Wasn't there a chess game last year called fivebyfivia delenda est? Oh wait, never mind, that was you.
Yes, thanks for remembering! The middle game, I submitted to IFComp. It was called Fourbyfourian Quarryin'. I'm pleased to have combined two things I enjoyed very much, but I just think any serious complexity in a chess game/text adventure would be take too much energy. It's hard enough to determine legal moves, but tying it into any sort of narrative puts too much in a pile at once!