𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭 ♕From Beth the Eyes of Beth Harmon

XII-You Resign Now

Episode 3

Doubled Pawns

Part 4

Las Vegas, 1966

You Resign Now

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"You're Beth Harmon." Benny Watts pointed at me while holding what appeared to be an apple juice in a glass bottle.

"Yes." I turned around. I was skeptical of where this was going. There was no reason Benny Watts needed to have a casual conversation with me right before we faced each other in the final match of the US Open.

"I saw the piece in Life. The game they printed, that was a pretty one. You and Beltik."

"Thank you." There was an awkward silence that fell over the conversation.

"I'm uhh, Benny Watts." He walked over to me with an outstretched hand.

"I know." He really didn't need to introduce himself, and we both knew that. But the conversation was coming to a dead end and I guess there was some reason he wanted to keep it going.

"We met a couple years ago in Cincinnati. Didn't meet, but— we spoke." I recalled the incident to him. He clearly didn't remember it.

"Cincinnati?" By the tone of his voice I could tell he was shuffling through his memory trying to think of any reason he would possibly be in Cincinnati when he could be playing in Paris, or something.

"You didn't play that year." I said, trying to clarify.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it." He shrugged.

"Guess I'll see you tomorrow." I began to walk away. I needed to study and it was never a good idea to get too comfy with your opponent the day before a match, especially when that match would determine which of us was the winner of the 1966 US Open.

"You shouldn't have castled." He called back to me. I turned around. There it was, the reason he started this conversation. To mess with my head right before the big game by bringing up some tiny mistake I might've made years ago. "In your game with Beltik."

I thought about what I was doing at the time when I made my decision to move. "I needed to get the rook out."

"Well you could've lost your advantage." Fury rose in me. Did this man really need to lecture me the day before we were supposed to play each other as equals? We both aced every single match  this whole tournament, and now that I think about it he had two draws and I had none, meaning I was actually doing better than him, and he still felt the need to 'mentor' me like I was a little girl.

"I don't think so." I tried to stay calm.

"He plays pawn takes pawn, you can't take back." He started walking away.

"Wait a minute."  I wasn't going to let this slide. I followed him in the direction he was walking.

"I can't. I've got an adjournment I gotta go play, but set it up, think it out." He waved his hands dismissively, making his way to said adjournment.

He stopped and turned to face me one last time. "You problem is your queen knight." He said with half open smirk that seemed characteristic only to Benny.

"I don't want to set it up and think it out." I looked him dead in the eyes, annunciating each syllable clear as day. A slight mischievous smile tugged at his lips, he faintly nodded, and walked away.