I actually finished up another chapter, and as I said I'd do, here it is.

I have to thank ObservationofTrifles for the chess help. I hope I didn't make any mistake. If so, I'm sorry!

Sherlock was having a stimulating chess game with a five-year-old. He was the whites, she was the black pieces. Up to the moment the two of them were preparing their tactics, just to start attacking for real in no time. This was who the game was laid on the chess board after twenty minutes of game:

So far he had moved 5 of his 8 pawns: two of them were on the fourth row, two others on the fourth, and a lonely pawn was left abandoned in the F5 position. Both his bishops had moved as well, directly put before the empty spaces from where two pawns had been taken. A knight was out in the fight, and so was his queen.

As for his opponent Sherlock could tell that she was far more careful with pawns that he was; only three of them were moved, and all three kept, so far, on her territory. Both knights and bishops were out of their original places and one of her rooks castled.

Sherlock moved one of his bishops to her side of the board. His rival reacted, capturing one his pawns with one her ones. The genius acted the same way, throwing out of the game one of the five-year-old pawns. She didn't enjoy it and captured another of his pawns. If it meant to be a battle of nerves then Sherlock had to win it. He captured a white pawn.

It was her turn to play and she simply throw off the game another his pawns with her bishop. Sherlock decided to boldly put his queen eve more into the game, daring the girl to react to react. He did the same thing, confidently moved his queen to D5.

Sherlock retrieved her queen and the girl ended up doing the same. They were testing each other; it was much more than just a chess game. Sherlock was frowning, preoccupied but he knew from whom she had pulled such boldness, her father. But, giving it a quick thought he then concluded that all that cheekiness didn't lead her father anywhere, and so the same would happen to her.

That was when he decided to move his knight to D2. The girl considered her strategies and moved her bishop F3. Next thing she noticed was that Sherlock had captured her bishop. She wasn't angry. She was grumpy, starting to sulk. In a mood she moved her knight. The man placed a bishop dangerously close to her piece. Being so she moved a pawn to his side of the board, to remind him she was still in the game. One of her brightest of the moves, she'd later realize.

His queen moved, one of her knights changed place as well. Sherlock moved his bishop to D1. A smile grew on the girl's face as she moved her knight to F3, sat back on her chair and said, "Check mate."

Whites had lost. Sherlock had lost.

Against a five-year-old.

She got up from her chair and walked to her father, who had just arrived and leaned on the doorframe, waiting for her. He had the same despising smile as she did.

"She won't be staying here anymore," Sherlock yelled as man and daughter walked down to the staircase.

Quickly he rearranged the chess tables to their original places, so that neither John or Victoria, or even Mr. Hudson or his annoying brother Mycroft, could tell he had lost. He always played with whites, it wouldn't take a genius to understand that he had lost the game.

"How did the day with Uncle Sherlock go?" Winston asked his daughter while the two strolled leisurely down Baker Street.

"A-ma-zing!" The girl sang. "I beat Uncle Sherlock in a chess game. Again." She added with a smirk.

"That's just great, Rita," Sherlock's little brother smiled. "I wanted to do that ever since the two of us were kids."

Winston and Rita crossed ways with John and Victoria, who were returning from school. The two residents of 221B could tell what had just happened by looking at both Sherlock's brother and niece. Once they entered the flat, Sherlock was playing violin and Victoria suggested.

"Uncle Sherlock, let's play chess."

"You don't know how to play chess, munchkin." Sherlock stopped playing for a while just to answer and carried on playing. "There's no pleasure in playing against someone who doesn't know how to play."

"I can play a little. And I can only learn by playing, right?"

Sherlock didn't let her speak twice. Who was he fooling? It'd be so pleasing to win an eight-year-old after having been beaten by his niece.

Whites had lost. Again. Sherlock had lost. Again.

This time against an eight-year-old.

Needless to say that when John kindly offered himself to play against Sherlock, on an attempt to cheer him up, Sherlock refused. He couldn't take a third defeat in a single day.

Just to avoid what happened in the previous chapter, we first met Rita (even though she was still a newborn) back in chapter 19.

Hope you have enjoyed this.