Her News Q&A with Adaa
What is your favorite memory from playing in a chess tournament?
BY Adaa Rahul, Her News Team Member
Pawn Promotion
Her News: What is your favorite memory from playing in a chess tournament?
Adaa: A crowd of people poured into the PS 11 cafeteria around me. I gazed at my surroundings, a sea of parents wishing their children good luck, clustered around a sheet tacked onto a bulletin board, which dictated the table we would sit at, and whether we were to play as black, or white. I spotted my name, and slowly walked over to the table. My opponent was already there, a tall, freckled girl with brown hair that reached her shoulders. Giving one last glance back at my father, I sat down. A coach patrolled the rows of lunch tables, declaring that,“If this is your first tournament, you do not have to notate.” I breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have one thing less to worry about. Then, pulling the sweater I wore over my bright orange, slightly too big chess shirt close around me, I tentatively slid the white pawn to E4. Confidently, my opponent thrust hers out to meet me. Out came the bishops. Then the knights. I castled. She castled. Yet it was only after this that the game started in earnest. Pieces of both colours gathered beside the board. I moved a knight, capturing one of my opponent’s. Then I noticed her hand on a bishop. I traced, square by square, a clear path, from the bishop leading all the way to my queen. But I had realized my blunder too late, The queen was already in my opponent’s grasp. Cross with myself, I leaned in closer to the board, knowing that I could not afford another mistake. I made a move, cautiously. My opponent shifted a rook. Then something clicked in my head. I inched my pawn forward. My opponent thought nothing of it, moving another piece away from her king. I took my pawn forward another step. Realizing my intention, she sent her knight closer to me, but not close enough to be a direct threat. My plans stretched beyond promotion though. I slid my rook across the board. My opponent, still more concerned with the pawn, moved another piece towards it. I moved my remaining bishop, capturing one of the pieces that endangered my pawn and closing in on the king. Around me, people were finishing their games and leaving. The cafeteria was emptying out fast. Adrenaline rushed inside of me, coupled with panic. I took a deep, steadying breath, and moved my pawn one last square. I was close. With my new queen and fresh heart, I made my final move, swooping the queen in on my opponent’s king. I analyzed the board carefully, not daring to hope that it was really true. But it was. There was no way out for the black king. “Checkmate,” I said. And I shook hands with my opponent. Chatting happily, I left the cafeteria with my opponent, whose name was Abby, glad to let the doors close behind me, but eager for the next match. That first game opened up a vast abundance of learning for me, and chess continues to teach me in unique, and sometimes surprising ways.