"A riveting story of a fight for justice." - Kirkus starred review "More than a YA story about a chess club. It's an urgent call for collective action in a divided society." - C.T. Liotta, author of No Good About Goodbye The rousing follow-up to the award-winning "YA masterpiece" Pushing Pawns sees a wildly diverse high school chess team grappling with brutal cops, ruthless gentrification, and competition more ferocious than they've ever faced. It's the worst day of Moses Middleton's life. Reeling from a crushing break-up, he joins his best buddy P.D. in New York City's Travers Park, where more bad news awaits: Their beloved chess tables are scheduled for demolition. Then a violent stop-and-frisk encounter with a pair of crooked cops leads to detention in the local precinct house. And that's just the beginning of Moses' struggles. The superbly gifted Esther has left the team and kicked our hero to the curb. The chess club is a different beast this year, disrupted by new members and romantic complications. Under the demanding supervision of Soviet grandmaster Viktor Fleischmann, the team gropes for solidarity as it prepares for its greatest challenge to date: the National High School Chess Championship. Meanwhile, enlisting old and new comrades in an effort to save the chess tables, and perhaps the whole neighborhood, Moses uncovers a conspiracy that reaches from cutthroat moneymen to sadistic police officers - and even to his own teammates. Multiple crises are on the boil when a sudden act of shocking violence threatens to destroy the team and shatter their dreams. Sinister forces are at work. Can the young comrades snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, over the board and on the streets?
KIRKUS starred review: Novak's second novel in his YA series tells a tale of New York City's Travers Park-"the lungs, heart and soul of northern Queens." The story of 15-year-old Moses "Mose" Middleton and public schoolQ722's chess club ensemble continues with newcomers adding interest and tension. Mose learns that his girlfriend Esther is overcommitted to extracurriculars and wants a break from their relationship. She's also taking a break from chess club, which leaves Mose feeling bereft. The following day, Mose and his friend P.D. Morales head to Travers Park to play chess; there, they find an "official-looking notice" stating that playing chess there is prohibited and that tables will soon be removed by the parks department. Wealthy parents had created a Facebook