A crowd had gathered in the conference hall at Central City RSL Club. Flowers adorned the walls. A gala atmosphere prevailed as the elite of the metropolitan chess community assembled to witness the final game in the national tournament that would determine whether the next champion would be a man or a woman. In the centre of the hall stood a small table with two chairs, a pair of chess clocks, and a board set up with pieces ready for play. A projected image of the board on a large screen along a side wall afforded the audience a clear…