037 Check and Mate
Title: Check and Mate
Author: cookie_pixie
Rating: G
Character/Pairing: Harry, Ron, Hermione
Genre: fic
Warnings: none
Word Count: 255
Purchases: quill and parchment
"Zugzwang."
"What?"
"Here," said Hermione, gesturing at the chessboard.
It was late in the evening, with a hard storm blowing outside Gryffindor Tower. The common room was empty except for a few readers and Harry and Ron currently engaged in a wizard chess game to pass the time. Despite Ron's natural talent and Harry's inexperience, Harry had actually been holding up quite well for the whole hour. Both his and Ron's pieces were decimated by half, although Harry was sure he was missing more important ones.
"Zugzwang," Hermione repeated. She had looked up during an especially long pause to examine the board and now pointed with a finger, waving it from piece to piece. "See, Ron's got his knight over here and next move he's going to bring his queen around to check, so you have to move your king out of the way unless you want to sacrifice a castle."
Ron grinned. "Didn't know you could see it that fast, 'Mione," he admitted.
"Yes, but what's a zugzwang?" Harry asked.
"A particularly undesirable chess move," Hermione answered, a bit officiously. "And it's going to be extremely undesirable - he's boxing in your king, didn't you see that?"
"Yes, I see that," Harry grumbled. "It's a bit difficult to escape."
Harry peered a bit longer at the chessboard, then picked up a piece and moved it. There was complete silence from the board, players and onlooker for two minutes as they regarded the sudden change in situation.
"Did he just check you?"
"Yeah."
"And going to mate in three?"
"If I don't move now."
Harry grinned. "Zugzwang."
Author: cookie_pixie
Rating: G
Character/Pairing: Harry, Ron, Hermione
Genre: fic
Warnings: none
Word Count: 255
Purchases: quill and parchment
"Zugzwang."
"What?"
"Here," said Hermione, gesturing at the chessboard.
It was late in the evening, with a hard storm blowing outside Gryffindor Tower. The common room was empty except for a few readers and Harry and Ron currently engaged in a wizard chess game to pass the time. Despite Ron's natural talent and Harry's inexperience, Harry had actually been holding up quite well for the whole hour. Both his and Ron's pieces were decimated by half, although Harry was sure he was missing more important ones.
"Zugzwang," Hermione repeated. She had looked up during an especially long pause to examine the board and now pointed with a finger, waving it from piece to piece. "See, Ron's got his knight over here and next move he's going to bring his queen around to check, so you have to move your king out of the way unless you want to sacrifice a castle."
Ron grinned. "Didn't know you could see it that fast, 'Mione," he admitted.
"Yes, but what's a zugzwang?" Harry asked.
"A particularly undesirable chess move," Hermione answered, a bit officiously. "And it's going to be extremely undesirable - he's boxing in your king, didn't you see that?"
"Yes, I see that," Harry grumbled. "It's a bit difficult to escape."
Harry peered a bit longer at the chessboard, then picked up a piece and moved it. There was complete silence from the board, players and onlooker for two minutes as they regarded the sudden change in situation.
"Did he just check you?"
"Yeah."
"And going to mate in three?"
"If I don't move now."
Harry grinned. "Zugzwang."