A Monochrome Opening

Chronology
‹ Two Faces	List of Chapters	The Bloodstained Knight ›

Chapter 1103
Information
Title:	A Monochrome Opening
Japanese title:	白黒(モノクロ)の序盤(オープニング) (Monokuro no Ōpuningu)
Original release:	November 30th, 2022
Shōnen Sunday issue:	#1/2023
Volume:	104
Pages:	16
Viz Media version
English title:	Black-and-White Opening
English release:	March 2nd, 2023 (Simulpub)

A Monochrome Opening (白黒(モノクロ)の序盤(オープニング) ,Monokuro no Ōpuningu) is the 1103rd chapter of the manga of Detective Conan. It was written by Gosho Aoyama, drawn by him and his assistants and first released in Shōnen Sunday #1/2023 on November 30, 2022 and was released as part of Volume 104 on October 18, 2023. It was released in English by Viz Manga on May 2, 2023 under the name Black-and-White Opening.

Characters

Introduced

Kurumi Shiroi
	31 years old Chess tournament participant

Kinji Ogawara
	37 years old Chess tournament participant

Naoto Kishitani
	Victim (arrow shot) 32 years old Chess tournament participant

Kunikazu Kisaki
	34 years old Chess tournament participant

Ryoichiro Saso
	Deceased Chess player

Featured

Characters
Conan Edogawa Ran Mouri Kogoro Mouri Ai Haibara Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya Ayumi Yoshida Genta Kojima Sumiko Kobayashi Rumi Wakasa Ninzaburo Shiratori Hyoue Kuroda Kanenori Wakita Rum (flashback) Kohji Haneda (flashback) Asaka (flashback) Amanda Hughes (flashback)

Settings

• Japan
  • Tokyo Metropolis
    • Beika Ward
      • Haido Town
        • West Topia
      • Beika Town
        • Mouri Detective Agency
• United States of America
  • New York City
    • Juke Hotel (flashback)

Plot

At the Mouri Detective Agency, Kanenori Wakita brings over three portions of sushi that Kogoro ordered after a profitable job. While Ran goes to buy tea leaves, Wakita notices that Conan is not there at all. Kogoro explains that Conan got a call from the other Detective Boys, telling them that they were going to accompany their teachers Sumiko Kobayashi and Rumi Wakasa to a tournament to support an acquaintance. As a result, Conan immediately rushed off to join them. Wakita inquires about details of the tournament; Kogoro says that it will be held in the West Topia building in the Haido district, and that "this western shogi" will be played there. Wakita understands what Kogoro means: a chess tournament. At this, Wakita thinks of a moment from the past when he stood in his true form as Rum in a black suit and with a monocle over his left eye in front of the corpse of Kohji Haneda.

Meanwhile, in West Topia, the acquaintance turns out to be inspector Ninzaburo Shiratori. Kobayashi gives her friend a key chain with a white knight as a good luck charm; she says he should wear the knight close to his heart and thus protect the queen. Annoyed, Conan and Haibara note that Kobayashi has no idea about chess, since of course the king must be protected. Ayumi wonders if the knight is strong; Mitsuhiko replies that in chess the knight can move diagonally like the knight in shogi, but in all directions. Genta then says that the knight must be the strongest piece, but Haibara explains that the queen is even stronger, since it can move freely horizontally, diagonally, and vertically; so the queen does not need to be protected in chess, it is the one that protects other pieces. Now Wakasa interferes in the conversation and wants to know how Haibara knows so much about chess, whether her parents might have taught her. Haibara replies that her parents died shortly after she was born; Wakasa asks if Haibara might have taught herself then, to which Conan quickly interjects that Haibara learned chess from Professor Agasa. With that, Wakasa is satisfied, and Conan says in his mind that he was right to come here immediately and not leave Haibara alone with Wakasa.

Meanwhile, a group of chess players having heard them talk about good luck charms, join Conan's group to talk about their own good luck charms. Tournament participant Kurumi Shiroi has a necklace with a white rook; participant Kinij Ogawara has a glass with a "K" for "king" printed on the bottom; participant Naoto Kishitani always places his knights on the chessboard so that they look at him, so that he becomes less nervous; participant Kunikazu Kisaki thinks lucky charms are silly and relies only on his wits. Superstition does not help, but actually harms, he says. This reminds Ogawara of a contestant from last year, Ryoichiro Saso, who had the song "Amazing Grace" as a lucky charm ringtone, which cost him the victory then. Shiroi does not want them to talk about the subject because of what happened to Saso after "the incident".

