Mate in Two Moves

Marks, Winston K. (Winston Kinney), 1915-1979Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 52K words
Chapters: 6

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Mate in Two Moves by Winston K. MarksAuthor: Marks, Winston K. (Winston Kinney), 1915-1979,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 8, 2010

Editor's review

This is a short English-language work by Winston K. Marks, made available as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. Judging by its length and classification, it is better suited as a sample of mid-twentieth-century American genre fiction than as a substantial novel. Marks wrote regularly for pulp magazines, and his narratives tend to move briskly and prize unexpected plot turns; the title itself hints at a clever contest of wits. Readers can treat it as a small window onto how popular fiction of that era handled suspense, logic, and humor within a limited space. Since this public-domain electronic edition lacks modern annotations, it is best read as a light literary stroll: don't hunt for profound themes, but notice how the author sets up the puzzle and brings it to a close—useful for aspiring writers studying short-story structure.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in twentieth-century American popular short fiction who want a quick sense of its style
Literature lovers who enjoy intellectual puzzles and plot twists and are willing to read the English original
Beginning writers who want to study suspense setup and endings using a short-story example
Readers who prefer reading public-domain books on electronic devices and seek free resources

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long-form, complex character arcs or deep engagement with social issues
Beginners who struggle with English reading and need modern annotations and introductions
Chess players looking only for practical chess tutorials who have no interest in fictional narrative

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then revisit the opening's planted clues to see how the author sets up the twist.
Jot down the turning points that surprise you as you read; afterward, try retelling the puzzle and its solution in your own words.
If using it for writing practice, cover the ending, imagine your own conclusion first, then compare it with the original.
With the English original, read slowly alongside a dictionary; don't look up every word—prioritize keeping the reading rhythm.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book related to chess endgame tutorials?

Not directly. The expression in the title is more rhetorical and playful; this is a fictional short story, not a chess score or tactics manual. If you are looking for mate-in-two exercises, choose a dedicated chess puzzle collection.

Is the English original difficult to read?

As a work in the popular-magazine style, the language is usually fairly plain and the sentences are not long; an intermediate level of English reading ability should suffice. The main obstacle may be some period expressions, which a dictionary can resolve—don't let individual unfamiliar words interrupt the overall rhythm.

Does the public-domain electronic edition have annotations or an introduction?

The Project Gutenberg edition mainly presents the original text and generally contains no modern scholarly annotations or introduction. Readers can consult background material on the author and era on their own, or simply treat it as pure entertainment without relying on extra commentary.

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About the author

Marks, Winston K. (Winston Kinney), 1915-1979 Author

Winston K. Marks (1915–1979) was an American science fiction writer, born Winston Kinney Marks. Public information about his life and education is limited, and what is known comes mainly from his published work. The library holds 15 of his works, including "...So They Baked a Cake," "The Mind Digger," "Tabby," "Mate in Two Moves," "Unbegotten Child," "Brown John's Body," "Backlash," and "Breeder Reaction." These are mostly short science fiction stories dealing with technological ethics, human weakness, and social absurdity. They often use a light, humorous tone to frame a cool-headed look at technology out of control and the human condition; some titles are also classified under inspirational growth. He was active during the mid-twentieth-century boom of American science fiction magazines, and his stories appeared in popular science fiction periodicals, exerting some influence on later short-form science fiction writing.