I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 76

Like any other country in Europe, French nobles naturally enjoyed playing chess.

Perhaps because it was a game modeled after war, being good at chess was seen as a sign of being an excellent strategist, and masters were often treated with considerable respect.

Of course, being an excellent strategist didn’t necessarily mean you were good at chess.

For example, Napoleon, renowned as France’s greatest strategist, was at best an average chess player.

It’s said he won quite a bit after becoming emperor, but everyone knows why that was.

“Your Highness, it seems you are also well-versed in chess.”

The Duke of Chartres, whose queen was in check, lamented as he laid down his king.

I thought he was quite confident when he suggested a game of chess, and after playing, I could see why he felt that way.

However, I had also been constantly playing chess with Professor Lee Yong-wook since my past life.

Professor Lee Yong-wook was an incredibly skilled player, close to the FIDE [International Chess Federation] master level among experts.

I was decent myself, but compared to the professor, I was no match, so I had to study immensely.

Of course, simply studying wasn’t enough to catch up to that level, so I even installed a deep learning AI and put in painstaking research.

Suddenly, I was writing papers and playing chess, which nearly killed me, but thanks to that, my chess skills in the later part of my doctoral program reached a high level.

I wasn’t on par with the professor, but I could easily beat the nobles of the 18th century.

Of course, even in this era, if I faced a world-class master, their basic calculation skills would be superior to mine, making it difficult to win normally.

However, no matter how excellent their calculation skills, chess in this era is far too outdated compared to modern chess.

With the latest research from AI, I could create a significant win rate difference from the basic opening stage.

By the middlegame, the outcome was almost decided, and the endgame became truly ‘hopeless’ for the opponent.

If it were the 19th century, with monsters like Paul Morphy, it would be impossible, but in this era, even the world’s top players are within reach.

I was confident that I could win even against Philidor, the best chess master in France, in a single game, if not in a series.

So, naturally, with the Duke of Chartres’ skill level, I would win every single time, no matter how many games we played.

Because I was adjusting my play appropriately, he kept requesting rematches, but each time, he only tasted defeat by a larger margin.

The nobles watching the game from around seemed to gradually realize the immense difference in skill between the two of us.

“…Indeed. It seems His Highness is dominating from the beginning.”

“He’s playing in a completely new way. I wondered what it was, but it seems like a much more efficient move. It’s amazing.”

“Haha… I should also learn a thing or two from His Highness.”

The spectators were impressed, but the Duke of Chartres himself looked displeased.

Tak-!

“If you move the bishop here…”

“Then it’s a loss. You need to read the moves more deeply to beat me.”

The Duke of Chartres, realizing that he was in another hopeless situation five moves later, let out a frustrated sigh.

“Duke, you’ve played enough. Please yield the next game. We also want to play with His Highness.”

“I think it’s been about five consecutive losses…”

“You seem to be using the queen too defensively. Wouldn’t it be better to be more aggressive?”

Since he was being unilaterally beaten, even unsolicited advice started to appear.

In fact, I could have adjusted my play at this point, but I gleefully continued to crush Chartres even more.

And as cruelly and satisfyingly as possible.

When Chartres deliberately played defensively, there was even a game where I captured all his pieces except the king.

If I were a subordinate, I might have been hit on the head with a curse like, ‘You play chess like crap!’

“I guess I’ll have to play with a rook or bishop removed from now on. If we keep playing like this, it won’t be fun for the Duke either…”

“…You… play well.”

“Thank you. If you work harder, Duke, you have the potential to become quite skilled.”

The Duke of Chartres chuckled and looked down at the chessboard.

Again, almost all of his pieces had already disappeared from the board.

Instead, all he had captured were a few pawns.

In this state, subtly praising him would feel worse than directly saying, ‘You’re terrible.’

Thus, when I put his king in check again.

“I should get up soon since I have other schedules. It’s a bit rude to keep having such one-sided matches.”

“…Excuse me, may I ask what kind of schedules you have?”

“I’ve decided to have important discussions with people from various regions while watching a game. You’re welcome to come along. Would you like to join me?”

As expected, Chartres immediately nodded and stood up.

He probably wants to just leave, but he can’t because he received orders to stay by my side.

I can roughly guess the reason, but I didn’t show it because I found the situation amusing.

After all, what I’m about to show is beyond the realm of what the Duke of Chartres or the Duke of Orléans can interfere with.

I promised the other nobles that I would teach them chess later and left the palace.

※※※

The place we arrived at by carriage was an inn located near a large open space.

The area around the spacious field was already packed with people, with barely any room to step.

The Duke of Chartres, experiencing this atmosphere for the first time, looked around with a bewildered expression.

“Is this the place where Your Highness holds meetings?”

Most of the people filling the surroundings were commoners, not even wealthy bourgeois [middle class].

Of course, there were some bourgeois dressed in luxurious clothes in the area with the best view of the field, but most were ordinary citizens.

This guy probably thought I was going to have some secret meeting with nobles or bourgeois intellectuals and followed me.

Unfortunately, what I’m about to do has nothing to do with such political matters.

