The whole crowd turned to look at the schoolgirl. She felt her face flush, but she kept her composure. “Leave the girl alone,” Ellen said, rising to stand between them.
“No, no,” Richard said, walking straight toward their table with a hard smile. “She’s got a chessboard. That means she plays.” He stopped right in front of Maggie and looked her up and down with obvious condescension.
“Well, kid, you brave enough to take on a champion, or are you just going to sit there with your toy set?” he said. Maggie looked at the grown man publicly challenging her. She felt hundreds of eyes on her and heard her grandfather’s words again: chess is about respect and dignity.
She stood up slowly, holding her little magnetic set. “I accept your challenge,” she said in a steady voice. Richard laughed even louder and turned to the crowd. “Folks, would you look at this? The kid actually thinks she wants a shot at ten million.”
“You seeing this? A child with a travel set thinks she’s going to beat me. So what are you putting up, sweetheart? You got any money to wager?” “No,” Maggie said, “but I can put up something else.”
“Really? And what exactly does a child own that’s worth anything?” he asked. Maggie thought for a second and answered, “My chessboard. It belonged to my grandfather. It’s the most valuable thing I have.”
Richard took the magnetic board from her hands and looked it over with open disdain. It was old and simple, and some of the pieces were worn. “This thing isn’t worth fifty cents,” he said with a smirk.
Holding it up for the crowd, he added, “Take a look at the treasure she wants to put up against ten million dollars.” People laughed, though not cruelly. It was more the nervous laughter of people watching an awkward scene unfold. “Listen,” Maggie said calmly, “to me it’s worth more than ten million, because my grandfather taught me everything I know on that board.”
“Well, that’s touching,” Richard said dryly. “Fine, kid. If by some miracle you beat me, I’ll give you ten million dollars.”
“But when you lose, you’ll apologize to everyone here for wasting my time.” Maggie held out her hand. “Deal.” Richard shook it, gripping harder than he needed to.
“Marina, go find a real board. Let’s get this over with,” he said. While Marina hurried off to a game store in the mall, the crowd kept growing. People called friends, took pictures, and recorded video.
The whole thing had become the most interesting thing the mall had seen in years. Ellen stayed just outside the circle of onlookers, quietly praying her daughter wouldn’t be hurt by the experience. Boris stepped over and asked, “Ellen, can your daughter really play?”
“Boris, she’s been playing since she was seven. Her granddad taught her in the park. She’s beaten plenty of grown men.” “Yeah, but this is different, isn’t it? What if this guy actually knows what he’s doing?” the guard asked. “Maybe,” Ellen said. “But Maggie has something he doesn’t.”
When Boris asked what that was, Ellen answered, “Enough humility to keep learning. And enough respect to play the game the right way.” Marina came back with a tournament-style board and set it up on a larger table. The crowd closed in around it.
Everyone wanted to see the game between the arrogant millionaire and the quiet little girl. “All set,” Richard announced, rubbing his hands together. “Now we’ll find out whether you can actually play or whether you were just showing off.”
Maggie sat down with the black pieces. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, the way she always did before a game. She heard her grandfather’s voice in her mind: “Chess is like life. You don’t just think about the next move. You think ten moves ahead.”
“What, you fall asleep?” Richard needled her. “Need me to explain how the pieces move?” Maggie opened her eyes and looked straight at him. “No, thank you. I know how they move.”
“Then let’s begin. I’m white. White goes first,” he said. Richard settled in, confident as ever. But across from him, Maggie took on a posture that surprised even Ellen. The shy little girl seemed to disappear, replaced by a real strategist.
The game was about to begin. Nobody there understood that within a few moves, everyone in the food court would know the truth. It was about to become very clear who actually understood chess.
Fifteen minutes into the game, the mood in the food court had changed completely. Richard, who had expected a quick and easy win, was now sweating through his expensive suit. He stared at the board, where his pieces were drifting into increasingly awkward positions.
“Everybody pay attention,” he announced to the crowd, trying to sound confident again. “You’re about to witness a lesson in chess. This girl is about to find out how the game is really played.” Marina pulled up a chair and sat beside him.
She asked carefully, “Mr. Mercer, are you sure you want to keep doing this?” “What, Marina? You think I’m going to lose to a child?”
