THE GATHOLIAN GAMBIT:
THE CLASSIC COMBINATION IN MANATORIAN JETAN
A Move by Move Analysis
Roy G. Krenkel ~
Thomas Yeates
The Sixth Runner-Up in the Seven Wonders of Barsoom
by
Woodrow Edgar Nichols, Jr.
INTRODUCTION
J. Allen St. John
The
Gatholian Gambit involves more than just the traditional first move known
as the Chief’s Gambit, indicating that the Chief is willing to engage in
combat, but – as will be made clear in a move by move analysis of the Gambit
as it is played in the match between Gahan of Gathol and U-Dor of the 8th
Utan of the Jeddak of Manator – it involves a combination of moves that
inevitably leads to the two Chief’s facing off in a contest to the death.
Manatorian Jetan is, of course, a game where squares are contested to the
death. The way the Chief’s Gambit’s was used in this match is the reason
it became known as the Gatholian Gambit. Not even the offering of the Princess
as a lure in concession can change the outcome, for if it did, it would
no longer be the Gatholian Gambit.
The fact that U-dor conceded the game by offering up his
Princess is hidden in the text, and only the chess-observant reader, following
the moves across the Jetan Board, understands how this came about by solving
the hidden chess problem. This problem will be solved for the reader in
the analysis below. This wonderful story works on multiple levels, which
is the norm for most of ERB’s stories. This is why he is the King of Pulp
Fiction.
There are ten moves in the match, Gahan v. U-Dor, and
each move is important because it shows the minds of the players as they
engage. U-Dor is a spoiled great chief among his people. He was the first
to capture Tara of Helium and has from the beginning toyed with the idea
of possessing her. He does not fully entertain the idea at first because
O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator, chooses what to do with all captives. U-Dor really
struggles with the idea after O-Tar condemns Tara to be the prize of a
Jetan game played by slaves and criminals, the ultimate disgrace of a woman.
The thought of her being defiled by slaves and criminals pushes him over
the edge: he volunteers to be the Orange Chief in the match, thus making
it more than an ordinary game. He
chooses his pieces among the Manatorian criminals from
the Pits. He knows they will fight fiercely for the chance at freedom,
no matter how dim. U-Dor’s arrogance keeps him from realizing the real
menace he is facing in Gahan of Gathol, the man who has gone through numerous
sufferings to have Tara of Helium for his own.
Gahan of Gathol, this time disguised as U-Kal of Manataj,
also volunteers as the Black Chief, and chooses his pieces among mainly
Gatholian slaves. He even finds a warrior from Helium, Val Dor, among them.
He pitches a story to them dealing with a Gatholian Princess defiled by
the Manatorians, arousing their national pride, but keeps the fact that
he is Jed of Gathol concealed from them.
BOARD AND PIECES
The Jetan set we will be using in this analysis was provided
by Rick Johnson, who
also took the pictures. He made the board using single wooden squares glued
together. He also painted the pieces, which were made by James
Killian Spratt. Mr. Johnson used extra female pieces in lieu of regular
Odwars – think of them as Amazon Odwars.
The black pieces – those of Gahan – take the south side
of the field and are placed from left to right in the back row as: Warrior,
Padwar, Dwar, Odwar, Chief (Gahan), Princess (Tara), Odwar (Val Dor), Dwar,
Padwar, Warrior; left to right in the front row: Thoat, Panthans (8 of
them), Thoat.
The Orange pieces – those of U-Dor – take the north side
of the field, and from the Orange perspective, are arranged from left to
right in the back row as: Warrior, Padwar, Dwar, Odwar, Princess (Lan-O),
Chief (U-Dor), Odwar, Dwar, Padwar, Warrior; back row, left to right: Thoat,
Panthans (8 of them), Thoat . The black chief is on a black square; the
orange Chief on an orange square; thus, the Chiefs and Princesses face
each other as in traditional chess.
We will describe the game from the south end of the board,
that is, from Gahan of Gathol's perspective, to avoid confusion. We are
told that the initial move is won by U-Dor, so orange will go first.
MOVE BY MOVE ANALYSIS
1. The First Move of the Game:
The orange Chief moves his Princess’s Odwar, on a black
square, three squares diagonally to his right – Gahan’s left – to his own
Odwar’s 4th square. His Princess is Lan-O of Gathol, and her Odwar moves
much like a bishop moves in traditional chess, diagonally on its own color,
except that in Jetan it can only move three squares in any direction, and
unlike the bishop, it can also move in a combination of directions as long
as it’s the same color. Also, unlike the bishop, it can jump over intervening
pieces, and in this case, it jumps over Lan-O’s Panthan, which is on a
black square, and then moves two more black squares in the same
direction, placing the piece also on Gahan’s Odwar’s
7th Square.
