Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 584: Bagas’s Perspective
The sixth round of the game continued, and it had already entered the crucial stage. Most of the games were close to the finish line already, while some were still struggling to take anything but a draw.
Coincidentally, it was also a break time for the Black Rook broadcast, and Bagas was just sitting there silently, enjoying a pack of kebab he bought at the stall near the hotel. His eyes started discerning every game, and before he could hold back, his mouth decided to show off his brilliant thought.
"The first game is over. It is a dead end for the white."
"The second game is quite interesting. The black piece could still make an effort, but if he failed to bring the rook back to the equation quickly, everything will be too late."
"Oh, the third game is a classic rook and pawns endgame. If nothing goes wrong, this should end up in a draw. But who knows, maybe someone will slip later."
"The fourth game... Oh! What a huge mistake... I wouldn’t do that if I were him..."
His mouth was so flexible, commenting on one game after another in such a casual manner. Irfan, who saw this, just shook his head in amusement.
"You know what, I am impressed here." The man suddenly spoke, attracting the attention of Bagas and Anna, who were enjoying their break right then. "Bagas, you clearly are not one who is dedicated to chess, and yet, your eyes are very sharp in making a judgment, and I also notice that your analysis during the broadcast is rarely wrong or useless. You are improving fast, you know?"
"Ah..." Bagas rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "It is just... I have been watching Sheva’s games since the beginning, so I know a little bit here and there..." He tried to be modest. However, the small tug on his lips clearly told the boy that he was happy with the praise.
Of course, as a good girlfriend that she was, Sarah didn’t have any reservations about glazing up the boy.
"He is always like this. Quick to learn and so modest, always willing to downplay his achievements. People just see him laughing goofily, but he can act smart when he wants, you know?"
Her chin rose a few degrees, and the smile on her face was full of smugness. It was as if she were an old mother bragging proudly about her son’s achievement in the neighborhood.
"Yeah, I can see that. And you don’t have to be modest, you know?" Irfan smiled, punching the boy’s shoulder playfully. "Your ability to analyze should help you improve your game. Have you tested it recently? I mean, are you interested in following your best friend’s career?"
This question stumped Bagas instantly. Hell, even Sara was stunned, not expecting that her boyfriend would get such sky-high praise. However, the idea of doing the same thing as Sheva, playing in so many elite tournaments abroad...
It would be a lie if he weren’t tempted, but after pondering for a second, Bagas shook his head strongly. "Nah, that world is not for me."
"Oh?" Irfan blinked a little, not expecting to get that decisive answer. "Why? I mean, it is a world that belongs to everyone, you know? From a jobless man to a king, everyone is playing this game. Why would you limit yourself?" He pressed further.
Unexpectedly, Bagas gave another decisive answer. "It looks tempting, indeed, but I know myself. I often don’t have the resolve to stick with something longer than a week. My involvement here is because Sheva is here, and I enjoy seeing him climb this ladder to the sky. You take it away, and I don’t think I can find the joy of the game anymore."
Silence followed, as two pairs of eyes stared at him in disbelief. Who would’ve thought that behind his usual jolly appearance, there was hidden a thoughtful and loyal trait that burned brightly inside?
"...You know what?" Sarah suddenly asked, breaking the silence. "I am jealous here. If I didn’t know anything better, I would’ve said that you have a thing for Sheva." She pouted playfully.
Bagas choked, then he shook his head strongly. "No, Babe! You know that it is not like that! I swear, we are just friends, nothing more and nothing less!" He tried to explain in panic.
Sarah herself just threw her face away, but the smile there was twitching slightly as she stole a glance in amusement.
As for Master Irfan... Seeing those two act lovey-dovey like this, he could only shake his head in exasperation. "Ah... Youngsters nowadays..."
The relaxing atmosphere here was finally gone when on board 1, Sheva was finally about to seal the deal. Seeing this, those three stared at each other for a moment, and with the silent connection they formed after broadcasting the tournament up until now, they sat in front of the camera immediately, ending their short break to go back to the tournament.
"Well... Well... Well... What do we have here? It seems Sheva is about to win it all now! Let’s see how Arfan is returning the favor after this!"
-0-
Meanwhile, at the venue, Sheva was way more relaxed than he had been all the times in this tournament. He was leaning his body back against the chair, hands folded in front of his chest, with one of them playing with the pen playfully, not even looking at the opponent seriously.
Honestly, Arfan should be offended by this rude behavior. Unfortunately, he was too fixated on saving this position to take care of this kind of thing.
At first glance, yeah, the situation didn’t look good. The boy still had a rook, a knight, and a bunch of pawns against a rook, a bishop, and a bunch of pawns as well. Hell, some people who could only understand the game from the engine would think that this was a draw position.
However, the advantage was clear here.
Arfan’s knight was locked by Sheva’s pieces, unable to move even for a single inch without getting taken by his opponent. His pawn structure was also horrible, with all of them getting isolated from each other. Protecting them would be a hassle, and that didn’t mention stopping Sheva’s pawns from marching forward as well.
Even though the situation hadn’t reached a catastrophic one yet, Arfan’s mind was so bleak already that a thought slipped into his mind.
’Shall I resign now?’
