Free Dreidels on the Brain by Joel ben Izzy

brilliant move, which is part of some complicated plan, and the next thing I know, I’m about to lose my queen. Sometimes he’ll give me a warning or let me take back a move—but he always wins in the end. Hard as I’ve tried, I’ve never won a game.
    â€œAll right,” said my dad, who had slurped enough for the evening. “Joel’s right—let’s light the candles.” It was likechanging a channel on TV. They stopped fighting, and I set up the candles—a white one as shammes, with a bent off-white one and an ugly olive-green one behind it. We lit the candles and sang the blessings and as much of “Maoz Tzur” as we could remember. When we finished, Howard announced, “I have to study,” and went to his room.
    â€œI’m going to work on my new model airplane,” said Kenny, looking hopefully at my dad. “Maybe after the game you can help me work on it?” He’s always asking my dad to help him, but Dad never does. I guess it’s really hard for him to pick up all those little parts.
    I set up the table and the pieces and I got white, which meant I got to move first. Things were going really well. There’s a whole point system in chess, and I was three points ahead. More than that, I had a surefire plan to capture one of his castles. A castle is a valuable piece—five points—and it would have left him in real trouble.
    Just as I was about to make my move, the phone rang. My mom answered it, and I could hear her trying to figure out who was calling. Then she came rushing into the den for my dad, looking excited.
    â€œI think it’s Mr. Forentos,” she said.
    â€œForentos!” said my dad. He got up fast—well, fast for my dad. This was big, because Forentos knows everybody with money in Los Angeles, and had been lining up the investorsfor Omni-Glow. Whenever he called, it was with news about this one or that one, and how much money they were going to invest. No one had put up any money yet, but we were getting close. My dad hobbled to the kitchen as fast as he could, and I heard him pick up the phone and say, “Hello dere!”
    While he was in the kitchen I noticed something on the chess board that was amazing. I could take the castle, like I said. But if I forgot about the castle—even though it’s worth five points—I could make another move, with my knight, who had been sitting around doing nothing. That move would put my dad into check, and when you’re in check, you have to do something—you don’t have a choice. Then there would be only one possible square where my dad could move his king and be safe. But once he made that move, there was another move I could make, with my queen, that would put him into check
again
. Once I did that, the only
possible
move he could make was to block me with his bishop. But I could take his bishop with my queen, and he would be in check
yet again,
from my rook, who had been hiding behind her. Then the only thing he could do was to take my bishop with his king. That’s when I would swoop in with my queen for the final blow. He would be trapped—checkmate!
    I couldn’t believe it. I went over each step in my mind again. It was perfect. There was nothing he could do—and no way I could lose.
    As I went over my plan a fifth time, I could hear him talking to Forentos.
    â€œWell, sure, but that’s what he said last time . . . I see . . . And now . . . But what about what’s-his-name, Jenkins? You said he was . . . Oh. I see. All of it? But what . . .” Then there was a long pause, while my dad didn’t say anything. I could tell it was bad. Finally he said, “So that’s it? It’s over? But what about . . .”
    There was an even longer pause, and then my dad hung up the phone.
    â€œWhat did Forentos have to say?” asked my mom, a moment later. She was