ILLUSTRATION OF THE FIRST MOVE OF THE GAME
Board from South Perspective
2. The Second Move of the Game:
Gahan gets to move next. He makes what would be forever
thereafter called the Gatholian Gambit: Gahan moves his Odwar’s Panthan
one square forward – from an orange square to a black square – to his Odwar’s
3rd square; or, U-Dor’s Odwar’s 8th square. This move opens up a left diagonal
avenue whereby Gahan can move out onto the field mounted on his thoat to
engage in combat, which was the original concept behind the Chief’s Gambit
before it achieved ultimate fame and form in Manator at the hands of Gahan
of Gathol. It is the specific intent of Gahan to win Tara of Helium by
killing the Orange Chief, even if it means killing every Orange piece in
the process.
ILLUSTRATION OF THE SECOND MOVE OF GAME
Board from South Perspective
3. The Third Move of the Game:
U-Dor does not give much consideration to Gahan’s opening
as he boldly sends Lan-O's Odwar three squares diagonally to the Princess’
Odwar’s 7th square; to wit, Tara’s Odwar’s 4th square, within three squares
– striking distance – of Tara of Helium’s square of the same color. Tara
can be taken by the orange Odwar in a combination move involving three
orange squares – jumping either the black Chief’s Panthan or the black
Princess’ Odwar’s Panthan.
We can imagine Tara flinching as the orange Odwar stares
presumptuously at the proud beauty. We know what is in the mind of the
Manatorian criminal playing the part of the Orange Odwar: the Princesses
go to the winners, so we know he wants to be the first to have his way
with the slave girl from Helium. We can imagine Tara at this moment glancing
up at Gahan as he sits astride his thoat, perhaps raising her eyebrows
in a query. Likely, she would be much more comfortable having her Odwar,
Val Dor, engage the orange Odwar, but Val Dor is on a black square and
cannot engage the orange Odwar. That leaves only Gahan’s Odwar to save
the day.
ILLUSTRATION OF THE THIRD MOVE OF THE GAME
Board from South Perspective
4. The Fourth Move of the Game:
This is a no-brainer move for Gahan of Gathol, for he
can only make one move that can save the game from an easy Orange sucker
win. He has to send his Odwar out to contest the square occupied by the
Orange Odwar. He carefully looks his Odwar over. The Gatholian slaves had
informed him that this was the right man for the post, and Gahan had relied
on their word up
to this point. Gahan stares into his eyes of his Odwar,
measuring him up. The Odwar stares back, assuring the Black Chief that
he is the man for the job: he will save the Princess of Helium. Without
further hesitation, Gahan moves his Odwar three squares diagonally to his
right, jumping over his Panthan, contesting the Orange Odwar’s square.
A battle royal follows as the Odwars contest the square to the death. In
the end, the unnamed Black Odwar is victorious, saving the Princess.
One can easily imagine Tara watching the combat, her breasts
heaving in anticipation. She must have felt queezy knowing that her life
and honor were in the hands of a Gatholian slave, rather than in the hands
of her own Odwar, Val Dor of Helium, whom she knew and trusted, as he had
fought for her from the Gardens of Issus to the great battle of Kadabra.
How she must have sighed in relief when the Gatholian slave proved victorious.
ILLUSTRATION ONE OF THE FOURTH MOVE OF THE GAME
Board from South Perspective – Pre-Combat
ILLUSTRATION TWO OF THE FOURTH MOVE OF THE GAME
Post-Combat
5. The Fifth Move of the Game.
The moves after this victory are described by ERB as
the certain as the so-and-so move after the first combat, and he does not
describe the move by move play until picking it up again after the fourth
move after the victory (thus, the eighth move of the game – which was Gahan’s
move to his Odwar's 7th square, or U-Dor’s Odwar's 4th square).
The three moves after the victory – the 5 , 6 , and 7
moves – are not specifically described and thus constitute ERB's chess
problem for the reader to solve if he or she wishes to fully understand
the situation of the story. Several clues are given to aid the reader in
solving the problem. The first clue is tricky: after Gahan moves to U-Dor’s
4th square, we learn that Lan-O's Panthan has been moved one square forward,
or to her own 3rd square, which is one square diagonally in front of Gahan.
Lan-O has also been moved prior to Gahan moving onto his own 7th square,
but for reasons discussed below, the Panthan must have been moved first.
