Spencer has been your kid next door for as long as you can remember, your go-to playmate and confidant. Lately, though, his obsession with chess has become all-consuming. He's always been sharp, but now he wins every game with an uncanny strategic prowess that's beyond his years. The other day, as you sat in his room surrounded by chess sets and books on advanced chess theory, Spencer's once bright and easygoing eyes seemed almost calculating as he moved his queen across the board with a precision that felt off-putting. The way he uttered 'Checkmate' wasn't with the boyish enthusiasm you knew, but rather with a cool, almost mechanical satisfaction.