{"product_id":"may-the-best-player-winisbn-9780593615867","title":"May the Best Player Win","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe game is on in this fun-filled middle grade debut about chess, girl power, and performance anxiety in sports, perfect for fans of Kelly Yang and Celia C. Pérez!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe clock is ticking for May Li, whose middle-school chess team just earned a victory at the state championship—and with it, a ticket to nationals. What’s even more exciting is that May got an award for being the top female player and a splashy feature in the biggest chess magazine in the country.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMay should be thrilled. But some of her teammates, including her supposed-to-be-friend Ralph, aren’t too pleased with the attention she’s getting—and they’re even questioning her skills. Backed into a corner, but not one to back down, May makes a move as bold as any of her chess tactics: She bets Ralph she can win the school’s internal tournament and be chosen as team captain for nationals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe crown is May’s for the taking . . . except she’s starting to crumble under the weight of everyone’s expectations. Anxious feelings begin to affect her performance and, what’s worse, eat away at her love for the game. Now May is left to wonder: Can you still play for fun when you’re playing to win?Praise for \u003ci\u003eMay the Best Player Win\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A middle grade \u003ci\u003eQueen’s Gambit, May The Best Player Win\u003c\/i\u003e is a realistic story of one girl's love of chess and her journey to rediscovering the love of the game...Utterly believable and inspirational, \u003cb\u003eMay's story will have you on the edge of your seat and you itching to play a game of chess!\u003c\/b\u003e\" —\u003cb\u003eGraci Kim\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of the Gifted Clans trilogy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eGirls deserve to just have fun!\u003c\/b\u003e Full of puns and emotions that had me on the edge of my seat, \u003ci\u003eMay the Best Player Win \u003c\/i\u003eis an all-too relatable tale about how girls have to prove themselves over and over in boy-dominated hobbies.\" —\u003cb\u003eXiran Jay Zhao\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e-bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eZachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eThis book is a game-changer \u003c\/b\u003efor readers of all ages, regardless of whether you play chess! \u003ci\u003eMay the Best Player Win\u003c\/i\u003e captures the thrill of competition, the weight of expectations, and the sting of naysayers.\"\u003cb\u003e —Carissa Yip, 2x US Women's Chess Champion \u0026amp; Women's Grandmaster\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eCompassionate, empowering, and full of heart\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMay the Best Player Win \u003c\/i\u003ereminds young readers that sometimes, the only limits on our potential are the ones we place on ourselves.\" —\u003cb\u003eRebecca Mix\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Mossheart's Promise\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"May Li is the type of \u003cb\u003efierce, loveable, larger-than-life heroine\u003c\/b\u003e who stays with you long after the story ends. Readers will root for May and her friends from start to finish in their epic journey to nationals!\" —\u003cb\u003eKatie Zhao\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eLast Gamer Standing\u003c\/i\u003e and the Winnie Zeng series\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eThe chess games are thrilling\u003c\/b\u003e...and the book’s valuable life lessons will speak to anyone who’s lost their love for a pursuit. An emotionally intelligent work that explores socially relevant themes.\" —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"\u003c\/i\u003eDigestible chess strategy breakdowns and terminology scattered throughout serve as \u003cb\u003ean approachable introduction to the sport\u003c\/b\u003e.\" —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[Zhao], who is a  former competitive chess player,  addresses gender bias, self-doubt,  and anxiety in this \u003cb\u003eriveting story.\u003c\/b\u003e\" \u003ci\u003e—The Week Junior\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A fierce yet tender narrative [that is] rich in emotions and facts... \u003cb\u003eA top recommendation for young readers.\u003c\/b\u003e\"\u003cb\u003e —Tatiana Flores, Women's World Chess Champion for People with Disabilities\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A great read for almost any age group! It \u003cb\u003eoffers the opportunity to discuss critical issues such as gender and culture\u003c\/b\u003e... [I] look forward to more books like this by the author!” \u003cb\u003e—Jerry Nash, \u003cb\u003eChairman of International Chess Federation’s (FIDE) Chess in Education Commission\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Kyla Zhao's novel convincingly portrays chess players and their emotions and makes the reader care about these characters... \u003ci\u003eMay the Best Player Win\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e is a winner.\" —Dr. Alexey Root, 1989 U.S. Women's Chess Champion\u003c\/b\u003e and author of United States Women's Chess Champions, 1937-2020Kyla Zhao is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Fraud Squad \u003c\/i\u003e(Berkley, 2023). She had her first women's magazine byline\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eat the age of sixteen. Since then, she has also written for the Singapore editions of \u003ci\u003eHarper's Bazaar\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e Vogue\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eTatler.\u003c\/i\u003e A native Singaporean, Kyla now works in Silicon Valley after graduating from Stanford University in 2021. In 2023, Kyla made Forbes Asia's 30 under 30 list. She’s still trying to understand why Californians adore hiking and Patagonia fleeces so much. \u003ci\u003eMay the Best Player Win \u003c\/i\u003eis her middle-grade debut.\u003cb\u003eOPENING\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe start of a chess game, with White making the first move\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The queen charges forward. The king cowers. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut in a flash, the knight jumps onto the scene to His Majesty’s defense.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I let out a big breath once I’ve played my move. Frowning, my opponent, Eric Malik, leans his head over the chessboard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e My mom once let me use her stethoscope, and her heartbeat sounded like the stampede from The Lion King, but I think my heart’s beating even faster now.