46.17-Curse of the exemption

Previously, the final 5 played Liar's Dice against the Mole. Sandra won an exemption but it is unknown if she is the Mole and will earn the 100 points or not. Sierra narrowly missed out on the win and she was executed next. With the pot only at 290/950 points thus far, the group has their work cut out for them. However, the Mole can't rest on its laurels either. Who will bag home the biggest piece of the pie?

***

Sandra: "There seems to be a curse of the exemption this season. Anyone who is close to receiving the exemption but failed ends up executed, haha. Look at Svetlana, Edgar and now Sierra. It goes to show we shouldn't be coveting these privileges. Maybe if I didn't get it, I would have taken Sierra's place."

***

Ulrich: "We will miss her good food. We have been spoiled in these last few weeks by her cooking. She was also my partner and we slept in the same room the whole time. I think I was the closest to her and saw her as more than just the food critic with a bad temper. The two of us agreed to give each other respect and privacy. This was also applied in the quizzes and who we suspected. We would give each other information but never try to force our views onto the other. On the other hand, her execution may provide some insights and I am also one step closer to the grand prize."

***

Edith: "MRS. VOX! WHERE IS BREAKFAST?"

Sandra: "Sounds like a certain somebody is getting cranky."

Peggy: "Shit, I forgot Sierra's no longer around to make breakfast."

Sandra: "Peggy, look me in the eye and answer me honestly."

Peggy: "Ow!"

Peggy: "My nose!"

Sandra: "Sorry!"

Peggy: "We'll have to get to that question later. I need to fix breakfast."

Sandra: "You know, you don't have to accede to her every request."

Peggy: "I'm not. I also want breakfast for myself."

*

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Edith: "The quality of food has worsened tremendously. How can you get worse at cooking with practice?"

Peggy: "That's because I wasn't the one who made the food you've been eating for the last few weeks."

Peggy: "It was Sierra. Even after you told me to cook I didn't and just pretended I was the one who made it."

Peggy: "Admit it. You actually like her food."

Edith: "Hmph. I will not tolerate being lied to."

Ulrich: "Good morning Mrs. Wickham."

Edith: "Or betrayed."

Edith: "Did I give you permission to sit here?"

Ulrich: "Apologies. I thought this was a free country. May I sit here, Mrs. Wickham?"

Edith: "What's the point of asking me when you've already done it? You're being superfluous and insincere."

Edith: "Get out of my face."

Ulrich: "I thought you said you would forgive me after I moved your belongings down?"

Edith: "You broke my...pen!"

Ulrich: "Do you really keep your pens in your luggage? I was pretty sure you carried them around with you, Mrs. Wickham. You mentioned it to me before."

Edith: "I...UGH! I change my mind, okay?"

*

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The contestants' next mission is worth 150 points. They will be playing a game of chess against an AI. If they win, they get 50 points.

However, there's a small snag: some of the pieces are missing. This is where the contestants come in. They will replace certain chess pieces. Any contestant that survives brings in 25 points to the pot, but they have to win the game first.

Sandra: "Woo! This really scratches the itch. But I have to be mindful of my surroundings."

Ulrich: "I'm not a fan of chess. I don't think I will do very well."

Peggy: "I've played chess before but the last time I did that was years ago. And we get to be chess pieces? Sounds interesting."

Edith: "Finally, a mission that doesn't sound like a pig thought of it. I appreciate a good game of chess."

Edith: "I'll be the queen, naturally."

Ulrich: "Fine by me. I will be the knight in shining armour."

Sandra: "You're just a knight."

Ulrich: "Let a man be a hero."

Sandra: "I'll take the rook's position. I think this gives me the most leeway to move."

Peggy: "I shall be the bishop."

Sandra: "We have the first-mover's advantage. It's important we make the right first move."

Ulrich: "Hmm, I think we should protect the queen and king at all costs."

Sandra: "So you're not in favour of moving the middle two pawns?"

Peggy: "I've played chess before. Let me try and remember the winning first move."

Edith: "Well? Don't keep us waiting."

Peggy: "The rook needs to move. We should move the pawn in front of her forward by two squares."

Sandra: "Okay, done."

Peggy: "They moved the one in front of their queen."

Edith: "I don't see how smart this artificial intelligence is if they give us an opening."

Ulrich: "I think we should match their movements."

Sandra: "Then we would have just lost our first-mover's advantage."

Peggy: "No, the queen needs to be able to move. She's our most powerful piece. We shouldn't trap her. We'll follow what they did."

