Hidden Message in Text-based Stratego Game

You've heard of people who have seen the face of Jesus in their maple syrup atop their morning pancakes. You've heard reports of people who have seen the face of Elvis on a smudged window of a local gas station. I have never had one of these Moments of Surreality and have doubted their existence. Until now. While playing an esteemed colleague in an e-mail version of Stratego, the Classic Game of Battlefield Strategy, I had such a moment.

At one point during the game, I noticed a striking message formed by the empty spaces on the board. It was very clearly telling me something, and I didn't have to look twice to see it. Yes, the board told me that I was fat. That is correct. How it knew, I have no idea. It still amazes me today. But there it was staring me in the face, screaming out loudly my worst fear: fat! Fat, it said.

Now when I excitedly remarked on this miracle to my colleague, he did not see it. He could not make out the word fat, although it is quite obvious. Now is this a case of me being The Chosen One and the only one who can see this miracle message, is my colleague just daft, or am I smoking the crack? I've set up this poll to get to the bottom of this.

Here's the board. You can see the word formed by the empty spaces, tilted upwards about thirty degrees: fAt. A lower-case 'f', a capital 'A', followed by a lower-case 't'. You may have to sit back a ways from your screen to see it.

      j   i   h   g   f   e   d   c   b   a     
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+     
  1 |\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/| 1  
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+   
  2 |\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/| 2
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
  3 |\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|\#/|   |\#/| 3                                 
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+                                   
  4 |   |   |   |\#/|\B/|\#/|\#/|   |   |   | 4                                 
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+                                   
  5 |   |\4/|%%%|%%%|   |/5\|%%%|%%%|\?/|   | 5                                 
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+                                   
  6 |   |   |%%%|%%%|   |/4\|%%%|%%%|   |\?/| 6                                 
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+                                   
  7 |/2\|   |/3\|/6\|   |   |   |/1\|   |/B\| 7                                 
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+                                   
  8 |/5\|   |/S\|/7\|   |/6\|/8\|/3\|/B\|/7\| 8                                 
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+    
  9 |/9\|/8\|   |/9\|/6\|/5\|/5\|/B\|/7\|/B\| 9  
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+    
 10 |/8\|/8\|/9\|/4\|/9\|/8\|/B\|/7\|/B\|/F\| 10 
    +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+   
      j   i   h   g   f   e   d   c   b   a