The demon stared at the board for so long that I began to wish we’d set a game clock. My nerves were raw by this point, and I was getting antsy. Deliberate or not, as psychological warfare goes, the delay tactic was brilliant. All I could do was sit and stew while waiting for him to make his move.

Finally – finally! – he capitalized on the threat to my Queen, capturing it with his Bishop and placing it in a position to better control the center of the board. My heart skipped a beat. I’d known it was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier to take. Now I was down my strongest piece while he still had his — and a better developed position. I had to play things carefully from here on out if I was to have any hope of winning.

I Castled — Queen-side. Less powerful than the King-side Castle, but in this case more defensible. I’d committed too many resources to my prior attack for a King-side Castle to be practical.

The demon Castled — King-side and strong. He looked up at me and winked. Then he grinned.