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This is the final round at the California Middle School State Chess Championship, and Eric is my toughest opponent by far. He was a medalist last year, and this is the first time I’ve ever qualified for State. Right now, it’s hard to tell who has the upper hand in our game. But one wrong move and my position could collapse like a Jenga tower.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A familiar voice from two tables down makes me look up. “I resign,” Ralph Morris sighs, knocking his king over. The slump of his shoulders makes my chest tighten. Ralph is my chess teammate at Lingard Middle School. Like my opponent, Eric, he’s also playing at State for the second time. I know he’s hoping to improve on his fifth place finish last year and win Lingard’s first-ever medal at the tournament.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When he catches me looking, Ralph gives a small shake of his head, misery all over his face. With this loss, he’s ending the tournament with six points out of a maximum of eight, so the best place he can hope for now is fourth. That’s got to hurt. I offer him a sympathetic smile before he trudges off into the crowd.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e My eyes open wide. There’s a crowd? At least twenty people are clustered around my table, staring straight at my chessboard. It’s a mix of my fellow competitors— mostly boys who have already finished their games— their parents and coaches, and a couple of competition officials. \u003cbr\u003e I recognize almost all of them because the competitive chess community in Northern California is pretty small. But there’s a man at the front I don’t think I’ve seen before. He’s wearing a serious-looking lanyard around his neck and scribbling away in a notebook. I squint to make out the two words on his badge:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e ChessChamps\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e Media\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e ChessChamps\u003c\/i\u003e is the biggest chess magazine in the country. Last month, they did an exclusive interview with Ding Liren, the world chess champion. A middle school chess competition is nothing compared to the world championship, so what’s a reporter from \u003ci\u003eChessChamps\u003c\/i\u003e doing here? And why is he, and everyone else, looking at my game?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Draw?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e My eyes snap to Eric’s face at the sound of his voice. If I accept his draw offer, the game ends now with a half point for each of us. So we would both finish the tournament with six and a half points. But because Eric has a slightly better tiebreaker score, he’d clinch at least third place. Meanwhile, a draw would put me anywhere between third and fifth depending on how the other players’ final games go.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Without hesitation, I shake my head. No way I’m accepting his draw offer, not when I’m so close to a medal I can basically feel its weight around my neck. I can already imagine the proud smiles on my parents’ faces when they see me up on stage accepting my medal from the president of the California Schools Chess Association. I’ll be the first State medalist my school has ever had—and on my debut at State too!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Eric shrugs and moves his queen to the left side of the board. She’s now pointed right at my knight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The gears in my head whir into action. My knight is currently protected by a pawn, but what if . . . I move that pawn away? Eric will think the knight is defense[1]less and capture it with his queen, not realizing it’s a poisoned bait. Once his queen is deep in my territory, I can trap her with my rook and two bishops.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The moment I move my pawn, the crowd bursts into whispers. Someone even gasps. I squash down the urge to giggle. It’s just a chess move, but they make it seem really dramatic, like they’re watching a bullfight. How will they react once I play my surprise winning move? I sit up straighter and flex my fingers. The moment Eric captures my knight, I’m ready to swing my lightsquared bishop out and set the queen trap.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But Eric’s hand drifts past his queen and reaches for his rook instead. Grasping the rook firmly between his fingers, he moves it two squares to the right and attacks my king.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e My eyes widen as the crowd falls silent. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go. What’s Eric trying to— \u003cbr\u003e Oh. My blood runs cold as Eric’s plan hits me. He’s played a zwischenzug, a word I’ve always struggled to pronounce that basically means delaying his most obvious move (capture my knight) to first deliver a threat. His attack on my king can easily be blocked by my rook. But with my rook occupied, I won’t have all the pieces I need to set up the trap. He’ll be able to capture my knight on his next turn without losing anything.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e My stomach sinks all the way to my Converse, and there’s a loud pounding in my head. This can’t be happening. There must still be a way around this.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Biting my lip, I lean forward and cup my hands around my eyes as though narrowing my field of vision will allow me to catch something I’ve missed, something that might help me rescue the game. Beads of sweat roll down my temples despite the air-conditioning being on full blast, making my bangs stick to my forehead even as goose bumps sprout all over my skin. Why did I play that knight sacrifice? If I had gone with a safer move, I wouldn’t be stuck in the position I am now—about to lose.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After what feels like an eternity, I finally force myself to accept the truth: I’m so screwed. I have no choice but to defend my king with my rook.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sure enough, Eric’s queen immediately swoops down on my knight. One whole piece down, I play on for a few more moves and try to set another trap for Eric, but he’s too good to fall for my desperate tricks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Finally, on move forty-seven, I knock my king over. I swallow hard and say over the lump in my throat, “I resign.”","brand":"G.P. Putnam's Sons","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302565990629,"sku":"NP9780593615867","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593615867_602fb90f-7096-4279-945a-d3fab463a634.jpg?v=1730751298","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/may-the-best-player-winisbn-9780593615867","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}