Therefore, U-Dor moves Lan-O's Panthan one square forward
for his next move, the fifth of the game, and the first after the Black
victory. He is sending a clear message that he is a great chief in Manator
and is also willing to engage in combat to the death.
ILLUSTRATION OF THE FIFTH MOVE OF THE GAME
Board from South Perspective
6. The Sixth Move of the Game:
Gahan calls U-Dor’s bluff and charges out onto the Field
of Jetan. The second clue for Gahan’s next move is the easiest. For Gahan
of Gathol to have gotten as far as his own 7th square on the fourth move
after the victory, he must have first moved to his own 4th square in the
move before that. Thus in the sixth move of the game, the second after
the victory, Gahan moves one
square diagonally to his left, one diagonally to his
right, and one square forward, placing him on his own 4th square, U-Dor’s
7th square. Gahan has accepted U-Dor’s challenge and waits to have it out
with him to the death.
This the moment of decision for U-Dor and he is not prepared
for this sudden unexpected situation. If Tara really meant that much too
him, he would have gladly charged out onto the field to engage Gahan, playing
all out to win. However, his next move shows that his infatuation with
Tara was nothing more than a patrician whim for a beautiful girl – the
soup of the day – who would be his plaything for a few days before he then
gave her up to his men. For this disgrace to the Heliumite Princess, he
will pay dearly.
ILLUSTRATION OF THE SIXTH MOVE OF THE GAME
Board from South Perspective
7. The Seventh Move of the Game:
By this time U-Dor must have realized that the Black
King was coming after him personally, mano a mano. The afternoon folly
of the spoiled bored patrician has now taken on a whole new light. U-Dor
decides that his fantasy with Tara isn't going to happen, and boldly moves
Lan-O into a position where she can be taken by the other side without
any more blood being spilled. ERB tells us that he intended to lure Gahan
away from him.
We know that U-Dor had to have executed "the escape" for
Lan-O in this move, for she has moved too far for only one move. It was
impossible for her to have been moved four squares east of Gahan in two
moves, for U-Dor needed one move in order to move her Panthan one square
forward. Thus, U-Dor moves Lan-O to her Warrior’s 4th square, placing her
within striking distance of Gahan’s Odwar, for the seventh move of the
game, the third move after the victory.
The reader is free to see how many variations can be made
in "the escape" of the Princess: ten moves in any direction, jumping intervening
pieces, but never in the same square more that one time during the move
– ending up on her Warrior’s 4th square.
ILLUSTRATION OF THE SEVENTH MOVE OF THE GAME
Board from South Perspective
8. The Eighth Move of the Game:
This move is by now no surprise for we know that the
fourth move after the victory was Gahan's, and that he moved three squares
forward onto U-Dor's 4th square, with Lan-O's Panthan facing him one square
diagonally to his right. It is in the fact that Gahan makes this move at
all that insured his eternal fame in Manatorian Jetan. Even after U-Dor
has conceded the game to Gahan by offering Lan-O to his Odwar, just three
diagonal spaces away from Lan-O, Gahan boldly declines the concession,
and moves three squares forward. He intends to kill U-Dor and show the
Manatorians how their game of Jetan should be played.
ILLUSTRATION OF THE EIGHTH MOVE OF THE GAME
Board from South Perspective
9. The Ninth Move of the Game:
U-Dor is feeling true desperation at this point. He must
sense the blood lust in the face of the Black Chief as he sits astride
his thoat waiting for his next move. U-Dor takes one last chance and moves
Lan-O's doomed Panthan one square diagonally to the left, to the square
occupied by Gahan of Gathol. Gahan makes short work of him and is the victor.
ILLUSTRATION ONE OF THE NINTH MOVE OF THE GAME
Board from South Perspective – Pre-Combat
ILLUSTRATION TWO OF THE NINTH MOVE OF THE GAME
Post-Combat
10. The Tenth Move of the Game:
Gahan then makes the move that forever seals the fame
of the Gatholian Gambit: he attacks Val-Dor' square, moving one square
forward, one square diagonally to the right, and finally one square diagonally
to the left, entering U-Dor's space. An epic fight ensues: Gahan battles
U-Dor for hours, until right before the sun sets, he cleaves U-Dor's head
with his long sword to the chin and the match is over.
ILLUSTRATION ONE OF THE TENTH MOVE OF THE GAME
Board from South Perspective – Pre-Combat
ILLUSTRATION TWO OF THE TENTH MOVE OF THE GAME
Post-Combat
Click for full size
And there you have it,
ERB's Gatholian Gambit:
The Sixth Runner-up in the Seven Wonders of Barsoom!
