Pawn's Gambit — Timothy Zahn

Timothy Zahn shows an unparalleled mastership of science fiction in the fifteen tales gathered here.
 
“The Price of Survival” features an alien ship that arrives in our solar system without hostile intentions but with a desperate need whose fulfillment could destroy humanity. “The Giftie Gie Us” tells the story of two lonely survivors who find love among the ruins of a post-apocalyptic United States. And in “Pawn's Gambit,” a human and his alien opponent face off over a game that will decide which one of them will return home.
 
This collection also includes the Hugo Award-winning novella Cascade Point and nine other works of science fiction, post-apocalyptic drama, and humorous fantasy previously unpublished in book form.