Who is Misha?

Misha is the ghost of the Diamond level and one of the toys in the Attic. You play chess against him on a screen. You can see right through Misha, because he is a ghost. He spots every simple threat you make. When you attack one of his pieces, it slips away to a safe square every time. But he only looks at one move at a time, so he cannot see moves that work together. You can learn to see them, and that is how you bust him.

Game or Battle?

You can play against Misha in two different ways:

• A Game has three helpers: a hint, an undo, and a reroll. The reroll makes Misha take his move back and try another one.
• A Battle has no helpers at all.
• Only a Battle counts for the sticker.

Practice moves that work together in a Game first, and then play a Battle.

Show him a combination

Misha dodges a single threat easily, but a chain of threats, one after another, is different. Chess players call such a chain a combination, and you can build one like this:

• Start with a move he must answer, like a check or a capture.
• Plan your second move before you play the first, and then plan the third.
• Give a piece away on purpose, if that opens the road to his king.
• Pick moves that leave him only one answer each time.

Make three moves in a row that he must answer, and the ghost has nowhere left to slip.

Play all the way

Misha never gives up and there is no clock, so the only way to win is checkmate. When you are winning, keep going, because Misha says yes to a draw when he is losing. A draw is not a win, so never offer him one.

How you get the sticker

Beat Misha in a Battle, and he gives you his mascot button. The button sits in his slot on your shelf in the Attic. The button proves you beat him. Show it to your grown-up or coach. They hand you the sticker for your passport. White or Black, both count. Did he slip away this time? Good game, and play him again as often as you like.