The Chess Club was a-twitter with activity, there was whispering and movement throughout the halls. The matches continued, as scheduled, but something was happening, something big, but unfortunately no one could quite figure it out. Already four of the six top ranked players in the club had lost convincingly.
The proctors were studying the games, as they had never done before, watching the players to see if they were getting help from anywhere. It started early in the day as the contestants arrived at the hotel to sign in. For the first time in Club Tournament history the contestants as well at the spectators had to go through metal detectors. Computers were not allowed anywhere on the tournament floor except for those operated by the Tournament Organizers.
In previous tournaments, players could use headphones or earbuds to listen to music or whatever they had recorded on their music players unless their opponent objected. Today, the Organizers simply indicated that any listening devices were prohibited. It was the only alternative to the technology available. Reports from other tournaments spoke of cheats, who'd set up a computer and then broadcast the recommended move to the players via a receiver disguised as a music player.
Considering the technological abilities of most of the Chess Club members, even the slightest hint of impropriety was taken very seriously. Strangely, in spite of the intense security and observation, top players were losing to complete unknowns. Even stranger than the fact they lost, was that none of them seemed to mind, each showing a calm sportsmanship they had never shown in the past.
One of the unknowns getting a lot of attention was a fairly attractive woman wearing a low cut blouse. While her attire as a strategy might have affected the weaker players in the early rounds, the low cut blouse is considered blasé with the better players today. Her presence in these final rounds must mean she was an accomplished player or had something else going on.
Another unknown still in the mix was an odd man who would sit for long periods of time with his hands on his lap, his body swaying quickly forward and back. His breathing would quicken at times, at other times he'd seem completely relaxed. Some of the experts had commented that this odd man was still participating because of a lucky draw, the woman was the one taking out the biggest players one by one and yet this man continued walking over more and more accomplished players.
Within the next hour it had become apparent that, unless some miracle occurred, the woman and the odd man would meet in the finals. In spite of this obvious conclusion, everyone watched at the last two of the top players lost and each gallantly congratulated the woman and walked away.
The semi-final matches had just started when one of the Tournament officials stepped up to the main table and amid all the preparations for an awards ceremony, he leaned over to Travis Walters, the Tournament Director and whispered, "I know what's been going on."
Travis stood up, grabbed the man's arm and led him away from the table, finally disappearing into a vacant room. "Now what did you say?"
"I know what's been going on."
"And what is that John?"
"She's distracting the other players."
"Well, hell, women have been doing that for years..."
"No, it goes beyond what she's wearing, I think she's having sex with these men!"
"Just how in the hell is she doing that, I mean we been watching everything so closely."
