Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 458: Aftermath
"Good work today, Shev!" Bagas punched his shoulder lightly as they walked out of the venue. "Out of seven games, you are one of only two winners today. Other than that, all the games ended up in a draw. Nice, right?" He grinned widely, knowing that this was a good start for Sheva.
"Oh? Who else gets the win besides me?" Sheva crooked one of his eyebrows slightly, knowing that the other person would probably be his biggest rival in this tournament.
"Wait a sec, let me check it..." Bagas slid through his phone quickly with narrowed eyes before finding what he was searching for. "Ah! Here it is! Mishra Abhimanyu beats Eline Roebers, the local girl, in 34 moves. You still remember him, right?" He glanced at Sheva.
"Mishra?" Sheva furrowed his brows deeply, trying to jog deeper into his memory. "The one playing in Reykjavik? The youngest ever to become a GM in history?" He asked for confirmation.
"Yup! Yup!" Bagas nodded with a thumbs-up. "Still, you don’t have to worry about him. Unlike you, who beat Max Warmerdam, his opponent, Eline Roebers, is predicted to be the punching bag of this section, so anyone who fails to win against her will definitely have a bad tournament!" He declared confidently.
Sheva just gave his best friend a side glance, speechless. It seemed that the one who got cocky from his hot form was the people around him, not he himself. Hell, he didn’t even know anything about Eline Roebers, so there was no way he would dare to underestimate her.
"Anyway, you are done with the streaming already?" He asked, wanting to change the topic. The boy also looked up to the sky, just to find out that the sun hadn’t completely gone yet. Peeking at the venue, he added, "A few games are still going on, right? I could see Ding Liren being surrounded by some players, even Magnus himself. Isn’t that good content?"
"Yeah, it is good, except that I don’t have the right to broadcast it," Bagas answered sourly. "You don’t know, the broadcast rights of this tournament are so fucking expensive! In the end, after a tough negotiation, I finally got the right with a low price, but only for the challenger section! And since you have already finished your game, why would I continue watching those nobodies? To squeeze out my viewers? Damn, that would only ruin my reputation!"
Sheva just nodded silently while also pretending to understand his best friend’s rant. While doing so, he also walked faster, guiding Bagas, who didn’t really pay attention to the road as they went back to the resort they lived in. Even though some locals said that the temperature wasn’t that cold, for people who lived in a tropical area like him, any temperature below 10 degrees Celsius was a fucking freezing.
"Anyway, who is my opponent tomorrow?" Sheva asked with teeth chattering, his breath plumed in the frigid air.
"Oh, you know him well," Bagas smirked, not even getting bothered by the weather. "Your last game in Dubai Master three months ago, you remember that?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Sheva raised one of his eyebrows slightly before something clicked inside his head. "Amin Tabatabaei?" He asked.
"Yeah, and he is also the highest-rated player in this section. That should be easy, right?" Bagas smiled knowingly.
This was also one of the biggest sources of his confidence. In Bagas’s mind, since Sheva had already managed to beat Amin, the highest-rated player in this section, a few months ago, everything should be under his bag. The boy still thought sometimes that chess was a game of statistics, so when Sheva managed to beat someone, he would still be able to do the same over and over again in the future.
Sheva himself didn’t think so. He knew that Amin was a formidable opponent, and while the last time they met, he managed to catch the Iranian GM off guard, this time, it would be a different matter.
’Last time, I outplayed him with the Modern Benoni. Then, should I stick with that strategy and go for a maverick opening, or should I try with a more natural approach and fight on equal ground? If I have to surprise him again, what kind of attack should I use?’
Nevertheless, Sheva knew that the game tomorrow would be difficult, and his expression somehow turned solemn, starting to imagine a lot of things. Bagas also noticed his change, so he nudged his best friend gently and said, "Don’t overthink it. For now, let’s get something warm for our stomachs and relax. You win today, so at least celebrate it properly."
Sheva just smiled stiffly, yet still followed Bagas. It was funny because a moment ago, he was the one who led at the front. Well, he didn’t complain, as his best friend guided him to a small restaurant for an early dinner. They enjoyed Hutspot, a stew of mashed potatoes, carrots, onions, and stewed meat, combined with something called Pannenkoeken, some sort of pancake that Sheva himself didn’t know how to describe its taste, yet still enjoyed it to the fullest.
After that, he went back to the resort, taking a quick, warm shower before finally starting to prepare for tomorrow. It was such a nice decision to take a breather, as this allowed his mind to bounce back to its best state once again.
Sheva also didn’t forget to check the result in the master section, just to find out that besides Ding Liren, the other game ended up in a draw.
’So, Gukesh lost against the current world champion, huh?’ He muttered with a frown, checking that game on his phone. ’Well, it seems, even with the boost from the Four Horsemen title, Gukesh’s ability is still below the top level. I wonder how big the gap is compared to me...’
Well, this was just a short episode, because Sheva himself also knew that his focus now should be on Amin Tabatabaei. ’He is going to come with the desire for revenge, so he will not hold back anymore. It is clear that Sicilian Defense is going to be played, so now, what variation should I choose to respond... Hmm...’
