Beth gets a passport in time to go to Paris, and Benny drives her to the airport. In Paris, the tournament is small, with only six players from around the world. Beth believes that only Borgov and herself can go undefeated in the tournament. Beth beats all her opponents, and the night before playing the also undefeated Borgov, she takes three tranquilizers. When she arrives for her game, Borgov is pleasant and polite, though his calm unnerves Beth. As the game goes on, Beth feels as though she is in a better position than in Mexico, and she believes she can beat Borgov. She feels more prepared to attack Borgov than ever before, but he counters her attacks in a way she does not expect. She realizes that she failed to see all the possibilities again, and her game falls apart. She plays her best but resigns on the 38th move.

On the flight back, Beth takes tranquilizers, unable to move past the anger over losing. She believes she played her best chess, and yet it was not enough to beat Borgov. When she lands in New York City, she calls Benny to tell him she lost and that she is going back to Kentucky for a while.