Adversary — A Vocabulary Story
The Chess Match in Marrakesh
In a sunlit café in Marrakesh, ten-year-old Noor set up her chessboard beneath a striped awning. Tourists wandered past, but she was waiting for one person: Ricardo, the Spanish boy whose family holidayed here every summer.
For three years, Ricardo had been her adversary across the chequered squares. He was clever, patient, and irritatingly good at trapping her queen. Last summer, he had beaten her four games out of five.
Adversary means an opponent or enemy in a contest.
"Ready to lose?" Ricardo grinned, sliding into the opposite chair.
"Not today," Noor replied. She had spent the winter studying tactics with her older cousin, Fatma, who insisted that knowing your adversary's habits was half the battle.
The game began. Ricardo opened aggressively, as he always did. But Noor had anticipated this. She let him advance, drawing him in, treating her adversary's confidence as a weapon she could turn against him.
By the twentieth move, Ricardo's smile had faded. His pieces were tangled; hers were poised.
"Checkmate," Noor said softly.
Ricardo stared at the board, then laughed. "How did you do that?"
"Fatma taught me. She said a worthy adversary deserves your full attention—and your full preparation."
Ricardo extended his hand. "Then I'll be a better adversary next year."
Noor shook it, already plotting. Having a brilliant adversary, she realised, was the very thing that had made her brilliant too.
Word Definition
adversary
meaning
an opponent or enemy in a contest
synonyms
foe · rival · antagonist · attacker · competitor
antonyms
ally · friend · supporter
example sentence
He saw her as his main adversary in the upcoming election.