Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 378: Closing Ceremony (II)

"And the best individual player of the tournament is... Adrian Sheva from Indonesia!"

Sheva rose from his seat for the second time in one night, surrounded by the cheers and applause from the others. Even if this was his second time, though, the boy still had a great reaction to it. His eyes went red, and his chest swelled with pride as he walked through the stage.

This achievement was also far different than before. Earlier, his name had been called for the reserve member, which was something that people would easily forget since they all waited for the top board to be announced. This time, though, he was the ultimate winner of the event. In a hall full of people, all being the best players in the world, he was the best performer in this tournament, bar none.

The closest one for him was David Howell, the veteran GM from England. However, David Howell’s performance rating was around 2806, far below Sheva, who was 2840. Even though people might say that David Howell’s opponent was far more difficult, this couldn’t diminish the fact that Sheva had won all of his games, which was something unprecedented before.

Also, it wasn’t like Sheva didn’t play any good opponents here. The boy also faced many difficult opponents, including Wojciech Moranda from Poland, Sabino Brunello from Italy, and even Johan-Sebastian Christiansen from Norway. They all were solid and high-ranked GMs, yet Sheva dismantled their opponent’s defense with ease. That showed that Sheva’s win here was not a fluke at all.

"Good performance, young man." The FIDE president, who was the one who gave the award, shook Sheva’s hand firmly. "Keep it up, you deserve a higher stage."

Sheva could only nod politely, having been tired already from hearing the same thing over and over again. This was why he wasn’t so keen on this event. Too much formal pleasantry here, and not enough genuine feeling was shown. Of course, he wouldn’t say that out loud. No need to make things difficult for himself, right?

As Sheva shook hands with some higher-ups here, people also kept applauding him. After all, what he had done here was not only insane but unprecedented as well. After all, it was definitely the first time the best individual player was awarded to a mere 2300-rated player with no title at all. This was definitely going to be a headline in all the sports news all over the world tomorrow.

Right as he stepped down from the podium, though, some of the journalists there also started to point their microphones and cameras at him. Sheva panicked a little bit since he didn’t see Bagas here, but when he saw Sarah mingling with the crowd, a relieved sigh came out of his mouth.

’Good, at least, she would be able to control the crowd here.’

"Mister Sheva, you are officially joining an elite club that even Magnus Carlsen himself is not in. How do you feel about it?" One of the journalists asked.

Yeah, the list of players who won the best individual player award was quite limited. In Sheva’s knowledge, the only notable player that he knew was Yu Yangyi, the Chinese GM who won it in 2014. Other than that, it was crazy that even the top ten players in the world had never won this award before. So, yeah, it was not far-fetched to call this an elite club.

"Of course, I am honored. However, luck also plays a big factor in this crazy journey." Sheva said, trying to be humble. Unfortunately, it seemed that this was not the best choice, as a sharp journalist caught him and threw his answer back in his face.

"Indeed, there is also luck in your achievement." That infuriating man nodded as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. "People would say that you are lucky, since you didn’t really meet any good players in this tournament. Do you think that this is the case?"

Sarah held her breath unconsciously, glaring at the journalist with a murderous aura. This was a trap question. If Sheva said no, the reporter could twist it as him being an arrogant boy, and if Sheva said yes, people would have a reason to diminish his achievement, shrugging it off as if this was nothing big.

Whatever answer Sheva gave, the boy would come out as the biggest loser here.

Sheva himself didn’t really know about this. What he knew, though, was that the journalist didn’t ask the question with good intent, so it was clear that a trap was set for him.

’Man, I thought that the whole chess community is quite friendly, but it seems that no matter which subject they are in, journalists are destined to be a bunch of assholes like this, huh?’ Sheva sighed.

Well, he wasn’t the only one who got this question. The Uzbekistan team, which had just won the entire thing, was also under the same scrutiny. Some journalists asked about how this tournament, being the weakest Olympiad ever in history, was helping them thrive further.

Yeah, some people called this the weakest Olympiad in history. After all, two out of three powerhouses, China and Russia, didn’t play in this tournament. The first one withdrew, while the latter one was banned due to the invasion issue. Only the USA was in, and their team didn’t really do well in this tournament. That was why, while the tournament was amazing, some people remained skeptical about whether those who won were really the best among the best. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Well, he didn’t really know how the Uzbekistan team handled this matter, but Sheva figured out what to say in this situation. "I can say that winning it all is a part of luck. However, if you give all nine of my opponents to anyone else here, can you point out confidently anyone who could do the same feat as I? Beating them all nine times in a row? While yes, I admit that I am lucky, but sweeping everything should also be included in my strength, right?"

Sheva didn’t wait for the journalist to give a reply. Instead, he turned around to Sarah, seeking approval. Seeing that the girl was beaming while also sending him a big thumbs-up, he couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh.

’Oh, well... It seems that I answered the question correctly here.’