<center>{embed image: 'chesstopia1.jpg', alt: 'Chesstopia'}</center><br>
<center><b>by John C. Knudsen</b></center><p>
There is nothing like taking a nap on your sofa on a Sunday afternoon. You doze off into a deep sleep, and find yourself in Chesstopia.
<i>Chesstopia is a place where Chess is thought about, but not played.</i> What would you like to do?
[[Find your chess set.]]<br>
[[Think about the Winawer French.]]<br>
[[Dream about Caissa.]]You won't need a chess set for this game. Remember, Chesstopia is a place where Chess is not played.
[[Think about the Winawer French.]]<br>
[[Dream about Caissa.]]An aggressive opening for Black in the French Defense.
[[Find your chess set.]]<br>
[[Dream about Caissa.]]
The Goddess of Chess - she is stunningly beautiful.
{embed image: 'chesstopia2.jpg', alt: 'Caissa'}
Caissa whispers to you, "I am your Goddess, chess-player. Bow to me..."
[after 3 seconds]
<i>This is getting serious - careful now...</i>
[[Refuse to bow to Caissa.]]<br>
[[Bow to Caissa.]]<br>
[[Smile at Caissa.]]Caissa says, "It is well that you have thusly chosen. You will be rewarded with additional chess knowledge."
[after 3 seconds]
Caissa hands you a book entitled, <i>"Best Chess By The Immortals"</i>
What would you like to do?
[[Thank Caissa for the book.]]<br>
[[Take a nap.]]<br>
[[Examine the book.]]Caissa yells, "How dare you insult me by refusing to pay homage!"
[after 3 seconds]
<i>You are no longer welcome in Chesstopia, sorry. YOU LOSE...</i>
{restart link}Your smile is more of a smirk - Caissa is not amused.
Besides, this is not <u><b>that</u></b> kind of game...
[[Refuse to bow to Caissa.]]<br>
[[Bow to Caissa.]]Caissa thanks you for thanking her, and then says, "Don't you think you have more productive things to do?"
[[Examine the book.]]Caissa snickers, "You are already dreaming - remember?"
[after 3 seconds]
<i>You are no longer welcome in Chesstopia, sorry. YOU LOSE...</i>
{restart link}<i>"Best Chess By The Immortals,"</i> is a thick, dusty book.
It claims to be authored by Morphy, Steinitz, Capablanca, Lasker, Alekhine, and Fischer, <b>posthumously</b>. It takes awhile for that to sink in...
[after 5 seconds]
How is that possible?
[[Read the book.]]<br>
[[Give Caissa a kiss.]]<br>
[[Ask Caissa about the book.]]
The book is much too thick to read at this time...
{back link, label: 'Back'}Caissa recoils from your offered kiss.
"Mortals must not touch the Gods," she admonishes.
What now?
[[Read the book.]]<br>
[[Ask Caissa about the book.]]<br>
Caissa tells you that the book was a synergetic effort, written by long-departed greats of the game of Chess.
"Despite their disagreements while living, the masters produced this work together, in complete harmony," Caissa says.
[after 3 seconds]
<i>Suddenly, the spirits of Morphy and Lasker appear beside Caissa.</i>
[after 3 seconds]
After you recover your composure...
[[You speak to the spirit of Morphy.]]<br>
[[You throw the book at Caissa.]]<br>
[[You speak to the spirit of Lasker.]]<br>
[[You ask Caissa where the other authors are.]]<br>
[[You ask Caissa if you can take the book home with you.]]
You speak to the spirit of Morphy.
He just hovers around you.
[[You throw the book at Caissa.]]<br>
[[You speak to the spirit of Lasker.]]<br>
[[You ask Caissa where the other authors are.]]<br>
[[You ask Caissa if you can take the book home with you.]]
Caissa hisses, "After all I have done for you, mortal, you repay me with this!"
The book vanishes into thin air, and ...
[after 3 seconds]
<i>You are no longer welcome in Chesstopia, sorry. YOU LOSE...</i>
{restart link}You speak to the spirit of Lasker.
He just hovers around you.
[[You speak to the spirit of Morphy.]]<br>
[[You throw the book at Caissa.]]<br>
[[You ask Caissa where the other authors are.]]<br>
[[You ask Caissa if you can take the book home with you.]]
Caissa replies, "They are busy with other pursuits - it is better, humble mortal, to not make <i>yourself</i> the center of attention."
[[You speak to the spirit of Morphy.]]<br>
[[You throw the book at Caissa.]]<br>
[[You speak to the spirit of Lasker.]]<br>
[[You ask Caissa if you can take the book home with you.]]
"On one condition", the Goddess explains - "You must convince one of the spirit authors to tell me that they talked to you."
[after 3 seconds]
<i>Waving her arms in a grand gesture, Caissa summons the remaining spirit authors to appear.</i>
[after 5 seconds]
Morphy, Steinitz, Capablanca, Lasker, Alekhine, and Fischer are here.
[[Meet with Capablanca.]]<br>
[[Meet with Morphy.]]<br>
[[Meet with Steinitz.]]<br>
[[Meet with Fischer.]]<br>
[[Meet with Lasker.]]<br>
[[Meet with Alekhine.]]
