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Family ties.
"White or black?" asked Franck with a quivering voice while he was poured another glass of French brandy.
"I'd rather play black," little Frank replied.
Franck had expected that answer, so he wasn't surprised. "Sure. Why don't you assemble the pieces and I can take care of the music," he said, and started walking towards the stereo. He looked confused, as if he didn't know what melodies would best suit the occasion. He was quite nervous too. This was the moment he had been waiting for for a long time, and, despite all the forethought, he still felt like a fish out of water. "What about some funky jazz?" Franck asked.
"Why not? That's my favourite," little Frank replied, and they both laughed with gusto.
"I think it's reasonable to expect a tie," Franck pointed out in an attempt to further break the ice, and looked at little Frank with a cunning smile. Then he tapped the edge of the table, 'pam-pam', officially denoting the beginning of the game. As white plays first, Franck decided to kick off with a standard move: pawn to E3. Little Frank wasted no time and confidently moved a pawn to B6.
Franck was a proficient chess player. He had an everlasting, almost erotic relationship with his expensive, silver board. He also had a passion for reading books about the game: books about chess tactics and chess problems. Many books. Even on the psychology of...