FF – Tales from a Chessboard
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Jeff Arnold.
I’ve gone completely wacky this week. Some might say surreal 🙂

Copyright Jeff Arnold
Tales from a Chessboard
“It’s not fair. I don’t wanna be a prawn.”
“It’s pawn.”
“Whatever. I wanna be a castle. Or a horsie. At least I have… insurance.”
“Whaddya mean, insurance?”
“Well, Barry… watch out! Incoming bishop!”
“Aaaaargh!”
“Ouch. Tough break. I would’ve expected better from a man of god – what did Barry ever do to you, your reverence?”
“He opposed my Master, the Golden-Eyed Bounteous Magnificence, as do you. Your fate is sealed, insignificant one.”
“Big talk! Well, my Master, the Squinty-Eyed Cheating Asshat, kitted me out with a machine gun.”
Rat-a-tat-a-tat!
“I win! All hail the prawns.”
Nice personification of chess pieces..They were originally based on royalty anyway
LikeLike
Thanks! I’d never really thought about it but that makes sense.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Most entertaining chess match I’ve ever watched, that’s for sure!
LikeLike
Suspense, posturing, murder, it has it all!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Surreal, or so real? I’ll just go and check, mate!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Haha “check, mate” groan 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh cool! You got yourself one of those fully loaded American chess sets!
LikeLike
It was tricky getting it through Customs but worth it!
LikeLike
Ha ha ha, why didn’t we have games of chess like that when we were young(er)?
LikeLike
It would have made we Chess Club members way cooler, that’s for sure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’ve opened up a whole new vision of chess. Loved this take on the photo prompt!
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
LikeLike
It’s pretty scary when you examine the pawn’s eye view 🙂
LikeLike
At least the game was over quickly. I do hate those long, drawn out affairs…
LikeLike
Yes, all that to-ing and fro-ing. Very boring. A short, sharp strike was definitely what was needed.
LikeLike
Prawns! HAHAHAHA! Mermaid-approved!
LikeLike
Hee, I couldn’t ask for a higher endorsement 🙂 I feel I should have a little “Mermaid-approved” badge for my sidebar!
I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was the most fun I’ve had participating in a chess match… ‘Course, you had to go all ‘Murican on us… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
These prawns can go to any convenience store and walk out ten minutes later with a missile launcher. There ought to be a law… 😉
LikeLike
There ought to be indeed…😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! caught you taking a peek at my blog… because you left a trace, thank you for the like. Did you run away screaming or just meh ’tis nary for me. If you want to know why I peppered your posts with some likes and followed you, it is because I love your spin on things, and guffawed out loud a few times.
I enjoyed this post too, very much once I’d gotten over a hurdle my mind plopped down – I read ‘cheeseboard’ instead of ‘chessboard’ and ‘prawns’ made more sense than pawns, but still what was a prawn doing on a cheeseboard?
LikeLike
Thanks, I’m glad you’re enjoying my little stories 🙂 I followed you just now – I’m usually quicker at sorting these things out but we recently had loads of mail and websites blocked at work 😦 so I have to monitor everything on my phone, and being of an age group which remembers carrier pigeons (not really) it’s a struggle.
I really loved your comic strip “Narcie the Narcissist” – very funny and true-to-life 🙂
Of course, I had to rush to my blog to make sure I hadn’t mis-typed “chessboard”…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am of an age group which remembers the days when African swallows delivered coconuts, so I may be a tad older than you and this thing known as a phone doesn’t make as good a horse as the empty husks.
It was only after I had commented that it struck me that I probably shouldn’t have commented (twas ever thus), at least not in the way that I did. I sounded like I was press ganging you into following me, my apologies, however thank you very much for the follow (you can unfollow now, I won’t notice, I was never very good at playing grandmother’s footsteps when I was it).
Sorry about the cheeseboard thing, I have dyslexia, and when I’m tired it increases its shenanigans and reading becomes a series of farcical misunderstandings (reading the news can be hilarious… but I really shouldn’t be laughing).
Don’t worry, I only comment sporadically on other people’s blogs. I prefer to just read and like what I read and like. I can do normal comments sometimes, but it requires that I pretend I’m normal and that is a bit trial and error.
