The car show thrumming around them, the people playing chess and cards seemed to notice nothing beyond the next play. The band playing around them, the cyclonic children threatening to twist across their game board, the flash from cameras could have been lightning. Still, their focus does not break.
Unlike the card players, the chess players do not compete for money (at least not any that I have seen). They are fighting for something more, respect.
I watched the tail end of one exchange, and when it was over, the loser bounded up from the curb and headed off into the darkness for a second, turning back sharply to shake the hand of his opponent. The next contestant settled onto the concrete, and away they went.
shewhodaresnothing 