Sandra: "I'll move forward."

Peggy: "Yes, you should."

Ulrich: "We need to try and figure out what they are playing at."

Peggy: "It's an AI."

Ulrich: "That's precisely why it's easier to figure out their programming."

Peggy: "So what did you figure out?"

Ulrich: "Nothing as of yet. I'm not a programmer."

Peggy: "I'll move in front. This gives me a chance to move about to prevent getting killed, and also gives dear Mrs. Wickham here an opening to move."

Edith: "More like an opening to get killed."

Ulrich: "I don't think we should be touching the bishop so early. We should fully utilise our pawns."

Sandra: "Neither do I but the move has been done."

Sandra: "We can't move the pawn in front of me any further."

Sandra: "Otherwise it will get eaten by the black pawn."

Ulrich: "They chose to move their rook."

Sandra: "What difficulty level is the AI set at anyway? If it's expert level we're not winning this."

Sandra: "Do you think we should sacrifice this pawn?"

Ulrich: "And bait an AI? I don't think it will work that way."

Edith: "Hurry up and make a move."

Peggy: "It's chess. Have you never played chess? Anyway, how about we move the pawn at the other end?"

Sandra: "Sounds good to me."

Ulrich: "They moved their knight. That means I should move."

Peggy: "We manage to lure their king out."

Edith: "I can easily get rid of that black pawn from here."

Ulrich: "Don't. You'll then be removed by the rook."

Peggy: "You're our most valuable piece, Mrs. Wickham. We can't afford to lose you."

Edith: "Good that you finally realise."

Peggy: "We should move that up two squares."

Peggy: "Wait, what?"

Edith: "How is that possible?"

Sandra: "Oh! It's an en passant capture! We completely forgot about that."

***

Peggy: "Sandra and I seem to be the only ones with experience playing chess. Edith says she has too but I think she usually loses or her family loses to her on purpose so as not to incur her wrath. I made a move that caused a pawn to be captured but Sandra didn't think to stop me until the pawn was captured, and then she claimed to have forgotten about it."

***

Peggy: "We need to think two to three steps ahead."

Ulrich: "I can capture this piece."

Sandra: "Good job Ulrich. What do you say about moving that piece over?"

***

Sandra: "Dad and I used to play board games up until my high school graduation. Chess was one of our favourites. He would always lose to me. Ever since his death I haven't touched a chess piece. Playing this mission brought back memories."

***

Ulrich: "The white pawn can capture the black one."

Sandra: "We should think about it first."

Peggy: "It doesn't seem like any of its other pieces can counter."

Ulrich: "Let's do it."

Peggy: "Excellent."

Edith: "It was an easy move."

Sandra: "If only we could predict what the AI's move is next."

Ulrich: "We managed to force both their knights back to the starting point."

Ulrich: "I think we should move this pawn forward. I don't see many other moves."

"Ulrich has been captured by the bishop."

Ulrich: "Nej! I did not realise the pawn was so important."

Peggy: "There goes 25 points. Thanks a lot Ulrich."

Ulrich: "Sorry."

Edith: "If you make business strategies the way you play chess your business will collapse in a year."

Sandra: "Now the bishop is directly in my line."

Sandra: "I have to move forward. Otherwise I will be out too."

Peggy: "Sandra, you are in a very precarious spot right now."

Edith: "Stop burdening us, Ms. Rius."

Peggy: "We should move that pawn forward."

Ulrich: "Guys, you forgot about this pawn here."

Sandra: "It's so much harder when you don't have a bird's-eye view of the whole board."

Ulrich: "I did not know the pawn becomes a knight when it reaches the other side."

Edith: "It seems we do not have another choice but to move the bishop up."

Sandra: "That bishop just captured a pawn."

Peggy: "It was going to be captured regardless."

Sandra: "We should move the pawn up."

Edith: "Yes, I agree. Revenge-kill it."

Peggy: "Now the bishop is right in front of us."

Edith: "Do something, you idiot."

Ulrich: "Move the white bishop to capture it."

Peggy: "That was what I was going to do."

Edith: "This AI is an idiot. Send the bishop to capture it."

Peggy: "It almost feels like they are trying to ensnare us. Why did they move the pawn for us to capture?"

Edith: "Just do it. Don't ask so many questions."

Ulrich: "Good job. Our white bishop just captured three pieces in a row."

Edith: "You are overthinking this, Mrs. Vox. There was clearly no plan to ensnare us."

