concentrate on chess.”
“Worry about your own game,” the girl told her mom in an irritated voice. Then she glanced up at me. She was wearing jeans and a light blue sweater, and she had tiny hoop earrings. Her hair hung down behind her in a long braid. “You’re late,” she said to me.
I sat down opposite her. “Actually, there are still two minutes left. I’m Daniel Patzer…” I caught myself and shot her a goofy grin. “I mean Pratzer.”
“I know who you are,” she said without smiling back. “I’ve already filled out both of our score sheets, since you seemed to have gotten lost.”
“Liu,” her mother urged, “make an effort to at least pretend to be polite.”
Liu shot her mom an exasperated glare and then flashed me a fake smile and held out her hand. “Hi, Daniel. Where did you say you were from?”
I didn’t know what to do so I shook her hand. It felt small and warm. “New Jersey,” I told her. “Sorry to be late. We had a team meeting.”
“Mind Cripplers,” she said, reading my shirt. “That’s a charming name.”
“I didn’t think it up,” I responded, getting fed up with her attitude, “so chill out.”
There was a momentary awkward silence. “I take it you’re in the tournament, too?” Dad asked her mom. “I didn’t know there was a mother-daughter bracket.”
“I’ll ignore the sexist implications to that,” her mother said, and I saw where Liu got her prickliness. “As a matter of fact, there are no separate brackets. No one thought to make an official rule that it had to be just fathers and sons, so we’re all in the same tournament. Anything a man can do, a woman can do better. I taught my daughter chess, and I’m playing at board thirty-five,” she said proudly. “What about you?”
“Three,” Dad told her.
Her eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“Let’s go find our boards,” Dad suggested, “and leave these two novices to their combat. Good luck, Daniel, and you too, young lady. No mercy.”
The two of them walked off toward the front of the ballroom, and I was left alone with this fire-breathing dragon of a girl. The chessboard and the pieces were between us. The clock was on the right side of the board, waiting to be started. Liu stared at me, sizing me up—and then put her chin on her hands and leaned forward. “So, Daniel from New Jersey. Anything on your mind?”
“That’s a good book,” I said. “I just read it.”
“It would be good if it wasn’t so incredibly, unbelievably boring,” Liu replied.
“I didn’t find it boring at all,” I told her. “In fact, I thought it was one of the best books I’ve ever read.”
A man with a microphone walked out to the front of the dais. “On behalf of the tournament organizers, I’d like to welcome you all to the First Annual Father-Son National Championship. Before we begin, I have a special treat that I’m sure all our chess enthusiasts, young and old, will enjoy. Former World Champion Contender Arkady Shuvalovitch will say a few words. Arkady?” He paused and looked around. “Has anyone seen Arkady?”
“Can you believe this?” Liu muttered. Then she asked me, “So is your father really at board three or did he make that up?”
“He’s there.”
“So then … he’s like a master?”
“No,” I corrected her, “he’s a grandmaster.”
Liu took that in. “He taught you to play? Why aren’t you better?”
I’m usually very shy around girls, but Liu was so rude that it relaxed me and freed me up to respond with some attitude of my own. “Actually, I didn’t even know my dad played chess till a week ago,” I told her. “And he never taught me a damned thing, not even how the pawns move.”
She looked intrigued. “Really? That’s kind of cool. Why not?”
She was making me angrier and angrier. “I don’t have a clue,” I told her. “But I don’t think it’s cool at all. And for what it’s worth, you’re wrong about David Copperfield . It’s a great
“Worry about your own game,” the girl told her mom in an irritated voice. Then she glanced up at me. She was wearing jeans and a light blue sweater, and she had tiny hoop earrings. Her hair hung down behind her in a long braid. “You’re late,” she said to me.
I sat down opposite her. “Actually, there are still two minutes left. I’m Daniel Patzer…” I caught myself and shot her a goofy grin. “I mean Pratzer.”
“I know who you are,” she said without smiling back. “I’ve already filled out both of our score sheets, since you seemed to have gotten lost.”
“Liu,” her mother urged, “make an effort to at least pretend to be polite.”
Liu shot her mom an exasperated glare and then flashed me a fake smile and held out her hand. “Hi, Daniel. Where did you say you were from?”
I didn’t know what to do so I shook her hand. It felt small and warm. “New Jersey,” I told her. “Sorry to be late. We had a team meeting.”
“Mind Cripplers,” she said, reading my shirt. “That’s a charming name.”
“I didn’t think it up,” I responded, getting fed up with her attitude, “so chill out.”
There was a momentary awkward silence. “I take it you’re in the tournament, too?” Dad asked her mom. “I didn’t know there was a mother-daughter bracket.”
“I’ll ignore the sexist implications to that,” her mother said, and I saw where Liu got her prickliness. “As a matter of fact, there are no separate brackets. No one thought to make an official rule that it had to be just fathers and sons, so we’re all in the same tournament. Anything a man can do, a woman can do better. I taught my daughter chess, and I’m playing at board thirty-five,” she said proudly. “What about you?”
“Three,” Dad told her.
Her eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“Let’s go find our boards,” Dad suggested, “and leave these two novices to their combat. Good luck, Daniel, and you too, young lady. No mercy.”
The two of them walked off toward the front of the ballroom, and I was left alone with this fire-breathing dragon of a girl. The chessboard and the pieces were between us. The clock was on the right side of the board, waiting to be started. Liu stared at me, sizing me up—and then put her chin on her hands and leaned forward. “So, Daniel from New Jersey. Anything on your mind?”
“That’s a good book,” I said. “I just read it.”
“It would be good if it wasn’t so incredibly, unbelievably boring,” Liu replied.
“I didn’t find it boring at all,” I told her. “In fact, I thought it was one of the best books I’ve ever read.”
A man with a microphone walked out to the front of the dais. “On behalf of the tournament organizers, I’d like to welcome you all to the First Annual Father-Son National Championship. Before we begin, I have a special treat that I’m sure all our chess enthusiasts, young and old, will enjoy. Former World Champion Contender Arkady Shuvalovitch will say a few words. Arkady?” He paused and looked around. “Has anyone seen Arkady?”
“Can you believe this?” Liu muttered. Then she asked me, “So is your father really at board three or did he make that up?”
“He’s there.”
“So then … he’s like a master?”
“No,” I corrected her, “he’s a grandmaster.”
Liu took that in. “He taught you to play? Why aren’t you better?”
I’m usually very shy around girls, but Liu was so rude that it relaxed me and freed me up to respond with some attitude of my own. “Actually, I didn’t even know my dad played chess till a week ago,” I told her. “And he never taught me a damned thing, not even how the pawns move.”
She looked intrigued. “Really? That’s kind of cool. Why not?”
She was making me angrier and angrier. “I don’t have a clue,” I told her. “But I don’t think it’s cool at all. And for what it’s worth, you’re wrong about David Copperfield . It’s a great
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