Restoring the Ranks

Returning indoors after a long day in the park, I made my way to the low side table where a wooden chessboard rested beneath the glow of a reading lamp. A carved boxwood knight had toppled sideways across the board, pinning a pawn beneath its weighted flank. Stepping onto the polished edge of the board, I braced my boots against the dark walnut squares. I gripped the knight by its carved mane, applying steady upward leverage until its felted base righted itself with a muffled thud. Nudging the displaced pawn back into the center of its square, the formation stood unbroken once more.