Alien Invasion! Save The World... With Chess!
Dear Earthlings,
I bet you have already seen movies, books, games, or similar media about hostile aliens invading Earth to destroy us for no reason. Usually, they are just evil and enjoy annihilating random planets for fun. But of course, their hidden goal is to give Hollywood a context for a new cheap action movie.
I'm sure you've also come across those typical social media polls asking: "Who would you choose to play against aliens if they invaded Earth and decided our fate in a chess game?”. Yeah, it sounds very realistic... but well, it is fun to vote and read people justifying their choices.
As you remember, my last blog post was interactive with my readers, where you had to answer a quiz, so I thought: "Why not try something similar again? What could it be?". Then, while visiting my uncles, I saw one of those old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books that I had given to my cousin when he was younger and had an idea.
This is what I will try to create on this blog, a short individual adventure involving chess, where you must make some critical game decisions to save the Earth from being destroyed or dominated by this cruel evolved species. Only a few paths lead to success. Do you think you can stop them?
Note: This blog is not linear. If you read it in the order of the text presented, it will be completely confusing, so please follow the instructions strictly and click on the hyperlinks according to your choices to be directed to the correct part of the story.
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INTRODUCTION
On the quiet night of Friday, August 13, 2049, you are walking in a dark forest in New Zealand when a strange flash of light quickly approaches you. It's a spaceship, shaped like a chess pawn. Desperately, you try to run away, but your legs are paralyzed with fear. A menacing creature emerges from inside.
“Greetings, being! I belong to a superior race, and I claim the right to rule your little planet.”
"An alien invasion?? Here?! You are supposed to invade the USA first!"
"Well, we chose this island to begin with because we found no sign of intelligent life here."
Offended and angry, you tell him that you are intelligent. The alien then proposes the following:
"If you can prove that your race has a superior intellectual capacity, I will spare your home planet. We shall play a game of chess to get the final proof!"
"Uh... may I call Magnus? He is our best..."
"Silence! This is between us! Beat me at chess and we will never bother you again. Lose, and my troops stationed on Saturn will be here to destroy you all faster than the Scholar's Mate."
Now the fate of Earth and the solar system is in your hands. He asks you to choose White or Black. As White, you must win, while as Black, a draw is enough to save us.
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What do you choose?
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WHITE
You have chosen to play with the white pieces, and you are committed to winning. Obviously nervous, you know that the very first move can be already a critical decision, especially when playing against an opponent you don't even know how the logic works.
Remembering what Bobby Fischer used to say, you take a deep breath, make the move 1. e4, and wait anxiously for your extraterrestrial opponent's response on the board. He is a classic player, playing immediately with 1. e5. You decide to go for a Ruy López, the most studied chess opening in human history, which is answered with the Morphy Defense (3. a6).
At this point, you pause and wonder what to do next. Which line will cause the most difficulty for a species that considers itself superior? Is it better to keep the game alive and confusing, or to try to force exchanges and rely on your ability to play endgames?
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What do you do?
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BLACK
You have chosen to play with the black pieces. It is a challenge, but if you save the draw, humanity will be spared. He starts with the best opening move in the universe, 1. e4. After a few seconds of thinking about your strategy, you play the Sicilian Defense (1. c5), hoping to get into the positions you studied in your online course.
The game develops in the open line, with the early exchange of the central pawn. After 5 moves, you are faced with the following position, where Black has many options.
One of them is the risky Dragon Defense (5. g6), which turns the game into a real race to see who will attack the opponent's king first. Alternatively, you can play the almost sacred Najdorf (5. a6), perhaps the most studied Sicilian of all time.
The move you make now can determine the whole dynamic of the game from here on, so please concentrate and choose wisely.
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What do you play?
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RUY LÓPEZ - EXCHANGE VARIATION
All right, so you try to damage his pawn structure in the belief that this will be enough to win a pawn endgame. But will your idea work? Or is it too optimistic? The game remains even, and you stick to the plan of exchanging pieces, managing to eliminate both queens and some minor pieces from the board.
But your opponent, capable of traveling light-years across the galaxy at unimaginable speeds, is obviously aware of your plans and won't make things easy. The tension in your veins slowly builds and you begin to sweat at the thought of the responsibility in your hands.
