The Knight Between Them

The Knight Between Them

1Saira set the chessboard on the low table, turning a chipped corner toward herself. Her older brother, Nikhil, sat across from her. Usually he played while answering messages or explaining what she should have done three moves earlier. Tonight she slid an empty bowl toward him. He looked at it, then put his phone inside.

2For several turns, Saira heard only the kitchen fan. She had practiced after school for weeks, but facing Nikhil made familiar patterns look strange. He leaned back while she studied the board. Then she noticed his knight. She could capture it with her bishop. The move seemed almost too generous.

3She reached toward her bishop, stopped, and folded her hands beneath the table. Last winter, Nikhil had quietly let her win a game. She had celebrated until she overheard him telling their cousin about his gift. The memory returned now, sharper than the chipped edge beneath her thumb.

4“Did you mean to leave that knight there?” she asked. Nikhil looked at the board. “Take your time,” he said. Saira could not tell whether he was offering advice or hiding an answer. She wished his face came with the little arrows that appeared in her practice puzzles.

5Instead of taking the knight, she traced the possible moves in her mind. Her bishop would leave a line open to her king. The knight was bait. “You saw it,” Nikhil said. Saira kept her hand above the board. “I wanted to know whether this was a real game.” He leaned forward. “It is.” For the first time that evening, he studied the position as long as she had.

6Saira moved a pawn to close the open line. Nikhil rubbed his forehead, then reached for his queen. She did not know whether she would win. The board had become more difficult, not less. Across the table, her brother's phone remained in its bowl. Saira pulled her chair closer.