The participants all go to the tournament room. The first round is about to begin, and Shiratori is already sitting at his table. He has taken an extra day off for the tournament. Shiratori looks at the knight keychain and wants to show what he can do by winning the tournament. He puts the lucky charm in the inside pocket of his jacket as his opponent joins him at the table: superintendent Hyoue Kuroda. Outside the tournament room, Mitsuhiko, Genta and Ayumi are disappointed that spectators are not allowed inside. Haibara replies that the kids do not know anything about chess anyway, so watching will not do them any good. Conan goes on to explain that you are not allowed to talk or make noise during the games; if you do not turn off your cell phone, for example, you will be disqualified for breaking the rules. Just at this moment, a song can be heard from the tournament room: "Amazing Grace," as the participants note.

Half an hour later, Kuroda and Shiratori come join the group outside: Shiratori has lost handily. Kuroda says that his defeat is not a shame, because it was difficult to concentrate after the incident with the song. A cell phone was found on the window sill in the tournament room behind the curtain, and its ringtone was "Amazing Grace." Apparently someone who had nothing to do with the tournament left it there. Ayumi thinks it is a shame that Shiratori lost despite Kobayashi's good luck charm. By mentioning it, Shiratori notices that the lucky charm is no longer in his pocket. He wants to secretly go look for it and asks the rest of the group to wait for him in the lounge. Shiratori goes through the possibilities of where he might have lost it on the way from the tournament room to the rest of the group. He thinks he might have left it in the restroom when he had pulled out his handkerchief, in the stairwell when he pulled out his cell phone to tell family butler Isokichi Kamoi about his defeat, or at the vending machines when he had bought a can of coffee. Shiratori is unsure and runs through the aisles. Meanwhile, Kuroda introduces himself to Kobayashi, since he does not know her yet. Wakasa, on the other hand, he already knows, Kuroda says. Wakasa confirms this and recalls their encounter at the campsite. Kuroda replies that he believes he had met Wakasa before at another chess tournament. At the same time, a scene from Kuroda's memory can be seen in the background, as he, as a younger man, passes Amanda Hughes in a hotel corridor, who was accompanied by a Wakasa with sunglasses. Wakasa also remembers this, but says that Kuroda must be mistaken. Meanwhile, Kishitani is in the men's room reading an email on his cell phone, wondering who the sender is. As he does so, he finds Shiratori's lucky charm on the floor.

At the vending machines, Kisaki is buying a canned coffee when Shiroi and Ogawara join them; Shiroi won against Ogawara in the first round and she taunts the latter about it. Suddenly, a loud noise is heard, but the three contestants cannot locate the source. They walk away from the vending machines, not noticing that there is a crossbow bolt stuck in the wall next to the vending machines. In the lounge, Ogawara sits down at the table next to the table where Wakasa, Kobayashi, Kuroda, and the Detective Boys are sitting. Ogawara pours a drink into his glass and is about to drink from it when the glass in his hand suddenly explodes as a crossbow bolt slams into his duffel bag, hurling it to the floor. Alarmed, those present look toward the door, through the crack of which someone may have fired. Kuroda and Conan rush outside and give chase, but they see no one in the hallways; as they do, Conan notices that the cleaning sign by the men's room looks different from the one on the other floor. He goes into the restroom, followed closely by Kuroda. Blood can be seen under one of the stall doors; Kuroda and Conan open the door and find the body of Naoto Kishitani. A crossbow bolt has been shot into his heart, and two more bolts are stuck in his thighs. In the pool of blood on the floor lies a crossbow. Also on the floor next to the victim is an issue of the manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Yondē and Shiratori's knight keychain.

Continuity

Referencing

• Tip-Off (Manga: 987) : Flashback to Kohji Haneda's dead body. Kuroda also references his first meeting with Rumi Wakasa there at the campground.
• The Sharp-eyed Devil (Manga: Volume 104, files 04 (1106)) : The meeting of Kuroda with Wakasa and Amanda Hughes from 17 years ago is revealed there and this chapter shows a preview of the fated meeting.

Referenced in

• The Bloodstained Knight and Tears of Surrender (Manga: Volume 104, files 02-03 (1104-1105)) : Flashback to the scene of Kishitani's corpse and Ogawara's glass exploding notably. These chapters are direct follow-ups to this one and the truth in unveiled in chapter 1105.

Trivia

Front pages of #1-2023.

• The front pages of Shonen Sunday #1-2023 show Conan holding white chess rook and a black pawn, with Kanenori Wakita behind and Hyoue Kuroda and Rumi Wakasa in the back. On the top of the page can be seen Conan holding a bouquet.
• On the floor near Kishitani's body is a copy of the Shonen Sunday magazine. It is titled Shonen Yonday (ヨンデー, Yondē) instead of Sunday (サンデー, Sandē).
• The chess tournament takes place at West Topia (西トピア Nishi Topia), based on the real Hokutopia (北とぴあ, the "Hoku" means north and "Nishi" means west) building in the Kita Ward of Tokyo. The National Chess Tournaments take place each year at Hokutopia.

See also

• Manga
• Volume 101-110
• Detective Conan

References

1. Summary translated from the German version of September 30, 2023.