Gemotions

The chess board sat between them, the black and white squares a stark contrast against the green felt table. He had poured over countless strategies, practiced for hours, and now it was all… redundant. Across from him, his opponent, a young man, was calmly setting up the board. Each move, each strategy, he already knew.

He didn’t feel the burning desire to win that usually consumed him. The stakes seemed… irrelevant. He felt the cold touch of the wood beneath his fingertips.

He moved his pawn, the action mechanical, almost unconscious. The room was quiet save for the rhythmic clicking of the clock. He glanced at the other man, observing his blank face. He didn’t care who won.