فصل 30

CHAPTER 30

Miserable King

Two days later, a lady named Miss Kessler pulls me out of class early in the day to give me some tests. Mr. Daniels is right. They are more like puzzles and games than those awful bubble tests we do, where I just fill in circles without even reading the questions. She’s really nice, like Mr. Daniels.

After school, Mr. Daniels is setting up a chessboard and pieces at the reading table.

I walk over and he looks up. So, did your mom tell you that I called?

Yeah. She didn’t say much, though. She usually has a lot to say about everything.

He laughs. Moms usually do. He motions toward the chair. Have a seat.

I pull out the chair, wondering what this is all about.

Okay, he says, loosening his tie like we are going to do some serious work. Chess is a game about planning. It isn’t like other games where you just capture the powerful piece. He points to a piece with a cross on top. This is the king. The object of the game is to trap your opponent’s king, but not actually capture it. When you put your piece in a place where it could take the other king, it’s called ‘check.’ When you give the other king absolutely nowhere to go, it’s called ‘checkmate.’ And that’s how you win.

Normally, I would be nervous and my mind would go blank, but he just has this relaxing way. His voice makes me calm. Maybe because I know he will never say anything mean. Call me lazy or dumb. And I know he wouldn’t think it, either.

Got that so far?

I nod.

So, then. Are you going to capture my king?

I hesitate. Did I mess up already? Didn’t you say that you don’t capture it? That you just make it miserable?

He laughs. Yes, I did say that. Good, Ally. Good listening.

So he goes through the rest of the pieces. The queen is the most powerful and can travel in a straight line in any direction. There are eight pawns that, when you band them together, can be strong. Most players take them for granted, though. He tells me that’s a mistake.

The rooks look like castles and travel in forward, backward and side-to-side lines across the whole board. The bishops travel diagonally in straight lines, and the knights can jump in an L shape. The king can only move one spot in any direction. It stinks to be the one with the target on your back and be the one who can’t go anywhere.

He has made up a sheet with pictures of the pieces and arrows to show how they move. He says it is in case I need a reminder. I turn it over, looking him square in the eye, and say, I don’t need that.

He smiles a little but never takes his eyes off of me as he reaches down and moves one of his pawns. Good, then.

When I start to make some dumb moves, he asks, Are you sure you want to do that?

The first game ends fast, but on the second game, I capture his queen. The most powerful piece on the board. I stand up so fast, my knees push my chair back and it falls over. I want to ask if he let me do that, but I’m afraid of his answer.

He holds up his hand to high-five me. Well done.

And it is so weird. I don’t have trouble with this game. I like it. I like planning what I will do to trap his pieces. He shows me how you can work it so you put your piece in a place where it can choose between taking two different pieces then your opponent has to choose which one to let go. That’s called a fork. I love the look on his face when I manage one of those and take his bishop. Like it hurts a little, but he likes it, too.

The longer we play, the better I can see it in my head. I can see what the board will look like a couple of moves from now. I learn to predict what he might do.

I see a mind movie where chess pieces come to life. They can travel around on the board all day by themselves and they are happy that they don’t have to just stand there and wait for somebody to pick them up and move them. I know how relieved they are, being able to do something for themselves.