REVIEW: Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

“He told me once that sometimes, with some people, it's not about winning or losing, that with some people, it's just about playing. Though for the longest time, I didn't really believe him.” - Ali Hazelwood

After the death of her father, Mallory (18) is left to take care of her two younger sisters and her sick mother. Formerly a chess prodigy, she’s now always jumping between work, picking up her sisters from somewhere and hooking up with girls and boys alike, because a girl needs some way to cope. Chess has not played a role in her life until her best friend convinces her to play at a charity tournament - Where she promptly beats the reigning chess world champion (who’s only two years older than her, allegedly a dick and also drop-dead gorgeous).

If you’re into romance books and Ali Hazelwood in general, I think you’ll be good. If you’re looking for sick twists, I’d recommend you don’t waste your time with this sweet, but of course, very predictable novel.

First things first: I think we’re all aware that no one just takes a four-year break from something and then randomly beats the best in the world. There are some attempts in the book to make it look like Mallory is struggling with some chess-related things, but of course that doesn't stop her. The whole idea of the book is not really something that would happen in real life and… Well, it’s a romance book, not a documentary. If you’re okay with that, the rest is actually pretty okay, portraying chess as a full-time job, a lot of sexism, studying past matches etc.

So, if you like chess or “brainier” themes carried through your everyday-basic-love-story (which has always been Hazelwood’s whole concept), this one is for you. :)

As always, I still have a few things I’d like to talk about:

1. Greenleaf Sisters

The conflict between Sabrina and Mal was realistic as hell (especially looking at their past of “when you’re done arguing about your favourite daughter…”). However, the introduction of the younger Greenleaf sisters was more than cringe. Fart face? Sabrina is meant to be 14, not 4! Both of their characterisations got better throughout the story, though, which I loved.

2. Malte Koch

Though I liked how they at least gave him some villain origin story (popping a boner at a chess tournament and getting meme’d for it at 13 would make me hate the world too), but come on, she could’ve given him at least some depth. He was just a dick. Sexist. Arrogant. A cheater. The whole bloody palette. It’s never that easy.

3. Mallory, the Bisexual Queen of Fucking Away Your Worries

Hazelwood usually follows the narrative of “I thought I was asexual until I met *male love interest*” and while I applaud the ace existence acknowledgement, it always left a bit of a bland after-taste in my mouth because it can also be read as: “Women can’t enjoy sex unless the right guy shows us how”. I know that that is not at all how Ali Hazelwood means to come across, but I just always get a bit annoyed by it in her books (which is totally just me getting triggered but oh well). All I’m trying to say is: Women don’t need men to show them how to enjoy sex. We can be in touch with our sexuality enough to know how to have fun… And Mallory does.

I absolutely loved seeing a confident bisexual woman enjoying her life and neither being ashamed of it, nor getting shamed for it. And then the whole storyline of Nolan being a virgin? Apparently there always has to be someone in Hazelwood’s books who needs to have a sexual awakening, but if so, then, yes, let it be the hot 20-year-old “Bad Boy of Chess” and not the woman for a change!

4. Nolan and Mal

While I get that their connection was meant to be because of how “interesting” (in lack of a better word) their first game of chess was, I would’ve loved to at least see some other connection between them. Especially since physical stuff is nothing that comes naturally to Nolan, it kind of felt forced to have this “chess with you is fun and hey, your dad died and so did my grandfather, wanna pop my cherry”? Sure thing, they had chemistry, but I would've loved to see them connect somewhere else except for the chessboard. Their whole “conflict” that happened basically two chapters towards the end was ridiculous too, and so was Mallory winning against him without having studied his games again before. Like, yes, she was his second, but still!

5. YA-ification

I was a bit afraid to start this because I saw so many reviews claiming the book was trying too hard to be hip and young and TikTok, but I honestly can’t confirm that. Like, yeah, sure, there were some references, but not nearly as many as some other reviews made it look like.

I also think the amount of spice was adequate for a YA book. Not mentioning sex would’ve been unrealistic (we’re talking about an 18-year-old with a very frustrating life, for god’s sake!) and I actually think Hazelwood found a good way of writing about it in a way that’s not too detailed.

6. Nolan Sawyer’s Workout Schedule

I can deal with girls dropping out of chess and then randomly beating the world champion. I can deal with an angry German guy using an apple watch to cheat at a massive chess tournament. I can deal with a lot of things… But you simply cannot expect me to be okay with pages and pages of descriptions of how Nolan doesn’t look like a chess prodigy but a jock and how massive he is etc. and then not mention him working out once and make a point out of him eating shittily (fruit loops and stuff). We talk about unrealistic standards for women all the time, what about the poor men? So he’s a chess genius with a C-Bum-Level body but doesn’t do anything for it? SURE!

I’ve a got a few more things I could mention, but these are the main ones I was happy/upset about. All in all: Go Ali Hazelwood, I guess! :) Romance is not really supposed to surprise with the most twisted turns; it's supposed to make you giggle and kick your feet, and I did that several times.