the fifty move rule – Ellie Fisher

the fifty move rule

ellie FisheR doesn’t think life is a contest.

In chess, a draw can be claimed if no pawn has been moved or no capture made in the last fifty moves. This rule exists to prevent obstinate players from wearing their opponent down to victory, or from continuing play indefinitely.

the board is a smile, a snare of words, a thicket of eyes. the monochrome pieces are silent within their monochrome squares. uneasy fingers, never touching, lift and guide. a spike of pure adrenaline, the unbearable mania that sets the nerves on fire. the dead

are removed without comment, their gleaming bodies burgeon and multiply. roses, the hue of unspilt blood, watch on. a drawn-out dance, awkwardly played. then constriction, the circle tightens. pawns slip away as quickly as lies, bishops murmur their prayers, rooks fall into ruin. even the knights lose hope. the king is surrounded, vital yet weak. the twist of a wrist, a quiet click. black on white. he is dead. the contest over.

only the queen is left. the sky spasms into breath. a chasm of cloud, the death rattle of the endless game. the corpses lie scattered, alienated, lost. slowly, precisely, peace skins the wound. it closes into an unexplained scar.