Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 386: Sheva’s Next Target!

For a moment, a pin-drop silence fell on the room; only the sound of the air conditioner humming quietly could be heard all over the place. No one knew why or how, but tension suddenly rose, and everyone held their breath unconsciously. It was as if the question was a matter of life and death, and they were just waiting eagerly for the verdict to fall.

Even though they all held quite a high status in society, all the old men here were just pure fans of chess, and they had already been enthralled by Sheva’s personality since the boy stepped into the room. While they knew they couldn’t snatch Wahyu’s position as the main sponsor and steal the boy for themselves, those old men were still eager to hear Sheva’s plan, thinking of what kind of maneuver they should pull to lend a hand.

It wasn’t like they needed the favor from Sheva. Hell, no. They had already been retired old men, and the favor from a rising chess talent held no value for them. However, in the same friend group with all of them being chess enthusiasts, the right to brag was something that no one could resist, and even though no one really talked about this, most of them grew tired already of Wahyu’s bragging in the chat group.

That was why, even though this didn’t really hold any value, they were eager to become a part of Sheva’s journey.

Meanwhile, Bagas and Sarah also held the same curiosity. Although the former was basically Sheva’s agent, providing all the information for Sheva while also waiting for the boy to pick up one tournament before starting to work again, he had never heard about what Sheva truly wanted.

As for Sarah, her contact with Sheva was even fewer, but in her mind, Sheva’s image was still overlapping with a scrawny and quiet boy who often hung out with his boyfriend in high school. She also wanted to know what kind of ambition did he had to make himself change this much.

"My next target, huh?" Sheva pondered, tapping his chin slowly as if he was oblivious to the tensed atmosphere in front of him. A moment later, though, a small, yet confident smile suddenly spread from ear to ear, as the boy spoke slowly, "I could say something formal and official, but it would be tasteless for you all. So, please, forgive me first for not being humble, okay?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment before a thunderous laughter echoed throughout the room. "Hahaha! I know that I didn’t misjudge you! Come on, Boy! Just brag to us!" He grinned, the heavy breathing showing his excitement.

Indeed, besides his talent, Wahyu Satyawan also saw something in Sheva that he didn’t see in almost all the athletes from Indonesia. It was the hunger to climb higher, something that all the best players had to drive them forward.

It wasn’t like the Indonesian athletes didn’t want to be the best. However, their reserved personality and the thought of being inferior to the European or American athletes always lingered inside their hearts, making it hard for them to come out of their shells. Sheva didn’t have that, though. His bright eyes reflected his ambition and confidence, as if telling the world that he was capable of standing on the same ground as those who were the best players in the world.

This personality, combined with the unparalleled talent, was enough to charm even an old man like him.

"First, let’s think about the short term." Sheva smiled. "I have two goals here, which I hope to achieve before July next year comes."

"Oh?" Everyone was intrigued.

"First, I want to pass the 2600 rating threshold in one year, establishing myself as a truly prodigious, not just a flesh in the pan." He put his finger up, saying that this was his first ambition. "As for the second one, I want to make my name resound throughout the entire chess community, making some established tournaments want to invite me. At least, I want to get into the challenger section of Tata Steel Chess in January or the Prague Chess Festival in February."

Those two mentioned were among the elite tournaments in the world, being known as the opener of the year. The reason was simple. Tata Steel Chess and Prague Chess Festival were the earliest super GM tournaments in the calendar, the starting line for everyone else.

Even though the participants for the master section were the super GMs whose ratings were usually above 2700, they also had a challenger section, where all the prodigies from all around the world were gathered to taste the competitiveness of an invitational-based tournament.

Earlier this year, Arjun Erigaisi, one of the best Indian prodigies, won the Tata Steel Chess Challenger section. However, that was not what Sheva was focusing on. No, instead, he saw that even a mere IM with an ELO rating around 2400 could also be invited, so his chance was pretty much open.

"That is a feasible target." Wahyu nodded in approval. As a chess nerd, he also knew some of the biggest tournaments in the world, so the man could understand Sheva’s train of thought.

"Then..." Sheva suddenly narrowed his eyes slightly, and his aura suddenly got stronger, startling everyone else here. "Even though it might be far more ambitious, I want to try to push my luck and get into the top three in the World Cup next year."

This...

Everyone froze instantly, for a moment not knowing what to say. After all, it was okay to get into an invitational tournament, but to get into the top three of the World Cup? Where all the best players fought with the jungle’s law, where the weak would be eaten by the strong? Wasn’t the jump a little bit too much here?

"Wait, the top three?!" Bagas suddenly caught the important message here. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Yeah, you catch it quickly, Gas. It is exactly what you thought." Sheva smirked, showing a feral smile. "Two years from now, I want to get into the Candidate Tournament, so the World Cup is my only chance next year."