"I understand," Anatoly said, squeezing her shoulder gently. He hoped she wouldn't think it was too forward or for any nefarious purpose, but it pained him to know that someone else, especially someone so sweet as her could feel that way.

"I admit it is all part of what I have always loved about chess. The flow of the game is all on you. It is orderly, you can plan strategies and you can control where it is going if you are good enough. Chess made sense when few other things did."