“Mom, there aren’t ‘certificates’ in chess. There are titles, like master or grandmaster. You earn those in official competition. You don’t buy them.” Ellen looked at her daughter with open admiration.
Even at twelve, Maggie understood chess better than many adults. So the millionaire was either bluffing, making things up, or talking about something he didn’t understand. Meanwhile Richard kept performing for the crowd.
“Where are the brave ones? Where are the people who think they can play?” he called out. That was when Boris, one of the mall security guards, came over to see what the commotion was about. He was a fifty-year-old man who had known Maggie since she was little, back when she used to tag along with her grandfather to the chess tables in Central Park.
“Mr. Mercer, maybe keep it down a little,” he said. “You’re disturbing other shoppers.” “Boris, don’t worry about me. I’m just offering these people a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Richard looked at the guard with open contempt and added, “Though I doubt anybody here has the brains to challenge me.”
That landed like a direct insult to everyone standing there. People began muttering, clearly annoyed, but still no one stepped forward. Maggie felt her temper rise, not so much because of the bet itself, but because of the way he was treating people.
“That’s ugly,” she whispered. “Sweetheart, don’t waste your energy on people like that,” Ellen said. “Folks with money and no manners have always been around.”
But Maggie couldn’t just ignore it. She remembered what her grandfather used to say. “Chess isn’t about who’s richer or more important. It’s about respect for your opponent and dignity in the game.”
Seeing that no one was coming forward, Richard decided to get more personal. He stepped down and started moving through the crowd, pointing at people one by one. “How about you, sir? You look like someone who plays chess. Want to take a shot?” he said to a middle-aged man.
The man quickly shook his head and said he barely knew how to play. “Of course you don’t,” Richard said with a loud laugh. “At least you’re honest.”
He kept going. “And you, young man, full of energy. Want to win ten million?” “I only know checkers,” the guy said nervously. “Chess is for thinkers,” Richard laughed. “Checkers is for kids.”
Every person he singled out got some sarcastic little put-down. “You don’t have the nerve because you know you can’t beat me. You don’t even have the basic knowledge I do.”
Maggie could feel herself getting angrier by the minute, though she tried to stay calm. Then Richard looked her way and called out loudly, “You there, kid with the board. You got the nerve?”
