A simple yet layered story which lays bare a man's deep insecurities and his path to try and accept it all (unsuccessfully). At the foreground is our protagonist - a chess player - who, once, was at the top internationally but has since fallen out of the game and has resorted to being a writer/journalist. At the background is the event of his mother's passing away.
The story starts with the news of her passing away and ends when the protagonist sees her dead body to say his goodbyes. With each passing event, the protagonist realizes and talks about his weaknesses and shames. His struggles and insecurities, however, continue till the end and we see that even after knowing his lacks and shortcomings, there isn't much he is able to do about them.
The story and the feelings feel very real and human. Nirmal Verma's translation, needless to say, is pretty amazing in recreating the atmosphere outside and inside the protagonist.