Peggy: "We should move that pawn forward."

Sandra: "I agree."

Edith: "Haha! Retreat in the face of danger, king!"

Sandra: "It would be nice if you would help, Mrs. Wickham."

Peggy: "No, she'll confuse us."

Edith: "I'm the queen. Why should I lift a finger?"

Sandra: "We can move the pawn up."

Peggy: "But then it will get captured."

Sandra: "We can counter it."

Peggy: "That's true. Let's do it."

Peggy: "Shit. We didn't think far ahead enough."

Sandra: "I didn't see that coming. Literally."

Peggy: "Oh dear. The rook can capture me if I don't move. But if I do move the queen will be captured and then it will be checkmate."

Peggy: "We're dead."

Edith: "You're hopeless."

Edith: "It appears that I must personally step in."

Ulrich: "There are many things I do not know about chess, like how the queen can move unobstructed."

Peggy: "Now I am free to move away."

Edith: "Chess was supposed to be a quiet game. Instead it feels like I'm playing at a market."

Peggy: "Our white bishop is the most useful piece we have. We must protect it."

Peggy: "We can check the king right now too. Check."

Sandra: "Erm...you didn't check it. The bishop can only move diagonally."

Peggy: "Oh right. I was too excited to win."

Edith: "We forced the opposing queen to move."

Peggy: "We can try to make use of that pawn. Trick the AI into moving the queen to capture our pawn, and then.."

Peggy: "Shit. I'll die no matter where I go."

Sandra: "I'm sure there's another move."

Peggy: "I have to move or I will get captured next. I can only hope the AI slips up if I move."

"Peggy has been captured by the black bishop."

Peggy: "I guess not."

Sandra: "We're the only two left."

Sandra: "The king has to move."

Edith: "I will protect you, my king."

"Sandra has been captured by the black bishop."

Sandra: "Darn the bishop."

Ulrich: "Mrs. Wickham is our only hope...things don't look good."

Sandra: "Edith is just dancing with the AI."

Peggy: "She has no other choice but to keep alternating her two moves between the king."

Edith: "Damn you computer! My only useful bishop has been captured by the rook."

Peggy: "It's not really a computer..."

Ulrich: "Shh. Let her have her moment."

Edith: "I cannot win when all I have is an army of useless pawns."

Edith: "My king, I will do my best to protect you."

Ulrich: "I am sorry I cannot be of further help, Mrs. Wickham."

Edith: "Don't distract me!"

Edith: "You are not checking him!"

Edith: "Run if you know what's good for you!"

Sandra: "I can't bear to watch."

Peggy: "Edith is actually better at chess than she lets on. She just prevented the queen from checkmating her three times in a row. Why didn't she help us earlier?"

Edith: "Blasted wicked queen. You are not laying your hands on my king. You have finally slipped up I will capture you!"

"Edith, that move is illegal."

Edith: "What do you mean it's illegal? I can bloody well capture the queen. I know my rights!"

"Rules are rules. We are simultaneously running your moves through a chess simulator and the simulator is not allowing you to move to the queen...or anywhere, actually."

Edith: "Bollocks. This game is rigged."

Edith: "My king, I have failed you. You are on your own now. Oh, and one more thing..."

Edith: "If I catch the two of you up to no good business I will give you the worst smacking you have ever received, you hear me?"

Sandra: "Good job Mrs. Wickham. You played well."

Edith: "Unlike the rest of you who didn't even help."

Peggy: "What?"

***

Edith: "I was the only one trying my best at chess. The rest of them got captured so easily and left me to clear the mess. That was a mess I was not clearing up. They kept shouting at the sidelines to tell me what to do as well at first. Please, look who's still on the chessboard. I know how to play chess. The losers shouldn't be telling the winner what to do. So I promptly shut them up and they stopped distracting me. It was inevitable that I was captured but it had to be done to let the king continue. We could still control our sole piece from the side."

***

Edith: "Checked by a pawn. This is outrageous."

*

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"Checkmate. There are no more moves for the king."

"Contestants, you fought valiantly but lost the war against the AI. That unfortunately means that today was a waste of effort, bringing in absolutely nothing. Hopefully this mission has cleared some doubts, or has it confused you? Stay sharp because the next quiz if your most important one yet."

0/150 points have been earned. The pot is at a pathetic 290/1100 points. Contestants have to take a quiz where the finalists will be decided? Who will be in the finale and who won't?