Billy has heard that his new next-door neighbour is a bit odd, and her jungle-like garden and creepy house fill him with forboding. When he meets her, she’s swathed in black and veers from frightening to funny in moments. Everyone calls her the Black Queen and Billy can see why.

Despite Billy’s misgivings the Black Queen befriends him and even manages to persuade him to feed her cat while she’s away. Inside her house, Billy is intrigued by all the chess boards that she says belong to her son. Billy and his dad are keen chess fans and it’s while watching the new World Chess Champion on TV that Billy has an astonishing revelation about the Black Queena