Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 441: Sheva’s Shamelessness

"Shev, I will ask once again, are you sure you want to do this?" Bagas asked hesitantly, still unsure whether this was the right decision or not. "You know that once I click the button, there is no going back for you, right?" He stared at Sheva’s eyes directly, wanting to see his best friend’s resolution.

"Don’t worry, I am very sure of it." Sheva just nodded solemnly; his eyes told Bagas that he wouldn’t accept any argument here.

"Fine..." In the end, Bagas sighed, knowing that he couldn’t win in this situation. "Just so you know, I didn’t agree with your approach." He grumbled, yet still did what his best friend asked for.

"... Guys, either you tell us what you are doing, or I will forcefully take your laptop, you choose!" Medina ordered with a sharp glare, using her fist to threaten the two boys. The other girls also nodded in agreement, curious about what those two were talking about.

It was the night of celebration for Sheva’s win before they had to go back home tomorrow, yet the atmosphere was ruined by their mysterious conversation. Hell, even Duta, who didn’t really show his feelings too much, couldn’t help but be curious.

Bagas swallowed his saliva at the threat, yet he still turned to Sheva for help. The boy himself was still unsure whether he should talk about this or not. Starting to lose her patience, in the end, Laysa and Claudia jumped out of their chairs, going straight to those two to see what they were talking about.

There, they saw an email that Bagas wrote in Sheva’s name, and they couldn’t help but snort at the content.

Subject: Inquiry Regarding Participation Availability in Tata Steel Chess Wijk Aan Zee 2023

Dear Organizing Committee,

I hope this message finds you well. My name is Adrian Sheva, and I am an Indonesian chess player who had the honor of winning the individual gold medal at the Olympiad 2022.

I am writing to inquire whether there is still an available spot in the Tata Steel Chess Wijk Aan Zee 2023 tournament. I am very eager to participate in this prestigious event and would be grateful for any information regarding the possibility of joining the tournament.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

Best regards,

Adrian Sheva

"Wow, I don’t know you are that pretentious, Shev, mentioning your achievement like that." Laysa mocked. "Also, this is the first time I’ve seen someone so shameless, begging for a spot in a tournament like this. If this gets out to the Internet, you will be the laughing stock in the whole community, you know?"

Claudia choked, not expecting that Laysa would be so blunt about this. Hearing that, the others were also curious about the content, so they all came to Bagas’s side to write the email.

"Hmm... That’s not a bad strategy..." Medina pondered after reading the whole content thoroughly. "Still, it is something unprecedented to recommend yourself, so Laysa is right here. Once this gets out to the public, you will be under heavy scrutiny." She took a soft approach, saying her mind cautiously.

"Bah! What do you lot know?" Sheva scoffed at their skeptical attitude. "Yes, I am desperate, but my pitch is quite good here! Also, with Bagas’s stream and my identity as an Indonesian player, someone who comes from a massive country, as a backing, I have a huge chance to be accepted! As long as they are not stupid and there is still a spot remaining, there is no way they would refuse me!" He declared confidently.

Well... It wasn’t like he was wrong here. Indeed, with the backing of one of the most populous countries, and with Bagas’s live streaming having been spread throughout the country, giving a good result in the last couple of tournaments, inviting Sheva would only give the tournament a bigger exposure. This was something that the boy had thought earlier, and he didn’t hesitate to use it as his advantage.

"Hmm... I don’t really mind that you are doing this, but why are you so desperate?" Anna couldn’t help but ask. "It is not like you to lose patience like this. Has something happened during your chat with Pragg earlier?"

Her sixth sense pointed in the right direction immediately, rendering Sheva useless to any argument inside his head. The others also stared at him, wanting to know why he suddenly become like this.

"Fine, I am just anxious, okay?!" Sheva clicked his tongue in annoyance. "How could I, the one who created a record of a perfect tournament in the Olympiad, still haven’t gotten any invitational tournament yet, while Pragg and the other Indian prodigies have already received their second or even third invitation already?! Because of their country’s reputation? This is so fucking unfair! Rather than waiting, why shouldn’t I ask for it? Is that reasonable?!"

The others were too speechless, not expecting the sudden outburst.

"Yeah, yeah, somehow, you manage to be reasonable, a bigot, and a prick at the same time." Laysa felt the corner of her mouth twitching annoyedly. "What would you do if this doesn’t work, though?"

"Hmm? Why would I have to do anything?" Sheva blinked confusedly. At their dumbfounded gaze, he sighed before adding, "What?! I know that they don’t have any obligation to accept me, but I still have to try pitching myself! It’s good if it works, but if it doesn’t work, I will just embarrass myself, nothing more and nothing less! What is there to lose?"

Well... At least, this argument made them all thoughtful. Let’s not mention Duta, since the boy’s rating and reputation were still too low. However, all the girls here could be considered top players already, and even though they didn’t dare to dream about a high-level tournament like Tata Steel Chess, at least, some women’s tournaments should have a spot or two for them to chime in.

’Maybe, Sheva is right, huh?’ Anna and Laysa stared at each other knowingly. ’Maybe, all we need to do to have a breakthrough is to be shameless a little bit.’

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Author’s note: Hey, everyone! I just write a new novel as an entry to the WSA 2026 competition, with the title of ’I Am the God of Football in the Fantasy World’. Please, help me support this new novel by adding it to the library and leave your comment in it. Thank you!