The Thursday Draw

The chess club meets in the park every Thursday. It is a small group. Six tables stand under a big oak tree. Old men bring tea. Children bring snacks.

The old men like to watch the two players. They say Vesna and Umar are slow but kind. Vesna brings a small cake each week. Umar brings hot tea for both of them.

Vesna always sits at the table near the water. Umar always sits across from her. They sit together every week. They have a funny record. All fourteen games end in a draw.

"Fourteen draws," says an old man at the next table. "That is a record for our club."

Vesna smiles. "I never lose," she says.

"And I never win," says Umar. "But I never lose too."

Today, the sky is blue. The leaves are yellow and red. Vesna moves her white pawn. Umar moves his black one. They play fast at first. Then they slow down. The old men stop talking. The children come close.

Soon only a few pieces stay on the board. Vesna has a king and a rook. Umar has a king and a rook too. Vesna thinks for a long time. She sees a way to win. It is a good plan. But it takes five moves.

She looks at Umar. He looks at the board. His tea is cold. He taps his finger on the table. He does not look worried. He looks happy.

Vesna stops. She thinks, "If I win, the game ends. Then he goes home. I go home. We wait a week."

She puts her rook back on the same square.

Umar looks up. "Why did you do that?" he asks. "You had a better move."

"I did not see it," says Vesna.

"You saw it," he says. "I know your face when you see a good move."

She says nothing. Her cheeks are warm.

Umar looks at the board again. Slowly, he says, "I also have a good move. It wins in three steps. I saw it ten minutes ago."

Vesna opens her mouth. "Ten minutes? Then why…"

"I did not want the game to end," says Umar.

For a moment, the park is very quiet. One of the old men coughs. A child laughs. Then Vesna starts to laugh too. Umar joins her.

"Fourteen draws," she says. "And we both play them on purpose."

"I think yes," says Umar.

They shake hands over the board. The old men clap. "A draw again!" one of them shouts. "Another record!"

Vesna puts the white king on its side. Umar puts the black king next to it. The two kings lie together on the board. Both of them look at the kings and smile.

Then Umar clears his throat. "Would you like to have dinner next week?" he asks. "A real dinner, I mean. With a table and a candle."

"After the game?" says Vesna.

"Instead of the game," says Umar. "Or after. You choose."

Vesna looks at the chess board. Then she looks at him.

"After," she says. "I always want one more game. And next Thursday, I play black."