Gambit by T.K. Eldridge

Gambit: gam-bit noun – (in chess) an opening in which a player makes a sacrifice, typically of a pawn, for the sake of some compensating advantage.

A fall festival, a visit to a fortune teller, and decisions that give Fate the edge it needs to put everything in motion.
This is a prologue novella to The Chess Club Mystery series that starts with Rook.