Chapter 1

This happened on the 9th of October, 2152. Everyone in the world was glued either to their windows or to their screens. A giant spaceship was flying in the sky. It was the size of France, slowly hovering about three thousand meters above the ground for an entire day, as if they wanted every human on Earth to see the chrome leviathan.

Humanity wasn’t ready. The spaceship alone was enough to prove the absolute superiority of their technology. People wondered whether this was finally the end of the world, or an opportunity to advance humanity to unimaginable heights.

On the second day, at the exact same time, the same image appeared on every TV, every phone, every computer. It showed a humanoid figure. Its face had perfect proportions but lacked any emotion, while its pitch-black hair flowed immaculately over its shoulders. There was something both scary and beautiful about its eyes, like they weren’t even looking at you, but still could notice every tiny detail about you right through the screen.

“All of your leaders must gather at the Council of Nations Headquarters. I will meet you there in exactly one day.”

This message marked the first time humanity both saw and heard an interstellar species. Every human on Earth at the same time. A historic event that raised too many questions. How did it know the human language? Why gather the leaders at the Council of Nations Headquarters? What was this creature’s goal?

The news reporter was a young blonde woman named Chris. This was an important day for her. She worked for GNN News, which was the largest and only widely trusted news network in the world, ever since AI had learned to fake anything. It was a prestigious position, one she had earned through years of flawless broadcasts. Always immaculate in appearance. Always precise in speech.

For the first time in years, she felt nervous.

GNN News.
Today is a grand day. Humanity is about to make its first contact with interstellar life. The President of Switzerland was the first to arrive at the Council of Nations Headquarters, located in Geneva. Other European leaders have also arrived: the presidents of Spain and France, the King of England, and rulers of many other nations around the world. We are also expecting the US President to arrive shortly. Many world leaders have refused to come, including the presidents of Russia and China. We still do not know what will happen next, or whether the alien will appear today.

Around half of the world’s leaders took their places in the main hall of the headquarters. If the alien’s word was to be trusted, it should appear in less than two minutes. The first people to see it were those who flew drones close to the spaceship. A small opening appeared, and the creature flew out. It used no visible aircraft, instead, it levitated. The alien descended rapidly and moments later entered the headquarters through the main entrance. It flew to the center of the hall, where the main speaker usually stood, but instead of landing, it continued to hover.

Every leader in the room wore a different mixture of shock and fear on their face. The alien scanned every human almost instantly. Then it spoke.

“I am God. You do not rule this world. I will challenge humanity in a series of games. If any human defeats me within one year, I will grant them any wish. If none succeed, your species will be terminated.”

The US President spoke first.

“We don’t negotiate with threats. If you’re looking for war—”

He vanished mid-sentence. The chair remained untouched. dark stain spread across the expensive leather. The previous mixture of shock and fear changed into something colder. Terror. Survival instinct alone prevented others from making a sound.

“You will not speak unless given permission. I shall remain here. Anyone may challenge me. The punishment for defeat is death. You are dismissed.”

The terror in the building briefly turned into relief as people began to leave, only to return immediately when they fully grasped the cruelty of the rules that had been declared.

At exactly 15:07 UTC, the rules created by the being appeared on the devices of every human on the planet.

1. Anyone may become a challenger.

2. The challenger must face Me alone.

3. The challenger must wager their life.

4. The chosen game must have clearly defined rules and a clear condition for victory.

5. The chosen game must have a fixed and finite time limit.

6. The challenger may choose any game that adheres to these rules.

7. I may refuse to play if the chosen game violates any established rule.

8. Any form of cheating constitutes immediate defeat.

9. Both opponents must respect each other.

10. The victor shall be granted any single wish.

With the rules now established, humanity was left to decide its own fate.

GNN News.
A week has passed since the alien announced the potential end of the world if no one defeats it within a year. No one has challenged the being yet, but sources report a rumor that Michael Carter, the current world chess champion, may be the first challenger. We are joined today by Grandmaster Jim Rozman, currently ranked fourth in the world. If the rumor is true, what do you think are Michael’s chances?

