Who is Morten?

Morten is the sly elf of the Ninja level, one of the toys who live in the Attic. You play chess against him on a screen. He builds pawn mazes with walls and dead ends, and he is a little too proud of them. His rooks and bishops shoot far across the board. But every maze he builds has a door. Morten forgot about that door, and you can find it.

Look all the way across

On an empty board, a rook reaches 14 squares from any square. A bishop can reach up to 13 squares. So before every move, do one thing: look all the way across the board. If one of his pieces is aiming at the square you want, pick another square.

Find the door

Every pawn move is forever, and that rule is Morten's weak spot. Look closely at his pawns:

• Each pawn he pushed forward left a hole behind it.
• No pawn can come back to fill the hole, so it stays open all game.
• Find a square his pawns can no longer reach, and put a knight there.
• Or walk one of your pawns through the gap while he is busy with his plan.

Once you get one piece through his wall, his maze stops helping him.

Play on until checkmate

Morten never gives up and there is no clock, so checkmate is the only way to win. If you are far ahead, keep going all the way to the end. Do not offer him a draw, because he says yes when he is losing. A draw is not a win. Lost in his maze this time? That was a good game, and you can start a rematch right away.

How you get the sticker

A Game has three helpers: a hint, an undo, and a reroll. The reroll makes Morten take his move back and try a different one. A Battle has no helpers at all. Only a Battle counts for the sticker. So practice finding his door in a Game first, before you start a Battle. When you checkmate Morten in a Battle, he gives you his mascot button. The button goes 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.