I have a question about episode nine...

[destructo-bot.livejournal.com]

It involves chess, and since it also involves ep. 9 plot points, I'm putting it in a cut. That's right, right? I've never posted here before. :D

I'm pretty sure you can't put yourself in check. By moving his king like that, didn't Schneizel intentionally put himself in check, and thus break the rules? Or is it excused because by having his king next to Lelouch's, Lelouch was also in check? But I thought you weren't allowed to put yourself in check even if it was to put the other person in check/checkmate... See, this is why I'm confused.

Someone who's better with the rules of chess can help, yes? This is seriously bugging me.

Oh, and I'm not sure what else to tag this as, sorry. I know, I fail at life. D:

Comments

[rainbow-cnxn.livejournal.com]

That was totally an illegal move. I'm guessing it was done as a combination of seeing how Lelouch deals with having victory handed out to him, seeing how he deals with hard-and-fast rules being broken, and gauging his overall character.

Chess really is just a metaphor for war. Schneizel broke the rules of what could be done. His move into check is akin to Suzaku's (surprise!) presence in battles at Shinjuku and Narita. Situations like these are where we see Lelouch falter most.