Games was a Brief Encounter short story published in Doctor Who Magazine 192. It featured the Celestial Toymaker (referred to as "the Mandarin") and Fenric (referred to as "the Entity") playing four-dimensional chess.
Summary
Within a grey void, the Mandarin addresses an amorphous cloud of pure evil with the challenge of a game. The Entity becomes a shadowy copy of the Mandarin's form and asks what stakes they will play for. The Mandarin wishes to claim the Entity as his new toy, while the Entity wishes the Mandarin's body to be his forever so he can escape his prison. The Entity chooses the game four-dimensional chess. As it progresses, the Mandarin's position becomes poorer. Realising that he can't win, he changes his tactics, leading to a stalemate. The Entity demands another game, but the Mandarin tells them they are too evenly matched. As he departs the realm, the Mandarin thanks the Entity for an interesting game and for teaching him that winning isn't everything after all.
Plot
to be added
Characters
References
to be added
Notes
- The accompanying illustration by Warwick Gray might be intended to be Fenric, but it doesn't match the description of the Mandarin's face "duplicated in obsidian darkness."
- All of the Toymaker's speech is in quotes while Fenric's speech is in italics.
- No accent mark was used for Aboo-Fenrán.
Continuity
- The Sixth Doctor and Frobisher also played four-dimensional chess in (COMIC: War-Game)
External links
- Games at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
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