I can’t believe Rich has told this boy I use the Sicilian Defence. If I thought I had a tiny chance, even that’s gone now because my opponent knows all the opening moves I’m going to make. I could switch to another. I should switch to another, but which one?

My heart beats fast as the walls creep in. Don’t panic, keep calm. I close my eyes, check the rules in my head . . .

Don’t eat before playing.

I haven’t.

Don’t make eye contact with your opponent.

Don’t—

I lean forward and hold my head in my hands.

‘You need to choose,’ says my opponent.

‘Left,’ I say, without looking up.

‘Then you’re white.’

‘Okay,’ I say under my breath. ‘Okay.’

I hear the sound of chess pieces being placed on the board. I glance up and stare at the clock – just like the one in Pawn Sacrifice. I need to make a move. I need to make a move then start the clock. I clench my fist.

‘Head as clear as the sky, heart as calm as the sea.’

I know, Granddad, but my heart is pounding!

‘Then imagine.’

Imagine what?

‘A wooden box.’

What?

The clock ticks on to fifty seconds, fifty-one seconds, fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four, fifty-five.

‘Imagine your opponent is . . .’

Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine.

Help me, Granddad!

‘Imagine your opponent is the Mechanical Turk.’

I pick up a pawn and move it to e4.

There, that’s my first move.

‘Don’t forget the clock.’

What?

‘Don’t forget the clock.’

I hit the clock.

‘Pretend he’s a faceless man in a box. A wooden box with no heart but with clunky arms.’

I know.

The wooden box moves a pawn to c5.

Stops the clock.

I move my knight to f3.

Stop the clock.

The wooden box moves its knight to c6.

Stops the clock.

I move a pawn to d4.

Stop the clock.

The wooden box takes my pawn on d4.

Stops the clock.

My knight takes a pawn on d4.

The box moves a pawn to g6.

I’ve seen these moves before; Granddad warned me about them one evening – it’s the Accelerated Dragon variation of the Sicilian Defence. I need to think fast. I need to think clearly. What did Granddad tell me to do? What . . .

Got it!

I move a pawn to c4.

I wait for the wooden box to make its move, but no hand appears, no chess piece moves. It’s like it is thinking extra hard. I’ve just played the Maróczy Bind, but it’s like the box doesn’t know how to respond to it.

I wait until eventually it moves its knight to f6.

Stops the clock.

It’s cat versus mouse, me against wooden box. It tries to trap my king while I try to trap its king too.

More moves . . . another ten each, and all the time I’m thinking three moves ahead until . . .