“It seems the Duke of Chartres hasn’t been here before.”

“Yes. It seems something is held here regularly. Is there an event?”

“It’s not an event, it’s a game.”

“Come to think of it, you said you were going to have discussions while watching a game earlier…”

The question of what kind of game would be played in such a place was written all over his face.

Why hide it?

I told him the truth as it was.

“It’s football. The football clubs of the Paris schools regularly have matches here. Today is the semi-final. It’s the moment to decide which school will advance to the final, so there are bound to be many spectators.”

“…Football? Does Your Highness also enjoy football?”

“If I were to divide it into liking or disliking, I would be closer to the former.”

There are several theories about the history and development of football, but what is certain is that the common people of Europe have enjoyed football since the Middle Ages.

In its early days, football was actually closer to a brawl, but it gradually took shape, and after the 16th century, it took on a more sports-like appearance.

In England, there were records of the king ordering custom-made football shoes and playing the game directly in the royal court.

Of course, even so, the nobles enjoyed more refined games, and football was regarded as entertainment for the ruled class.

France was no exception.

Most of the nobles would react similarly to the Duke of Chartres when it came to football.

However, I couldn’t help but pay attention to the popularity of this sport, which was deeply rooted in the current common people.

Even a rough investigation easily revealed how much the citizens loved football.

The immense love of Europeans for football was not much different in this era.

The Football Association, which completed the form of modern football, would be founded in England 90 years from now.

In other words, this period meant that the foundation for modern football to emerge was almost complete.

Already in Paris, there were movements to form teams similar to early clubs, centered around schools.

If I put in a little effort, it would be entirely possible for the history books to record France, not England, as the origin of football.

“Then, the people Your Highness has decided to meet today are perhaps…”

“That’s right. They are the heads of the football clubs representing various regions of France. A historic agreement will be made here today.”

Just in time, the game started, and the cheers of the spectators echoed around.

The Duke of Chartres watched the game with a dumbfounded expression.

The best thing about football is that even if you don’t know any of the rules, you can easily tell which side is more advantageous and better.

Football in this era still had different and arbitrary rules depending on the region, but the characteristic of being intuitive remained unchanged.

“Haha… To move and fight so fiercely. There are no restrained movements like in fencing, no fierce mental battles like in chess, just a jumble.”

“That’s what’s good about it.”

As I sat down in a place overlooking the field, a group of people approached.

“Your Highness! To actually come like this… Thank you.”

“Finally, football is becoming a game recognized by the royal family. It’s a truly touching day.”

The representatives of each region knelt down and repeatedly bowed their heads.

They were so excited that their voices trembled with emotion.

“You may not know, but there are few people in France as knowledgeable about football as I am. Today will be a day that marks a milestone in football history, so I hope you will all do your best to lend your wisdom.”

“Of course!”

“As expected of Your Highness. You are always so involved with the lives of the people, going beyond just being interested…”

As dozens of representatives from each region took turns expressing admiration close to praise, the surroundings quickly became noisy.

“Ahem! Everyone. Let’s calm down for now.”

Lavoisier, who had followed as a secretary, cleared his throat to bring attention back and asked me.

“There must be a good reason why you have gathered people from so many different regions. Wouldn’t it be better to inform them of Your Highness’s plan first?”

“Good point. Well then, shall we get straight to the point? I want football, which our people love, to become more popular. And I want the world to acknowledge that France is the center of European football.”

“Oh… Such a grand plan…”

“However, the reality is that the rules of football are different in each region, as is the case in all countries. You all love football, but the biggest problem is that the football you love varies so much. If an action is a foul here but not there, and what is allowed here is prohibited there, it will only end up being something you enjoy among yourselves.”

Most people nodded as if they agreed.

The reason why chess can have international competitions is that there are rules that are commonly recognized by each country.

If the queen moves diagonally in England but can only move straight in France, would a match be possible?

“For football to become popular nationwide and a sport that everyone can enjoy, we first need to unify the clear rules. Based on that, I plan to create a systematic framework and form an organization to oversee the competitions.”

“…It’s good to have a system, but wouldn’t people be resistant if there are too many strict rules?”

“No. On the contrary, they will be wildly enthusiastic. It’s just a game they enjoy only in their own region now, but what if there are nationally unified standards and the game starts according to those standards? Phenomena that are unimaginable now will unfold.”

If I, a member of the royal family, directly intervene and lead the integration, we will be able to achieve results surprisingly quickly.

Glancing over, the Duke of Chartres seemed to be losing interest as he observed the series of events.

When our eyes met, he muttered in a voice that even showed a hint of disdain.

“You seem very relaxed. To put so much effort into a hobby.”

“Ah, yes. A hobby.”

In the end, this is probably the limit of perception that the current nobles can imagine.

What do you know? How huge this value is, how much the whole world will go crazy and be enthusiastic about this later.

There was no reason to tell them, so I smiled and gave a suitable response.

By the way, a hobby… Well, strictly speaking, it’s not wrong to see it that way.

The establishment of the Football Association was actually a plan with political purposes above all else, but these schemes were the best entertainment for me.