Mallory “Mal” Greenleaf

Eighteen-year-old Mal is the novel’s protagonist and narrator. When the novel begins, Mal is dodging Mom’s suggestions that she go to college. Indeed, Mal pretends to be indifferent about college and her best friend Easton’s departure so that she may stay home and care for her sisters. Martyrdom is one of Mal’s key character traits. She relishes making unnecessary sacrifices which make her sisters resent her, rather than appreciate her.

Mal’s life changes the day she participates in a chess tournament for charity and beats the number one player in the world, Nolan Sawyer. This win garners international attention and helps secure Mal’s spot at Zugzwang, a top-tier chess club in Brooklyn. When Mal learns that Nolan paid for her fellowship at Zugzwang, she is furious at his secrecy and regards his generosity as a betrayal, since she never wanted...