Subject: The Chess Game: A Few Thoughts From: sjsmith@tulgey.cs.umd.edu (Stephen Joseph Smith) Date: 1991-04-04, 20:19 Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks Thanks to Rich Haller for his help in trying to figure out exactly what's going on. As of tonight's episode, we're up to: White-Windom EarleBlack-Dale Cooper 1. P-K4N-QB3 2. P-Q4P-K4 3. PxPP-QN3 4. N-KB3P-QR3 giving us: BR .. BB BQ BK BB BN BR .. .. BP BP .. BP BP BP BP BP BN .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. WP .. .. .. .. .. .. .. WP .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. WN .. .. WP WP WP .. .. WP WP WP WR WN WB WQ WK WB .. WR Assuming Windom is going to continue this game, he has a number of moves which merit investigation from either a chess or a ^Twin Peaks^ standpoint: a) 5. B-KN5. Pressing his advantage, and forcing an exchange of pawns after 5... P-B3 (which, however, gives Coop a tempo after 6. PxP PxP 7. B-R4), or bishops after 5... B-K2, or perhaps bishop for knight after 5... N-K2. (Other moves for Cooper lose a piece with little compensation.) b) 5. Q-Q5. Putting pressure on Black's KBP. The only immediate attack Black has on the queen is 5... KN-K2 (or 5... QN-K2 allowing 6. QxR) with the interesting response 6. B-KN5, looking to 6... NxQ 7. BxQ (not Donna!) or 6... P-B3 7. PxP NxQ 8. PxP QxB 9. PxR(Q) or something equally zany (an interesting thought! what happens if a piece is promoted?) c) As suggested, if Windom Earle is tired of chess and just wants to kill people, there's always 5. BxP or 5. QxP. d) The nasty series 5. N-Q4 NxP 6. Q-R5 may also be appealing. e) There's always the move that's probably the best chess: 5. B-QB4. Slow, conservative, but guaranteed to win in the end, I imagine. (Although, after, say, 5... B-B4, 6. Q-Q5 looking towards perhaps 7. N-Q4 could be very good...) f) An interesting line that just occured to me is 5. B-KN5 P-B3 6. PxP PxP 7. N-Q4... well maybe not after 7... PxB 8. NxN PxN and then 9. Q-Q4 is no longer possible, but the bloodbath can continue with 9. QxQ KxQ. I wonder why I'm getting into the chess so much. I guess it's the only concrete thing in this whole episode! WHAT WAS THAT IN THE CAVE? -=+=- Stephen Joseph Smith