Thank you for liking Narcie, she is a bit special… she wouldn’t like knowing that you laughed at her so I won’t tell her 😉 but I’m very chuffed about it!
Nice to blog-meet you, you have a wonderful online home 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t feel press-ganged at all! And I read on your blog earlier that you have dyslexia – I wouldn’t have joked about you misreading it if I’d read that beforehand… but anyhew. We’re both following each other, cool, it’s all good 🙂
LikeLike
It’s all good 🙂 and that includes making jokes about me misunderstanding things – I make those all the time, jokes about my misunderstandings and misunderstandings. I have dyslexia not a humour lobotomy, and it makes me laugh so you can laugh too and I won’t get all huffy and puffy and blow your house down (please do not apply this to others because I can’t speak for them even though I did once want to be a ventriloquist)! You worry a lot… I used to do that too and made blogging a nightmare and a chore for myself. You can pretty much say anything to me and I’ll be … how do you do that sunglasses emoji? Anyway, all’s well 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
although sometimes I miss it when someone is being funny and waggling a witty repartee at me because I was away with the fairies and… oh look sparklies 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
such a creative take on the prompt. i saw the pieces did come alive.
LikeLike
And you saw one get killed too 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m definitely down with the prawns.
LikeLike
Prawns rock!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice story. Love talking pieces.
LikeLike
Thanks, I’m glad you liked my talking chess pieces!
LikeLike
Dear Ali,
This sounds like it could be Chess meets Battleship. A very entertaining Chess match to be sure. I love where your crazy mind takes you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Rochelle,
My mind does go a bit crazy sometimes. I blame the photo prompts 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
Ali
LikeLike
A right royal bunch of shenanigans. I love wacky so I loved it!
LikeLike
There was all sorts of craziness going on 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
LikeLike
I would love to have witnessed that match! Delightfully different.
Click to read my FriFic tale!
LikeLike
It was fun to watch, to be sure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now if there were prawns at every chess match I might be inclined to show up. They would have to be free though so I could grab and go before the gunfight ensued. Very entertaining take on the prompt.
LikeLike
Just don’t mix them up with the pawns or you’ll chip your teeth 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Squinty-Eyed Cheating Asshat!! Has a lovely ring to it!
LikeLike
Yeah, I thought you’d like that 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did!! 🙂
LikeLike
So much packed in!
LikeLike
It was all happening on the board this week!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Humor is tough to do well said and I enjoyed yours a lot !
Thanks for the smiles
LikeLike
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great fun. All hail the Prawns!
LikeLike
Yay, that’s exactly the kind of support the prawns need!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wait a second… is that a real machine gun? No blood was shed, I hope. Chess is certainly not worth dying for!
LikeLike
It is if you’re a prawn!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can see this also as a prawn knowing that he’s really a lobster.
LikeLike
And now he’s taking control, as lobsters do.
LikeLike
Such a delightful take on the prompt – except the murder part but that’s what happens when prawns are left to their own devices.
LikeLike
Give a prawn a machine gun, bloodshed, every single time…
LikeLike
Well that take certainly brings the game to life. Very amusing
LikeLike
Chess with a twist!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmmm, interesting chess set. Your dialogue was delightful, I’m not sure about the machine gun (haha) but a very creative tale indeed.
LikeLike
I was having trouble finishing the story off 🙂 I’m glad you liked it, machine gun notwithstanding!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was the most fun game of chess I have ever read.
LikeLike
It was pretty exciting, wasn’t it? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, Draliman, yup, it’s me again, I’ve nominated you for a Liebster Blog Award. You can join in, ignore, use the questions as a writing prompt, spin it however your genius chooses.
Here’s the link to the post: https://anupturnedsoul.wordpress.com/2018/11/07/the-liebster-award-2018-discover-new-blogs/
LikeLike
I don’t usually do awards things but since you gave me such a lovely write-up I feel moved to participate… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
See now this is why I don’t play chess. Just too boring.
LikeLike
Nothing ever seems to happen…
LikeLiked by 1 person