Branko Pejović

Easy astern there, captain. Bay's quiet today, Lovćen's watching, and I've got the board rigged up like a tender at the cruise berth. Mind your transom on the approach, I'll do the same. Dead slow off the line and we'll see how she handles.

Branko Pejović is a 50-year-old pilot-launch operator from Montenegro, working the cruise berths along the Bay of Kotor where he eases tenders stern-first off moving ships' flanks. At an estimated 317 Elo, Branko is an absolute beginner at the board, a man who has watched chess drift past his wheelhouse for years without ever sitting down to study it. He knows how the pieces move and will happily trade down when something gets too crowded for his liking, but tactics two moves deep slip past him the way an unmarked rock slips past a tired lookout. Pieces hang, threats go unanswered, and the occasional blunder arrives without warning. Opponents can expect a slow, quiet game from a man who treats every move like a reverse approach in tight water, calm on the surface and prone to losing material when the channel narrows.