were going! Ruby's hand was nothing more than a blur, a streak of red controlling the white pieces rather elegantly. In her mad dash to make her moves, it was amazing how she didn't knock over any pieces, nor did she hesitate on any of her moves. He found his jaw dropping in a shock and awe.

"Woah…"He breathed out, causing a his few friends to snicker at him."You seem impressed." Yang said, a smirk on her face, which was quickly replaced with a genuine one, seeing his disbelief.

"It's…amazing! It's stupendous! It looks just like so much fun!" He let his hand cup his cheek dramatically."Oh, now I want to try bullet chess, too!"

His friends grinned widely, saying nothing, and returned to viewing the game.

Ruby and Professor Port had relatively the same amount of time left, being only ten or so seconds. The pieces on the board had just dwindled down to a a few pawns and kings, with Professor Port being a pawn up. He had a basic understanding of what to do near the end of a chess game; both sides would try to promote their pawns to queens so that they could win the game, effectively. It seemed like Ruby was struggling however, as Professor Port's extra pawn halted her own plans in the meantime. She was entirely defensive, and she held a look of complete focus. Although she was losing, she wasn't making it easy for Professor Port either, whose brows were furrowed in frustration. Their speed had not let up yet, and pretty soon, the clock buzzed for both of them.

[Result: 1/2 - 1/2]

Jaune snapped out of his reverie, looking around to his friends in confusion. "Wait…what happened?"

"They settled on a draw, seeing as they both had insufficient time to win or lose the game." Blake explained.

Ruby gave a heavy sigh, got up and, brushed a few specks of dirt off her skirt.

"You have no reason to feel down on yourself, Miss impressed me with how much fight you had in you, despite being in trouble. Not many people can do that. Therefore, you have passed initiation. You played very well for a girl as young as yourself…."

Her silver eyes noticeably widened, before she gave the old man a cheery smile. "Thanks professor!" She shook his hand amicably.

"Besides, it's not like you had a chance of beating me!" He gave another hearty laugh, before sauntering off to another table. Ruby's eye twitched again, this time causing Jaune to burst out laughing.

She glared half-heartedly in his direction for a second, before giving her new group of friends a wide grin. They had done it; they had finally passed initiation, and had finally begun their journey as chess players.

So with a spring to her step, she joined the rest of her friends.


"….And last but not least, would the following individuals come up: Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrhha Nikos, and Lie Ren."

The group of students looked to one another with excitement, before confidently walking up to the stage, where Ozpin greeted each of them quietly and equally.

"You eight will collectively reside in Hall 1. Given your expertise in your speciality's, you will join Class A during the school year, where you will take classes for your skill level. I wish you all good luck, and a wonderful year ahead. I must now assign a captain and a vice captain to your hall, both of whom will guide the rest of you through out the school year."

A tense moment of silence passed by.

"Your captain shall be….Ruby Rose!"

At the sound of her name, she reeled back in surprise, silver eyes blinking rapidly. "Me?"

She was then suddenly bear-hugged by Yang."I'm so proud of you!"

"YANG! Please!" Ruby whined, trying to wrestle her overbearing sister off her. The antics of the two sisters caused Juane to snicker.

"Your vice-captain shall be…Jaune Arc!"

The group of friends now turned to the blond boy with wide grins, who looked stunned at Ozpin's words. He had never been picked for anything! The fact that he had been picked to be vice-captain amazed him. Oh gosh, how would he lead his friends? What if he failed them? He hadn't seen to many great examples of leadership throughout his childhood! He was hyperventilating, but soon found himself flat on his butt. He rubbed his back in pain.

"Oww…."

Yang picked him up from the ground."Don't leave my sister hanging just yet, Jaune!" She inched closer, a eerie smile on her face."Just know, I don't want any funny business between the two of you, got it?"

Jaune tilted his head slightly, giving a short laugh."Funny business? How can business be funny? I mean… eventually Ruby and I will eventually have to do business right? And I doubt it's going to be fun…. so you don't need to worry about that!" He finished confidently, his hands rested on his hips. Yang was probably feeling pretty stupid now-

Ruby was the first to crack. The sounds of cheery laughter filled the space, even Blake being brought out of her usual stoic appearance. He let out a groan of frustration, before looking away, embarrassed.

The headmaster cleared his throat."Alright, students. You may now settle down in your dorm rooms. Classes begin at 8 am tomorrow, so I advise you get some sleep soon."

They had three dorms total in Hall 1, so the group collectively decided that the boys would get one room to themselves while the girls split up in the two remaining rooms.

Jaune and Ren's room had a magnificent view of the city of Vale, which the blond boy promised he would visit soon. He stared outside, taking in the azure glow of the city during the night. A few days ago, he would never have imagined experiencing so many new things, but now….

He splayed a hand on his chest. His heart wouldn't stop beating rapidly; he was too excited for the coming day.

"Jaune, we should probably head to sleep…." Ren yawned, fixing himself on his bed. Jaune pulled out the book Blake had given him, and drummed his fingers over it. "I think I'll read a a bit more of this."

"Alright, good night."

"Good night!"

Jaune thumbed past the first few pages, and flipped to page with the title,"Game 1". Shrugging his shoulders, he read the first few lines.

Game 1: von Scheve - Teichmann , Vacuo Olympiad 1907, Giuoco Piano

The chief object of all opening strategy is to get the pieces out quickly - off the back rank and into active play….


Hopefully I was able to make my writing less confusing with this one. Don't forget to review!