After 15 moves, you are faced with a decision that can seal the outcome of the game. Check it out below:
And now what? You see that the best choice is probably to move the knight to allow your bishop to develop. But to which square?
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What is your choice?
RUY LÓPEZ - COLUMBUS VARIATION
Ambitious choice! By keeping your bishop, you are willing to create more chances of attack, especially since you know that a draw is not enough to save our dear planet. You can feel that the alien respects your decision and is making solid moves in order not to lose control. Your goal now is to find a way to break his defenses. But how to do it?
The next 18 moves are full of apprehension, and you spend many minutes trying to find the best answers to his moves. Both players keep the tension and exchange nothing more than a pair of pawns.
Even though you know you can win, the increasing pressure to save humanity is starting to get to you. The situation on the board is still complicated, but you must make a move that can be decisive.
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What is your decision?
SICILIAN DRAGON
Hm, ok, I see you like to take risks! The Sicilian Dragon is one of the sharpest lines and anything can happen. The alien squints his eyes, admiring your bravery. But remember, the line between courage and recklessness is a fine one, and only time will tell if it was a good idea to subject the fate of the planet to a crazy variant.
As expected, the game develops in a complicated way, and he even decides to postpone the castling with the prospect of attacking your king. On move 16, your opponent plays b3, and although you can't be sure, there's a hint that the weakening of the dark squares on the queenside might be a bit inaccurate. Now you have to think.
You consider two main options, both of which would control the d5 square. One of them allows him to exchange pieces, while the other doesn't.
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Choose wisely:
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SICILIAN NAJDORF
Okay, the Sicilian Najdorf, an interesting choice for sure. I bet you have already read one of those huge books dedicated just to this particular variation, so even though the alien is very intelligent, he will surely have problems if he wants to beat you.
He tries to push his a-column pawn to create chances on the queenside, but you are fully aware of the main plans and are able to play against his moves quite well, keeping the position balanced without any big threats. After 18 moves, his knight, which had just gone to a4, returns to c3, showing that he might be a bit out of ideas.
However, the position is still dangerous, and a small misstep can put everything at risk, so you need to increase your concentration to the maximum and calculate the next move to make sure you keep things under control.
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What is your plan?
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16. Nf3
I can see that you really trust your endgame studies and hope to win slowly but surely. The alien, as expected, has exchanged the knights on f3 and continues to simplify the position in order to give you no chance to unbalance the game.
Despite your best efforts, after 37 moves you see that the game is dead and you have no more hopes of winning. Totally dejected, you shake hands and agree to a draw.
Right after that, you start crying after failing to save the Earth... but wait! Not everything is lost. Your opponent, moved by your efforts and impressed by the fact that you managed to draw against him, shows that even advanced species have heart. He looks you in the eye and gives you a second chance.
"You played well, being! I might reconsider my decision to destroy your planet if..."
He scans the board, checks a database, and says that the game you two played was identical to a famous game between two human grandmasters. If you know which one it was, he will not destroy us all. This is your last chance.
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What was the game?
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16. Nf1
Okay, so you keep the pieces, hoping to build up a long-term advantage with your better pawn structure. The decision itself was not bad, but your opponent kept making incredibly precise moves, making you think of the only answers to save the position.
You weren't left behind either and made things difficult for him with some excellent plans. The game remained tense and balanced for 33 moves.
But on move 34, a dramatic decision! You had to defend your knight, and e5 was the best option. Nervous, you end up playing 34. Kg5(??), a blunder that leaves your king trapped after the alien plays Rh8. Now the only way to avoid checkmate (34. Ne6#) is to sacrifice your own knight. Realizing this huge mistake, you give up the game and throw your hands on your head in despair.
It is over! The earth will now be annihilated. You cannot believe that you have failed like this. The alien, however, says he is a noble-hearted being and offers a second chance. If you can tell him which chess game played between two Terraquean GMs was identical to yours, he'll spare us.
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Can you guess?
- Option 1: Anatoly Karpov vs. Viswanathan Anand, 1994.
- Option 2: Vladimir Kramnik vs. Judit Polgár, 1999.
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19. Bxf6
Nice choice! By eliminating this knight, you have taken away one of his main defenders on the kingside. This is no guarantee of success, but there is certainly a plan, and this is the most important thing. After a nice pawn sacrifice on c3, you can bring your pieces to attack, including the queen on the kingside, the rook climbing to the 3rd rank, and your very well-placed knight.
