Chess

First appeared in Enheduanna: A Pagan Literary Journal, Volume 7, pp. 52-57. Pagan Society Press, 2022

             No student or teacher could beat Edwin at the game of Chess. His pride was something of a nuisance, as he always boasted of his great skill. A flyer appeared one day on the bill board near the cafeteria announcing the next round of competitions for the school tournament
        Special guest, Grand Master Clark Lucero to compete with tournament campion
Winner to receive Chess scholarship
       Ha, piece of cake like all the rest. Why do I even still go? he said to himself. He quickly read through the usual time, date, but noticed this one mentioned the Grand Master.        This spun his mind. I’ve always wanted to play the Grand Master! Now that’s a challenge I’ve been looking for.
       The smugness dripped off Edwin as he went home and studied all his chess strategy books. He watched the videos of the grand master online to get ahead of him, thinking he could beat the GM in just a few moves. The video showed the GM using the traditional Queen’s Gambit opening often, and when challenged with it, declining to take the offer. Hm, I’ll need to think of some of the more obscure openings that the GM may have forgot. I know if I can surprise him, I’ll get the upper hand!
       On the day of the tournament he strutted into the cafeteria. “There he is. Back again like he’s king.” Whispered one boy to another. A hush fell over the rest of the students--a scowl on a few. His own 8th grade hated him.
        He made his way through the ranks, easily smashing his opponents. He looked around to see if anyone was watching his progress, but everyone was too involved in their own games to look up. At one point, Edwin spotted the GM walking around, talking to students, and taking notes on which students might be able to study under him privately.
        At 11pm the tournament ended and the winners were announced: 1st place: Edwin Bishop. 2nd Place: Peter Knight. 3rd Place: Sarah King.
        I won! He swayed, proudly gliding to the stage to collect his latest trophy.
     An announcement came on, “Due to circumstances, the final match has been moved to 11:05 pm instead of tomorrow. It will be a speed match.” Edwin looked at his watch. 11:04. It is now! He rushed to the table with the GM and sat down, panting.
       “Hello Edwin”.
       “Hel..lo” Edwin gasped.
       “You ready to begin our match?”
       Edwin nodded and the game began. The GM set a quick pace, using his timer more quickly than Edwin. Barely keeping time, the GM laughed as he eliminated one piece of Edwin’s after another.
       “What’s the matter, can’t keep up?”
       “No, uh, I’m just not used to playing so quickly. I can do it,” he said concertedly.
The GM increased the speed to almost impossible thinking. Edwin started to fumble and cried out, “Stop! Stop, this is crazy. This isn’t a game.” The referee came over and stopped both clocks. 
       “Ok, ok, we can slow down, but you lessen your prize. You will no longer win the trophy. Is that acceptable?” inquired the GM with a condescending smile.
       “What!” Yelled Edwin. “How is that fair? You started the game so quickly that I couldn’t keep up. I didn’t get a chance to rest after today and then you’re hitting the clock so fast that I’m losing points just by thinking.”
      “Like I said. You can lose the scholarship and we can slow down. Or we can continue at the same speed.”
       Edwin let out a snort and screwed his face up, sitting back in the chair. I thought I could prove myself better. He isn’t trying to win—to make a fool of me!
       An idea hit him. I know, I can slap his timer end and make it look a mistake, that’ll show him.
       Edwin spoke up. “Let’s continue at the same speed. I can do it, Sir.” The referee set the timer clocks back down and the GM hit the clock. A few moves later, Edwin sprung his plan. As he was slamming his hand down on the GM side, an impossibly fast hand grabbed his wrist. It was the GMs. “What are you doing?”
       “I, ugh, was hitting my timer.”
      “No, you weren’t, you are clearly on my side. Are you trying to cheat and nullify the game, Edwin?”
        He gulped. “No, sir. I, ugh, wasn’t trying to do that. It must have been a mistake.” The betrayal on his face became evident.
       “Ah, you thought you could get away with it, like you had so many others,” said the GM with a cold, glaring stare.”
        Edwin jumped up angrily. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I play fair and square. Never CHEAT,” he screamed.
        The GM stood up and signaled the referee to switch out the mat for an old, dark, stone chess board. Edwin looked at the pieces of red jasper. Each had a unique face of a person, with a look of guilt, shame, and confusion--almost too real. Edwin shivered and looked up. The GM sat down again
        “I have a special board for students like you who cheat. Come, we will play a slow game so you can recover your mental power.”
        Edwin nervously nodded and moved the first pawn to start the Queen’s gambit. The GM moved his pawn in return, this time accepting the gambit. Edwin was surprised by this and commented, “I didn’t expect you to accept it.”
“Surprises, like gifts, are best when unexpected.”
            Edwin gave shrug and stared at the board, which glimmered in the harsh cafeteria light.
        “You can give me a gift Edwin. Tell me the truth of your methods when you’ve cheated you peers in games.”
        “I…” Edwin had started to lie but felt compelled--almost happily--to tell the truth, “usually think of a way to disqualify them from a move.”
        “Really” said the GM, examining the board. “Please, continue”
        Edwin had a confused look on his face, but felt he wanted to talk even more than before. “I would swap out pieces when they weren’t looking and claim they weren’t actually on the board. This was easy to do with newbies and early in the games. Too obvious for more advanced players.”
        “Ah ha. So, a bonified cheat. Tell me, why did you do these things? You could have easily beaten those other students I think.”
        Edwin felt so strange, it was becoming hard to move the chess pieces on the board. He was down a few, just to the knights, bishops, queen and king. He thought his mind was playing tricks on him as his skin appeared redder than before. Looking down at the board he continued. “I…I wanted to be special. I wanted to have something to brag about. I don’t do sports, I’m not good in science. I felt like my family didn’t love me and my only friends were the nerds. I HATE being part of them. I knew if I could get to the top of the tournament the school would respect me.”
        Why can’t I feel my mouth? Edwin’s vision was also becoming more parallel, he couldn’t look around the room anymore. Looking up, he noticed the GM was sitting in a chair with a winged back. They had left the school, they were in another room full of chess ornaments, books, a laboratory, and a fireplace.
         He felt panic well up inside of him. “Where, where are we. What is going on? I want to go back to school.”
        The GM sighed and looked at him in the eyes. “You see Edwin, I’m a witch. I collect cheats and thieves. You are a special one. I haven’t had a Chess cheater in over a century.
             Edwin tried to scream but couldn’t. The GM reached over the touch him. Edwin felt himself being lifted up and put on the chess board. Looking down into the GMs twinkling eyes, fear struck him.
            “You must be wondering what is going on. You’re too big for a board. But you see, you’ve been transformed to stone. And weigh only half an ounce.”
Edwin began shrinking, down, and slowly twisting. He screamed and screamed, but nothing came out of his mouth. Edwin, only two inches tall, was put on the square in front of the king, on the shelf above the books, forever eyeing the trophies on the far wall with his own name.
            “You’ll make a nice piece. Fitting for such a clever boy like you. I could sense your talent for deception. The real GM is there, waiting to play the 2nd place winner. No one will come looking for you, they somehow…can’t remember the proud, arrogant boy in 8th grade. Welcome home, forever.” The witch turned and vanished into a puff of smoke, leaving Edwin nothing but a pawn.