Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 377: Closing Ceremony (I)

"... For the reserve board of the women’s section, the gold medal, Jana Schneider from Germany!"

As the name was announced, a wave of applause echoed throughout the room. It wasn’t just because they were cheering for the players, but this was also a way to wake them up completely. After all, the first one hour of this closing ceremony was filled with speeches from the important figures who no one would remember after today was over, and the next hour was filled with entertainment such as traditional dances and local singers.

It was not a bad event, but for the players who had been so tense for the last two weeks, all they wanted to do right now was just to go back to their hotel room and fall asleep. This kind of entertainment was definitely not something they were eager to watch here.

In fact, this award ceremony was also not something that they could watch all the time. After all, the names would be called one by one, and with 10 categories in total and 3 winners out of each category, there would be at least 30 names called today, and it would definitely take a long time.

Hell, Sheva himself also started yawning. Even though he tried his best to hide it, his eyes were red already, so close to having his consciousness slip away from the living plane.

"Don’t fall asleep, okay?" Next to him, Bagas whispered lowly. "We are in the third row, and the camera is so close to us. It would be rude if you got caught falling asleep." He reminded his best friend.

"I know..." His voice was hoarse, clearly showing how exhausted he was.

However, Sheva still caught up with the latest announcement. When it was time for board 4 for the women’s section to be called, all of his fatigue was gone, as it was time for his friends to shine.

"Board 4 of the women’s section, gold medal, Laysa Latifah from Indonesia!"

Sheva didn’t hesitate here, jumping the first out of his seat to cheer the girl the most. After fighting together for a while, he and Laysa grew closer together, with her always having his back in every conflict inside the team. That was why Sheva was also happy to see Laysa thriving in this tournament.

There, being witnessed by all the people in this building, the girl beamed while also having the red-and-white flag engulfing her body. Standing at the highest place, she accepted the handshake from the important figures, and after getting the medal around her neck, the girl unconsciously bit it, still having the biggest smile in the world.

All the members of the women’s team were also ecstatic. This was definitely the best day of their life, and Laysa’s achievement was just the beginning. Right after that, the announcer started to call for board 3, and while it was not the same gold medal as Laysa, Anna’s name was also getting called into the podium.

"Board 4 of the women’s section, gold medal, Anna Marisa from Indonesia!"

Unlike Laysa, Anna could still maintain her composure. She rose from her seat elegantly, smiling before giving a polite nod to the camera and the people behind her, before walking straight to the stage. This simple gesture was enough to captivate people’s hearts, and suddenly, Anna turned into the neighbor’s child who would always look perfect in her parents’ eyes.

"Yeah, that is how younglings should behave."

"She is from Indonesia, right? As expected, all Asians know how to be polite."

"Yeah, and she still looks confident! Look at her!"

Even though Anna looked calm, her cheek was flushed red, showing that the excitement also got her here. Well, there was no doubt about it. After all, even though her achievement was lower than her best friend’s, this was still the Olympiad, where all the best players in the world gathered. Even a bronze medal was still a major achievement, and for a player who received it for the first time in their career, there was no way she wouldn’t feel excited.

Sheva himself also rose excitedly, not forgetting to take a few photos here. He also made a note on the back of his head to save some of the best pictures of Anna with her bronze medal as his phone wallpaper. Yeah, he was the old-fashioned boy who, instead of bragging about it to social media, would only put his crush’s photo as wallpaper.

After that, everything went quickly in Sheva’s eyes. He didn’t really pay attention, only perked up when a name he recognized was called. He clearly remembered Oliwia Kiyolbasa, the Polish WGM who had a similar achievement to his. Out of nine games she played, she won 8 of them, only getting one draw in the last game. That was definitely a hell of an achievement.

Also, Anna Muzychuk and Mariya Muzychuk were on the podium as well. Ironically, they got the silver medal exactly the same as the team, preventing them from getting the gold medal they had been dreaming of. It was a bitter result, yet nothing could be done about it.

In the end, the award for the women’s section was finally over, with Oliwia Kiyolbasa getting the best individual player for the women’s event. Then came the section that Sheva had been waiting for, the open one.

"This is your turn." Bagas couldn’t help but nudge his best friend. His face radiated pride as his best friend was about to stand on the highest podium in the world. "Don’t embarrass yourself, okay?" He whispered.

"Me? Never." Sheva snorted at the boy.

The first one to be announced for reserve member was the bronze medal, a player that Sheva was not familiar with. Then, the second one was Mateusz Bartel, the Polish GM who, unfortunately, didn’t play when Indonesia lost against them, so Sheva wasn’t familiar with him as well. However, that was the least he cared about right now, as the boy was waiting anxiously for his name to be called.

After a while...

"Reserve board of the open section, gold medal, Adrian Sheva from Indonesia!"