It’s been quite a few years since I read this story in sixth grade, so I don’t remember much, but any help would be greatly appreciated. I’m pretty sure that it was a 100 word story, and that its author was either Azimov of Heinlein or someone of the sort, but google has been no help.
In a nutshell, the story deals with (I think) a pair of aliens who are observing the Earth from orbit, and deciding if they’re going to destroy it or not. Towards the end, they do decide that the Earth is too warlike and has to go.
The last information through their “logic gate” or “language gate” was chess notation, something like “rook to a-7, takes king’s bishop”. But, IIRC, we only find that out in the last line and realize that chess was the reason Earth was obliterated.
Arthur C. Clarke is the author. It’s included in one of his story collections, which I don’t have on hand. My guess is Reach for Tomorrow, but I’m not positive. And no help on the story title, though I vaguely remember it being a fairly good pun.
Asimov. Dr. A was not at all happy when people misspelled his name. I got him to autograph a copy of Galaxy with the Martian Way as the cover story - and 20 years later he was still pissed at Horace Gold about getting his name wrong on the cover.
You’re lucky he was an atheist or he might come back to haunt you.
