Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 581: Nayaka VS Master Susanto!
Meanwhile, on the other table, Nayaka was having a blast.
He didn’t expect that Master Susanto would choose an aggressive system, going for the Sicilian Opening. This was definitely not the go-to opening for that man, and Nayaka could already guess what was going on here.
’Master Susanto wants to get a quick win.’ The boy figured it out. ’He is confident that I am not his match, so he goes aggressively, even going against his usual style, so that he can end the game as quickly as possible. I am getting underestimated here.’
Nayaka had half of his mind to be offended by this. However, the boy realized that this was a common occurrence. Whenever he was in an open section and had to face a higher-rated opponent, he tended to be underestimated, what with his not-so-young appearance and low rating.
He also remembered Sheva saying that occasionally, recalling his teacher’s experience in the past.
’For someone close to adulthood like us, being low-rated is like a stamp of failure. People will look down on you, and you will get angry. However, if you can stay calmer for a moment, you will see that this is a great opportunity to turn the tables, and you will also notice that your chance to win suddenly rises astronomically. Don’t let anger cloud you. Think clearly, and you will let your opponent pay the cost later.’
It was quite inspirational quote from the man, something that Nayaka held tightly in this situation.
With that in mind, he also started to change his mindset, throwing away all the disruptive thoughts before putting all of his focus on the game in front of him. Seeing that Master Susanto went for the Sicilian Opening, Nayaka decided to retaliate with the Najdorf variation, one of the most aggressive lines in this system.
Not only that, but Nayaka also went berserk. First, he marched all three pawns on the kingside forward, trying to get through Master Susanto’s king first without even regarding his own defense. Then, the boy also castled to the queenside when it was clear that Master Susanto had a rook on the open C file, staring directly at the king.
This was an invitation; a blatant provocation toward the man. It was as if Nayaka was saying, ’You think I am easy to deal with without your usual style? Come on, try to get me first!’
After the first ten moves of the game, Nayaka’s confidence also soared to the sky. This came from the fact that the storm was coming, and Master Susanto, who always seeks stability, would not be able to hold his own ground without getting swept by the wave.
Hell, even though the game somehow was dragged into the endgame territory, the one where Master Susanto would definitely thrive, Nayaka still thought that he had a chance. The premise, though, was that he would make the man bleed first before the game went into that phase.
’I should’ve tried to make an imbalance as quickly as possible before he could stabilize the position.’ Nayaka thought. Then, his eyes wandered to the table, and he couldn’t help but smirk at the scene in front of him. ’It seems Devi is right. Master Susanto might have the best poker face in the country, but once he starts to feel pressured, his pinky will start trembling unconsciously. It seems he starts to get nervous here.’
Yeah, during his preparation time with Devi, the girl didn’t just help him with the in-game conditioning, but also analyze everything about Master Susanto. This was the knowledge the boy had never thought to be useful, but once it emerged, it gave a huge boost to his confidence.
Meanwhile, Master Susanto himself didn’t really have fun here.
While yes, at first glance, he had a potentially strong attack, everything seemed to be superficial right now.
He had a rook staring straight at the king, yet it was blocked by a knight and two pawns protecting each other in the same file. He also had a queen and a knight getting close to that queenside, and yet, none of them were dangerous enough to threaten Nayaka’s defensive wall.
If anything, once Nayaka started to flex his muscle, his mind started to succumb back to how he always thought, simplify things up, and force the game to go as quickly as possible into the endgame phase.
That was where his confidence was at its peak, and right now, he tried his best to regain that.
Still, the man couldn’t help but click his tongue, glancing at Nayaka on the other side of the board in annoyance. ’As expected of Sheva’s disciple. His attacking style really resembles Sheva a lot; aggressive and reckless. What the hell did he teach the boy here?’ He grumbled.
Yeah, even Master Susanto himself finds the situation to be troublesome. However, it hadn’t reached the point where he thought he would lose the game.
He also knew Nayaka, albeit not quite well. After all, Master Susanto was also the one who accompanied the teenagers to Uzbekistan a few months ago, and he often shared his experience with them in his free time.
That short period was enough to give him an idea of their personality, so Master Susanto figured out how to deal with Nayaka.
’As long as he sees a chance, even though it is a bait, he will bait it anyway.’ Master Susanto recalled the boy’s information inside his head. ’So, what I need here is to stay patient, because it would be him who will crumble first.’
Honestly, if anyone could hear their thought, they would find the game to be interesting. After all, both players were confident that they grasped each other’s weakness here. Even though the game itself was still in a quite early stage with none of them trying to commit to any further development, it was clear that they both had something inside their minds.
Now, only time could tell who really had their opponent dancing on their palm. Still, no matter what happened, the true winner of this game would be the viewers, as they would see how this crazy game unfolded.
