Chess is a symbol that appears repeatedly throughout the work. Practically speaking, chess helps drive the plot, as the judge leaves Avery many chess-relevant clues. For example, she is able to connect with Ani via the Chessdynamo online game platform. However, chess also symbolizes the trickery, treachery, and strategic approaches that underlie many of the power struggles and political games that Justice Wynn criticizes and, through Avery, hopes to bring to light. Chess is highly strategic, requiring awareness of one’s own moves as well as one’s opponent’s. The emphasis on games critiques many of the power struggles seen in the book. For example, President Stokes has the foresight to recognize that if the GenWorks-Advar merger happens, his own involvement in the Tigris Project will be exposed—and acts accordingly.

Chess is immediately alluded to in the Prologue, when Justice Wynn tells Jamie, “In the middle game, both bishops will die to save him. To save the endgame” (9). The Prologue mentions a chessboard in Justice Wynn’s home, and he uses chess-related language like “King’s gambit” (8). His reference to the famous Lasker-Bauer chess game is later elucidated, as it’s revealed that, in the game, the player Lasker sacrificed two key pieces: the bishops, on the board, which ultimately allowed him to win.