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Blitz
Act 3, Scene 1
"Check," says Max.
"DAMN!" says John Music.
"I'll take that as a forfeit." Max starts moving the pieces back to starting position.
Mark is the first Music to make it back into the front room. "She won?"
"Hmph," replies John. "Marianne, dear, where is your timer?"
Robert and Julie Music walk into the room followed by Bennett and Marianne then finally Logan. Marianne reaches up and takes a chess timer off of a bookshelf and hands it to John. He adjusts the settings and puts it on the table.
"Timer?" asks Max. Max moves her Pawn in front of the King forward two spaces.
"After you finish your move you press the button on your side. It keeps track of how much time you take," explains Logan.
"Oh." Max hits the button. (click)
"Do you seriously expect me to believe that you do not know what a chess timer is?" John asks suspiciously. He moves the Pawn in front of his Queen side Bishop forward two spaces. (click) Max moves her Kingside Knight forward and towards right. (click)
"I don't see why not." replies Logan. "I believed that I was teaching her how to play chess…for a good 10 minutes." There is soft laughter.
John moves the Pawn in front of his Queen forward one. (click) Max moves the Pawn in front of her Queen forward two squares. (click)
"I didn't say I had never played at all, I just never played like you play," Max replies. John moves his Pawn to take Max's Pawn on D4. (click) Max moves her Knight to take the Pawn on D4. (click)
"How does Logan play?" asks John. He moves his Knight forward to F6. (click) Max moves her Queen side Knight to C3. (click)
"Starting with all the pieces in the same places every time." replies Max.
Everyone turns to look at Logan. Logan looks around awkwardly for a moment. "That's how I was taught to play." Then he cringed at the lameness of the response.
John moves his far right Pawn forward one space to A6. (click) Max moves her Bishop to E3. (click)
"Wait a minute," begins Bennett. "Let me get this straight."
John moves the Pawn in from of his King forward one space to E6. (click) Max moves her Pawn forward two spaces (to G4). (click)
"Max actually beat you at chess?" Bennett asks John. Bennett is smiling.
Pause.
"Yes. Well, blitz was never my strong suit." John says quietly, and then moves his far left Pawn forward one space. (click) Max moves her Kingside Bishop in front of her King. (click)
"And you," Bennett points at Logan, "taught Max how to play standard chess?"
"I thought you wanted us to come and demonstrate that your side of the family had some brains too?" replies Logan.
John moves his Queen side Knight forward and left. (click) Max moves her King side rook over one space. (click)
"Yeah, but …wow!" Bennett smiles proudly as if he cannot quite believe this is really happening.
"Logan?"
"Yes, Max."
John moves a Pawn forward two spaces to G5. (click) Max moves her Queen forward one space. (click)
"What is blitz?"
"You are not going to convince me that you are not a Blitz specialist!" John states emphatically.
John moves his Queenside Bishop in front of his Queen. (click) Max castles Queenside. (click)
"Wouldn't dream of trying." Max looks to Logan for an explanation.
"Blitz chess is a version where each side has only has a short time for the entire game set on their clock. I think it is five minutes," explains Logan.
John moves a Pawn forward two spaces to B5. (click) Max moves her Bishop forward to take the Pawn on B5. (click)
"It is five minutes," confirms Marianne with a smile.
John takes the sacrificial Bishop with his Pawn. (click) Max takes the Pawn with her forward Bishop. (click)
"I think your mistake is letting Max's speed rush you. She's the fastest," Logan pauses, as if searching for the right word, then gives up and continues, "I have ever seen."
John moves his left Knight forward to E5. (click) Max moves her Knight forward to take the Pawn in front of the Queen and threaten the King! (click)
"Check. I can beat you too … sometimes." Max smiles mischievously at Logan. Logan returns her smile, pleased she is willing to protect his delicate male ego.
John takes the offered Knight with his Bishop. (click) Max thrusts forward her Queen to take the Bishop. (click)
"You are letting her force your moves," Logan offers. Logan does not see the shocked expressions on the Musics.
"Blitz is very hard! You don't have time to think!" John is becoming agitated.
