Absolute Choice

If this simple and straightforward number is unable to let you have an intuitive sense of the complexity of Aeroplane Chess, let us compare it to some other board games that people might be more familiar with. After all, there is no damage when there is no comparison.

For example, let’s talk about Go which is considered an extremely complicated board game.

Go’s board is formed out of 19 by 19 squares, with a total of 361 intersections. That means that each round, a player is facing a 361 variables. But most people know that the intersections can be occupied by pieces, so when the pieces are placed, the number of available moves depend on the number of remaining pieces and the number of intersection points.

Therefore, in Go, a player will be facing 361 variations in the first round, but in the second round, it will reduce to 360. Of course, Go has the situation of capturing pieces by surrounding an area. However, it only increases the number of variations, but will never exceed 361!

That is to say, even the extremely complicated Go only has 361 variations. It’s completely incomparable to Aeroplane Chess’s thousand variations!

And let’s consider another well-known board game—Chinese chess.

The complexity in Chinese chess that is slightly superior to Go is that every round, a player has control over 16 pieces. And in each round, only one piece can be moved.

However, the complexity in Chinese chess that is inferior to Go is that the number of variations of Chinese chess is too few. The General, Advisor and Elephant piece are limited to one side of the board, so there is no need to talk about them. The number of variations they have is also extremely tiny. And Soldier pieces can only move one space in a straight line in the beginning. Its number of variations is just pathetic.

The Horse piece can cross the river that is in the middle of the board, but the movement is too restrictive. It can only move diagonally, and is limited to 8 movements. However, there is a possibility of being blocked, so there are cases when it is unable to move.

Chariot and Cannon pieces are the most mobile pieces in Chinese chess. They could move orthogonally. The Cannon piece can even jump over intervening pieces to capture other pieces. However, the amount of movement the Chariot and Cannon pieces is severely restricted. It’s because the board of Chinese chess is only a 9 by 10 grid. Removing the dangerous positions in a game, the number of variations the Chariot and Cannon pieces can cause would be extremely limited.

Therefore, although Chinese chess controls many pieces, each piece has too few variations. Therefore, the amount of variations each round can create will never exceed Go, much less be comparable to Aeroplane Chess!

It is the same rationale with Chess.

Therefore, the conclusion is already obvious. In the event where players can freely control the roll of the dice, the complexity of Aeroplane Chess far exceeds that of Go, Chinese chess and chess!

This was why Shi Xiaobai and the Infernal Queen would call Aeroplane Chess as a game that is a ‘grueling test of intelligence and strategy’!

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In any board game, there was a tactical difference between the first and second mover. It was the same with Aeroplane Chess. Under the insistence of the Infernal Queen, Shi Xiaobai eventually became the first mover.

This looked like the Infernal Queen was voluntarily giving Shi Xiaobai the advantage, but in fact, it was a strategy the Infernal Queen chose.

Shi Xiaobai very quickly understood the meaning behind the Infernal Queen’s words of ‘my intelligence is something even I’m afraid of’.

The Infernal Queen was truly very intelligent. Her every step could be said to be perfectly calculated. It never gave Shi Xiaobai a chance to take any advantage of her.

Shi Xiaobai chose to first move two airplane pieces and made one of the pieces complete a same-color jump.

However, the Infernal Queen chose to move three airplane pieces. At the third time she rolled the die, she threw a ‘5’. She had allowed them to take off, but she did not do so the three consecutive times. She did not let any piece join the battlefield.

Immediately following that, Shi Xiaobai’s nightmare descended on him.

He and the Infernal Queen were diagonally across each other. He played with red while the Infernal Queen played green. Only when Shi Xiaobai’s pieces passed the green hangar would the Infernal Queen let her pieces leave the safe zone and strike at Shi Xiaobai’s pieces, forcing Shi Xiaobai’s pieces that crossed the line to return to the hangar.

Expulsion of the other party’s airplane pieces was a very common and simple strategy, but when it reached the rigorous extent to which the Infernal Queen could perform, it became a terrifying act.

