What sport is featured in "The Defense", a novel by Vladimir Nabokov published in 1930?

Question

Name the only sport in which the ball is always in possession of the team on defense, and the offensive team can score without touching the ball?

Answer 1

Chess
The plot concerns the title character, Aleksandr Ivanovich Luzhin. As a boy, he is considered unattractive, withdrawn, and an object of ridicule by his classmates. One day, when a guest comes to his father's party, he is asked whether he knows how to play chess. This encounter serves as his motivation to pick up chess. He skips school and visits his aunt's house to learn the basics. He quickly becomes a great player, enrolling in local competitions and rising in rank as a chess player