On the glassy gray margin above the Machine's electric board, large red words flamed on: CHECK! AND MATE IN THREE Up in the stands Dave squeezed Sandra's arm. "He's done it! He's let himself be swindled." "You mean the Machine has beaten Grabo?" Sandra asked. "What else?" "Can you be sure? Just like that?" "Of cour.... Wait a second.... Yes, I'm sure." "Mated in three like a potzer," Bill confirmed. "The poor old boob," Judy sighed. Down on the floor Bela Grabo sagged. The assistant director moved toward him quickly. But then the Hungarian straightened himself a little. "I resign," he said softly. The red words at the top of the board were wiped out and briefly replaced, in white, by: THANK YOU FOR A GOOD GAME And then a third statement, also in white, flashed on for a few seconds: YOU HAD BAD LUCK Bela Grabo clenched his fists and bit his teeth. Even _the Machine_ was being sorry for him! He stiffly walked out of the hall. It was a long, long walk. V Adjournment time neared. Serek, the exchange down but with considerable time on his clock, sealed his forty-sixth move against Sherevsky and handed the envelope to Vanderhoef. It would be opened when the game was resumed at the morning session. Dr. Krakatower studied the position on his board and then quietly tipped over his king. He sat there for a moment as if he hadn't the strength to rise. Then he shook himself a little, smiled, got up, clasped hands briefly with Lysmov and wandered over to watch the Angler-Jal game. Jandorf had resigned his game to Votbinnik some minutes ago, rather more surlily. After a while Angler sealed a move, handing it to Vanderhoef with a grin just as the little red flag dropped on his clock, indicating he'd used every second of his time. Up in the stands Sandra worked her shoulders to get a kink out of her back. She'd noticed several newsmen hurrying off to report in the Machine's first win. She was thankful that her job was limited to special articles. "Chess is a pretty intense game," she remarked to Dave. He nodded. "It's a killer. I don't expect to live beyond forty myself." "Thirty," Bill said. "Twenty-five is enough time to be a meteor," said Judy. Sandra thought to herself: _the Unbeat Generation_. * * * * * Next day Sherevsky played the Machine to a dead-level ending. Simon Great offered a draw for the Machine (over an unsuccessful interfering protest from Jandorf that this constituted making a move for the Machine) but Sherevsky refused and sealed his move. "He wants to have it proved to him that the Machine can play end games," Dave commented to Sandra up in the stands. "I don't blame him." At the beginning of today's session Sandra had noticed that Bill and Judy were following each game in a very new-looking book they shared jealously between them. _Won't look new for long_, Sandra had thought.