divine , cobra kai

02. checkmate!

CHAPTER TWO
checkmate!

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if diane was told to describe her childhood, she would say she grew up on the sidelines; watching others go by. she's never been the type to make a ton of friends or join in on clubs and activities. she liked it that way. it was simple and uncomplicated, her whole life was quiet. what she was doing now, sitting in the school library waiting for the debate club to start, was surely not something she would've chosen.

this is the dumbest thing i've ever agreed to. diane sat on a chair at a wooden table and fiddled with her fingers, her shoes brushing the carpeted floor.

"welcome, everyone, to the debate club. i am mr.alpine," he greeted. he stood in front of a bookcase, facing two tables. diane sat at the one left to him.

"for the first day, you all will be playing chess. i expect most of you scholars to know how to play by now. if not, play with someone who is experienced as they shall teach you. i will come around for attendance," he leaned forward and picked up a big white bag. "the chess sets are in here, take good care."

diane scanned the people around her. she didn't recognize anyone. they were all definitely older than her, and she didn't know how to play chess either. she looked across from her, a girl with jet-black hair slumped down into the chair with a small chess set placed in front of the two.

"you know how to play?" she asked, picking up the chess pieces and arranging them onto the board.

"is it like... checkers?" diane winced. she studied all the different pieces.

"the only thing that's the same is the board," the girl put the last piece on and glanced up at diane. "i'll teach you."

diane nodded, laying her crossed arms onto the table.

"this one is the pawn. there's eight of them and they move forward one square. they capture diagonally." the girl picked up one of the pieces in the front. it was shortest out of all of them.

she picks up the castle and... the weird looking one. "then there's the rook. it goes sideways and forward. the bishop goes forwards left and right diagonally."

"that right here is the knight. it's the only one that can jump over pieces. it also can only go in an "L" shape." her finger hovered over a horse-shaped piece.

diane stared at the horse-shaped piece. "an "L" shape?" she repeats with a confused tone.

"yeah," the girl nodded. "like this," she moved the horse around the board to demonstrate. "next is the king and queen. the king can move one space around and the queen can move up and down, and diagonally across the board. you got it?"

"mhm," diane nodded slowly. she still didn't really understand "how do we start?"

"i'll go first." the girl slid the pawn in front of her king forward by two.

"didn't you say that one can only move one square up?"

"you can move the pawn forwards two times the first time."

"oh, okay." diane moved one of her pawns on the far left up. the girl followed up by moving her knight. diane placed another pawn forwards. the girl then moved her bishop up. diane put her knight four spaces up.