8

The final door creaks open, revealing the Temporal Research Lab. Dusty consoles hum weakly, their screens alive with warped images – elves building toys, ancient schematics, and fragments of chess matches flickering like half-remembered dreams.

David moves to the central terminal, his face grim. "This isn’t random. The singularity’s interference is unraveling our perception of time."

Magnus narrows his eyes at an image of Capablanca, frozen mid-move. "So... we’re seeing the past?"

David shakes his head. "Not just the past. Linear time is just how we experience it – moment by moment. In reality, everything – past, present, and future – exists at once, like points on a curve. What we’re seeing is that curve collapsing in on itself, fragments bleeding into the now."

Wesley glances at a faint projection of a decorated tree. "What happens if we can’t fix this?"

David hesitates, then replies. "It’s not just this Christmas that’s at risk. If the curve collapses entirely, every Christmas, past and future, could vanish. Every gift... gone."

The room falls silent until a distant sound breaks through – a low, rhythmic hum coming from a sealed chamber at the back of the lab.

Wesley stiffens. "What’s that?"

David frowns. "No one's supposed to be in there, but that's... the Cryostasis Chamber."

Starting from the initial position, construct a game where White checkmates on the 6th move by playing a move that is both a discovered mate and an en passant capture. Please go to the Lichess analysis board, carry out the moves, and copy the PGN under the board. Make sure there are no alternative variants in the PGN before you copy (no parentheses). If you're confused about anything, join our Discord server.