Check & Mate

Nolan Sawyer is the romantic interest for Mallory. In the prologue, a 14-year-old Mallory describes Nolan as a young man who is “built like an athlete, thinks like a theoretical physicist, and has the net worth of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. An unusual, handsome prodigy who won’t admit to being special” (13). He pursues Mallory slowly and gently, allowing her time to accustom herself to trying out a true relationship rather than purely sexual encounters.

Nolan also acts as a catalyst for Mallory’s return to chess. He is captivated by her play when she beats him at the charity tournament. Believing her to be a truly great player and one with whom he could enjoy the game rather than play to win, he gives Defne and Zugzwang the money needed to offer Mallory a fellowship. This starts Mallory’s journey back to chess, and Nolan continues to offer encouragement and support where he can to propel her journey and encourage her to play against him again.

Nolan is positioned to help Mallory with her inner journey of healing because of his own past. His grandfather was a loving guardian when he was growing up; however, he became angry and suspicious after developing a serious form of dementia, leading to the day he threw a knife at a thirteen-year-old Nolan. Nolan later sued for emancipation from his parents, and he has lived alone since, supported by his grandfather’s fortune.

Nolan’s journey involved his inner conflict of learning how to support Mallory. He makes several mistakes, pushing her too hard or forgetting to consider how she might see his attempts to make her open up emotionally. Even so, his gentle support gets through to her, offering her a chance to know what it might be like to be cared for. He also learns that any kind of deception hurts Mallory deeply, given her father’s dishonesty and betrayal of her family. Nolan learns how to be patient with Mallory while also giving her the encouragement she needs.

The Greenleaf family, aside from Mallory, includes her mother (Mrs. Greenleaf), Sabrina, and Darcy. Mrs. Greenleaf is chronically ill, having developed a particularly difficult form of rheumatoid arthritis since Mr. Greenleaf’s abandonment and death. Since she is divorced and works a freelance medical writing career, she does not have health insurance, and there are many days when her symptoms are so difficult that she cannot conduct her work. This is why Mallory takes on the mechanic work to pay the family’s bills. She expresses a desire for Mallory to have the normal life of an eighteen-year-old and guilt at Mallory having to co-parent with her, but she struggles to accomplish basic tasks during her worst weeks. Mallory’s chess fellowship and tournament winnings help them afford better medication, however, and Mrs. Greenleaf’s symptoms steadily improve. As they do, Mrs. Greenleaf slowly takes on more of the responsibility again at home, working and caring for her two younger daughters. After Darcy reveals Mallory’s secret fellowship, Mrs. Greenleaf discreetly observes Mallory’s progress and her increasing difficulty with her emotions. When Mallory finally breaks down, she can use her observations to comfort her daughter and encourage her to heal by finally talking about what happened with her father. In that moment, Mrs. Greenleaf reasserts her role as a caring parent and places Mallory back into the role of daughter.

Sabrina is the middle Greenleaf child; at fourteen years old, she is going through the “worst” of her teenage years. She rebels where she can and often resists Mallory’s will as the de facto “parent” while her mother is ill. She also becomes angry over the course of the novel as Mallory has to leave home more often for chess tournaments. She calls Mallory selfish, and while the words are hurtful and incorrect, they ultimately help Mallory realize how controlling she had become at home and how much she had taught her family to rely upon her. Sabrina’s journey, like Mallory’s, includes learning how to be honest with her emotions. At the end of Part 2, she admits that she was angry with Mallory because she misses the close, fun relationship they had before Mallory became an authority figure within the family dynamic.

Darcy is the youngest Greenleaf daughter. She does not remember much of what happened with their father, since she was so young, but she understands that the family dynamic has changed. She is now the closest to Mallory, looking up to her oldest sister and admiring her for her chess playing and accomplishments.

Easton Ellis is Mallory’s best friend. She is the one who guilts Mallory into helping her fill out her team for the charity chess tournament, at which Mallory’s defeat of Nolan provides the impetus for the rest of the plot. Easton also helps Mallory reconcile with her decision to play again, suggesting Mallory treat it like a job and use her free time to study for a mechanic’s exam so she can gain the license needed to be hired as a mechanic at legitimate garages. Easton’s increasing distance from Mallory while away at college provides another trigger for Mallory’s pain and struggles with suppressing her emotions, but in the end, Easton helps teach Mallory not to continue her practice of keeping people at bay.