Across the Chessboard

Across the Chessboard

1Sabine set the chessboard on the kitchen table, covering the scratch where she usually rested her homework. Her older brother, Ellis, would leave for college in August. Before then, she wanted one victory that he could not explain away as practice. She placed the chess clock beside the board. Tonight would count.

2Ellis arrived carrying two glasses of water. “Want to talk through the moves?” he asked. Sabine shook her head and pressed the clock’s button. He sat opposite her without another word. Usually, he suggested moves when she hesitated. This time, the only sound between them was the tap of pieces against squares.

3For several turns, Sabine followed an opening she had studied. Then Ellis moved a knight somewhere her notes had not predicted. She reached toward her bishop, stopped, and looked at his face. He was studying the board. The clock continued spending seconds she could not get back.

4From the sink, their father asked whether anyone wanted the last orange. Sabine almost laughed. A few feet away, someone was deciding about fruit while her careful plan came apart. She lowered her hand into her lap. There was no audience waiting to announce whether she belonged at this table.

5Sabine traced the possible moves without touching a piece. Ellis lifted his hand, and she braced for a suggestion. Instead, he moved his water glass away from her elbow and waited. For the first time that evening, she studied the squares instead of his expression.

6She found a way to trade bishops and protect her queen. It was not the attack she had prepared, but it was hers. Several moves later, she overlooked a threat to her rook. Ellis took it. Sabine felt the familiar urge to sweep the pieces into their box, but she kept her hands flat and searched for a reply.

7Ellis eventually delivered checkmate. Sabine stared at her trapped king, then moved it aside so she could examine the surrounding squares. “Was the rook the mistake?” she asked. Ellis leaned forward. “The move before it, maybe. Show me what you were planning.” She turned the board so they could look from the same side.

8After they examined the position, Sabine reset the pieces. The clock remained beside the board, but she did not press it yet. “Another game?” she asked. Ellis pulled his chair back around. This time, she let the first move wait until she was ready.