But the most popular positions are often away from the board: Splayed fingers clasped against each temple, thumbs pressed into cheeks and ear sockets. Lips firmly sealed, of course.

Welcome to chess. Or should that be chesshhh...? Anyone entering Mermaid Beach Club's Jolly Lobster Restaurant -- home this week to the 1997 Bermuda Chess Festival -- had better heed this official warning: Talking may SERIOUSLY endanger thought.

Coughing fits, too, should be avoided. And clearing one's throat risks occasional rebuke; In absolute silence, naturally.

Only the churning of waves against nearby rocks, the flitting of fish in glass tanks and the periodic click of stop-clocks next to chess boards can be excused.

It is a world which 53-year-old New Yorker Fred Waitzkin has grown accustomed to in his pursuit of a father's dream...to see his son become a chess grand master.

It is also a world which drove him to write a book spawning a highly-acclaimed Paramount movie, "Searching for Bobby Fischer''.

Directed by Steven Zaillian, it featured such actors as Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, Joan Allen and Joe Mantegna.

Last week Mr. Waitzkin, a freelance journalist, was looking anxious.

His 20-year-old son, Josh, was involved in an 11-player grand master tournament -- one of two international competitions being held simultaneously at Mermaid Beach.

Mr. Waitzkin padded repeatedly between the safety of the lounge to the restaurant -- the theatre of war for the chess combatants.

Josh was locked in combat with top African-American player Maurice Ashley.

Next to their chess board were mini flags bearing stars and stripes; It was a patriotic struggle between friends.

"I used to get very nervous watching him play, but I'm a lot better now,'' whispers Mr. Waitzkin. He is not entirely convincing.

How is his son faring today? "He's doing pretty well. Earlier on I wasn't so sure, but now he should come away with a draw.'' The Bermuda Chess Association has invited players from Iceland, England, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Morocco, Slovenia, as well as America and Canada, to pit their wits against each other. Bermuda's lone fighter is Nick Faulks.

Among them are four grand masters: Johann Hjartarson (Iceland), Julian Hodgson (England), Nick deFirmian (USA) and Sergey Kudrin (USA).

In hushed tones, international arbiter Carol Jarecki explains how each player has to complete a minimum of 40 moves in the first two hours and 20 in the next hour.

"If there is still no outcome they have just 30 minutes to finish the game.

It means games can go on for up to seven hours.'' As she speaks Josh moves his knight, records the move on a note pad, taps his stop-clock and grabs a banana lying on the ground beside the table. He dashes off for some silent reflection.

It provides temporary respite for Mr. Waitzkin.

He recalls how his son's talent inspired his book, which recounts the difficulties of fathering a prodigy in a country where chess went unrecognised.

The title doffs a hat at wayward chess sensation Bobby Fischer -- at 15 the youngest ever international grand master -- who toppled Soviet giant Boris Spassky in a highly-publicised and lucrative world championship match-up at Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1972.

"When Fischer was playing, chess became very popular in the US. There was great hope it would prosper and grow.

"But when he went into a bizarre retirement the game dried up in the US.

America needed a charismatic player who could ignite national interest in the game.'' "Searching for Bobby Fischer'' came out in 1987, a low-point in American chess.

Says Mr. Waitzkin: "Public consciousness has changed since that time. Chess has got a lot more recognition and has become popular in schools.

"When I started writing about chess it was perceived as down and out. It was not even recognised as an art form.'' Mr. Waitzkin says his son -- a central character in the book which depicts him as a potential successor to Fischer -- first demonstrated his talent when he was six.

"He was walking through Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village when he saw people playing chess on the streets.

"He was fascinated and started playing himself. I was shocked but delighted when I discovered how good he was.'' He adds: "I was a recreational player who became a fan in 1972 when Fischer played Spassky, but I was never any good at it. My son would beat me even at a young age.'' Josh's winning ways became a habit.

"He went on to win many national championships as a kid. It was thrilling but there are a lot of sacrifices.

"It requires hard work to make a living at chess. It is much easier for talented youngsters in Europe because there is a greater chess tradition there than in America.'' Josh was 16 when he became an international master -- one step, albeit a major one -- behind a grand master.

"He even drew once with world champion Gary Kasparov. But if you're going to mention that in your article you should point out Kasparov was at the time playing 57 people simultaneously in an exhibition.'' Mr. Waitzkin interrupts the interview for another glimpse at his son's progress.

It seems he is not alone. Josh's girlfriend, 21-year-old Slovenian player Kitty Grosar, is already deep in study, having finished her own game. The bespectacled Mr. Ashley, meanwhile, is at the bar, helping himself to a glass of iced water.

Looking around the Jolly Lobster should put paid to one myth: Chess players are not necessarily nerds and stay-at-home swots.

Those at Mermaid Beach resemble any other bunch of young people, dressed casually and sporting fashionable haircuts.

And their silence and stillness disguise an intensity to rival any sporting contest.

Mr. Waitzkin admits Josh had to endure his fair share of taunts from his peers. But these later gave way to respect.

"He has to work several hours a day studying chess and there is a price to be paid.

"He was a talented basketball player, for instance, but had to stop playing in the team because of his chess commitments.'' The high drama of chess inspired Mr. Waitzkin to write another book, "Mortal Games''.

It is a biography of world champion Kasparov and stemmed from three years of travelling the chess circuit.

"I chose the title because chess can be a very deadly game. Certain games are deeply wounding to players.'' Mr. Waitzkin points to the politically explosive dual between Kasparov and the former Soviet Union's chess hero, Anatoly Karpov; It was seen as capitalism versus communism.

The tussle was close, but Kasparov emerged with his world title intact.

"Chess players constantly put their egos on the line.'' Mr. Waitzkin breaks away again for another spy on Josh. It is a toss-up whose nerves are more frayed by these chess campaigns: Those of the son or the ambitious father.

The road from pawn to king in the chess world is a long one.