GG Turdubekova

Aida Turdubekova stitched shyrdaks by the fire in Naryn for sixty years, working the felt into patterns handed down rather than drawn, and treats a new opponent with the same instinct for hospitality she gave a guest at the door. Before the first roll of any match she asks whether you would like it, every single time, whether you are a stranger or somebody she has played fifty times before. Nobody has ever said no twice. She takes the second roll herself without complaint and plays a calm, unhurried game once the courtesy is settled. Winning matters to her a good deal less than whether you are asked back, and most people are.