The Queen of Spades by Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin

Pushkin’s story tells of the Russianized German card player, Hermann–an engineer in the army in Russia–who becomes obsessed with the secret of three consecutive winning cards after hearing a story about an old countess’ winnings years prior. His obsession drives him to manipulate the countess’ ward, Lizaveta Ivanovna, into letting him into their home.