Reedle Откройте в мобильном приложении
Понятно
Понятно
Для того чтобы воспользоваться закладками, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Отмена
Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Отмена
Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа
Купить PRO-доступ
Отмена
There
had
been
a
few
times
over
the
past
year
when
she
felt
like
this
,
with
her
mind
not
only
dizzied
but
nearly
terrified
by
the
endlessness
of
chess
.
By
midnight
Mrs
.
Wheatley
had
put
her
book
aside
and
gone
quietly
to
sleep
.
Beth
sat
in
the
green
armchair
for
hours
,
not
hearing
Mrs
.
Wheatley
’
s
gentle
snores
,
not
sensing
the
strange
smell
of
a
Mexican
hotel
in
her
nostrils
,
feeling
somehow
that
she
might
fall
from
a
precipice
,
that
sitting
over
the
chessboard
she
had
bought
at
Purcell
’
s
in
Kentucky
,
she
was
actually
poised
over
an
abyss
,
sustained
there
only
by
the
bizarre
mental
equipment
that
had
fitted
her
for
this
elegant
and
deadly
game
.
On
the
board
there
was
danger
everywhere
.
A
person
could
not
rest
.
She
did
not
go
to
bed
until
after
four
and
,
asleep
,
she
dreamed
of
drowning
.
Отключить рекламу
*
*
*
A
few
people
had
gathered
in
the
ballroom
.
She
recognized
Marenco
,
dressed
in
a
suit
and
tie
now
;
he
waved
at
her
as
she
came
in
,
and
she
forced
herself
to
smile
in
his
direction
.
It
was
frightening
to
see
even
this
player
she
had
already
beaten
.
She
was
jumpy
,
knew
she
was
jumpy
,
and
did
not
know
what
to
do
about
it
.
She
had
showered
at
seven
that
morning
,
unable
to
rid
herself
of
the
tension
she
had
awakened
with
.
She
was
barely
able
to
get
down
her
morning
coffee
in
the
near
-
empty
coffee
shop
and
had
washed
her
face
afterward
,
carefully
,
trying
to
focus
herself
.
Now
she
crossed
the
ballroom
’
s
red
carpet
and
went
to
the
ladies
’
room
and
washed
her
face
again
.
She
dried
carefully
with
paper
towels
and
combed
her
hair
,
watching
herself
in
the
big
mirror
.
Her
movements
seemed
forced
,
and
her
body
looked
impossibly
frail
.
The
expensive
blouse
and
skirt
did
not
fit
right
.
Her
fear
was
as
sharp
as
a
toothache
.
As
she
came
down
the
hallway
,
she
saw
him
.
He
was
standing
there
solidly
with
two
men
she
did
not
recognize
.
All
of
them
wore
dark
suits
.
They
were
close
together
,
talking
softly
,
confidentially
.
Отключить рекламу
She
lowered
her
eyes
and
walked
past
them
into
the
small
room
.
Some
men
were
waiting
there
with
cameras
.
Reporters
.
She
slipped
behind
the
black
pieces
at
Board
One
.
She
stared
at
the
board
for
a
moment
,
heard
the
tournament
director
’
s
voice
saying
,
“
Play
will
begin
in
three
minutes
,
”
and
looked
up
.
Borgov
was
walking
across
the
room
toward
her
.
His
suit
fit
him
well
,
with
the
trouser
legs
draping
neatly
above
the
tops
of
his
shined
black
shoes
.
Beth
turned
her
eyes
back
to
the
board
,
embarrassed
,
feeling
awkward
.
Borgov
had
seated
himself
.
She
heard
the
director
’
s
voice
as
if
from
a
great
distance
,
“
You
may
start
your
opponent
’
s
clock
,
”
and
she
reached
out
,
pressed
the
button
on
the
clock
and
looked
up
.
He
was
sitting
there
solid
,
dark
and
heavy
,
looking
fixedly
at
the
board
,
and
she
watched
as
if
in
a
dream
as
he
reached
out
a
stubby
-
fingered
hand
,
picked
up
the
king
pawn
and
set
it
on
the
fourth
rank
.
Pawn
to
king
four
.
She
stared
at
it
for
a
moment
.
She
always
played
the
Sicilian
to
that
opening
—
the
most
common
opening
for
White
in
the
game
of
chess
.
But
she
hesitated
.
Borgov
had
been
called
“
Master
of
the
Sicilian
”
somewhere
in
a
journal
.
Almost
impulsively
she
played
pawn
to
king
four
herself
,
hoping
to
play
him
on
ground
that
was
fresh
for
both
of
them
,
that
would
not
give
him
the
advantage
of
superior
knowledge
.
He
brought
out
his
king
’
s
knight
to
bishop
three
,
and
she
brought
hers
to
queen
bishop
three
,
protecting
the
pawn
.
And
then
without
hesitation
he
played
his
bishop
to
knight
five
and
her
heart
sank
.
The
Ruy
Lopez
.
She
had
played
it
often
enough
,
but
in
this
game
it
frightened
her
.