The Formidable Gambit

"The Formidable Gambit" Silence calculated and distinct conspiring with rules plays within the confined squares of a strict and ruthless mind preying on all moves untraceable unpredictable irretrievable in the opening move the long-legged fly is caught in the web silvery and slippery life remains in the veins still, never myopic thoughts like darts a sacrifice is quickly made for the sake of a child compensatory advantage smoothly spun black diamonds from silk sung in, rough-edged sharp as knives unbreakable murdering all her little darlings smoothly, swiftly that rook, no longer flies it’s venomous feet it is wordless now stuck in honey powerless, barricaded in a child crying in the distance thinks she is a ghost, unheard a mother preys waiting for the strongest peace to burn stronger than a bishop, knight, irrelevant discarded minor pieces The Endgame Study pure, unmarked dark unseen smoothly the silk is spun to save the child within Inside her, never a fly, there resides the executioner commanding on a diamond thrown the sting of a Bee they say - "she is something else" hornet witch queen Waits in time, all in good time, precise, bloodless and very clean there she will make her move Ancient in wisdom the mother of all mothers with a killer's instinct True Shantranj Queen (LadyLabyrinth/2020) “That the topless towers be burnt And men recall that face, Move most gently if move you must In this lonely place. She thinks, part woman, three parts a child, That nobody looks; her feet Practice a tinker shuffle Picked up on the street. Like a long-legged fly upon the stream Her mind moves upon silence." (extract, “The Long-Legged Fly”, William Butler Yeats) “Holy water cannot help you down Hours and armies couldn't keep me out I don't want your money I don't want your crowd See I have to burn Your kingdom down Holy water cannot help you now See I've had to burn your kingdom down And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out I'm gonna raise the stakes, I'm gonna smoke you out” 1. "Kill Your Darlings" Kill your darlings” is a common piece of advice given by experienced writers. You kill your darlings when you decide to get rid of an unnecessary storyline, character, or sentences in any piece of creative writing—elements you may have worked hard to create but that must be removed for the sake of your overall story. 2. "The Endgame Study" In the game of chess, an endgame study, or just study, is a composed position—that is, one that has been made up rather than played in an actual game—presented as a sort of puzzle, in which the aim of the solver is to find the essentially unique way for one side to win or draw, as stipulated, against any moves the other side plays. There is no limit to the number of moves which are allowed to achieve the win; this distinguishes studies from the genre of direct mate problems (e.g. "mate in 2"). Such problems also differ qualitatively from the very common genre of tactical puzzles based around the middlegame, often based on an actual game, where a decisive tactic must be found. "Gambit" an act or remark that is calculated to gain an advantage, especially at the outset of a situation;2. (in chess) an opening move in which a player makes a sacrifice, typically of a pawn, for the sake of a compensating advantage. "compensatory advantage". "Compensatory advantage is a general mechanism of stratification, due to which individuals from advantaged social backgrounds are buffered against the negative consequences of a prior adverse outcome."