Episode 5

Late at night, the sky seemed to be torn apart and heavy rain poured down.Elizabeth dragged her heavy suitcase back to this deserted home, soaked all over.On the coffee table, there was still a teacup that her mother had forgotten to put away, and her lipstick marks remained on the rim of the cup. This scene made Elizabeth feel sad.

The ringing of the phone was particularly harsh in this silent night.It was Bertik who called, expressing his regret that Elibesa lost to Vasily in the game.But he also offered to help Elizabeth practice before the game.This summer, Bertik worked part-time here, and his appearance made Elizabeth feel a little warm.

Elizabeth invited Bertik to her home. When the two met, Bertik was amazed by Elizabeth's growth and changes, and Elizabeth also discovered that Bertik had corrected his rotten teeth..Bertik sent many treasured chess records, but Elizabeth was already familiar with them.The difference between the two is that Elizabeth relies more on intuition, while Bertik is a theoretical person.Even so, Elizabeth could benefit from the tricks Bertik occasionally learned from unpopular chess records.

That night, Elizabeth did not go back to the bedroom on the second floor, but spent it on the sofa in the living room.The next day, Bertik stayed all day, but was defeated five times by Elizabeth.However, this was not enough, as Vasily's level was much higher than this.In order to improve her chess skills, Elibesa began to study Vasily's works seriously.

After getting along for a few days, Elizabeth decided to let Bertik move in with her in her former bedroom.This decision made Bertik happy. Everything he did was to pursue Elizabeth.For Elizabeth, he repaired his teeth, spent all his tuition fees, and even had to work part-time during the summer vacation.Now, it all seems to be paying off.

However, Elizabeth is a ruthless she-wolf both on the chessboard and in reality.She doesn't need sweet words, just practicality.Only on the chessboard can Bertik and Elizabeth find a common language.However, at his level, he could only feel humiliated again and again.Elizabeth also made no secret of her contempt for the weak, and the love between the two was as fleeting as an electric spark.

In Bertik's view, Elizabeth is an unattainable goddess.He decided to leave and return to his rented apartment.Before leaving, he took out the medicine bottle he found in the bathroom.He didn't want Elizabeth to be like the famous chess player Murphy, who quit chess at the age of 22 because she couldn't control herself, and eventually turned into a madman mumbling to herself.

The 1967 Ohio State Championship was held at a second-tier university in the state.Elizabeth did not listen to Bertik's advice and continued to take capsules to improve her chess skills.As expected, the proud Benny Watts also signed up to participate in this state competition.Before the game officially started, Elizabeth knew who her final opponent would be.

After two days of fierce competition, Elizabeth and Benny successfully entered the finals.On the eve of the finals, Elizabeth temporarily put down her chessboard and went to the Student Activity Center to buy a cup of coffee.There, she unexpectedly meets Benny, who is discussing a chess game with his friends.Unable to withstand Benny's provocation, Elizabeth engaged him in a fast chess match, with a bet of five dollars per game.However, Elizabeth failed repeatedly and eventually lost all the money in her wallet.After returning to the dormitory, she couldn't help but secretly rejoice because she had figured out Benny's path.

In the finals the next day, Benny went first, but gave up on the 30th move, which was a disastrous defeat.However, he is not a fussy person and does not care about winning or losing the game.Elizabeth won the match and qualified for the Paris Grand Prix and the Moscow Invitational.Benny provided some of his own experience and told her that the air tickets would be paid for by the government, and the remaining expenses could be funded by a tutor.

On the issue of how to deal with Vasily, Benny proposed that he should be the coach and train before going to Paris.Elizabeth did not admit it with her mouth, but she began to be fascinated by this somewhat cynical man.So, she agreed to go to Benny's house in New York for training.