Sensing the danger, your opponent makes some desperate counter moves, sacrificing a rook for a bishop to cool down the game.
But you keep applying pressure, slowly increasing your advantage. The alien realizes that his position is completely untenable and resigns the game!
Yay! You won and saved the world, right? Not yet! Enraged by the loss, he pulls out his vaporizing gun, points it at you, and says that winning the game proves nothing. He will only keep his word if you can tell who the Grandmasters were who played an identical game to this one.
You try to argue, but it is useless. The only way is to give him a correct answer.
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Can you tell the game?
- Option 1: Zoltan Almasi vs. Etienne Bacrot, 2000.
- Option 2: André Diamant vs. Everaldo Matsuura, 2007.
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19. Ng4
An interesting strategy! He exchanges the knights and perhaps the h-file can give you good chances to attack. A few more moves are played with incredible precision and the outcome is uncertain. Your heart is beating faster by the minute.
After 28 moves, you decide to go all in and sacrifice your rook for his bishop to activate your pieces even more. Will it work? He plays good defensive moves, and when you push your pawn to a4, things look complicated.
Nevertheless, you find a nice tactic to capture his queen, although not sure if it's worth it. After all the exchanges, your bishop is under attack, you are down material, and he has a dangerous passed pawn... Realizing that there is not much to do, you concede defeat.
The alien calls his troops on the radio and orders an invasion. Devastated, you beg for a second chance to prove your intellectual prowess, saying you can tell a real Earthling game just like the one you two played. He raises an eyebrow, which you take as a sign of agreement.
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Show him you know a lot about chess and tell the game:
- Option 1: André Diamant vs. Everaldo Matsuura, 2007.
- Option 2: Murray Chandler vs. Michael Adams, 1992.
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16. Bc6
Ouch! I regret to inform you that Bc6 is an inaccuracy. The game won’t be easy from now on. However, the atmosphere is so tense that you both keep missing the best moves. After a while, the position is still manageable.
The alien slowly starts to take control, placing his knight on a good square and counting on your mistakes to gain small advantages. You sacrifice the exchange on d6 to find counterplay, but this decision seems to make your situation worse.
Already crying inside, you desperately think about how to at least save the draw, but your opponent is ruthless. He masterfully deals with all your threats, forces the exchange of the queens, and places both his rooks on the 7th rank. After 53 moves, you lose all hope and finally resign.
But your opponent turns out to be a gentleman. Instead of calling his troops for an immediate invasion, he says he is impressed by your fighting spirit. His database shows that the game you played was similar to one played by two professionals in 2021. If you can tell him by whom, Earth will be spared.
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Who played it?
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16. Be6
Good decision. The alien plays the inaccurate Nd5, giving you the advantage. Inspired, you find lots of great moves and can finally push d5. Your position is promising. Now you just have to convert it.
Of course, he won't give up so easily and keeps fighting, but can't find the best moves in such a chaotic position, while you punish all his mistakes. Your rooks dominate the e-column. His are on a1 and h1, not playing.
On move 25 you find the brilliant Ng4(!!). Your opponent realizes that you are threatening Ng3#, but that the knight cannot be captured because of a deadly sequence with Rf6+. Seeing no way out, he resigns in disbelief.
You start to celebrate for saving the world! But when your eyes meet him again, he points his vaporizing gun at you.
"You were lucky and proved nothing! I will still destroy your little planet unless you can tell me which players taught you to play like this.”
You struggle to remember who played a game identical to yours, but you are afraid not to remember. You must answer correctly, or it will all have been in vain.
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Can you remember?
- Option 1: Viswanathan Anand vs. Garry Kasparov, 1995.
- Option 2: Alexei Shirov vs. Veselin Topalov, 1997.
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18. Nb8
Nb8 is not the most accurate move, but don't lose your hopes.
The game continues. You eliminate his strong knight on d5, although the loss of the bishop pair may be a small disadvantage for the rest of the game. However, the real problem is that after the exchange of rooks in the center, his d5 pawn now makes your knight too passive. What were you thinking when you played Nb8?
Well, maybe you can still save it. However, your opponent continues to play with incredible precision. When you finally manage to free your knight, you also allow him to push his passed pawn, protected by a rook. You desperately try to defend, but the pawn has advanced too far, and on move 37 your only option is to resign.
