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“What is that you’re reading Thomas?” Mrs. Smith’s voice raged with anger. “Stop reading that useless  chess magazine, and don’t act smart for your age!”.”Now focus!” Thomas’ heart sobbed at disapproval  as he slowly put away the magazine. 

In a buzzing school lively with young students who are eager to learn and make mistakes, what  separated young Thomas was his sheer intelligence. With a mind thirsty for knowledge, curiosity that  knew no limits, he possessed a discerning intellect that surpassed his young age, However it was his gifted intelligence that seemed to set him apart, leaving him with the feeling of an outsider in the  classroom, making the source of consolation of others his age the source of his desolation. 

Consequently, he would often find himself sitting alone in a corner, reading books that were much  advanced than his curriculum. He would spend countless hours meticulously delved into studying the  complexities of Real numbers and Complex Numbers and playing chess alone. He didn’t have many friends to talk to. The 64 black and white squares, the smell of wood, the ticking of the timer were his  only friends. 

His father didn’t like him playing chess. Something about them-the moves he could not decipher-that  offended him. “You’ll be sent off to work as soon as you become ten, you heard me?” Yes, Papa ,  Thomas complied. He would hide his chessboard under the mattress and wait for him to go to work or  fall asleep so that he could play. Once Thomas was caught playing at night and his father flew into rage.  He tore the chess set and threw it down with great force. “You don’t pay the electricity bill around here,  If I find you wasting money on this aimless recreation of yours, you’ll be sorry” …. 

He was not a bad father, despite his struggles of making ends meet, whenever he could he would give  Thomas 10 shillings to spend on toffees and sweets. Even though he was convinced that Thomas spent  them on toffee bars and sweets, but little did he know that Thomas would keep the pennies in his tin  box, and when he had stored enough, he would go to his favorite bookstore to get books on chess. 

The old book shop was his favorite place to go in town. The place was illuminated with oil lit lamps, it  smelled of old paper and ink, it was his sanctuary, his little escape to life. Even though he didn’t have  enough shillings to buy or borrow a book, the old man would let him sit there for hours and read any  book he wanted to. When the sun would begin to set, painting the skies with a crimson red, Thomas  

would know that it was time for him to go. 

It happened to be on one of the days, while Thomas was returning from school, he decided to take a  different route to home, his eyes set upon a group of men circled around in huddled masses, the  atmosphere was filled with tension, he glanced over shoulders to join the crowd. The troop of pawns  were interlocked in odd number of squares and surrounded by two knights ready to jump in  immobilizing the king on c4 square, the opponent was clueless, and without carefully thinking he made a  blunder, at this the white pieces maneuvered and captured the pieces. The game was already lost, with 

just futile attempts to move back n forth. Unable to hold himself back any long, Thomas exclaimed,  “Move your bishop to e4”  

Even though his intention was plain and pure, “Get out of here, you silly kid, what do you know about  chess?” was the man’s response.”I don’t need any help from a little kid like you” grunts the man shooing  Thomas away. 

He knew he couldn’t tell this to his father, he kept quiet, like he’d always do, but how long? 

On New Year, Thomas received one of the best gifts he had ever received from the bookstore man, it  was “Mastering the art of chess, by Bobby Fisher”. That evening he took his new friend home, hidden in  his bag. 

It was a dull day, he read the book three times, folding the pages he couldn’t comprehend. Soon he was  convinced about what he wanted in life; he wanted to learn and do what the author did. 

With stellar results in his school exams, he was able to convince his father that he needed money for  treats, but who knew, he would use them to sign up for the town’s chess club. 

In a place filled with rhythmic blabbing of wooden chess pieces on polished wooden boards and quiet  murmurs analyzing the countless possibilities. A place which smelt of freshly brewed coffee and aged  newspaper, the walls lined with portraits of the grandmasters who walked in and left their mark. The  players whose experience can be seen in their grey hair, rich coats and years of sophistication of the  

game; aged just like fine wine. In this place, Thomas knew he had to make a name for himself. 

As Thomas walked into the club, the room fuzzed with cold glances and lurked with doubts and  skepticism. How would a little kid like Thomas go head to head with years of experience? Thomas didn’t  back down, he found a corner and set up his worn out chessboard, he became the center of attention.  Underestimating a kid, many stepped in the hopes of ending his dreams of chess, but could they? 

Match after match went on, the room grew quieter by the second, the spectators watched in awe, as the young player’s true talent began to unravel. He dismantled the veteran’s defense. His sound  understanding of the algorithms, swift mental calculations, destroyed his opponent, leaving everyone  speechless. ‘Check mate’ says Thomas. He proved the people wrong. By the end of the week, he had the  highest rating at the club. But was that enough? 

And in no time the news of the young talents’ arrival spread like wildfire, his stats earned him a ticket to  the final, the grandest stage of them all. It was for the first time an English player made it to the finals,  stakes were high, competition was intense. His opponent was the 5x Chess World Champion, Mikhail  Tal, a man whose years of experience could be seen in his rugged worn out face, his large forehead with  receding hair lines developed from the machine like calculations , fine tune understanding of the  algorithm of the pieces. Mikhail greeted Thomas ”Watch out kid, it won’t be easy”.

And the game proceeds, Mikhail made a German opening, latching his pieces to the centre of the board, creating a solid line of defense equipped with knights. Thomas responded with an English opening,  ricocheting his queen into the centre and surrounded with bishops. Pieces were exchanged, and the  middle part of the game began. There was tension and visible confusion. Mikhail exchanged cold glances  with Thomas. “How can someone so young, play so sophisticated moves?” Both players were pushed  beyond their limits, time was running out. At moments Thomas was perplexed by the complex piece  coordination by the Champ, and moments when Thomas would get trapped in his own moves. From the  outside it seemed like a regular championship match, but from the inside, it was the battle of the giants,  the battle of fallen empires and the battle of years of experience with pure young talent. 

Eventually the game develops into a Queen’s Gambit. And with only 2 minutes remaining, Thomas was  not progressing, “Did he underestimate his opponent? Was he actually good enough?” thoughts  encircled Thomas’ mind. The news of his match had made the headlines, and for the first time, his father  had great expectations in him! Perhaps, it was because Thomas winning would change their lives for the  best. He could not afford to lose, he might be young, but he had a point to make. Mikhail could almost  taste victory, he moved his knight to B6. SUDDENLY! Thomas realized he had found a light in the  darkness, he jumped his queen to B4 and the tables TURNED! For the first time in the game, Mikhail, a  man known for his confidence, was visibly puzzled, he had not anticipated this. He stared down Thomas,  irritated and sweating profusely.“What went wrong? Is this actually happening?” questioning his own  years of experience, Mikhail Tal, the 5x World Champion RESIGNS! 

There was a moment of DISBELIEF, before the crowd burst into tears of joy and pride, and the bell rang  as the 9 year old kid, who was doubted by everyone, questioned of his age, has FINALLY done it. Done it for his country, done it for himself, Thomas became the NEW WORLD CHAMPION, and most  importantly, Thomas answered the question “DOES AGE REALLY MATTER?”