Flandry and Djana encounter curiously shaped combat robots moving between large squares on a plain stretching beyond the horizon. Because neither the robots nor the squares are colored, Flandry does not immediately understand what is happening. Readers have a clue in the title of the original short story, "The White King's War." Of course, Flandry has a moment of realization:
"The truth crashed into him.
"He took no time to examine it. He knew simply that he must get into the same square as Djana." (p. 255)
The truth is made explicit when Flandry refers to an attacking robot as a "'...bishop...'" (p. 256) Bishops can move only diagonally so Flandry and Djana can avoid this one by staying out of his squares.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
And I talked a bit about the Knights seen in that part of a A CIRCUS OF HELLS in my "Andersonian Chess" article. One of my better efforts, IMO.
Ad astra! Sean
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