The Move

The Move

by Mark Lyons

Image by Rebecca Matthews from Pixabay

SammySocks Etc. Blog - Comments and Observations from Someone Who Is a Retired Educator and Sammy’s Dad

            “Are you ever going to move?” asks Sally.

            Mark and Sally hunch over a checkerboard centered on their dining room table. Sally roams her fingers over a pile of red checkers taken from Mark. Mark furtively glances back and forth to all corners of the board. His right pointer finger rests gingerly on a single red checker surrounded by a sea of black checkers.

            “I’m thinking,” mumbles Mark. “You know how I like to think through my moves – 4 or 5 ahead. Besides, there is no time limit in checkers. It’s not like bowling.”

            “There’s no time limit in bowling,” replies Sally.

            A bit of time passes while Mark continues to mumble to himself as he assesses his next move.

            “Do I have time to change my socks?” asks Sally. “I want to put on my new pair of pink socks from SammySocks Etc. They are so comfortable and soft.”

            “Uh, what? …….. Sure, you have time,” says Mark. “I’m thinking I will be ready to move pretty quick though. I’ve got you right where I want you, by the way.”

            “You have only two checkers left,” says Sally. “I have ten left and eight of them have been kinged.”

            “I’m letting you build up a sense of security and then – Wham! – I’ll pull an end run when you aren’t thinking about it, wage an aggressive campaign against each of your pieces, rely on all of my checker prowess to thwart any kind of defense you might throw at me, position myself against all odds, and roar back to pull out a decisive victory in the end!” exclaims Mark.

            “It’s just checkers, Mark,” sighs Sally.