Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 566: Fourth in a Row!
"So, Master Irfan, what is your take on this game?" Bagas asked while also waiting for Tin Jingyao to make another move.
"Honestly? I would say that it is a bit underwhelming." Irfan smiled wryly. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I love seeing Sheva thriving, but I thought that Tin Jingyao would put up a big fight here, what with him being the second-best player in this tournament. I can say that I am disappointed here."
That… Was an arrogance through and through. However, Irfan felt smug after saying that, especially since the person he mocked here was Tin Jingyao.
The Singaporean GM had been the worst nightmare for all the Indonesian players whenever any Southeast Asian competition was held, always dominating the field without even breaking a sweat. Now that Irfan saw his countryman was able to take down the man, of course, he would be ecstatic here.
As for the probability of Sheva messing this up? Irfan had never thought about it at all.
Not to mention that after yesterday's almost-missed opportunity against Taher, that would make Sheva more cautious than ever, but the boy also currently had a massive advantage, around +3.6 for his side. This wasn't just a number, but also reflected on the board as well.
Sheva completely locked all of Tin Jingyao's pieces on their own territory, with only one queen still able to move. The man's two rooks and two bishops were blocked by either Sheva's pawns or pieces, not allowing any room to make a move. This was enough to suffocate the man to death, as the last four moves that the Singaporean GM made were just from the queen.
The advantage was so crazy that at some points, the computer showed +10.6 for Sheva, and if he had played a little bit more accurately, the boy would've been able to secure the deal a long time ago.
Still, it wasn't Sheva if he didn't play fast.
The boy knew the importance of psychological pressure, so once he saw that he was at an advantage, he started blitzing his way through the opponent's side. His pieces kept flying back and forth, kicking out the opponent's queen while also improving his own position.
Everything moved so flawlessly on his side that even though Sheva himself didn't really play as accurately as the computer engine wanted, the boy was still satisfied with his own position, knowing that he was still on the edge here.
'Still, I cannot lower my guard here.' He thought to himself. 'Yesterday's experience is enough to give me a fright, and I don't need to suffer from the same fate again. Let's not mess this around and just beat the man cleanly.'
Tin Jingyao himself didn't have a great time here. Even though he didn't show it, inwardly, he was screaming over his blunder before.
'Yeah, why would I take my king like that?! It is not like his pressure is so great, right? Now, I have to find a way to get my rook and bishop out of their embarrassing position, but doing so will only expose my king! Urgh… This is giving me a headache!'
All the confidence before the game began about him putting up a fight or even beating Sheva ebbed away instantly, and right now, all he had in his mind was how to survive this game. Not an easy task, definitely, but he didn't intend to just resign so easily. At least, not without letting the boy bleed here.
'If yesterday, he could make a mistake, the same thing could be happening again today, right?' The Singaporean GM cringed at that ridiculous thought. 'I cannot put my hope in it, but at least, I still have to fight. Even if I lose, I have to drain his stamina and force him to collapse soon.'
That was a devious plan from his side. Even though Tin Jingyao was defeated, that didn't mean his chance to win the tournament was zero. It became so low, indeed, but if Sheva failed to continue his form and started falling, the wind would change again. And to do so, the man could start it by putting up a stubborn fight, consuming the boy mentally until he fried his brain.
As for whether he would be able to rise after losing this game? Well, Tin Jingyao was not worried here.
All the participants in this tournament were the players whom he had beaten at some points in his career, and the boy was confident that he could achieve the same feat here. It didn't help that he was in his prime now, so if he could do it back when he was young, he could do it again in this tournament.
For now, though, he had to battle for his life, thinking of a way to drag this position as much as possible while also hoping the impossible would happen and Sheva would slip, giving him a chance to fight back.
He used all of his resources here, trying to maneuver his way to at least allow him to breathe more. This was the problem with his position. He was suffocated.
However, once he managed to let his light bishop escape, Sheva suddenly made a surprising move.
The boy didn't even take a lot of time here. Just frowned for thirty seconds, pondering for a moment before sacrificing a whole rook for that bishop, killing his initiative once again.
"OH! Sheva sacrifices his rook!" Bagas roared excitedly. This was definitely one scene that he wanted to see the most in every chess game. "YES! YES! YES! Can you see that, Folks?!"
"It is also a nice sacrifice." Irfan nodded in approval. "Not only did it deny any advancement from Tin Jingyao's part, but the move also opens up that F file, and now, Sheva's other rook could enter the game as well. He will have a lot of room to maneuver after this, and his queen will be so close to getting to the opponent's king."
True enough, after this, the board became Sheva's big playground for the king's hunt. He used all of his resources, from the light bishop to the queen, and to the final rook, to chase down the black king to the edge of the board. Poor that king, he couldn't even escape further, as all of the routers were blocked by his useless subordinates.
In the end, even though Tin Jingyao wanted to drag this game on longer, he couldn't do it, especially when Sheva was only a few moves away from having a checkmate. Knowing that, he did the most logical move that he could think of, wanting to save some face for himself.
He resigned, giving Sheva the fourth 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!
