Queen's Gambit

A story in three stanzas

I fell for a chess champion,
And swore it was my fate
To be her Knight for ever;
She answered, simply, “Mate”.

I didn’t understand her,
But asked her on a date.
She simply said ‘Prdele’.
What’s that, I asked? “Czech, mate”.

"This game will soon be over,"
She said (and she spoke true).
"You'll keep it up one hour.
And then I'll mate in two."

She took me on the black square;
I took her on the white.
Had I but sacrificed my pawn
We would have played all night!