Is the Tsaritsa About to Fall? Analysis of Snezhnaya "Sudden Snow" Transcendence Trailer

Four years ago, "A Winter Night's Lazzo" opened with a chess game played by Pierro. Four years later, "Sudden Snow" concludes with a chess game played by the Tsaritsa. The board positions in these two games are now completely different, and the metaphorical implications have undergone a significant change.

The chess game played by Pierro recreates the famous match between world champion Garry Kasparov and IBM's supercomputer "Deep Blue" on February 10, 1996. The original result of that match was an AI victory. Given that the essence of the Heavenly Principles is very likely a super AI, this chess game should be seen as a representation of the Heavenly Principles' absolute suppression of Snezhnaya's resistance.

However, the minor change made to this chess game in the PV—swapping the positions of the king and queen—completely altered the direction of the entire game. The situation shifted from White (AI / Heavenly Principles) holding a dominant advantage to Black (humanity) gaining the upper hand. This symbolizes that Snezhnaya's battle against the Heavenly Principles is not necessarily hopeless, and that the possibility of victory has emerged.

The Tsaritsa's chess game also references a real match: the classic game between Alekhine (White) and Yates (Black) at the London BCF International Masters Tournament on August 12, 1922. (Interestingly, the Snezhnaya version is also set to officially launch on August 12.) In the actual game, White completed the famous "King marching" by directly threatening the black rook on F6 with the white king on E5, locking down the opponent and forcing Black to resign quickly.

However, the moves in the "Sudden Snow" PV differ significantly from history—to the point of being baffling. The Tsaritsa did not use the white king on E5 (the piece representing the Cryo Gnosis, symbolizing the Tsaritsa herself) to threaten the black rook on F6. Instead, she moved straight to capture the black pawn on F5. This move would directly result in the white king being checkmated by the black rook on F6 (which may symbolize the Ruler of Death confronting the Tsaritsa in the PV).

Let me explain a rule of chess: any move that results in or allows one's own king to be captured is a serious violation. The first offence results in a warning, and a second offence leads to an immediate forfeit. So here, the Tsaritsa is essentially deliberately throwing a game she was sure to win.

The Tsaritsa doing this is certainly not a sign of "conceding defeat." Consider Pierro's line in "A Winter Night's Lazzo": "In this war, not even a single pawn may be spared... Because on this chessboard, 'checkmate' is not where the game ends," along with that meaningful line in the PV:

If it's true that rules are curses... well then, there are only two options

Either we overthrow the rules... or... Hmm? Were you going to say, Follow them? Get used to them?

It's neither. We find a way to transcend the rules.

It is not difficult to understand that the Tsaritsa's resolve is to choose that "third path"—the path of "Transcendence"—even if it means sacrificing herself, just like the unwavering choice made by the Third Descender back then.

As for the reason for doing so, it may be that even defeating the Heavenly Principles cannot truly save the world; instead, the world would hasten its own destruction amid the rapid collapse of the old order. Therefore, checkmating directly is not an option. Alternatively, creating the illusion of an inevitable victory might itself be part of the Heavenly Principles' scheme—a "trap." If one wins the chess game by following the rules, it would actually play into the Heavenly Principles' hands and lead to one's own defeat. After all, both the "chessboard" and the "rules" are set by the Heavenly Principles.

This may be the subtle implication behind Rhinedottir's reminder to the Tsaritsa in the PV: "I do hope you truly understand the nature of the game you're playing."

Thus, what the Tsaritsa truly intends to do is to "transcend" the rules of the chessboard, rewrite its order, and force the game to continue. As for what happens next, we can also speculate based on the board position. If the white king on E5 (the Cryo Gnosis) leaves the board, the only remaining Gnosis on the chessboard would be the Geo Gnosis occupying the white rook on G7. In the game, this piece itself exerts critical pressure on the black king on H8 (symbolizing the Heavenly Principles).

Zhongli's depth of concealment has been a topic of discussion for a very long time. Everyone knew he was hiding something, but no one expected he could hide this much. Only now can we truly understand why Zhongli peacefully gave away his Gnosis through a "test" for Liyue back then—it turns out he had long been observing and deeply participating in this chess game that determines the future of the world.

Some of Zhongli's previous lines now take on entirely new meanings. For example, "the contract that ends all contracts" was apparently not just meant for Liyue but for the entire world. And then there's that passage from the Prithiva Topaz Gemstone:

It is worth mentioning that Mora is not only the currency circulating across the continent of Teyvat and a precious metal serving as the universal equivalent, but also a crucial "catalyst" of elemental power. In the game, the consumption of Mora for character ascension, weapon enhancement, artifact strengthening, and alchemical synthesis reflects this aspect at the gameplay level.

In Snezhnaya, Mora is referred to as "the cornerstone of the Tsaritsa's grand enterprise" and "fuel to pry the rules." When confronting an existence like the Heavenly Principles, Mora may not merely function as currency for worldly wealth—perhaps it has an even more extraordinary purpose.

As for the biggest foreshadowing of this chess game, it comes from the seemingly inconspicuous yet crucial pieces for achieving true victory on the board—the seven white pawns. Here, we need to explain an important rule in chess: "Promotion." When a pawn advances to the opponent's back rank, it can be promoted from the weakest piece to a powerful one, such as the queen, which has the most mobility and strength.

The symbolism of the seven white pawns is now clear: they represent the people of the seven nations of Teyvat. The key to winning the entire game is not the traditional checkmate of the opponent's king. Everything the Tsaritsa and Zhongli have planned and carried out is to pave the way for humanity to complete the final "Promotion." That is the true decisive move. This means that the seven nations will eventually unite, all of humanity will stand together, collectively transcending the bonds of the old order, facing threats and challenges as one, and ultimately reshaping the entire world to welcome a bright and free new future.

This outcome of "humanity's transcendence" and "returning the nation of gods to the nation of men" is also most consistent with the tone that Genshin Impact's story has maintained throughout its journey—namely, the celebration and liberation of human will, human value, and human potential. This long journey across the mortal world that we have witnessed is a sublime hymn of humanism.

That concludes our discussion of the chess game at the end of the PV. It can be said that this chess game serves as a grand preview of the conclusion to the Teyvat chapter. I am very much looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds in the future.