Josh continued to postpone talking to Coach. He'd feel one way about it and then he'd feel another way, and now he was concerned about what Amy had said. He had a sneaking suspicion about what might be wrong ... but he couldn't be sure without talking to her again, and that would require contacting her at home, prior to the third and final match, which might well be out of line. In any case he didn't have her number.

Josh spent something of a sleepless night, upset by both his own dilemma and Amy's troubles, whatever they might be. But then, early in the morning, when Josh was about to give up on trying to sleep, the hotel room phone rang.

"Is it Mr. Gosh?" the voice on the phone said.

Josh groaned. "This is Josh. You again? The guy with the phony team in the phony kingdom?"

"Ah, so you are not yet a believer. Never mind; your playing is very well," the voice said. "Do another good play tonight and the big offer we will make." At that, the line disconnected.

This had gotten way too far out of line and Josh had had enough. He picked up the room phone again and called Coach's room.

"Hello?" Coach answered.

"This is Josh, Coach. I need to talk with you right away."

"It's only six AM, can it wait?"

"No, Coach, I don't think so."

Josh heard a little grumbling on the other end of the line. "Okay," Coach said finally, "come to my room. But pick up a couple of coffees on the way. One cream, one sugar for me."

"Got it, Coach," Josh replied.

Josh went down to the Starbugs in the lobby and then, armed with what was surely no better than mediocre coffee, went to Coach's room. He knocked on the door and was quickly admitted.

"Okay," Coach said, "tell me what's on your mind that's so pressing you had to talk about at this hour."

"Well, Coach," Josh said, "I got these phone calls ... "

Josh went on the give Coach the full picture.

"You should have told me right after that first call," Coach said.

"I know, Coach," Josh replied, "but I didn't want to sound like a whiner or that I was making threats or anything because I didn't move up to AAA checkers this season."

Coach thought for a moment. "Okay," he said, "I get that, and I suppose what really counts is that you did finally tell me, especially after that second call. Well, let me lay it out for you, and though I shouldn't be letting you in on all of this, you do deserve something of an answer.

"First, that scout or recruiter or whatever he is, legit or not, is causing a lot of trouble. I'm going to have to notify management about this and there will be an international complaint filed--- well, at least if the guy can be tracked down through phone records or something. You'll be in the clear yourself, although you'll probably have to make a statement.

"Now, I'll tell you straight out that the Detroit organization won't sell out your contract at any price. So forget about that. You have a lot of long term potential and we're not letting you go anywhere. As to your moving up to AAA checkers, well, just keep playing the way you're playing and it won't be long. We wanted you to have some experience on first board this year before you go up. You know for sure that when you reach AAA play you're going to be a sub for while. That's a whole new class of play. So be happy on first board here in AA checkers for a little while longer. Your time will come. But there's more to this."

"I get it, Coach, I really do, and I sure appreciate the explanation. But what else is there?"

"It's kind of dirty pool. But this guy who called could be a complete phony, spoofing a phone number and misrepresenting himself in an effort to get you into trouble or even wreck your career. A couple of unscrupulous teams might see you as a formidable opponent and want you out of the game. It wouldn't be the first time, and your long-term potential makes you a possible target. Or maybe you made some enemies somewhere."

Josh immediately though about the executive at Ditzy World (see previous Checker Maven story). Would she do such a thing? She just might. But Josh thought it unlikely; Ditzy Company was more into lawsuits.

Coach continued, "So don't forget the old saying about when it seems too good to be true, watch out. I'm not saying that's the case here, but who knows, and in any case it's so far out of line it's not even funny. An unidentified team in an unidentified country? I guess I've heard it all now."

"Yes," Josh said, "this did seem really odd. I mean, sure, I had a good first year but I know I need more experience. I'm not exactly a superstar at this point. You don't become Marvin J. Mavin overnight!"

Coach laughed. "That's for sure. And if one day you play like Marvin, that's terrific, but there are other attributes of his that you might not want to ... well, never mind. Go out there tonight and give 'em all you've got, okay?"

"You bet, Coach," Josh said, much relieved to have everything off his chest. "See you at practice."

Just at that moment Coach took a swig of his coffee and started to cough. "What is this stuff?" he asked. "This coffee is lousy!"

"It's from Starbugs," Josh said, and left the room as quickly as he could.

When Josh took his place at first board that night, Amy looked even more disturbed than on the previous night. "What's up, Amy?" Josh asked after their handshake, noting that her hand was shaky and sweaty.

"There was another phone call ... say, Josh, the series ends tonight and we'll have some freedom ... can we go for coffee after? I need to talk to someone about ... my troubles."

Josh heart swelled. Was Amy asking him out, and asking him to be her confidant? "Sure," he said, hoping his voice had kept steady, "of course."

But once again, despite whatever nascent feelings Josh had for Amy, and all the other things on his mind, Josh wanted to win this one to show Coach that he understood his situation, accepted it, and was going to advance on merit, not through complaints and conspiracies. And merit meant playing to win in a professional manner.

