Inevitable

Huitzo sat down in front of the red pieces. "Coal before fire," he said.

His opponent gestured with an idle claw. "Blood before bile."

"Oh." Huitzo stared at the board. The twelve checkers were arrayed in neatly offset rows.

"They solved this game, you know," said the demon. "Checkers is a series of binary options, each decision leading to two further possibilities, until you reach the end and your only choice is to go back the way you came. Every one of those outcomes is completely mapped, now."

Huitzo pushed a piece forward.

"That's the wrong move," said the demon.