‘What’s Shakuni going to make of this, I wonder?’ muttered Satyaki. ‘It’s always a tricky one, 39.’
‘Nevertheless, he doesn’t normally stop to think.’
‘Better to lose the lion than leave the tiger. Yes, that’s what he’s doing!’
Shakuni was aiming for a common. His 2, leaving Yudhi on 41, reduced the auditorium to silence.
Yudhi tapped his dice, but did not place a bet.
‘He’s going for a prime?’ asked Dhrita.
‘Yes,’ confirmed Drupada. ‘He has to — he wouldn’t lose any less if he went for a common, since his line is smaller than Shakuni’s. And he’d only win the single. He has to go for prime. It also means that if he gets a 1 Shakuni has to go in again.’
‘A 3! He’s lost it!’ cried Satyaki.
‘He’s lost it!’ echoed Drupada.
‘How much has he lost there?’ asked Dhrita impatiently, distur