JR: That’s a difficult question. Supposedly, the alien doesn’t know the rules of chess, but we know nothing about its intelligence or how fast it can learn. On the other hand, Michael is probably the strongest chess player in history, with a current rating of 3054. I’ve played dozens of games against him, and without a doubt, he is exceptional. If anyone can defeat the so-called God, it’s Michael Carter. I have faith in him.

Thank you for your time. That was Jim Rozman. Let’s hope he’s right and that we can all believe in Michael’s abilities.

Michael Carter’s plane landed at Geneva Airport. He was escorted into a specially prepared car and ordered to be driven directly to the headquarters. The chess prodigy stood nearly a hundred rating points above the second-best player and had been world champion for over eighteen years. But now, the genius grandmaster felt fear. Never before had he played against a god. Never had he staked his life on a chess game. Michael knew that if he delayed the game any longer, his mental state would only deteriorate, which could severely affect his performance.

Michael stood at the base of the stairs leading to the main entrance. The God hadn’t changed anything about the building’s exterior, yet it felt unlike any place Michael had ever entered. The staircase seemed taller, and the entire structure had a divine feel to it, as if in just a week, the Headquarters had turned into a temple.

Doubts haunted the grandmaster. Why should he be the first? Why risk his life? None of it mattered. Forcing his body forward, he climbed the stairs and pushed the doors open.

The terror of seeing an all-powerful being hovering before him and staring directly into his eyes almost made him turn and run. But then the being spoke.

“What is the game you wish to challenge me in?”

“Chess.”

“Wait. I must learn the rules first.”

Saying these words, the being moved to a computer nearby. It touched the screen and became silent and motionless.

In an instant, Carter’s fear vanished, replaced by his usual confidence. A smile appeared—not a happy one, but a cold, predatory smile. The kind that could only appear when a human was ready to crush a god.

You call yourself God, yet you don’t even know the rules. I’ll show you, that during chess game, I am the only God.

His heart now pounded with anticipation, not fear. For the first time, he wondered what wish he would ask for. Superior intelligence? Infinite power? What was even possible? He let his imagination run wild for some time.

His thoughts were cut short.

Only five minutes had passed.

“I am ready to play. Have a seat.”

The being waved its hand. The table in the center of the hall transformed into a chessboard, pieces appearing on their starting squares. This was alien technology. It took black pieces. Michael had brought his own chess set, but it was clearly unnecessary now. He sat opposite, taking white.

In chess, the White player has a slight advantage, and at first the grandmaster wasn’t sure how they would decide the colors. He realized, though, that the being clearly didn’t care. Was it mocking him, or was it so clueless that didn’t even understand the advantage it was giving the best player in the world? Michael chose not to question it and accepted the white pieces. He performed his usual ritual, adjusting each piece even though they were already perfectly centered.

The being gestured toward the clock.

“Sixty minutes each. Thirty seconds per move.”

It extended its hand. Michael shook it. It was the first physical contact between humanity and interstellar life. A handshake. But not a warm greeting between two old friends, but a cold and mechanical handshake, their hands barely touching, performed solely to signal the start of the game. The being pressed the clock.

The game began.

1. d4 Nf6

2. c4 …

Michael played his favorite opening: the Queen’s Pawn. Nf6 was a reasonable and popular response, played instantly by the alien being. Michael took the center with his c-pawn and the game continued.

2. … e6

3. Nf3 d5

4. Nc3 Bb4

Before the game the world champion wondered what opening would the self-proclaimed god choose. There was a chance albeit slim that it didn’t understand chess at all so it would play something weird and objectively bad, but it was clearly not the case, as Michael could see now that the being understood basic opening principles like fighting for the center and developing pieces.

A few more moves were played and after move ten Michael knew for sure, that the being clearly knew the opening theory. He couldn’t understand how it was possible, considering that it only learned the rules of the game a few minutes ago, but the fact was a fact. Every move was a theoretically best one and each was played instantly without any hesitation at all.

