Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 373: All Depends on The Best Players!

Honestly, it was so poetic that everything came down to the two best players of the country. Ukraine, represented by Anna Muzychuk, who was a top talent in women’s chess and one of the few who managed to cross the 2600 rating threshold, was fighting against Irene, Indonesia’s representative, who was also the two-time Asian Chess Champion in the past.

It was as if they had waited for the battlefield to be cleared before finally starting their decisive battle, going for each other’s blood.

However, those two didn’t feel that this was poetic or even romantic at all. Hell, they were so stressed right now, even secretly cursing inside their hearts. Well... That was at least the case for Anna Muzychuk, as she was under greater pressure here.

’What are Sister Nina and Nataliya doing there? How could they lose their games like that?!’ The woman had to hold back the urge to yank her hair out of frustration. ’I mean, Nataliya is still understandable, but Sister Nina? Have you succumbed to your opponent’s pressure? Is that a fucking joke?’

Well, the reaction was understandable. Anna Muzychuk didn’t know how capable Anna was, and compared to the girl, Anna Ushenina, who was also the women’s world champion in 2013, was definitely the favorite in this match. Who would’ve thought that in the biggest tournament in the world, in the most important match ever, the former world champion would just crumble under the pressure of the girl who was 20 years younger than her?

No sane person would predict something that crazy, but that was the beauty of chess. Anything could happen on the board, so all of them had better be prepared for everything.

On the other hand, Irene was ecstatic. She was shaking in excitement while simultaneously trying her best to maintain her composure. The hard-earned two points from Anna and Laysa gave her hope, and she couldn’t help but pray here.

’Come on, Anna Muzychuk... Your country has no chance to be the number one anymore, just be satisfied with the silver medal and let us create a history here...’

Yeah, with Ukraine losing two points in a row, they basically had no chance to win, as the best they could do was to force a draw with Anna Muzychuk beating Irene in this game. The tournament itself was still in a tight race. Ukraine really needed a win to grab the top spot, and if they failed, they would fall to second place instantly. Indonesia was also the same, needing a win to get into the third spot. If the game ended up in a draw, though, it would be India who got into the bronze medal instantly.

Honestly, even a silver medal would still be quite good. However, not for Ukraine. They had always been so close to the number one spot, getting the silver medal on several occasions. So, this failure was definitely a big blow for the chess community in their country, and considering they hadn’t produced any young and good talents in this field for the last couple of years, no one knew when they would be able to get this close to the gold medal again.

That was why Anna Muzychuk was so frustrated right now. After leading the entire tournament for almost every day, she didn’t expect that the team would slip in the last round like this. Hell, she even had half of her mind to accept the draw right now, and the only reason the woman still kept going on was out of spite, not wanting to become a stepping stone.

That was why, even though the game had already entered the 60th move and both players were already exhausted, they still kept going, having no intention to stop right then.

"Shev, it should be a draw, right?" Medina whispered lowly, somehow still feeling anxious as she watched the game.

"Yeah, it should be the case." Sheva nodded. However, no excitement could be found in his tone, as the frown on his face was deeper than ever. "The game is still in a drawish situation because none of them are willing to take the initiative here, so this should be good for us. As long as Sister Irene defends her position well in her cocoon, I don’t think we have anything to worry about."

Yeah, Irene pulled up a cocoon-like defense here. She locked all the doors through her territory, not letting Anna Muzychuk advance through without sacrificing her own position. Now, the Ukrainian GM had to take the initiative, but any wrong advancement would only make her suffer in the long run.

That was why, in the last couple of moves, they had been just shuffling their pieces back and forth without doing anything significant, falling into the waiting game that would only benefit Irene and the Indonesian team.

It was quite rare, though, for a game to be in the 60th move while almost all the pieces were still alive. Usually, at this point, both players were already in the endgame phase, going at each other’s throats in a brutal battlefield. However, that was the brilliance of Irene’s strategy. Basically, she just ensured a quick draw without any ups and downs, not giving any room for her opponent to create something.

In the end, out of frustration, Anna Muzychuk rushed her pawns recklessly, and Sheva’s eyes lit up immediately when he saw that on the board.

"What is it? Is it a good thing for us?" Medina asked anxiously when she saw Sheva’s change of expression.

"Yeah, this is definitely a major breakthrough for us." Sheva couldn’t help but grin. "The breakthrough is done too hastily. The white pieces are still pretty much uncoordinated, and Sister Irene could support each other pretty quickly before Anna Muzychuk’s attack comes. Hell, Sister Irene could even push her case here, trying to get the win that would seal the deal."

His statement was supported by the computer engine, as the evaluation showed -2.1 immediately. Finally, after dilly-dallying for so long, in the 79th move of the game, something big happened, and all the spectators couldn’t help but feel excited.

’So, the black is winning, huh?’

’Yeah, Irene did a good job in staying patient here.’

’I guess we will not have to wait for so long before everything is settled.’

The murmurs soon became reality, as Anna Muzychuk herself also realized the foolish blunder that she had made. The woman was greatly affected by the gold medal that slipped through her fingers, and didn’t realize what she had just done until it was too late. Irene also saw that, and she started pushing forward.

However, before the Indonesian IM could make her case, Anna Muzychuk finally became the one who offered the draw, which she accepted immediately, securing the third spot of the Olympiad for Indonesia.