Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 533: Everyone is Thriving!

Unlike Devi, who came out with happiness shining in her eyes, Nayaka was somber, walking in a heavy mood as if he just received bad news from back home. This alone was enough to trigger a bad feeling in everyone’s heart, thinking that the boy probably suffered defeat. As the elder, Master Susanto acted first, grabbing the boy’s shoulder reassuringly.

"Don’t think too much, Nayaka! One loss doesn’t mean anything!"

"Yes! Just look at me, suffering from one loss after another in life, yet still thriving up until now!" Master Ervan added, patting the boy’s other shoulder gently. "Don’t dwell on it too much. I am sure that you will have another chance in the future to show off your ability." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Sheva wanted to add something here, feeling responsible when he saw his other protégé was down like this. However, the corner of his eyes caught Devi and Bagas giggling silently, and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Nayaka... Tell me the truth, did you really lose the game or not?"

Hearing the question, both Master Susanto and Master Ervan were stunned, and then, before they knew it, a soft giggle broke into full laughter, as Nayaka started to lose control on the spot. "Man... Look at your reaction, Brother Susanto! Brother Ervan! You really look like you are ready to start a war for me!"

"Hehehe, don’t say that, Brother Nay!" Devi suddenly jumped into the boat, still with a huge grin on her face. "You don’t see their crestfallen expression! Even though it is only for a split second, I have already captured that moment with my phone!" She sent a thumb-up while also holding a camera in her other hand.

The two veterans were so speechless, finally realizing that they had been fooled here. However, after processing it for another second, another thing clicked inside their brain, as they realized a more important thing here. "You mean.... You won your game?!" Master Susanto gasped.

"Hehehe... Who do you think I am?!" Nayaka patted his chest boastfully. "I am the one who was taught personally by Brother Sheva; there is no way a mere FM like him is able to stump me!"

"Fuck! You are so awesome!" Master Ervan’s image of a soft-spoken elder collapsed instantly with that. "Damn! And here we thought," He pointed at himself and Master Susanto, "That the best thing you can get is a draw! How in the hell did you pull this off?!" He asked enthusiastically.

"Well... It is not an easy game, and that Russian FM... His playing style is even more boring than Duta’s, which is something that I didn’t think was possible before!" Nayaka grinned, still remembered to send a jab to his rival. "But then, I remember what Brother Sheva said if I have to play someone like that."

"Oh, so you remember that... Good..." Sheva let out a relieved sigh. At everyone’s questioning gaze, he added, "This is something that Master Azarov said to me before. When you played against a stubborn Russian, try to overwhelm them by playing fast, putting pressure on their time. Except if their name is Ian Neponmniachtchi, the strategy is enough to make any Russian player flustered."

As for why Nepo was special, this was basically his specialty. The Russian super GM was infamous for his quick playing style, beating almost all the top players in the world with that. It was also the style that Sheva tried to adapt, and so far, even though he had never really met any elite player, it showed great promise, allowing Sheva to win some of the drawish games he played in the past.

"Good, God... It seems Irfan’s attempt to bring Azarov here is really worth the money..." Master Susanto shook his head in admiration.

He himself also knew the trick, but to do it accurately was something completely different. The value of Master Azarov here wasn’t in the idea, but more like giving Sheva the experience to practice the style, and then the boy would pass this on to the next generation. This was one of the best ways to take the country to another level.

"Wait... That means you both know that he has already won, right?" Sheva asked, turning at Bagas, who smirked smugly, and Devi, who giggled mischievously.

"Yup, we have already seen that on the Chess.com website." Bagas laughed while showing the phone in his hand, which only made Sheva twitch the corner of his lips speechlessly. Indeed, he completely forgot about that.

"So, does that mean the only one left is Duta? How is his game, anyway?" Sheva asked to change the topic, snatching the phone from his best friend’s hand rudely. This time, Bagas didn’t even complain, still having the last bit of his laughter remaining.

"Don’t worry, Brother Sheva, Duta is doing quite well before I left the building," Nayaka said, accepting a bottle of water from the girl. "I was quite surprised to see him willing to take initiative, but he needs that more than ever. If he failed to win, that would be his fourth consecutive game without winning, and it would be hard for him to rise from the slump."

Sheva nodded slightly, acknowledging the words that his protégé uttered. It wasn’t until he saw the game on the board, though, that Sheva finally let out a relieved sigh, finding the situation indeed to be what Nayaka said.

’The 55th move on the board, with the endgame involving a rook and a bunch of pawns for both sides. Duta has the advantage with one of his pawns getting so close to the promotion rank, having already been in the second rank. His win is not something set in stone, but in the situation requiring precision more than anything else, this is definitely Duta’s expertise. He can do this!’

Then, as if listening to Sheva’s words, Duta, who was still in the building, started to play like a machine. He maneuvered his rook from one edge to another, trying to create an opening for that pawn to get promoted. The opponent didn’t stay still, wanting to create a counter by infiltrating the rook deep into Duta’s territory, wanting to stab the boy from the back.

However, in the race where even one move was crucial, Duta managed to outpace his opponent, giving a check to the enemy’s king in the first rank while also removing the opponent’s only guardian to the promotion square. Once the black queen was resurrected again and back on the board, his opponent, the Turkmenistan boy, finally let out a deep sigh, offering a handshake reluctantly.

He resigned, giving Duta his third win of the tournament.

-Author’s note-

Hey, everyone! Thank you for supporting my story! I have written a new one with the hope of getting a contract for that story as well, the title is ’The Rise of the Iron Wall!’. It is a football story, so if you like, please give your support by adding it to your collection and giving your power stone to that story! Thanks!