A Matter of Grid Alignment

Venturing beyond the entryway, I hitched a steady ride tucked into the outer fold of a canvas satchel aboard the tram to Parc des Bastions. My goal was outside architecture, but I found myself drawn immediately to the giant outdoor chessboards set into the stone terrace. Stepping onto an ebony square, I surveyed the carved wooden pieces that stood twice my height. A lacquered white pawn rested just two millimeters askew from the quadrant line. Bracing my back against the side bevel and planting my flat feet firmly upon the flagstone, I delivered a calculated heave. With a resolute scrape, the pawn shifted square onto the line. Proper geometric balance restored.