The tournament in Marseille had just ended. Alexei and Elena had both performed brilliantly—flawless tactics, dazzling endgames, and quiet moments of intuition that left seasoned grandmasters shaking their heads in disbelief. They were on the rise, together. But that night, as the sea wind whispered through the open hotel balcony and the stars cast chessboard shadows across the floor, Alexei couldn't sleep.
He sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at his glowing board, the soft gold hue pulsing steadily. Elena was fast asleep in the next room. The silence stretched—until a flicker of shadow appeared at the edge of the board.
Tal.
Alexei didn't flinch. In fact, he had been waiting.
"I remember," Alexei said softly.
Tal's eyes glinted with something unreadable. "Go on."
"That game. The one I played when I was eleven. The one I thought was just a dream." His hands were trembling. "It wasn't a dream. It was you."
The shadow fully emerged now—taller, darker than usual, as if stepping from the folds of time itself.
"I should have told you sooner," Tal said, voice gentle but low. "But you weren't ready then."
Alexei shook his head slowly, memories racing behind his eyes. "You played that offbeat Sicilian. Sacrificed a knight on move eleven—crazy stuff. I thought I was hallucinating."
"You were," Tal said with a mischievous smile. "Just not in the way you think."
Alexei stood now, barefoot on the cold floor. "You used that variation—the cursed one. The one I later found in your notes. That whole game was it, wasn't it?"
Tal didn't answer right away. Then, with a nod, he said, "Yes. That was the first time you touched the essence of it. You didn't even realize it, but your mind absorbed it. That's why it later called to you."
Alexei's breath caught. "You planted it. A seed."
"A test," Tal corrected. "And you failed. Then you grew. And now—"
Alexei's hands curled into fists. "Now I want to know why."
Tal stepped forward, the room darkening around him. "Because it's not just a line. It's a door. Every move in it isn't just tactical—it's spiritual. Madness balanced on the knife's edge. It demands not just brilliance—but unity."
"Unity?" Alexei asked.
"You and Elena."
Silence.
Then Alexei whispered, "I've seen things in that line no one else has. Elena saw them too. It's not just cursed—it's alive."
Tal's eyes flickered, approving. "Exactly. And the time has come."
"For what?"
Tal grinned. "A rematch."
Later That Night
The golden board flared suddenly—and a soft blue light rose from the hallway.
Elena stood there, half-asleep, drawn by the energy. Her board was glowing too.
"What's going on?" she asked, walking toward Alexei. Her eyes caught Tal's shadow. "It's him, isn't it?"
Alexei nodded. "And he's calling us to play."
A voice answered her from the shadows of her own board.
Anya.
Elena's eyes widened as the woman's figure formed beside Tal's—sharp, elegant, familiar.
"You're Anya," Elena whispered.
Anya smiled. "And you are the girl who saw the trap in the Benoni variation before Tal did. I'm impressed."
Alexei glanced between them. "What is this?"
Tal spread his arms. "A test. A game. A challenge."
Elena looked at Alexei. "Us versus you two?"
Anya nodded. "If you're ready."
Alexei stepped forward, breath shaky but eyes lit with fire. "You knew all along, didn't you? That we'd get here."
Tal's voice softened. "We hoped."
Then Alexei turned to Elena. "We've analyzed every classic line. Every weird Tal trap. Every impossible variation. But this…"
"This is new," she said, already smiling.
He nodded. "You with me?"
She took his hand. "Always."
The Board Reconfigures
The board between them morphed, pieces rising and falling, old rules bending slightly. It wasn't a normal setup. It looked like something out of a forgotten puzzle—a blend of Tal's forbidden line with new elements only Alexei and Elena could have imagined.
Across from them, Tal sat. Anya to his left. Both figures looked less like shadows now—almost human, glowing faintly with memory and legacy.
"You'll have White," Tal said. "Let's see what you've learned."
Alexei and Elena exchanged a quick glance.
Then Alexei made the first move.
e4.
Tal smiled.
c5.
Of course. The Sicilian.
The game had begun.