Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 517: The Third Win of the Tournament!

"Oh, Sheva is castling short to the kingside?" On the live stream, Bagas was startled and confused by his best friend’s move. "Does he want to have a race? But would that only put him in a worse state?" He couldn’t help but ask, feeling worried.

It was an understandable thought, as Mateusz Bartel had already castled to the opposite direction on the queenside. Usually, that meant the game would enter a race, in which the player would get to the king first. True enough, without even a hint of hesitation, Mateusz Bartel blasted his way immediately, starting to push the G pawn to put more pressure.

Honestly, that move alone was enough to make Bagas sweat a little.

"Well, I understand your worry, but don’t you see the evaluation bar doesn’t even move a single inch from the equilibrium state?" Medina asked.

"Um? Yes, you are right! The computer still thinks that the game is equal!" Bagas blinked in surprise. "How could that be? I mean, this situation should favor the white piece, right?" Even though he supported Sheva, that didn’t mean he would close his eyes blindly when he saw his best friend’s opponent had a strong position.

"Yes, at first glance, it might look like Sheva’s position is worse." Irene nodded. "However, can you see that Sheva also has an overwhelming attack? I mean, look at the dark bishop. Even though the move is to cover the G line, it also provides Sheva with a sharp shooter, aiming straight at the B2 square. Now, that pawn is eyed by Sheva’s strong bishop and rook, and after that, Sheva’s other rook can still get involved by rerouting through the middle."

"You have to know that Mateusz Bartel’s attack is not that good." Medina continued the analysis. "Besides the pawn, the queen, and the bishop, the other pieces are way too uncoordinated, and it will take a few moves for him to position them all into a good square. Sheva has the tempo advantage, and this time, under the guise of forming a wall, he manages to set up a sharp attack straight to his opponent’s king."

Bagas felt dizzy as he listened to the long-winded explanation. Still, one thing is for sure, though: they were optimistic about Sheva’s position, so this was definitely a good thing for the boy. Moreover, in the next turn, Mateusz Bartel’s move was considered an inaccuracy, enough to make Bagas excited when he saw the evaluation bar drop.

"Yes! He finally makes a mistake! Yes!" Bagas started to shout in excitement. "This is Sheva’s chance to win! He cannot waste it!"

Of course, Sheva also noticed the mistake. After all, this kind of inaccurate move was quite common for an aggressive player like him. After thinking hard about the pros and cons of continuing the attack, Mateusz Bartel finally decided to march forward, abandoning the threat that Sheva possessed in his hand.

’As expected, he is a very ambitious player just like me.’ Sheva couldn’t help but nod in appreciation.

However, appreciating was one thing; showing mercy was another. Seeing that the chance finally came, he didn’t hesitate, taking the B pawn that was quite vulnerable with his rook, sacrificing it completely to open up the way for the queen to infiltrate deeper.

"Oh! HE SACRIFICES... THE ROOK!" Bagas roared, punching his chest excitedly as if he were the one who made that brilliant move. He was already in the state where embarrassment was not in his dictionary, so the strange gazes he received would never stop his antics.

"It is a brilliant sacrifice, not only because his queen has already come to knock on the opponent’s door, but the reinforcement will also come in the next turn, with Sheva’s bishop taking the knight with a check." Medina started analyzing. "Even though Sheva will be down by two points of material with the exchange, he manages to lure the white king into an open stage, and soon enough, he will also be able to get two pawns as a return for the sacrifice earlier."

That was indeed what the computer suggested. However, Sheva had his own consideration. Looking at the enemy’s king getting exposed in an open situation like this, how could he not be tempted?

’Screw it! If the attack fails, I could at least force pieces exchange later!’ Sheva gritted his teeth.

After convincing himself that this was not a mistake, Sheva started unleashing another wave of attack. This time, there were two purposes. The first one was to lure the enemy’s king further away from their territory, and the second one was to cut off its connection with the queen, making the king more vulnerable.

To do that, Sheva started coordinating his queen and bishops, dragging the king forward. Mateusz Bartel frowned when he saw this, knowing exactly that he couldn’t let the king go back. No, Sheva’s queen is always guarding the rear, making it impossible for him to open up a path except if he sacrifices his queen.

Seeing the man’s frown, a satisfied smirk curled on the corner of Sheva’s lips. ’Yes, come on! Struggle more! You are not going to be able to run away from my grasp!’

Mateusz Bartel tried so hard to escape, even letting his king run away to the H6 square, so close to the black king’s place. However, unlike the enemy, the white king was standing alone on the enemy’s territory, not having even a single protection around him. Just one wrong move, and it would be game over for white.

Time started to tick down, and the sweat on Bartel’s forehead could not be hidden anymore. The man kept tapping the death piece on the table, racking his brain to get out of this predicament. However, even the spectators around him knew that it was a dead end, as they all just looked at him in pity.

Of course, Bartel still wanted to push his luck. He tried to sacrifice his rook to give the king a room to breathe, then started to get the bishop and the queen around the king. Unfortunately, the two pieces were too far, preventing them from coming and providing support in time.

In the end, after exhausting all the resources and yet still failing to achieve anything, Mateusz Bartel let out a deep sigh, staring at the board reluctantly. The Polish GM knew that there was nothing he could do to save the game, so after fighting for 47 moves, the man finally offered a handshake.

He resigned, giving Sheva the third win of the tournament.