Well...

[amyamy]

She sat at the board, contemplating her opponent. "I must say..." Her voice was the only sound in the room as the two faced off against each other. "Masterfully played. It has been a long time since I've been offered such a challenge in this game. But is it worth it? You made a mistake, you know, in your execution. It was inevitable, of course."

Her face was a mask of smooth assurance, her posture clean and controlled, but her smile was cold. She would not say it, would avoid even hinting at it, but the loss she had suffered had shaken her. This opponent she had misjudged.

"We shall see," was all her opponent would say, not looking up to meet her eyes, not giving anything else away. And while she had gleaned a little from the way the move had been made she was uncertain how the game would go from here. She had made a mistake, lost a key piece, and only time would tell how things would unfold.

"Well played indeed," she whispered to herself as she went back to contemplating the board.