| 6:30a |
@@@@@There seemed something vaguely indecent
@@@@@There seemed something vaguely indecent about it, and he entered the game with a feeling that it would be disastrous for him to win
He played through the first few moves rather carelesslyHe was really not thinking at all, listening instead to the occasional muted rumble of the artillery, the steady absorbed flickering of the Coleman lanternOnce or twice he thought he heard the foliage soughing in the bivouac outside, and the sound made him gloomyHe caught himself staring at the rapt simple concentration on the General's faceHis expression was similar to the one he had assumed on the beach invasion day, or on the night they had driven in the jeep, and again it was impressive in its force and direction
Hearn woke up to realize he was in trouble after only six movesSloppily, without any real consideration, he had violated a principle by moving his knight twice before his development was completedHis position was not yet dangerous, the knight was only in the fourth rank, and its squares of retreat could be opened easily enough, but the General was opening with an odd attackHearn began really to study the gameBy now the General could win by completing his development and extracting all the juice out of the slight positional advantage he would have on completionBut it would be a long contest, and the end game would undoubtedly be difficultInstead the General was launching a pawn attack which would be very embarrassing if it failed, for Cummings's development would be backward, and his king's pawns would have to be opened
Hearn pondered his responses, and lost himself quickly in the dizzying heights of chess, where he held the entire position in one portion of his mind while investigating the numerous answers the General might make to each move, and the correspondingly more complex replies he himself could manageThen he would relinquish that approach and try to discern the variations that might arise from moving another piece
Yet it was hopelessWith almost frightening skill, Hearn felt himself being harassed, then threatened, then strangled by the advance of the General's pawnsHearn had been on his college chess team, and at different periods in his life he had been tremendously interested in the gameHe was a good enough player to realize how very good the General was, good enough to understand something of a man's nature by the style in which he played, and the General had been brilliant in his conception, and coldly efficient in extracting every possible advantage from the slight superiority he had had at the beginningHearn conceded on the twenty-fifth move after losing a knight and a pawn in exchange for two pawns, and sat back in his chair fatiguedThe game had caught him, piqued his interest, and he felt a sullen desire to play again
"You're not bad," the General said
"I'm fair," Hearn mutteredame was over, he was aware once more of the jungle sounds outside the tent
The General was putting the pieces back in the box, seeming to cherish each one with his fingertips before placing it in its green plush container |