The final round

The community hall hummed with quiet voices and the soft click of chess pieces. Evie sat opposite Harper at the final board. The scores were tied, and whoever won this game would take home the trophy. Evie studied the board, then glanced at the clock. Her fingers hovered over a knight but did not move it. Across from her, Harper sat very still. Harper had been smiling earlier, but now her lips were pressed together. The tournament organiser announced, “Five minutes left.” Evie moved her knight. Harper leaned forward, scanned the board, and reached for her queen. Then Harper stopped. Her eyebrows drew together. She looked at Evie, who was watching carefully, and took her hand away from the piece. A moment later, Harper moved a pawn instead. Evie’s eyes widened. She spotted a way to protect her king and made her move. Harper nodded, packed the pieces into the box after the game, and said, “That was a clever move. I’ll have to practise that position.” When the organiser called the players to collect their results, Harper walked over with Evie. They both looked up as the trophy was lifted from the table.