Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 443: Time for Change of Pace

"SHEVA! Bagas is here!" A voice echoed all over the house, forcing his consciousness to go back to the living plane. "How long do you want to sleep more, young man?! Don’t think that just because you are famous, you can do anything you want! Wake up and wash your face! Your friend is here!"

"Urgh... Yes, mom..." Sheva groaned, staggering like a drunkard as he went to the washroom.

It was a day after he went back home, and everything seemed to be back to normal again. His status as a prodigy and the new GM didn’t really help him at his own house, as the one who controlled everything was still his mother. Still, Sheva didn’t really mind, enjoying the playful nagging from her.

After cleaning himself, he walked into the living room, just to find Bagas, his best friend, had already been sitting in the place where he usually sat, enjoying the breakfast that should been his. What made Sheva’s lips twitch more was that his mother was clearly doting on his best friend, making him wonder who the real son was here.

"Here, Bagas, you can have more tempeh. It should be hard, right? Taking care of Sheva?"

"Ah, it is not that bad, Aunty..."

"Don’t worry, I love my son to death, but I know him too well. You don’t need to be polite in front of me. Just ask if he started making things difficult for you, and I will have a good talk with him immediately!"

"Ah! Thank you, Aunty!"

"Wow, you sure are so close to each other," Sheva said sarcastically, sitting straight next to Bagas while also scooping up rice to his own plate. "If I didn’t know better, I would think that Bagas is my twin brother, Mom."

"Oh, I would also hope so." His mother replied with the same level of sarcasm. "If only my son could have Bagas’s personality... Kind, polite, always willing to help. What a perfect son..."

Bagas himself just stayed quiet, using his skill of vanishing in the background when conflict arose around him. He let Sheva and his mother bicker for a while, knowing full well that the mother-son relationship wasn’t that bad. It was just a morning banter for them, something that would subside soon enough.

"Honestly, Mom, I don’t get it! How could you be crying and saying that you miss me yesterday, and now, you treat me like a pig?!"

"Of course, because you are acting like a pig! Come on, tell me I am wrong!"

"You are wrong, Mom! I am a human being, feeling exhausted too! Cut me some slack, please!"

"Fine!" Seeing the mother rise from her seat, Bagas sighed, knowing that the conflict was about to meet its end. True enough, a second later, the mother finally left the house, but not before winking at Bagas. "I have already prepared snacks for you both, so don’t be too polite, okay? Don’t worry, there will be more when I’m back!"

The room fell into silence quickly, with Sheva just clicking his tongue in annoyance. Then, his sharp glare turned to Bagas, asking snarkily, "What are you doing here, by the way? Have you received the reply to my email a few days ago? What is it? Do they agree with my request?"

In return, Bagas just rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Agree? Do you think that they would kneel just because of your name? Don’t dream too high, Shev." His words were blunt. "No, they haven’t said anything yet. Still, I expect they would answer it in a week, since I heard from a reliable source that the full lineup of the Tata Steel tournament would be announced in ten days. So, just wait patiently, and don’t be too disappointed if nothing happens, okay?"

It was a genuine suggestion, because the fat boy himself didn’t think that this strategy could work. He just tagged along, indulging Sheva’s request since they wouldn’t lose anything but their face. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Oh, well... Then, let’s just wait for a little bit." Sheva nodded; his temper started to calm down. "Then, what are you doing here, arriving this early?" He asked.

"Here." Instead of answering, he just threw a brochure to his best friend. Curious, Sheva picked it up and started reading the content, just to find himself getting intrigued by it.

SCUA Rapid & Blitz 2022!

Approved by FIDE!

Just those two tags alone were enough for him to ask, "SCUA? Isn’t that the chess school that Master Utut formed?"

"Yeah, and the event is going to be next week." Bagas nodded in confirmation. "I also have two tournaments for next month, one in Penang and the other in Bangkok. It is not that far, and the event is still the same, Rapid & Blitz. While waiting for an invitation, you’d better start improving your other rating first to avoid becoming a laughingstock, okay?"

Sheva just nodded quietly, knowing that what Bagas said was right. In fact, this was aligned with his plan already. After all, it would be ridiculous for a GM not have any rating in the rapid or blitz section.

There was also the World Rapid & Blitz tournament that would be held next December, but Sheva had already made up his mind not enter the tournament this year. After all, that would be in Christmas, and after so many things happened this year, he wanted to spend the last week of the year with his mother.

"So, only those three? No standard tournament?" He inquired.

"Well, if you want to play one, I can search for it. But I think it would be good for you to get a change of pace." Bagas answered.

After pondering for a second, Sheva shook his head quickly. "Nah, you are right. A change of pace is something that I need now." He said. "Anyway, is there anything I should pay attention to?"

This time, it was Bagas who thought for a moment before finally saying, "Well, this is not something that you should pay attention to, but this has been trending in the chess community. Hell, not only that, but even some mainstream media in the USA also mentioned this."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, have you heard anything about Hans Niemann’s cheating scandal?"

-0-

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!