Perpetual Check by Rich Wallace

Zeke walks as casually as he can toward the table at the back of the room, where Derek Pham is waiting. He avoids eye contact with Randy. He's seen the brackets; he knows they could be facing each other this afternoon. (37)

Brothers Zeke, a senior, and Randy, a freshmen, have always been compared to each other by their father and each other. The comparisons escalate as they end up playing in the same championship chess competition. As they both continue to succeed and progress, there's a distinct likelihood that they'll play against each other. They both start wondering, who will their dad root for then? Perpetual Check by Rich Wallace relates their struggle, both in chess and in life, to get along with each other.

AMY