The Death's Head Chess Club Read Online Free

‘I’m serious, Meissner. Probably the best advice anyone could give you is not to leave anything where it could be found by a prisoner. Turn your back on it for a second and it will disappear, I promise you.’
    The Kommandant picked up a file from his desk and opened it. He struck Meissner as an affable sort. ‘You’re younger than I thought you would be, Meissner – I was expecting a hardened veteran after reading your service record. Most impressive. It says you single-handedly destroyed three Russian tanks with a disabled Wespe field howitzer.’
    It was Meissner’s turn to smile. ‘That’s not quite how it happened. It wasn’t single-handed, the Wespe wasn’t damaged, and the third T-34 was actually killed by one of our Tigers that joined the action in the nick of time. If not for them, I wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale.’
    â€˜Still, you got an Iron Cross for it.’
    â€˜And this—’ Meissner raised his walking stick.
    The Kommandant closed the folder. ‘Modesty. I like that in a man. I think you’ll fit in well here, Meissner. In fact, I think I have the perfect challenge for a man of your obvious tenaciousness.’
    â€˜Which is?’
    â€˜I need someone to oversee the satellite camps. Not the day-to-dayrunning of them – they’re spread too far afield for that – but we have constant problems with personnel and transport; in fact, it’s a bloody nightmare, a nightmare that we’ve been doing our best to ignore. Up to a few months ago our main concern was to increase capacity in Birkenau, but that’s no longer a problem – we’ve got it running as smoothly as the Swiss railways. But now my orders are to increase armament production, and that means getting more out of the labour camps.’ Liebehenschel stood and beckoned for Meissner to follow him to a map pinned to the wall. He tapped his forefinger on a particular point. ‘Our biggest problem is here – the IG Farben Werke . It’s one of Himmler’s pet projects and it’s months behind. I need people in place who will teach the Jewish scum what hard work really means. And that’s where you come in. I need someone who’s prepared to be single-minded, who will ignore the egos and tantrums of his colleagues – someone who will get the job done. This has top priority and you’ll have my full backing. What do you say?’
    Meissner’s reply was immediate. ‘I say yes, naturally.’
    â€˜Excellent. If you do only half as well as I think you can, you’ll be a Hauptsturmführer by next summer – you have my word on it.’
    1 Plum cake.
    2 The status of prisoners in the camp was denoted by coloured triangular badges worn on the breast of the tunic: green was for criminals; red for political prisoners, usually Communists; pink for homosexuals; violet for Jehovah’s Witnesses; and, until the second half of 1944, a red triangle superimposed on a yellow triangle to create a makeshift Star of David was for Jews.

4.
    T HE B ENONI D EFENCE
    1962
Amsterdam
    The note was waiting in Emil’s hotel pigeonhole when he returned. He understood immediately what had lain behind the interviewer’s question.
    He had been paired with Schweninger.
    Emil waited until the next morning before seeking out Miss Pietersen at the Krasnapolsky. She sympathized, she told him, but the rules were the rules. If he wanted to play in the championship, he must face Schweninger. He insisted on speaking to Berghuis. With a small, self-satisfied smile on her face, she accompanied him to the chief arbiter’s office.
    â€˜Mijnheer Clément,’ Berghuis said smoothly, ‘I agree it is a most unfortunate situation, but we cannot change the rules because one contestant has personal difficulties with another. Think of the precedent it would create. No, I’m afraid that you must go ahead with the match or