# The Chessmen of Mars — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

- [Prelude](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/prelude.md): John Carter visits Earth, appearing in his Martian attire, and recounts his ability to transport objects between worlds. He mentions his daughter Tara of Helium and the Martian game of Jetan, setting the stage for her st
- [The Chessmen of Mars](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/the-chessmen-of-mars.md): Tara of Helium, flying her flier, is caught in a violent storm and carried far from Helium. She crashes in a strange and desolate region, where she is captured by the Kaldanes, a race of beings who have evolved into dise
- [Tara in a Tantrum](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/i-tara-in-a-tantrum.md): Tara of Helium prepares for a midday function at her father's palace, bathes, and dresses. She joins the guests in the garden, where she is introduced to Gahan, Jed of Gathol. She observes Djor Kantos in deep conversatio
- [At the Gale's Mercy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/ii-at-the-gale-s-mercy.md): Tara of Helium, angered and humiliated by Gahan of Gathol's presumption and Djor Kantos's failure to seek her, defies her father's wishes and flies alone into a violent storm. The tempest carries her far from Helium, pas
- [The Headless Humans](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/iii-the-headless-humans.md): Tara of Helium is caught in a devastating storm that wreaks havoc on Lesser Helium. Her flier, the Vanator, is blown far off course, and after the storm abates, she finds herself in a strange valley with dome-capped towe
- [Captured](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/iv-captured.md): Tara of Helium is captured by the Kaldanes after attempting to escape through the fields. She witnesses the horrifying transfer of heads between bodies and is taken to Luud's tower, where she is imprisoned.
- [V: The Perfect Brain](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/v-the-perfect-brain.md): Tara of Helium is taken deeper into the lair of the kaldanes, where she witnesses the horrifying sight of heads feeding on a human body. She learns from her captor Ghek that the kaldanes are detached brains that control 
- [VI: In the Toils of Horror](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/vi-in-the-toils-of-horror.md): Tara of Helium is held captive by the Kaldanes, learning from Ghek the origin of the rykors and the Kaldanes' parasitic evolution. She grows weak from lack of sun and air, and is moved to a tower where she plots escape. 
- [A Repellent Sight](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/vii-a-repellent-sight.md): Gahan of Gathol discovers Tara of Helium's disabled flier and deduces she is a prisoner in the nearby tower. He devises a plan to rescue her, towing the flier toward the tower. He is attacked by a herd of banths but esca
- [Close Work](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/viii-close-work.md): Tara of Helium, Gahan (disguised as Turan the panthan), and Ghek the kaldane attempt to escape from the clutches of Luud and the kaldanes of Bantoom. Gahan fights off pursuers while Tara and Ghek flee toward a flier. Ghe
- [IX: Adrift Over Strange Regions](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/ix-adrift-over-strange-regions.md): Tara, Gahan (as Turan), and Ghek escape Bantoom in a flier, drifting over a barren wasteland for days without food or water. They spot a strange city and hide nearby, observing its warriors and deciding their next move.
- [X: Entrapped](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/x-entrapped.md): Tara of Helium and Ghek are captured by U-Dor and his warriors and taken to the city of Manator. Meanwhile, Turan the panthan attempts to enter the city to find food and water, but is tricked and imprisoned in a subterra
- [XI: The Choice of Tara](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xi-the-choice-of-tara.md): Tara of Helium is taken into Manator, where she witnesses the silent, ritualistic watchers on balconies and learns of the city's slave trade from Gathol. She is brought before O-Tar, the jeddak, who offers to honor her, 
- [XII: Ghek Plays Pranks](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xii-ghek-plays-pranks.md): Ghek, imprisoned in the pits beneath Manator, uses his kaldane abilities to survive and explore. After being chained, he feigns helplessness, then retrieves the key to his fetter and hides it in a burrow. He later explor
- [XIII: A Desperate Deed](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xiii-a-desperate-deed.md): Tara of Helium kills E-Med when he attempts to assault her, then she and Lan-O hide the body. The chapter also reveals the brutal rules of Manator's living Jetan game, where prisoners fight to the death as pieces, and di
- [XIV: At Ghek's Command](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xiv-at-ghek-s-command.md): Turan, chained in a cell, learns from fellow prisoner A-Kor that Tara of Helium is held in the Towers of Jetan as a prize for the next games. A-Kor reveals he is the son of O-Tar and the Gatholian princess Haja, making h
- [XV: The Old Man of the Pits](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xv-the-old-man-of-the-pits.md): Turan carries Tara into the pits of O-Tar to escape capture, while Ghek uses his hypnotic power to spare O-Tar's life. O-Tar, shaken, orders them to win freedom in the Jetan games. In the pits, Turan confesses his love f
- [Another Change of Name](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xvi-another-change-of-name.md): Turan, under the alias U-Kal from Manataj, enlists in the Jetan games to win Tara of Helium. With help from A-Kor and Ghek, he secures funding and selects a team of slaves, including Val Dor of Helium and Floran of Gatho
- [A Play to the Death](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xvii-a-play-to-the-death.md): The great Jetan game begins with U-Dor and Gahan as opposing chiefs. Tara is the Black Princess, and Gahan, disguised as the Black Chief, leads a team of Helium loyalists against Manatorian players. The game is fought to
- [XVIII: A Task for Loyalty](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xviii-a-task-for-loyalty.md): Tara and Gahan share a moment of emotional vulnerability as Tara acknowledges her gratitude and loyalty to Turan (Gahan in disguise), while reaffirming her betrothal to Djor Kantos. Gahan reveals his love for her, but sh
- [XIX: The Menace of the Dead](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xix-the-menace-of-the-dead.md): I-Gos reports to O-Tar that he has tracked Tara and Turan to the chambers of O-Mai the Cruel. O-Tar sends three reluctant chiefs to capture them, but they return terrified by ghostly phenomena. Meanwhile, Tara and Turan 
- [XX: The Charge of Cowardice](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xx-the-charge-of-cowardice.md): Gahan searches for Tara after she mysteriously vanishes from the chamber of O-Mai, descending into dark pits and corridors. Meanwhile, O-Tar faces unrest among his chiefs, who accuse him of cowardice for not entering the
- [A Risk for Love](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xxi-a-risk-for-love.md): Gahan risks his life to scale the tower where Tara is imprisoned, determined to speak with her and give her hope. He encounters I-Gos, who reveals his change of heart and offers friendship. After a tense confrontation wi
- [At the Moment of Marriage](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/xxii-at-the-moment-of-marriage.md): As Tara of Helium is about to be forced into marriage with O-Tar, Turan (secretly Gahan of Gathol) reveals himself as the disguised groom. I-Gos exposes O-Tar's cowardice, leading to O-Tar's suicide. John Carter arrives 
- [Jetan, or Martian Chess](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/jetan-or-martian-chess.md): This chapter provides the complete rules of Jetan, the Martian chess-like game, as dictated by John Carter. It describes the board, the pieces with their moves and values, the objective, and the gambling customs associat
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_chessmen_of_mars_se/chapters/endnotes.md): The endnotes provide clarifications on terminology, measurements, and cultural references used in the narrative, including explanations of Bantoomian leadership titles, the freelance warrior term 'panthan', Martian dista

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