{embed image: 'chesstopia5.jpg', alt: 'Morphy'}
Caissa sends Morphy to your side. The other spirits hover around Caissa out of hearing.
{embed passage: 'Fruitless'}
[after 3 seconds]
{back link}{embed image: 'chesstopia6.jpg', alt: 'Steinitz'}
Caissa sends Steinitz to your side. The other spirits hover around Caissa out of hearing.
{embed passage: 'Fruitless'}
[after 3 seconds]
{back link}{embed image: 'chesstopia4.jpg', alt: 'Capablana'}
Caissa sends Capablanca to your side. The other spirits hover around Caissa out of hearing.
{embed passage: 'Fruitless'}
[after 3 seconds]
{back link}{embed image: 'chesstopia3.jpg', alt: 'Lasker'}
Caissa sends Lasker to your side. The other spirits hover around Caissa out of hearing.
{embed passage: 'Fruitless'}
[after 3 seconds]
{back link}{embed image: 'chesstopia7.jpg', alt: 'Alekhine'}
Caissa sends Alekhine to your side. The other spirits hover around Caissa out of hearing.
{embed passage: 'Fruitless'}
[after 3 seconds]
{back link}{embed image: 'chesstopia8.jpg', alt: 'Fischer'}
Caissa sends Fischer to your side. The other spirits hover around Caissa out of hearing.
You explain to Bobby that you learned Chess by following his first match with Spassky in the newspaper. Bobby smiles and says, "Yeah, that was a good match. I hope to see Boris again soon."
[after 5 seconds]
[[Report back to Caissa.]]Alas, all your efforts at conversation with the spirit fail. Your plans come to naught, and you are beginning to wonder, <i>What is the purpose?</i>
You report back to Caissa and the spirit of Fischer confirms the conversation.
"Very well, mortal, you may take the book back with you. Now, depart, for I grow tired of your presence..."
[after 5 seconds]
<i>The spirits depart in a fog, along with Caissa. You awaken in your living room, on your couch.</i>
[[Examine your surroundings.]]Things are much the same as when you left earlier.
The only strange thing is that you are, in fact, in possession of the book. Caissa was true to her word...
What do you do now?
[[Make a sandwich.]]<br>
[[Look at the book in detail.]]<br>
[[Fix a stiff drink.]]
This adventure in <i>Chesstopia</i> has made you very hungry.
You go to the kitchen and fix a sandwich.
[after 5 seconds]
After you eat it, you feel much better...
[[Fix a stiff drink.]]<br>
[[Look at the book in detail.]]
Remember, <i>Best Chess By The Immortals</i>, is a thick, dusty book.
You sit on the couch as you open the book to page 1, and you read:
[after 3 seconds]
<i>Play good moves!</i>
Page 2 is the same, as is Page 3, and so on throughout the book.
[after 10 seconds]
You throw the book against the wall in your living room. <i>This is stupid,</i> you think, as you chuckle at the absurdity of it all.
[after 15 seconds]
[[You watch a football game on the television.]]<br>
[[You lay back down on the couch, hoping for another Chesstopia dream.]]That was one of the weirdest dreams you have ever experienced...
You go over to the cabinet and fix an adult beverage.
[after 5 seconds]
You drink it quickly, and decide against another...
[[Make a sandwich.]]<br>
[[Look at the book in detail.]]<br>
You are surprised how tired you are. You quickly drift asleep...
[after 5 seconds]
<i>You find yourself back in Chesstopia. This time, it seems different...</i>
[[Look around Chesstopia.]]You turn on the TV and find a football game nearing the end. You watch for a few minutes, but you simply cannot get Chesstopia out of your mind.
[after 3 seconds]
You must confront Caissa and give her a piece of your mind...
[[You lay back down on the couch, hoping for another Chesstopia dream.]]It is a misty evening. Through the fog, at the end of the chessboard sidewalk, you see what appears to be a meeting house. You are pulled in that direction.
[[Enter the meeting house.]]
The meeting house is brightly lit. There are tables and chairs, but no people. As your eyes adjust to the light, in the middle of the floor something is materializing...
[after 5 seconds]
<i>Caissa has returned.</i>
[after 10 seconds]
You bow, then straighten up stiffly. "Why did you trick me so?" you ask.
[after 15 seconds]
Caissa laughs and says, "Only a fool would think that supreme Chess knowledge would be contained in a silly book." Caissa leans over to you and whispers, "If you want <b>true</b> Chess knowledge, you will have to go on a proper quest, with meaningful challenges."
[[Refuse the challenge.]]<br>
[[Accept the challenge.]]
You refuse the challenge to take the quest.
[after 3 seconds]
<i>You are no longer welcome in Chesstopia, sorry. YOU LOSE...</i>
{restart link}[after 5 seconds]
<center><b><h2>Congratulations!<p> You have won the game.</b></h2></center>
[after 5 seconds]
<i>To be continued... In Chesstopia II...</i>
[[Credits]]Chesstopia was written in TWINE and Chapbook 1.0.
Images used are in the public domain.
You can contact John Knudsen at:
<center>{embed image: 'chesstopia9.jpg', alt: 'Email Author'}</center><p>
<center>{embed image: 'chesstopia10.jpg', alt: 'Chesstopia'}</center><br>