A Chess Battle with Gus and Sietse
The battlefield was set. The sun was high, the day warm with anticipation. Two armies stood in wait. Two generals prepared to unleash havoc. The day would live on in infamy, known forever as the Battle of the Giant Chessboard in Front of the Science Center.
The general of the white army, Gus A. Mayopoulos â15, made the first move: d4. Sietse K. Goffard â15 responded with d5, and the fury of battle began. But the action on the board was only half the story â both knew the real battle was psychological.
âI have thee stumped!â taunted Goffard at one point, as Mayopoulos puzzled over his next move. Later, after winning a pawn, Goffard told Mayopoulos in a Russian accent (I think), âYour pawn is very tasty!â
But Mayopoulos has some barbs of his own: âWhat do this season and my trap have in common? Both have been sprung! Da-dum-tsh.â Soon after, Mayopoulos announced with satisfaction, âAnd so the ruse is completeâŚis it? What was the ruse...?â The tension in the air was palpable.
After what seemed an eternity of bloodshed, the tide of the battle began to turn in Goffardâs favor. After making a particularly good move, Goffard laughed in triumph: âAh ha ha! Or as we say in French, âAwh hau HAU!ââ Mayopoulos was unfazed: âI watched G.I. Joe: Retaliation last night, so worst-case scenario I get in a helicopter and fly away.â
A crowd of onlookers had gathered around the board by this time. Though Mayopoulosâs troops continued to fight valiantly, in the end they were unable to protect his king from being checkmated. Goffard reigned victorious.
Afterwards, Goffard and Mayopoulos shook hands, hugged, and issued a challenge to Associate Dean of Student Life William Cooper: a game of giant chess to decide the future of Quincy storage. âIf he wins, then the status quo remains, but if he loses, all current and future Quincy residents get storage,â the duo proclaimed. It remains to be seen if Dean Cooper will take up the challenge.