As the first player, Shi Xiaobai’s first choice was of course to attack, but not a single one of his pieces could reach the final line. Every time it passed the green hangar, it would be sent back by the Infernal Queen’s strike!

This was not a simple matter. As long as the Infernal Queen made a little miscalculation, it would allow Shi Xiaobai’s pieces to leap to the final point. But what was terrifying was that the Infernal Queen did not make even the tiniest of missteps!

No matter what actions Shi Xiaobai’s airplane pieces took, be it taking a detour before the green hangar or to use a shortcut to traverse a great distance, or stack pieces, the Infernal Queen would see through it and set up a trap to resolve the situation. She was always able to send Shi Xiaobai’s pieces back to the hangar!

The Infernal Queen had used four pieces to seal off all possible routes that Shi Xiaobai could use to reach the end point!

“I heard Darling wanted to let me experience the ‘despair of what it means to never fly to the finishing point’?”

The Infernal Queen gave a sweet smile that exuded her astonishing beauty. In her smile was an unassailable confidence.

Shi Xiaobai fell silent for a moment, and said softly, “Is this the reason why you insisted on being after me?”

The Infernal Queen nodded and said with blinking eyes, “I don’t seem to be experiencing the ‘despair of what it means to never fly to the finishing point’.”

Shi Xiaobai chuckled and said, “Very good and very forceful. It has to be said that you have made This King turn slightly interested. Your defense is very perfect, but it only confines you to defense. By constantly defending without attacking, there is similarly no way for your piece to reach the end point.”

The Infernal Queen said with a covered smile, “Darling, what you said makes a lot of sense. But I must say, I am constantly defending, but isn’t Darling constantly invading? By constantly invading without any defense, Darling would eventually make a mistake. When the time comes, I will not be showing any mercy.”

Shi Xiaobai grinned and said, “Mistakes? Such a word does not exist.”

The two looked into each others eyes and stopped their ‘taunting’. They cast their gazes back on the board and began to think even more seriously.

And the game situation was as Shi Xiaobai said. He was constantly attacking, but he had to always consider about the possibility of the Infernal Queen’s counterattack. He seemed like he was haphazardly attacking, but in fact, he was sealing the chances of the Infernal Queen going from a defensive to offensive stance.

As for the Infernal Queen, she was constantly looking for a mistake while defending. But under Shi Xiaobai’s perfect calculations, she could only constantly defend.

Their pieces constantly struck each other in a struggle. And after a hundred rounds, not a single piece reached the end point!

“Darling, you are really very clever.”

The Infernal Queen, who failed to find any mistake for a hundred rounds, looked at Shi Xiaobai with glazed eyes. She spoke sultrily, “Your cleverness has made me wet.”

Shi Xiaobai did not understand the hidden meaning behind ‘wet’ as his mind was completely on the board game. He replied, “You aren’t bad either. To be able to play a hundred rounds with This King in Aeroplane Chess without being defeated, you are the first.”

The Infernal Queen said with a coquettish smile, “To not make me find a mistake, Darling is the first as well. If both of us do not make any mistakes in this game, it can go on for all eternity.”

Shi Xiaobai said, “This King isn’t sure if you will make a mistake or not, but it is impossible for This King to make a mistake.”

As Shi Xiaobai said, he rolled his die to finish the actions for his round. At that moment, the Infernal Queen’s four pieces were on the board. Shi Xiaobai’s first action of rolling a 6 had hit the Infernal Queen’s closest piece. The second action he did was to roll another 6 and make one of the plane pieces in the hangar lift off.

At that moment, Shi Xiaobai just needed to roll a ‘4’ for his third time and he would be able to once again seal off the chances for the Infernal Queen to launch a counterattack.

However, the dice did not stop at ‘4’. Instead, with a shake, it rolled a ‘6’!

Shi Xiaobai’s pupils contracted slightly. His hand that he had not retracted remained stiffly in place.

The smiling Infernal Queen suddenly dazed as she looked up at Shi Xiaobai and said in surprise, “Darling, you made a mistake!?”