Hikaru sat in stillness, his mind a foggy expanse far removed from the board in front of him. Today had been a blur. Distracted, fragmented thoughts swirling like a storm he couldn’t quite control. He wasn’t making the right moves; his focus had splintered into a thousand pieces. The weight of his disorientation made him almost want to laugh bitterly at his own clumsiness.

Absently, he twirled a white chess piece in his hand—the one he’d captured from his opponent—letting it spin between his fingers as he always did when he was lost in thought, waiting for inspiration to strike. The silence of the hall enveloped him, broken only by the soft click of pieces shifting and the occasional cough from the audience.

This match… this match was going to be one hell of a challenge.