Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 505: Before Going to Prague
"So, it is done already?" Bagas asked, amused. It was after the last training session with the three teenagers, and he could see that Sheva’s mood was currently at rock bottom.
"Yeah, finally." Sheva sighed; his shoulder slumped a few inches. "You don’t know how exhausting dealing with teenagers like them! For one moment, they could brag at each other that they are the best in the world, but in the next moment, they could be so fragile! It is ridiculous how much I have to tolerate them!" He whined.
Bagas just snorted at that. "First, you yourself are still a teenager, so you have no right to say something like that." Said the fat boy. "Also, it is normal for them to be fragile and doubt themselves. They still don’t have the mentality of a strong player like you. That’s why you promise them that kind of reward, right? You want to give them more opportunities to see the world, and this is also a good attempt to boost their confidence. You are able to hit two birds with one stone, which is a remarkable achievement."
Well, Sheva couldn’t deny that. However, the exhaustion after taking care of the three teenagers was indeed something that he didn’t expect. Still, looking at their determination after he told them that he would invite those three to the Biel Open later if they could achieve the target was gratifying. It was as if he managed to help the others climb, and even though they were still at the bottom of the mountain, it didn’t diminish his hope that one day, someone would be able to stand by his side.
"Oh, well... Since this matter is done, let’s just make a call..." Sheva muttered, accessing a contact on his phone. A moment later, the familiar fresh voice registered through his ears, enough to melt his brain instantly.
"Hello, Shev, how are you doing?"
"Hey, Anna, I’m doing well." A relieved smile formed on his face the moment Sheva heard the voice. "How about you? It should be just three months before the University Entrance Exam, right? Are you prepared enough?"
"No, not really. I just hope that I can use my achievement in chess to boost my points." The girl sounded tired on the call.
Yeah, the one on the other side of the call was Anna, and by her tone, she was in a terrible state right now. The girl was in her final year of high school, and she had to face so many exams. Sheva could sympathize with her exhaustion, since he was also in the same spot two years ago.
"Hey, Big Sis, are you on a call with Sheva?" Suddenly, the second voice, Claudia, popped on the phone. "Hey, Sheva, I heard you are training Devi! Why would you do that to her and not me?! I have known you longer!"
Even though Sheva couldn’t see the girl face-to-face, he could imagine her pouting at him, which elicited a little chuckle from his side. "Don’t think I have never trained you, Ia. Don’t you remember all the research I helped you with in the past? Also, it is not just Devi whom I trained, but the other two boys. Why are you so hostile toward her, by the way?"
"That bint! Just because she won one time against me last November, she kept bragging about it all the time! If I met her again, I would beat her to death!"
"Ia! Language!"
Sheva and Bagas choked instantly, then laughter burst in the room. None of them expected that Claudia had such colorful language. Still, once again, this reminded them of how vindictive the little girl was toward her opponents. "She managed to beat you, huh? Does that mean she is that good? Especially now, with Sheva’s guidance, she would be far better than you, right?" Bagas couldn’t help but tease her.
"Brother Bagas, how dare you say something like that?!" Claudia gasped dramatically. "No, her win is just a coincidence! She just landed a cheap punch in the blitz game! She hasn’t won a single game in standard format against me! I refuse to believe that she is better than me!"
Well, honestly, Sheva could agree with that sentiment. After all, he could see the player’s stats, and Claudia’s level was already around 2300. Also, she had already gotten her WGM title, so she was definitely one level above Devi.
However, that was the beauty of chess. Stats were just on paper, but everything could happen on the board. As long as a player was able to focus completely and capitalize on all the mistakes that the opponent made, the game would be within their grasp, and this was exactly what Devi did against Claudia.
"Anyway, what about you, Shev?" Anna’s voice suddenly popped again. "You should be going to Prague tomorrow night, right? Have you already prepared everything?"
"Yes, Sheva! Don’t you dare neglect your preparation for Devi! If you dare to embarrass yourself, wait for me to get you!" Claudia added with her threat.
"Eh, don’t worry, I am ready more than ever." Sheva snorted. "Just wait, Ia. I will use this tournament to climb higher and leave you to dust." He said smugly.
Indeed, even though Sheva was busy with the three teenagers, he still didn’t forget his own training. Although he couldn’t get any improvement from training sessions alone anymore and needed more tournaments to boost his stats, each training session was still important to keep his brain sharp. It also helped that some of his opponents in Prague later were familiar faces like the Dutch GM Erwin L’Ami or Polish GM Mateusz Bartel, which also made it easier for Sheva to prepare for the tournament a few days later.
That was why Sheva was confident that, even though he couldn’t maintain his superb performance, the number one spot of the tournament would still be in his hands.
"Well, I am glad that you are confident." Anna chimed in again. "Go all out and make us proud, Sheva! Just wait for us, because after the exam period is over, we will join you again in the next adventure!"