On one hand, Michael saw that the game wouldn’t be as easy as he had thought when the being said it needed time to learn the rules. On the other hand, he was pleased that nothing bad had happened yet. There had been a slight chance the being could play some complicated lines leading to sharp, dangerous positions. Michael knew nothing about the alien mind, but he suspected it might well surpass his own and outcalculate him in a sharp line.

After 14 moves, however, Michael felt relieved. The position was balanced, with no clear plans and no immediate threats for either side. He had suspected something like this could happen even before the game began: chess is inherently a drawish game, and for anyone to win, something extraordinary must happen.

Michael hadn’t lost a classical game in 57 matches, his last defeat coming against the world’s number two. That loss had come from overextending himself in an attempt to win, as he was very close to the world record rating and had pushed too hard. A draw wasn’t ideal, but at least it would keep him alive. The world champion had no intention of taking unnecessary risks.

The game slowly transitioned into the middlegame, and Michael began spending more time on each move, while the being continued to blitz through its responses.

There was no single turning point. No major blunders. Yet somehow, Black started gaining an advantage. At first it was tiny: a slightly better bishop, a slightly weak square in white’s position. Then the advantage grew. Michael could feel it, but there was nothing he could do. He played good moves, the moves that would be enough to defeat any human opponent. Here, against this being, they were not enough.

The being’s moves weren’t flashy. There were no long, beautiful sequences leading to mate, no creative sacrifices to activate pieces. Every move was deceptively simple, yet flawless. Each improved the position just slightly, leaving no weaknesses.

The time situation wasn’t good either. Of the sixty minutes he had started with, Michael had only fifteen left. He believed that, perhaps, with more time, he could have salvaged the position. He couldn't.

All traces of Michael’s earlier confidence vanished. He reached for a bishop, his hands shaking uncontrollably, nearly placing it on the wrong square. He pressed the clock. His thoughts unraveled.

This is impossible. I’m going to lose. I’m going to die. Should I beg—

Black replied instantly.

A few more moves passed. Black had an extra passed pawn, its pieces perfectly coordinated, while white’s rook was completely out of the game and the king was weak. The position was hopeless. In any other game, Michael would have resigned, but this time resignation meant death.

Michael touched the knight to make his next move and only then noticed how familiar the pieces felt. They looked like the ones from his very first chess set, that was a gift from his father. He remembered watching his father play when he was three years old. From that moment on, he had been mesmerized by the game. Were these pieces carved from the same kind of wood, or was he only imagining it?

After that game he became a chess addict. He had always known that it was his destiny to become the greatest of all time.

Michael moved the knight and pressed the clock. The being responded without delay.

Michael was wrong. His true destiny was to lose to an alien and die here. How could it be fair? Every moment of his life had been spent mastering this game. Countless sleepless nights. Countless losses learned from. He had given his entire soul to chess.

Michael pushed a pawn. The being took it without hesitation.

This creature called itself God. Shouldn’t a god be just? Tens of thousands of hours. Crushed by someone who had spent five minutes learning the rules. Was this just?

Michael knew that all the hope was lost now. In desperation, he searched for any move, any move at all. There was none.

The grandmaster saw only one way out. The last small chance he had to survive. He knew how pathetic it was, but he decided to go with it anyway. He made his move and after pressing the clock, offered a draw. 

It was humiliating. The world champion offering a draw in a lost position. It wasn’t a draw offer. It was a plea for his life.

The being didn’t react. No anger. No contempt.

“I refuse.”

It made its move and pressed the clock.

Michael glanced at the time. One minute and thirty-seven seconds remained. The being had over an hour. Eleven minutes more than it had started with.

Hope vanished.

I’m pathetic.

The clock ticked down. He stared at the board, unable to resign, unable to move.

The clock hit zero.

The being extended its hand. With great effort, Michael reached out and grasped it. He looked into God’s face.

“Please—”

That was the final word of the greatest chess player in human history.

The being floated to the computer and touched it. A simple message appeared on every screen on Earth.

Michael Carter was defeated.
Next challenger may enter.