The match began almost at once, and his game with Amy at last came down to the following position with Josh to play. The Eliminators were up by a score of 6-2 so it didn't matter whether Josh won, lost, or drew, but he wanted to score his third win and sweep the series.

He stole one more glance at Amy, but it didn't take long for Josh to confidently make his move.

---

Our man Gosh Josh sure has a lot going on in his young life right now, but as we've said, he's a professional and his job is to win for his team. Can you win this one? Hopefully for you the stakes aren't as high as they are for Josh, nor are you facing a raft of possible life-changing situations. Choose your move and then click on Read More for the solution and the rest of our story.

Solution and Conclusion

Josh smiled, played 18-22, and the game continued as follows.

1.	18-22	30-25
2.	22-26	31x22
3.	6-10	15x6
4.	2x18	22x15
5.	29x22	27-24
6.	20x27	32x23
7.	22-26	23-18

Other moves are no better.

8.

26-23

...

To a Black win.

Amy Rye resigned.

Josh offered a handshake. "You're very good, Amy," he said, "I may have won the series but you sure didn't make it easy."

Amy smiled in return, her hand lingering in Josh's. "Thanks, Josh; I did my best but you're really going places and I'm sure you won't be in AA checkers for much longer. But are we still on for that coffee?"

"Of course," Josh replied.

"Okay, how about I meet you at the Starbugs in your hotel in say an hour? I think they're open late."

"See you there," Josh said. He didn't know if, under the circumstances, a smile was appropriate, but he couldn't help himself.

Josh's smile lasted all the way through the showers, the locker room, and back to his hotel, where he went straight to Starbugs. His timing was perfect and Amy was just entering the hotel lobby at that moment. They greeted each other and Josh ordered coffees for both of them. Soon they were at a table in a corner of the coffee shop, sitting quietly and regarding each other for a few moments. Josh finally broke the silence.

"So Amy, what's bothering you? You said something about disturbing phone calls. Is there a problem with your family? Boyfriend trouble? Something else?"

Amy blushed a bit. "Oh gosh, Josh, I don't have a boyfriend! And my family is fine. No, it's something else. It started the other day after the first match. Some man called. He had an accent that I couldn't place, and then he said ... "

" ... that he represented a rich kingdom in a faraway land?" Josh interjected.

Amy looked astonished. "How did you know?" she asked.

"I got the same call. Or actually, two of them. This guy wanted me to play for whatever team there is in whatever place it is--- if it's even for real."

Amy replied, "It must be the same person. He talked about recruiting young Americans and paying a lot of money. It really bothered me and I didn't know what to do. It sounded so crazy."

"And you worried that if you reported it your management would think you're crazy too. I felt the same, but I did finally talk to my Coach."

Josh told Amy what Coach had said. It was now clear to both of them that they had been targeted by the same individual.

That's when Josh saw a short and slim man, dressed in a black jacket, black trousers, and a black fedora approaching their table. The man wore a kind of shifty expression.

"Mr. Gosh, and Miss Amy!" he said as he reached their table. "With both of you I have spoken on the telephone and now I have finally located you. You have together played so wonderful a match and now some deals we can make!"

"Deal?" Josh replied. "You think so?"

"I don't think so," Amy said. "I don't think Josh thinks so either."

"Oh, be not so hasty," the man said, "it is the big money we are giving when you make the deal.

"Well, pal," Josh said, "I'm not looking for 'the big money' from you, and whatever your game is, you're out of line and you need to beat it, right now."

"But Mr. Josh you must listen me ... very well, perhaps then I will first speak privately with Miss Amy. Miss Amy if you would kindly come with me ... "

As he spoke the man stepped forward and grabbed Amy's left arm. Amy gasped with fright and tried to pull away but the man didn't release his grip.

Josh reacted quickly. "You don't touch a lady," he growled, and his left fist connected with the right side of the man's jaw. The man went sprawling backwards and landed flat on his back on the floor, semi-conscious while Josh stood over him and Amy looked on in amazement.

After a few moments the man revived and scrambled away from Josh, regaining his feet. "There will not be the deal for either of you," he said, and quickly ran for the door.

"I think that settles things," Josh said.

Amy turned to Josh and looked him in the eyes. "You're my hero," she whispered. "I must go home now, but we'll meet again soon." At that she put her hand on the back of Josh's neck, pulled him forward, and kissed him full on the lips. "Good night, Josh, and thank you for everything."

Josh sat in the coffee shop long after Amy had gone. It had been quite a road trip. He had swept his series, dealt firmly with a bad situation and a bad person, and had--- he hoped--- won the heart of his true dream girl.

Not bad at all.

---

As we noted last time, Josh Gordon is a real person but our stories about him are completely fictitious. Josh's name and photo are used with permission. Today's problem position was based on over the board play between Josh and his father, Lloyd Gordon.