John moves his forward Knight to C4, threatening both the Queen and the Bishop. (click) He seems quite satisfied with the move. Max calmly retreats the Queen to sit beside his Knight. (click)
"The timer wasn't even out when we came in. What's your rush? It is okay to take your time." Logan attempts to reassure John.
"I have no intention of being beaten by a young whipper-snapper like her!" John is agitated.
John takes the Bishop with his Knight. (click) Max immediately takes the Knight with her Pawn (click) then presses the button with near blurring speed.
"Little late for that." Max is obviously not pleased with being spoken to in such a manner. She increases the speed of her responses, to almost blur.
Bennett and Marianne are standing behind Max, obviously enjoying this.
John moves his Queen forward in front of the King. (click) Max instantly moves her far right rook one square towards the center. (click)
There was quiet for a few moments then Robert spoke. "Well, John I never thought I would live to see the day you get your ass kicked by a girl."
John moves the Pawn in front of his King forward one to threaten the Queen. (click) Max instantaneously moves her Queen forward and left two squares. (click) Max moves her hand to hover near her King and rook
"I beat her twice before you all showed up to stare!" John is very agitated.
"Twice? Out of how many games, Uncle John?" Bennett has a huge grin.
Max just looks at John. Eventually John mumbles unhappily, "Seven."
"WOW. I'm glad I didn't play her first. My FIDE rating is only a little over two thousand." Marianne replies with a smile as her husband Bennett pulls her close.
Logan's face falls, comprehension dawning belatedly.
John moves his Bishop in front of his Queen. (click) Max, oblivious to Logan's growing distress, looks surprised but swiftly moves her Queen one space to her right. (click)
"Check!" Max is obviously pleased with herself, until she looks at Logan.
John sighs and then picks up the timer and reads. "Just over 4 minutes to 38 seconds. Where are you going to school now Max?"
"I'm not." Max can tell by the look on Logan's face that something is wrong, but she has not figured out what.
"Excellent. We will start you at Evergreen next term. We don't have anyone nearly as good as you are at Blitz. Hell, I am not sure we have anyone as good as you period! Our chess team will be unconquerable. The poor chumps will never know what hit 'em! This will be great!"
"I think not." She doesn't want to say anything until she figures out what the problem is. Wasn't she supposed to beat him?
"Nonsense, my dear girl. I can get you a full scholarship." John stands up.
Logan finally finds his voice. "So, John, what is your FIDE rating?"
"2513," replies John.
"Wow." Logan just nods as if wondering how they were going to get out of this. "So you're a …?"
"Grandmaster. Since I was 27 years old. What's your rating?" John asks Logan.
Max realizes now exactly what's wrong. She stands and goes over to Logan, so no one can see the uncertainty on her face.
"I have completely forgotten. It's been too long since I have played with anyone but Max." Logan replies.
"What's yours?" John asks Max.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Of course I would."
Max sighs, and looks at Logan. "OK, what's a …"
John cuts her off. "You're right. I don't believe it." He walks into the dinning room.
"Are you serious?" asks Bennett.
Max hesitates, unsure of how to get out of this. "I haven't played anyone but Logan since …" Max makes a gesture indicating she was smaller. "Before the Pulse. … So what were you guys talking about while we were playing?" She is trying to change the subject.
"Eyes Only, actually," Marianne supplies. She leads Bennett to the dinning room.
"Oh?" Max is surprised that Logan told them anything.
"Yes. Marianne was just assigned to the Eyes Only task force. She's a detective with the city police." Logan supplies quickly, before Max can spill anything.
"Oh," says Max.
'Well, that's one way out of the frying pan,' think Max and Logan as they follow the newlyweds into the dinning room.
--TBC--
A/N: Here is the official algebraic chess notation for the game. This was actually played at a championship in Uzbekistan, 1983. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.g4 h6 8.Be2 Nc6 9.Rg1 g5 10.Qd2 Bd7 11.O-O-O b5 12.Bxb5 axb5 13.Ndxb5 Ne5 14.Nxd6+ Bxd6 15.Qxd6 Nc4 16.Qd4 Nxe3 17.fxe3 Qe7 18.Rgf1 e5 19.Qb6 Be6 20.Qc6+ Kf8 21.Qxa8+ 1-0