The alien taunts you, saying that he has proven the superiority of his race. Before he calls his troops to invade us, you beg for one last chance. He agrees:
"Okay. I will spare your planet if you can tell me which Earthling GMs played a game exactly like ours in the past."
You concentrate and know that this is your last hope.
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What do you think?
- Option 1: Magnus Carlsen vs. Anish Giri, 2014.
- Option 2: Dommaraju Gukesh vs. Fabiano Caruana, 2022.
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18. Bc5
A solid choice! Bc5 keeps the position balanced and there is not much your opponent can do to break your defenses. He plays Nd5, hoping you won't find the best answer, but you do!
The game lasts only a few more moves until you both realize that there is no point in continuing. After his 22nd move, you offer a draw. Surprisingly, the alien accepts.
You cannot believe your luck! The deal was that playing as Black, you would have the draw advantage, which means our planet was just saved!
But while still waiting for the penny to drop, you see horrified that he pulls out a gun and points it at you.
"You played like a coward! I won’t spare a planet whose people don’t dare to play a real game of chess."
"What? But we had a deal! It was you who offered..."
"I don't care! This kind of draw doesn't convince me of anything!"
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What's your next step?
- Option 1: I tell him about the importance of keeping your word, no matter where you come from in the universe.
- Option 2: I swear at him and call the police so that Earth's armies can prepare for the coming intergalactic war.
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MISSION OUTCOME
Oh no! Although the alien gave you a new chance to redeem yourself, you didn't take it and couldn't guess the right game.
Now, thanks to your lack of knowledge of chess history, our beautiful planet is being destroyed. Tragic!
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MISSION OUTCOME
Yay! Impressing the alien paid off! You may have failed on the board, but proved your knowledge of chess history (don't tell him you just guessed) and saved Earth!
He already regrets offering this chance, but a deal is a deal!
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MISSION OUTCOME
Ha-ha! Did you really think that alien would give you a second chance? I have bad news: He was just trolling, and both options were wrong.
Besides getting crushed on the board, you shame humanity by making a fool of yourself.
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MISSION OUTCOME
Wow! Congratulations! You showed the alien who the superior race is. First, you beat him convincingly on the board, and then proved that you know a lot about chess history!
Mankind is proud of you. Good on ya, mate!
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MISSION OUTCOME
Nooo! You messed up everything! All that work to win the game... and for what? For nothing!
After you failed to tell him what famous game you played, his spaceships came to invade Earth and destroy us all! So close...
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MISSION OUTCOME
Did you really think that would work? Pathetic... They’re powerful, ruthless, and have no word of honor. You should have won the game.
At least you were the first to be destroyed and won't have to feel guilty about the damage you caused.
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CONCLUSION
First of all, I hope you managed to save us! But if not, don't be sad, it wasn't easy. In fact, there were sixteen possible storylines, only four of which would be successful, while twelve would end badly. This means that you had a 25% chance of saving the world and a 75% chance of failing, unless you somehow knew the games I chose, which would of course slightly increase your chances of success. So yes, the odds were not in your favor.
But regardless of that, I hope you had some fun reading and playing. Also, although it was not the main focus of the text, some new knowledge about the shown real chess games analysis is never a bad thing anyway. Please let me know in the comments what your outcome was, and feel free to explore all possibilities.
I know the idea was crazy and I am not sure how well this post will be received. If this is not your type of blog, you can politely tell me so, but I am just trying different things to see how they work. I also promise that the next one will be more technical and informative. See you again in 15 days!
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Note: Today's blog was originally planned to be "Unusual places where chess was played". However, during the research, I found out that there is already a Chess.com article about this, so I had the feeling that it would not be cool to repeat a topic. Here is the link, if you want to read it: The 5 Craziest Places to Play Chess
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List of reference games in the order they appear in the text:
Alexei Shirov vs. Veselin Topalov, 1997.
Mikael Nouro vs. Joose Norri, 1998.
Zoltan Almasi vs. Etienne Bacrot, 2000.
André Diamant vs. Everaldo Matsuura, 2007.
Artur Gabrielian vs. Oleg Pankratov, 2021.
Viswanathan Anand vs. Garry Kasparov, 1995.
