The Queen's Gambit Read Online Free PDF

HELEN DEARDORFF—SUPERINTENDENT he stopped. Beth pushed open the door and went inside.
    A secretary in a white blouse told her to go on to the back office. Mrs. Deardorff was expecting her. She pushed open the big wooden door and walked in. In the red armchair sat Mr. Ganz, wearing a brown suit. Mrs. Deardorff was sitting behind a desk. She peered at Beth over tortoise-shell glasses. Mr. Ganz smiled self-consciously and rose halfway from the chair when she came in. Then he sat down again awkwardly.
    “Elizabeth,” Mrs. Deardorff said.
    She had closed the door behind her and now stood a few feet away from it. She looked at Mrs. Deardorff.
    “Elizabeth, Mr. Ganz tells me that you are a”—she adjusted the glasses on her nose—“a gifted child.” Mrs. Deardorff looked at her for a moment as though she were expected to deny it. When Beth said nothing, she went on, “He has an unusual request to make of us. He would like you to be taken to the high school on…” She looked over at Mr. Ganz again.
    “On Thursday,” Mr. Ganz said.
    “On Thursday. In the afternoon. He maintains that you are a phenomenal chess player. He would like you to perform for the chess club.”
    Beth said nothing. She was still frightened.
    Mr. Ganz cleared his throat. “We have a dozen members, and I’d like you to play them.”
    “Well?” Mrs. Deardorff said. “Would you like to do that? It can be arranged as a field trip.” She smiled grimly at Mr. Ganz. “We like to give our girls a chance for experience outside.” That was the first time Beth had heard of it; she knew of no one who ever went anywhere.
    “Yes,” Beth said. “I’d like to.”
    “Good,” Mrs. Deardorff said. “It’s settled, then. Mr. Ganz and one of the girls from the high school will pick you up after lunch Thursday.”
    Mr. Ganz got up to go, and Beth started to follow, but Mrs. Deardorff called her back.
    “Elizabeth,” she said when they were alone, “Mr. Ganz informs me that you have been playing chess with our custodian.”
    Beth was uncertain what to say.
    “With Mr. Shaibel.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “That is very irregular, Elizabeth. Have you gone to the basement?”
    For a moment she considered lying. But it would be too easy for Mrs. Deardorff to find out. “Yes, ma’am,” she said again.
    Beth expected anger, but Mrs. Deardorff’s voice was surprisingly relaxed. “We can’t have that, Elizabeth,” she said. “as much as Methuen believes in excellence, we can’t have you playing chess in the basement.”
    Beth felt her stomach tighten.
    “I believe there are chess sets in the game closet,” Mrs. Deardorff continued. “I’ll have Fergussen look into it.”
    A phone began ringing in the outer office and a little light on the phone began flashing. “That will be all, Elizabeth. Mind your manners at the high school and be sure your nails are clean.”
    ***
    In “Major Hoople” in the funnies, Major Hoople belonged to the Owl’s Club. It was a place where men sat in big old chairs and drank beer and talked about President Eisenhower and how much money their wives spent on hats. Major Hoople had a huge belly, like Mr. Shaibel, and when he was at the Owl’s Club with a dark beer bottle in his hands, his words came from his mouth with little bubbles. He said things like “Harrumph” and “Egad!” in a balloon on top of the bubbles. That was a “club.” It was like the library reading room at Methuen. Maybe she would play the twelve people in a room like that.
    She hadn’t told anyone. Not even Jolene. She lay in bed after lights out and thought about it with an expectant quiver in her stomach. Could she play that many games? She rolled over on her back and nervously felt the pocket of her pajamas. There were two in there. It was six days until Thursday. Maybe Mr. Ganz meant she would play one game with one person and then one game with another, if that was how you did it.
    She had looked up “phenomenal.” The dictionary