The war of two minds took place over a Chessboard. Chandler captured Hank’s black knight. Hank captured back the bishop with his pawn, leaving one pawn in front of the other.
"Two in a row, two in a row!" said Jerry as he watched Hank and Chandler play at the Gamber Center.
"Yeah, I know," said Hank.
Conversations like this were common when Chandler played with the seniors at the Gamber Center. These old men could not walk well, nor could Hank hear until someone spoke loudly enough, for he was nearly deaf even with his hearing aid. Hank and Jerry were both war Veterans who had served in the army in their younger days before they met Chandler and told him their stories. Their experience in Chess and their stories from years ago were all these men had left in their old age. Chandler listened to them because it was always worth hearing the same stories if it meant he had someone to play Chess with.
The day eventually came when Hank and Jerry no longer came. Chandler assumed that they had died when he stopped hearing from them and had no way to contact them anymore. Chandler stopped playing Chess for many years without any friends to play with. It was not the same now that his favorite men to play with were dead or otherwise beyond contact.
Years later, Chandler became Chastity White Rose and an online student with Full Sail University. She did not have many friends and became obsessive about school grades, money, and avoiding people whenever possible. One day, Chastity got an email from Chess.com, where she had an account that had been created in 2010 and then abandoned.
Chastity did a search of the website for the word “transgender” and found a most unusual article titled “FIDE Publishes Controversial New Transgender Policy,” which detailed some very sexist rules regarding transgender people participating in events and even having their titles abolished. Some even said men have a biological advantage in the game of Chess over women.
The prejudice against transgender people held Chastity back from job opportunities because nobody wanted to hire someone who looked or acted like her. But this time, no one could stop her from playing Chess and improving at the game until even her enemies would respect the same incredible mind that Chandler had back when Hank and Jerry still lived. Her old Chess friends had died, but she was smart enough to make new friends and had a mission. Chastity would overcome the prejudice of society by defeating them in a game of the mind.
Chastity drafted a statement on her computer. She had a message to send to the underdogs who, like her, did not have the opportunities they deserved. Chastity wrote
"My dearest friends, transgender sisters, and Chess players, we will overcome prejudice with pride! We will not allow others to tell us who we are nor discourage us from playing the world's greatest mind sport, where all genders and races are equal. With every gift God gave me and everything I have learned, I will teach them to understand! Join me, and let me show you the way of the Chess Warrior!"
Not only did Chastity vow to be a master of Chess, but she also named her business “Chastity’s Chess Challenge”. She would teach others to play Chess, and then they, too, could break the shackles placed on those who wanted to imprison their bodies and minds from opportunities. She became an inspiration to younger people, just like Hank and Jerry, passing on her memories.
Chastity White Rose 