On the lower floor of the University of Aberdeen Library, there is an inconspicuous corner where two old chessboards and several broken chairs are placed. There are no signs here and it is not marked on the campus map either. However, it is always occupied by people every afternoon.
The students playing chess come from various majors: some are studying petroleum engineering, some are learning Celtic languages, some are exchange students, and some are cafeteria workers. Sometimes the victory or defeat on the chessboard can lead to brief arguments, but more often, it is a place where people of different identities can sit down and stay together without speaking.
A doctoral student majoring in international relations once played dozens of games of chess with a Syrian refugee cleaner here. They never exchanged contact information, yet they remembered each other's opening moves. She said that this was closer to the definition of "peace" than any diplomatic theory class - no need for words, no need for trust, just taking turns to make the next move.
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