Philadelphia, PA, 1835. Rufus, a 12 year old chess prodigy, is recruited by a shady showman named Maelzel, as his chess prowess and small size make him the ideal candidate to operate a mechanical chess player called the Turk. The Turk is used to dupe competitors and fix games as audiences crowd in to watch and play, believing they are playing an automaton and not Rufus, who is hidden within the contraption. Operating the machine is a difficult and painful task, made worse by the abuse he suffers at the hands of Maelzel. The boy gradually learns that some of the previous operators have disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and, when a strange woman in black begins following him, he wonders exactly what Maelzel is hiding from him. Intrigue, danger, chess, and a real-life hoax combine in this historical novel from the author of The Shakespeare Stealer Philadelphia, PA, 1835. Rufus, a twelve-year-old chess prodigy, is recruited by a shady showman named Maelzel to secretly operate a mechanical chess player called the Turk. The Turk wows ticket-paying audience members and players, who do not realize that Rufus, the true chess master, is hidden inside the contraption. But Rufus's job working the automaton must be kept secret, and he fears he may never be able to escape his unscrupulous master. And what has happened to the previous operators of the Turk, who seem to disappear as soon as Maelzel no longer needs them? Creeping suspense, plenty of mystery, and cameos from Edgar Allan Poe and P. T. Barnum mark Gary Blackwood's triumphant return to middle grade fiction.