Check & Mate
Characters in Check & Mate
10 characters, main characters first.Main characters
Mallory Greenleaf
Eighteen-year-old first-person narrator, a former chess prodigy working as an auto mechanic in New Jersey to support her mother and two younger sisters.
Nolan Sawyer
The reigning world chess champion, nicknamed the Kingkiller; intense and guarded, and Mallory's opponent turned love interest.
Antagonists
Malte Koch
A top-ranked player who uses sexist needling against Mallory on the tournament circuit.
Supporting characters
Darcy Greenleaf
Mallory's youngest sister.
Defne Bubikoğlu
Grandmaster who runs the Zugzwang chess club in New York and offers Mallory the scholarship that pulls her back into competition.
Easton Peña
Mallory's best friend, who talks her into playing the charity tournament that restarts her chess career.
Oz Nothomb
Gruff Zugzwang regular who becomes a key figure in Mallory's training.
Emil Kareem
One of Mallory's Olympic teammates and part of Nolan's circle.
Tanu Goel
One of Mallory's Olympic teammates, close to Nolan and to Emil.
Sabrina Greenleaf
Mallory's middle sister.