The day before the match, Hector and Hermione were playing Wizard's Chess in the Gryffindor common room, a game Ron had taught them. Hector hadn't been interested at first, not until he saw that the pieces could move, speak, and possessed minds of their own. He fell in love with the game almost instantly.
Hector first challenged Ron, who possessed the highest skill level. Figuring that this blockhead's usual classroom performance meant he couldn't possibly be that good at chess, Hector harbored a faint hope that the book's descriptions might have been exaggerated. Then Ron proceeded to put Hector in his place in the most offhand manner imaginable.
Hector's frustrated, hair-pulling antics piqued Hermione's interest as well. Yet even she suffered a crushing defeat. Hector refused to admit defeat; while he could blame his broomstick failures on Ron's superior physical prowess, he truly couldn't find an excuse for losing at Wizard's Chess.
Chapter 38