Read In the Palace of the Khans for Free Online Page B

sides and exchanged a couple of pawns.
    The centre of the board was already becoming congested when for the first time Nigel took his two minutes. He wasn’t thinking about how to win the game, but whether to. He hadn’t worked it out exactly, but he thought he could do it in about eight moves, most of which would seem merely to be countering the President’s coming attack. What had his father said? “ I believe he plays, I don’t know how well, though I doubt is there’s anyone in the country with the nerve to beat him. ”
    Scary? Not necessarily. The President can’t have seen the threat, so he’d never know if Nigel simply played on without putting it into action.
    He couldn’t bring himself to do it. He bit his lip and made a couple of what looked like nothing-much moves. Now, he thought, and swallowed convulsively. His heart started to pound.
    The President launched his attack as if nothing had changed. When the massacre was over he was a knight for a pawn up but Nigel had his rooks doubled on a half-open file. Confidently the President shifted his remaining bishop to threaten Nigel’s queen. Instead of retreating Nigel advanced her along the diagonal and took the bishop. As the President’s hand was hovering to retake with a protecting pawn he saw what would happen. Move the pawn and the file would be fully open. Another move and Nigel would have his front rook on the back rank. Check. The knight could retake, but Nigel’s second rook would take it in turn and the President’s king would be trapped in its own fortress. Checkmate.
    A really good player would have resigned two moves ago, but then a really good player wouldn’t have got into that mess.
    Abruptly the President stood, turned to the window, snatched a handkerchief out of his pocket and sneezed violently into it, a real trumpet-call of a sneeze. He turned, shaking his head and wiping his eyes with the handkerchief, and then folded it fussily and put it back into his pocket. As he was about to sit down there was a tap at the door.
    He looked towards it, frowning, and called out. A man came in with a phone in his hand. The President took it and asked an irritable-sounding question. A pause, and then he sighed, shrugged and turned to Nigel.
    â€œMy apologies, but I must break off,” he said brusquely. “Something urgent has come up. We will play again some time.”
    He spoke to the man, who answered briefly and left. The President had started to put the pieces away and Nigel was about to do the same but as soon at the door closed the President stopped.
    Nigel looked up. The President didn’t do or say anything, but stood there motionless, looking down at him.
    Now he was really scared.
    â€œYou were about to checkmate me,” said the President.
    â€œYer … yes, sir.”
    â€œYou realise what this means to me, to be beaten, by a child, my guest, in my own palace?”
    â€œYer … yes, sir. I … almost …”
    â€œDecided not to make the queen move? To let me overwhelm you a few moves later? And yet you did it. Why? Pride? Vanity? To have beaten the President of Dirzhan? Something to boast about to your friends?”
    â€œOh, no, sir! That queen sacrifice—I hadn’t even been thinking about it. It was just there, all set up, ready, and I sort of noticed it. I’ve never done one before. I could see it was going to work. Then … I knew what it meant—I could have just retreated the queen and fought you off—it’d have been a close thing—but I couldn’t do it. It would have been a kind of … cheating, I suppose. I felt if I did it I’d never be given a present like that again.”
    â€œCheating whom?”
    â€œI … I don’t know … The game … You too, sir, I suppose. You’ve done me proud, having me here, letting me visit your daughter—it’s a terrific honour. I’d have