The man in front of me while I am consoling him plays the move. 1) e4 (he plays the King's pawn two squares forward)… without speaking another breath, he focuses his sight on the pieces. And after a while, I am staring at him and he ensues: "Move…" rather in a respectful way.

I respond with 1) … e5 as I do the same as my King's pawn two squares forward. I get so frightened that my arm moves on its own, as my hand picks up the piece. The ambience becomes so silent where the rowdiness dissipates abruptly. I look at him where he seems so calm and as serene on how he touches the piece. For a moment, I thought he is going to play the King's Gambit 2) f4 ..., as how audacious he can be playing that move against me. King's Knight to f3 he plays. 2) Nf3 …

"Your turn." he says.

I am not acquainted with his strength so I won't be playing my preferred defense - Petroff's Defense. An opening for black that onsets an attack on its own. A counterattack assaults the undefeated pawn on e4 as what as well as the opposing end is already challenging the pawn on e5. At the earlier phase of the game, there is an explosion happening; it will either continue being sharp or it will break down for good in the middle game. I incur my decision to make the game as hypothetical as possible. Defend the pawn.

Of course, I know that protecting the pawn on e5 with the call of f3 sounds dubious - 2) … f3. Clyden also has shown me why Damiano Defense is not at all fortifying the position. It is because the move is considered a faux pas. Right away, the player of the white pieces can assume capturing the pawn on e5 in exchange of its knight 3) Nxe5 ... for a tendency that the opposing end might commit a game-causing move. And then the side whose playing with the black pieces will automatically recaptures the piece, otherwise, the player with the black pieces will lose a full pawn if played other moves. 3) Nxe5 fxe5. Following it with a check from the Queen on h5 4) Qh5+ ... if the one’s who is in checked by the queen attack does not block it with a pawn where the move g6 or rather places the King to e7 4) … Ke7; the move, prompted by the black pieces, tantamounts to an imminent checkmate - an excruciating asphyxiation. And of course, if it proceeds to the aforementioned 4) … g6, might be the only good move of the position instead. Thus, it leads into the handler of the black pieces losing a rook in two moves. 5) Qxe5+ Qe7 6) Qxh8 … Nevertheless, 6) Qxe5+ doesn't do much damage to the player of the white pieces. In conclusion, white loses five points of material (a knight and a couple of pawns) while black loses seven points (a rook and same amount of pawns from the opposite side), a difference of four points in total.

I reckon that either play it in a safe and sound position with proceeding my Queen's pawn one square to defend my pawn on e5 or must I retort with a contemporary reply with my Queen's Knight to c6. [2) … d6 or 2) … Nc3]. I tend not to be aggressive right now because I presume he might be a strong player, as he challenged me in this game. Only and only Clyden who pars with me in this sport so anytime, he can contend with me however he wants.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"What's the dawdling, Lord Aisla? It is your move to play." while I am engrossed in contemplation, he squeaks.

By my instincts alone, I move my Queen's Knight to c6 defending the pawn on e5, 2) Nf3 Nc6. The people inside this room vanish out of thin air and once again, another bizarre phenomenon is happening. He wastes no further moves, he seems to disdain procrastination as he plays his King’s Bishop to c4 3) Bc4 …, Giuoco Stivale. I then play responding without thinking about anything else 3) … Nf6. The move that I played implies a provocation for him to protect his pawn on e4, dubbing the ‘Giuoco Stivale: Two Knights Defense’. The lamps dangling around from each pillar are starting to tick. The sporadic seconds of blinking is what makes me feel uncanny. The throbbing of my heart exacerbates my breathing and as I fail to recognize that I am hyperventilating in a short amount of time. Well, I am just playing a sport called 'Chess' that requires no athleticism or no contact. Strange.

And on move four, his move, he plays knight to g5 4) Ng5 ...; that tries to fork the Queen and the Rook of the player of the black pieces in the subsequent play and at the same time, the move that undertakes to bolster his pawn protection on e4. I realize the incoming attack of his therefore, I deflect it in a simplest manner the bishop on c4 by moving my Queen’s pawn two squares march 4) … d5. I detect the air is turning heavy and so is the atmosphere too. He takes my pawn on d5 with his pawn on e-pawn - 5) exd5 … I recapture it with my knight afterwards since the attack has fatigued out as my knight on d5 is well protected by the Queen on d8, 5) exd5 Nxe5. The light from the lamps begins to shutter more even faster than I could ever imagine. My eyes could not catch the speed of each blink as I am mesmerizing towards the kindle of the candle. In and out. Disappearing and appearing.

d4. d4 is the move. A quiet move.

d4 the move he plays, in a calm way - 6) d4 as he is attempting to reinvigorate his squandered onslaught. He looks at me in the eye where his gaze makes me jolt. A sudden gust of wind blows around my face, as though we are not out in the open. I can hear the screaming, the howling of some kind of breeze. As I am panting even louder, depicting myself like I am being strangled by something on my neck.

By any reason, indeed, I am going to take what he has to offer and that is his e4-pawn. So I am pleased to take his sacrifice. 6) … exd4 with my pawn, of course, because of that nasty pin that I presume he is going to do 7) Bg7 … to my knight on c6. However, he castles on his seventh move, 7) O-O and it makes me wonder. To relieve the tension of the fork pinpointing by the bishop on c4 and the knight on g5, 7) … Be7, this is what I play. The environment starts to get dim and gloomy wherein I can solely see myself, the board, and the man whom I am playing with.