Check & Mate
By Ali Hazelwood
Mallory Greenleaf hasn’t touched a chessboard in four years. Obsessed throughout childhood, too many bad memories linger to face those 16 pieces again. The loss of her father, her mother’s health and her two younger sisters’ demands fill her days. As her best friend Easton prepares to leave for college, she begs Mallory to help her with a fundraiser chess match to raise money for a good cause. Mallory is seated across from the bad boy of chess, “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer, alarmingly handsome and currently ranked #1 in the world. She crushes him, shocking the audience and herself. It doesn’t take long to receive offers she cannot refuse. Mallory is pulled back into the electrifying world of chess. But the closer she gets to victory, the more guilt haunts her. Painful memories squash any semblance of joy. As Mallory focuses on taking care of her family, Sawyer becomes harder to ignore. Maybe it could be a win-win after all. A delightful romance where love takes the lead and checkmates follow. Intelligent, fun and even a little spicy. Don’t be fooled if you’re not a chess player – I couldn’t put this one down.
Queen of Katwe
By Tim Crothers
As a poor, young child living in one of the harshest slums of Katwe, Uganda, Phiona Mutesi never dreamed of a future. Always hungry, 9-year-old Phiona followed her brothers in search of food. What she discovered changed her life forever. Phiona meets an extraordinary man named Robert Katende, an educated missionary who worked with the Sports Outreach Institute teaching soccer and motivating children to strive for a better life. On colored cardboard with bottle cap pieces, Robert taught a group of children chess, challenging them to think differently. When Phiona joined they had 25 players, with the girls separated. She won against all the girls, and then beat the boys. Embracing her natural gift, Phiona quickly became a champion. Strategizing her way through a tough game came easily, a survival instinct she learned young. Robert became her coach and chess would be Phiona’s ticket to a world outside of war-torn Uganda. In 2010, 14-year-old Phiona is selected to represent Africa at the World Chess Olympiad in Russia – and that is only the beginning. This remarkable journey of a real-life chess champion has also been adapted as a Disney movie.
Chess Story
By Stefan Zweig
World chess champion Mirko Czentovic is traveling by ocean liner from New York to Buenos Aires. An unfriendly and surprisingly uneducated man, he keeps to himself. A group of passengers offer the champion money to play against them. While they lose each match and all their cash, another passenger quietly observing begins to subtly hint at calculating moves to Czentovic’s opponents that win matches. Shocked that this mysterious man called Dr. B should possess such skills, the audience cannot help but wonder how he learned to play with such precision. While these matches continue, Dr. B’s anxiety noticeably heightens and the narrator slowly describes the shocking tale that led such a shy gentleman to this precise moment in time. Originally called The Royal Game, this German novella was written by Austrian author Stefan Zweig in 1941, just months before he and his wife died by suicide. Despite its length, this powerful story became the inspiration for the production of multiple artistic endeavors such as an opera, stage production and movies over the last 80 years. Gripping and emotional, you do not need to be a chess player to appreciate each and every strategic move.
#WORTHWATCHING: Orphaned at a young age, Beth Harmon is a quiet girl with few friends. When a kind man teaches her to play chess her life is transformed. To everyone’s surprise, Beth becomes a champion. Watch “The Queen’s Gambit” series on Netflix.
