A Triangular Game of Chess

[Groveling, love rivals, and intense romantic rivalry, with a touch of old-school flavor. Romance-focused, with a secondary plot.]

[Planned for 2024. The exact schedule depends on the number of bookmarks. The more bookmarks a pre-release gets, the sooner it will start.]

1.

The World Youth International Chess Championship is the ultimate battleground that young chess players around the world dream of reaching.

Even before the tournament began, everyone had already assumed the title would go to either Nan Jiachen or Alexei.

But no one expected the champion to be a Chinese player they'd always jokingly called a "pretty vase."

Only when the young man named Ming Lin slowly stepped onto the podium did they have no choice but to admit:

Perhaps he wasn't just a pretty vase. Perhaps he was a hunter who had come to the chessboard.

There was, however, a rumor going around.

After the championship ended, the Chinese champion was apparently cornered in the restroom by Nan Jiachen and Alexei, one on either side.

Some thought it was bullying; others thought they were arguing.

But no one could have guessed that Nan Jiachen and Alexei were begging Ming Lin for his forgiveness and mercy.

2.

Nan Jiachen, a Chinese American player; Alexei, a Russian player; and Ming Lin, a Chinese player.

These three were hailed as the rising stars of international chess.

Few people knew that one ordinary summer, the three of them had trained together in a small Chinese city.

At first, they had been inseparable.

But at some point, their friendship began to falter.

One of Ming Lin's best friends told him,

"To become world champion, I have to give up love and cut all ties. I'm sorry, but we can't keep seeing each other."

His other best friend told him,

"Sorry, I'm really not gay. I'm sorry I gave you the wrong idea."

Ming Lin was baffled.

What on earth were these people talking about?

They were just playing chess. What did that have to do with romance or being gay?

As time passed, Ming Lin gradually let go of his two friends.

But when he stepped onto the international stage for the first time, Alexei cornered him in the dressing room, cupped his face, and kissed him again and again.

Ming Lin was stunned.

Before he could recover, he received a huge bouquet of roses from Nan Jiachen outside the hotel.

Ming Lin couldn't take it anymore.

Only then did he realize that he and his two friends seemed to have very different ideas about their relationship.

3.

"This is not a tournament Chinese players should be competing in."

Twelve years ago, a Chinese chess player made it to the final of the International Chess Championship for the first time, only to suffer a crushing defeat.

Countless foreign media outlets mocked China.

From the very beginning, no one believed they could win.

Watching on television, young Ming Lin formed a small wish.

Why couldn't he be the one to take the throne at the chessboard?

Twelve years later, another Chinese star emerged on the world chess scene.

No one could have predicted the storm he would unleash in the world of international chess.

When Ming Lin finally sat upon the throne of the chess king, faced with a barrage of cameras and microphones, he merely stroked the armrest and said with a laugh,

"So that's all there is to it."

The throne Europe had occupied for so long was, after all...

Nothing special.

On the surface, an aloof, untouchable, B-king type; inside, a sweet and rather dense shou: Ming Lin

X

Dominant, straightforward, and extremely controlling gong: Alexei

X

Gentle, elegant, and deceptively dark, the doomed gong: Nan Jiachen

Reader's Guide:

1. Lots of love triangles, groveling, and dramatic rivalries!!!

2. Includes flashbacks. The writing style and plot lean more serious, with an old-school flavor.

3. The main gong is set and will not change: Alexei. But Nan Jiachen also gets plenty of story time.

4. The author isn't a professional chess player, but has already started working hard to learn chess. This isn't entirely based on real life, and there are no real-life character inspirations!!!

5. If you like it, please bookmark it! The more bookmarks, the sooner I'll start writing!!! (rubs hands)

Theme: Tempered through a hundred trials.