The Land of Checkmate (v.2)

Once upon a time in the Land of Chess, there were two opposing townships – White and Black. The two townships albeit near, were as different as day and night; good and evil. The King and Queen of Township White were gracious, Godly and good. The King and Queen of Township Black however were malicious, Machiavellian and malignant.

Legend has it that a long time ago, the two townships were actually one united country. One of the princes decided that he was as good, if not better than the King and should be the one ruling. He staged a revolt that ended in his exile. Along with him, he persuaded many others to follow him and they formed Township Black. Throughout history, the two Townships have constantly been engaged in war. Travelers and passer-bys were the biggest victims, for they did not know the true character of Township Black and many were enticed by its colourful and broad-minded ways. Before they could save themselves, many were ensnared by vices with no means of escape. Conversely, the first perception many have of Township White is that their ways are too narrow and straight, with no allowance for anything fun. What they did not know is that the King of Township White was a merciful and loving King who constantly looked out for his people. Even those who were trapped in Township Black, if they but call on His name, he would send his army to rescue them.

Township Black was literally the mirror opposite of everything that existed in Township White. The White Rook was the friendliest and he and his fellow Rooks worked together and formed a formidable force to protect Township White. Township Black followed this tactic and created Black Rooks as well – seemingly to protect but mainly to harm. The White Knight was the leader in battle and had on him at all times the Armour of the King. While the Black Knight did not have such as armour, he had fiery darts of lies and deception. The White Bishop was the pastor of the local church and provided the essential spiritual food for the people. The Black Bishop however told false prophesies and heresies. Sadly, many were taken in by the lies and promises of the Black Bishop. In Township White, even the mere plebian White Pawn had an important role to play, for in battle, they played a part in helping to defend their township, square by square. In Township Black, the Black Pawns were treated like parasites and many could be seen scurrying in the shadows, doing the evil biddings of their evil King.

Despite the obvious and vast differences, many choose Township Black for that momentary pleasure and enjoyment. They live for the day without regard for the consequence of their actions. One day, Township White will launch an attack on Township Black, a battle so great, the day has been named the Armageddon. Until then, the good people of Township White know that they need to support each other, to fight that constant battle with Township Black. The King of Township White has promised that He will be with them always, even until the end of the world. And in that, they take comfort and look forward to the day they finish well and earn the right to say “Checkmate!”

The Land of Checkmate

i'm doing this mini write up that explains the purpose of the YF camp theme. i've always liked the idea of the camp to be like a journey or story, so i decided to design the camper like a story book. so this section would be the prologue. i did the first draft, and feedback was that the story should show that the townships of black and white should be fighting each other, rather than be amicable neighbours. so here is draft 1 and draft 2. (:

DRAFT 1

Once upon a time, in the Land of Chess, there were two townships – Black and White. In each township, there lived a King and His bride, the Queen. And they were happy.

There were many genteel and lady nobles living in the Land of Chess – Rook, Bishop, Knight and common townfolk who were known as Pawn. Rook was the friendliest, he and his fellow Rooks worked together and formed a formidable force. This was particularly useful when they had quibbles with the opposing townships or during the Festival of CheckMate. Bishop was the pastor of the local church and provided spiritual food for the township. Knight was the leader in battle and had on him at all times the Armour of the King. This included the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shoes of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit. Even the mere plebian Pawn had an important role to play, for in battle, they played a part in helping to defend their township, square by square.

Every year during the Festival of CheckMate, the good people of the Land of Chess role played an ancient battle that pitted the township of Black and the township and White against each other. The aim of the role play was for one township to capture the other township while maintaining security of their township. In order to win, the citizens of each township had to work closely together and support each other. Only then can that township successfully win.

Each citizen with their individual strengths played a part in ensuring that their King remained unscathed in this mock battle. The choices each piece made during the mock battle mirrored the choices they made everyday and was a reminder on the importance of looking out for each other in their journey through the Land of Chess, according to the plan the King had for each and every one of them.