Knight, B7.
Pawn D6.
Queen E5.
Checkmate.
Maybe that’s how it would’ve gone if I had gone to chess camp…
Instead, my game was a bit more shoddy.
My first match was an astounding loss. Bad play here. Second bad play there. Final bad play. Checkmate.
Then, I began paying attention and my second game was more mentally challenging. Pieces placed left and right, diagonally, up and down. The checkered board that had been littered by silver and gold figures ten minutes before was sparse.
A few more plays later, and I had won.
Maybe I needed to warm up, maybe the conversation that paralleled the game was too riveting for the competition to pay attention.
Nonetheless, the game had been concluded. Victory for one. Loss for another.
I didn’t go to chess camp, but it’s possible that even without a solid opening, I might be triumphant.