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Lola
There’s an odd sort of peace, sitting down across from a Bratva boss to play a game of chess when your entire existence is on the line. It’s as though we’ve both accepted that it’s out of our hands for the time being, and we’d just like a distraction from it all.
I, for one, welcome this type of distraction, especially since I was head of the chess club in high school. If Jasha thinks he’s going to get an easy win, he’s dead wrong, but I’ll let him discover that on his own.
“You know how to play?” he asks as he arranges his pieces on the board.
I shrug. “I’ve played a few times.”
“Great,” he says, looking genuinely excited. “Nikolai and I used to play all the time, but since his wife had a baby, he’s been less available. Understandable, but you’ll forgive me if I’m a bit rusty.”
“I’m sure you’re better than I am,” I lie.
“I’ll go easy on you. I’ll even let you go first,” he replies, finishing the pieces and turning the board around. “You can be white.”
“Such a gentleman,” I say with a wink that he misses entirely. He’s too engrossed in the board, which I’m going to use to my utmost advantage. I may also be a bit rusty, but I’m no novice.
I reach forward, moving a pawn to open up the board. It could easily be mistaken for a beginner move, but it’s all part of my strategy. I don’t want him to know that I’m good at this game until it’s too late.
“Your move,” I say, leaning back.
Jasha smiles, a hint of arrogance in his eyes, and opens with a similar pawn forward. “This might be too easy.”
“Don’t bet on it,” I reply, moving another pawn.
“Ah, the classic opening… for a novice,” he says, studying the board. “But let’s see what you do about this.” He moves his knight out.
I pretend like I’m momentarily stumped, but I’ve seen this opening a thousand times. He has an aggressive style of play, but that just means he’ll make more critical mistakes. He thinks that by stressing me out with bold moves, that I’m the one who’s going to slip up, but that’s quite the contrary. I already see a way I can stump him, but I’d like to wait a little longer to show him what I can do.
We exchange a few moves, developing our pieces, taking control of the center. At first, he seems confident, perhaps even a little cocky. But after I castle and start setting up my pieces for a strategic attack, I notice his expression change. His eyes narrow ever so slightly, analyzing the board, tracing imaginary lines from one square to another.
“Something the matter?” I ask innocently, my hand hovering over a bishop.
He glances up, his gaze locking onto mine. “No, not at all. Just considering my options. Are you sure you haven’t played this game that much? Your moves are very similar to what I see from Nikolai.”
“Does he beat you often?” I ask with a laugh.
“No. Never,” he replies, but I doubt that very much by the way his voice drops when he looks at the board again. His eyes move over the pieces, but he can’t find a way to break through my defenses. “I’ll get this. Just a moment… just one moment.”
I wait for over a minute while he traces lines over the board with his eyes first, then his fingers. “Dammit,” he says, shaking his head. “You’re lucky. You don’t have a single break in these defenses. Who taught you to play?”
I shrug. “I’m self-taught.”
“Not bad, but this might throw you for a loop,” he says, finally moving a piece. It’s his queen’s knight, an excellent move but one that won’t save him.
I’m smiling like crazy on the inside because of his mistake, but I won’t show that to him yet. I want to see his face when he realizes what he’s done.
I push my bishop forward to pin his knight to his queen. There’s no escaping from this, but because of his enormous ego, that’s going to take him a while to realize. He’ll just keep looking and looking, but he’s not finding a way out from this pin.
“An interesting move,” he mumbles, rubbing the stubble on his chin. “Very interesting, but not the best move, by far. No, that’s not going to work. That’s definitely going to get you into trouble.”
He keeps rambling, but I stop listening once I realize he’s just talking to himself, unable to believe that this is happening in a game he thought he had full control over. I’m almost a little sad to see him losing like this. He’s so serious about it, like I’m really hurting him by winning.
At least I know he won’t give up on something without a fight. If he’s this serious over a chess game, then how much thought will he put into getting us off this train alive?
“This is unfortunately, but easy to turn around,” Jasha says, finally moving his queen so that he doesn’t lose that too.
I take the knight, moving like I’m unsure of what I’m doing, even though it’s becoming increasingly obvious that I’m not a beginner. “More beginner’s luck,” I say with a giggle.
