Perpetual Check
4 hrs. 25 min.
Description
When the pieces were arranged, Shoger narrowed his eyes and, after a pause, took two pawns—one white and one black. He hid them in his hands and shook.
“Alright, who starts? Me or you?”
His ears twitched; pale skin beneath his sparse, slicked hair trembled.
He was nervous.
“If I were an Indian,” Isaac thought as he watched his moving hair, “I’d probably cut this scalp off...”
“Don’t know?” Shoger asked and held his hands out in front of him. “If you don’t know, I’ll tell you. Everything in the world is a lottery. Chess is a lottery. The world is a lottery. And life is also a lottery.”
“He’s the master here, and yet he’s afraid...” Isaac thought.
“Listen,” Shoger said. “You can choose. I suggest you take black. In a lottery, people usually lose.”
“Left one,” Isaac said.
“All right, then.”
Shoger loosened his fingers. In his palm lay the white pawn.
“Jewish luck,” he smirked. “It’s not my fault—you chose for yourself.”
“Is this death?” Isaac thought. “I don’t want to die. Is there anyone in the world who wants death?”
And still, he ended up with the white pieces.
Isaac turned the board, glanced at the pieces, and made the first move.
“Alright, who starts? Me or you?”
His ears twitched; pale skin beneath his sparse, slicked hair trembled.
He was nervous.
“If I were an Indian,” Isaac thought as he watched his moving hair, “I’d probably cut this scalp off...”
“Don’t know?” Shoger asked and held his hands out in front of him. “If you don’t know, I’ll tell you. Everything in the world is a lottery. Chess is a lottery. The world is a lottery. And life is also a lottery.”
“He’s the master here, and yet he’s afraid...” Isaac thought.
“Listen,” Shoger said. “You can choose. I suggest you take black. In a lottery, people usually lose.”
“Left one,” Isaac said.
“All right, then.”
Shoger loosened his fingers. In his palm lay the white pawn.
“Jewish luck,” he smirked. “It’s not my fault—you chose for yourself.”
“Is this death?” Isaac thought. “I don’t want to die. Is there anyone in the world who wants death?”
And still, he ended up with the white pieces.
Isaac turned the board, glanced at the pieces, and made the first move.
00:29
00_Meras_I_Vechnyy_shah_Kungurova_L
01:49
01_01_Nachalo
13:57
01_02_Nachalo
00:59
02_01_Hod pyatyy
00:07
02_02_Hod pyatyy
17:51
02_03_Hod pyatyy
01:35
03_01_Hod vosmoy
16:27
03_02_Hod vosmoy
02:00
04_01_Hod dvenadtsatyy
00:07
04_02_Hod dvenadtsatyy
17:27
04_03_Hod dvenadtsatyy
02:00
05_01_Hod trinadtsatyy
16:24
05_02_Hod trinadtsatyy
01:53
06_01_Pered semnadtsatym hodom
00:06
06_02_Pered semnadtsatym hodom
19:52
06_03_Pered semnadtsatym hodom
01:32
07_01_Hod semnadtsatyy
17:34
07_02_Hod semnadtsatyy
02:19
08_01_Posle semnadtsatogo hoda
00:07
08_02_Posle semnadtsatogo hoda
18:49
08_03_Posle semnadtsatogo hoda
00:41
09_01_Hod dvadtsat vosmoy
18:35
09_02_Hod dvadtsat vosmoy
01:57
10_01_Hod tridtsat devyatyy
00:07
10_02_Hod tridtsat devyatyy
19:42
10_03_Hod tridtsat devyatyy
00:07
11_01_Hod sorokovoy
15:12
11_02_Hod sorokovoy
00:07
12_01_Hod sorok devyatyy
00:07
12_02_Hod sorok devyatyy
16:12
12_03_Hod sorok devyatyy
00:29
13_01_Hod pyatidesyatyy
07:49
13_02_Hod pyatidesyatyy
00:58
14_01_Hod pyatdesyat pervyy
00:08
14_02_Hod pyatdesyat pervyy
18:04
14_03_Hod pyatdesyat pervyy
00:25
15_01_Hod pyatdesyat vtoroy
05:31
15_02_Hod pyatdesyat vtoroy
05:43
16_Posledniy hod
