first bullet ☭ video

[fatherswatch]

I am looking for a chess set.

[Because he has too much to think about, and playing chess helps him sort through everything. Plus it helps send a very clear 'I do not wish to be bothered' message.]

And, possibly, someone to play a game or two with.

Comments

[voice]

[ryuuzaki]

[It's a low voice, calm, probably belonging to a young man; he has a British accent.]

I don't have one. If you find one, however... how good would you say you are?

[voice]

[fatherswatch]

I am a fair player.

[He lies. On the Elo scale, he rates at about an international master. But that's not something he tends to state outright.]

[ryuuzaki]

What kind of opponents are you looking for?

[He sounds distantly, impersonally curious. He hasn't studied chess in the way that grandmasters do, but he also almost always wins. Still, it's easy and acceptable to lose a small game -- it depends on what your aim is.]

[fatherswatch]

Any. I usually play against myself, so another mind is always useful.

[A fantastic player would challenge him. An awful player could be taught.

He would, at least, like to think that he could make due with any kind of opponent.]

[ryuuzaki]

I'm also a fair player.

[He's understating his competence, too. It's not his primary pursuit by any means, and he's never had an abiding interest in reading chess journals and studying the past games of grandmasters. But he's played for many years, mostly with Watari, not much lately, and he's good at observing existing conditions and practicing outcomes.]

If you don't find something, we'll have to try it with whatever we can find around the ship.