Solomiya: the most powerful piece

A short story

When Roxie became Town Mayor, she was invited to do a regular podcast for the community radio station in Netherneither End called ‘N-Squared’. 

She agreed of course and said “Thanks for the suggestion, I would love to do this. I would like to focus on local people who are making a real difference to our town, or even beyond. Would that be OK?”

Nad the Rad (as he was affectionately known), the radio station manager replied “Of course Roxie. That sounds like a fantastic idea! Have you got someone in mind for the first podcast?”

“As it happens, Nad. Yes I do…”

Later on that day, after the children had retired to their bedrooms, Roxie turned to Strumbold and asked him “Any advice on making a great podcast?”

Strumbold thought for a moment or two. “Think about some good questions in advance, and then ask them”

Roxie smiled. “Thanks Strumbold, I will do just that!”

This is the transcript of Town Mayor Roxie’s first podcast:

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“Hello, this is Mayor Roxie and thank you for tuning into my very first podcast. You have just joined my new show called ‘Netherneither Ending Stories’. Today, I am talking with Solomiya Tkach who at sixteen has just become a chess rockstar! You are a Junior Chess Grandmaster! Wow. How does it feel?”

“I don’t really know yet. It has just happened although I have been working towards this for years. It feels like it is happening to someone else. Sort of.”

“Well, let’s go back to the beginning. When did you first play chess?”

“I was ten years old. Which is quite late to start. My Mum, my sister and I had just arrived in England. We were escaping from the Russians who had started a war in my country. My father had to stay behind and we never saw him again. A wonderful woman called Joanna, who lived here in Netherneither End, gave us a room to live in. I can’t say just how grateful we were. It was all too much really. Everyone was so generous and warm and kind. My sister, who has one or two problems, didn’t make it easy. Except people did. Joanna especially. I ended up going to a youth club for young carers although I didn’t really know what that meant at the time. But it was great!”

“Go on. I am loving this story”

“At the club, there were crafts and stuff, and sporty activities. But none of that really worked for me. And then one time, a volunteer brought in a chess set. He laid it out in the corner of the room on a coffee table. Well to be accurate, he got me to lay out my side. I adored the feel of the pieces, their weight, their shapes. And the board was so small and square. Suddenly to me, life seemed to be that little less crazy and chaotic. This was a small space with clear rules but also infinite possibilities. I felt free, I felt myself. That was the first time in a long time."

“And how did you get on with your first game?”

“Well, I lost of course. The volunteer was kind but he wasn’t going to let me just win because I was a young girl and he was an old man. He explained the rules carefully, again and again. His patience made me feel like I could do anything”

“Did you carry on losing?”

“No. Not at all! After a couple more youth clubs, I beat him every time. He didn’t mind. He said he was learning too. Or rather he said, he was rediscovering stuff he had forgotten - and I was a great teacher! And then I went to the bigger school and there was a chess club at lunchtimes. It was a joy to have this time to be myself and learn more. In chess, you are really only ever playing against yourself, sort of. It’s constant experimentation - move that pawn, lose that rook, check and be checked. I began to read chess books and watch games on youtube. More and more… And then there were the tournaments and championships. And that is how you get to be a Junior Grandmaster.”

“Thank you. But before you go, Solomiya, you really must tell us about your forthcoming book. What’s it about?”

“It’s about chess, naturally. But it is also something more. It’s about freedom. It’s about growing up, and growing up quickly. And it’s about being yourself, and finding yourself, on a chessboard.”

“I am intrigued. And I am sure the listeners would love to know more. Who did you write the book for, for example?”

“I wrote it for a younger me. I wrote for a me aged ten. Everything was crazy and scary. I don’t often think about our trip out of Ukraine and ending up here in the UK. And the book is not about that but it is about how I felt so small, so powerless, so scared of the future. I remember waking up one morning, a few weeks after we were sort of settled here and just crying. I was crying because I knew my childhood was over. But what kept me going (apart from the love of my Mum and my sister and everyone…) was chess. In those 64 squares and 32 pieces, there was freedom. Freedom to play. Freedom to think. Freedom to try out new moves. The world was safe there. Nobody died or disappeared. Pieces were taken, of course. But they were back in their usual positions at the start of the next game. It is difficult to explain”

“I don’t agree, I think you are explaining things very well! But your book has an unusual title: It’s called ‘People think the most powerful piece in chess is the Queen. I take a different view’. That is a long title, can you say more about that?”

“Well, I would say of course, that you and everyone are just going to have to buy the book to find out! But I am not that kind of person. So, my favourite piece in chess is the Knight. Of course Queens can go anywhere and for any distance. But they can’t jump. Knights can. Knights work in three dimensions but every other piece on the chessboard moves in only two. And I think that is the same for lots of people who only stick to two dimensions. But we need three dimensions to be really free. I have had to make many jumps in my life. My book is about how to carry on jumping. And how to help young girls like I was, jump about too.”

“Wow. Thank you. All I can say is here’s to more jumping, Solomiya!”

“Thank you for inviting me to tell a bit of my story. Are we finished?”

“Very nearly Solomiya. I think the listeners would love to know what your name means in Ukrainian”

“It’s of Hebrew origin and means either just peace or a woman of a peaceful nature. I love my name”

“And I love it too, Solomiya. I wish that all your chess and other dreams, all come true. Thanks again for being my first podcast guest!”

___

Strumbold had been sitting in the corner of the radio studio listening to Roxie interview Solomiya.

“What did you think of the podcast, Strumbold” asked Roxie as they walked home.

He looked into Roxie’s eyes, his eyes twinkling as they always did, “I feel very happy to live in a town where such stories happen. And now I can’t wait for the next podcast and the next remarkable person!”

“Nor can I” said Roxie, “nor can I…”