He was, in fact, playing more poorly than usual because he rarely bothered to engage his opponents in conversation at all. And hers was more enjoyable than most. He found her quite reasonable, which wasn't a word he used to describe very many people. But that was no reason to embarrass himself; his queen made a break for her weaker side.
"Do they not get a touch - repetitive, after a while? I suppose everyone's experience is different. Still - there's only so much marveling over cars that one can really do." There must have been some way of distinguishing them. He thought of them more as novels than anything else.