(after Kasparov vs Karpov, 1986)
,
The playground is open, with white to move.
D4 F6. A few pawn boys make a safety zone
out by the swings, waiting for Father to go for the ruse.
.
.
C4 G6. Everyone calls the queen Sis’ Loretta
when she jumps over the Treatment Room’s steps
to the battlefield. The fifth move: Q to B3.
.
.
By the eleventh round, the game enters
a phase of hand-to-hand combat. Father attacks,
we defend on each side. Sister gets hurt,
.
.
two pawn boys, sacrificed, but nobody castles.
Our fight, bishop to rook. Check on the playground
as the last knight falls at the match point.
.
.
Most pieces are gone on both frontlines. Thirty-one
moves. Checkmate. From the opposing team,
Father says we are playing a game bigger than us.
.
© Maria Stadnicka, 2020
Illustration: Claire Palmer