‘Of course. You know why I got you to cut the grass, but I got you to do all the other chores for a reason too. When you cleaned the patio you learned how to be prepared and do things in the right order, and when you cleaned the brass you learned how to have patience and pay attention to detail, and when you played the glockenspiel you learned the letters and numbers of the keys and how to play them in the right order.’

‘That’s crafty, Granddad,’ I say.

Granddad touches the end of his nose. ‘No point in getting old if you do not get crafty,’ he says, grinning.

‘So what did I learn when I made the Rouladen? How to follow instructions?’

‘Yes, that.’ Granddad nods. ‘But also I got you to do it because I hate chopping cabbage!’ A smile creeps across his face as he reaches out and places all the black pieces on the board. I turn and peer through the tiny slit in the curtains. Jake’s bike is propped up against the tree. He’ll be up there waiting for me to draw a map of the enemy positions so we can plan an infantry attack over the weekend. Last week—

‘Felix!’ Granddad raps an envelope against my arm.

‘Sorry, Granddad,’ I say. ‘I was just—’

‘I know what you were doing. But you need to concentrate.’

‘I’ll try.’

‘Good, so take this envelope. For now, everything you need to know about chess is in here. Don’t read it now. Take it home and put it on your bedroom wall.’

‘Great.’ I take the envelope. ‘So can I go now?’

‘No, we’ve only just started.’

I glance at the clock. ‘But we’ve been here half an hour. I thought that would be enough.’

‘Enough?’ says Granddad. ‘Chess can’t be taught in half an hour. What would you rather – me teach you or you read every one of the six hundred pages in that book?’ He nods at his giant chess book on the side table.

‘Well, when you put it like that.’ I grimace. ‘Maybe I could stay a while.’

‘Wonderful.’ He beams. ‘Because for some, learning chess can take a lifetime.’

‘A lifetime.’ My voice cracks as I speak. ‘I’m only eleven. If I live until I’m eighty I could be here for like . . . sixty-nine years.’

‘All the more reason we should get started then. Besides, this is not just about chess – perhaps having the discipline to learn it will help you concentrate more at school, improve your grades.’

‘I don’t think so, Granddad.’ I smile, but I’m not sure Granddad sees me because he’s busy turning the board round.

Now I’m sitting behind the white pieces and he’s behind the black. ‘Come on,’ he says. ‘This is the first rule you will learn.’

‘What’s that?’