On Monday, Lawrence goes to Mr. Dennis’s house, telling himself that Twyla was right: Fighting Deuce is not worth it. Mr. Dennis comments on how early Lawrence is, and Lawrence responds that he is excited about chess. However, Mr. Dennis tells him that he is not yet ready to play. He tells Lawrence to watch the moves played today, as well as those that are not played. Lawrence wonders if Mr. Dennis is talking about more than just chess.

That afternoon, Lawrence talks to Twyla. He tells her that she was right about fighting Deuce. She gives him a pair of earbuds, extras she brought from home. Lawrence thanks her and then scolds himself for being so awkward around her.

While the kids play chess, Lawrence watches, noticing the good moves the kids make, what they do wrong, and what their strategies are. While Twyla and Deuce play in the final game, Lawrence asks Kendra how they got so good. She explains that Mr. Dennis taught Twyla and that Deuce used to be the only one who would play her. As their games got better, more kids became interested until everyone was involved.