Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 462: Three Wins In a Row! The Favorite to Win It All?!

Sheva really played like a juggernaut in this tournament. After getting two wins in his pocket, he continued his journey, playing against a young local IM named Thomas Beerdsen whose rating had already crossed 2515. The man only needed one more norm to become a GM, and he probably hoped that with the stacked field in this tournament, getting them would be quite easy.

Well, that was probably the reality, but there was no way Sheva would let the man use him as a stepping stone. He marched like an avalanche, crushing the IM in a devastating blowout to get a clean sweep in his first three rounds of the tournament. This was also his first time using the title that he got from getting his GM title, and honestly, the feeling was quite thrilling.

’This Strong Man Aura sure is a lethal weapon.’ Sheva muttered inwardly. ’Decreasing all of my opponent’s stats by 5 percent if their rating is below mine? That is a guaranteed point for me!’ He grinned in satisfaction.

The boy also didn’t forget to check the list of his opponents, finding out who would suffer from the end of this title. ’Sister Vaishali and this Eline Roebers, huh? Sorry, I know you both represent the women’s chess community, but you cannot get anything from me!’

Unfortunately, it would still be quite a long time before he faced those two. Against Vaishali, Sheva had to wait for round six, and the matchup with Eline Roebers was even a little bit longer, the tenth round of the tournament. Before that, Sheva still had to face a couple of tough opponents, the European veterans who still tried to climb into the higher state.

Speaking of the entire tournament, it had been three days since it began, and the standings had already taken an early shape. Sheva didn’t really care about the master section, since those were something that he couldn’t reach. However, in the challenger section, he was thriving, being the leader with a perfect score while also leaving the others in the dust.

"My closest competitors only have 2 points. Javokhir Sindarov, Alexander Donchenko, Mustafa Yilmaz, and Velimir Ivic. It is still quite early to predict who will be able to stay consistent throughout the entire tournament, and some players, like Amin and that Brazilian GM, could bounce back quickly with just one win. I still need to be careful here."

AT least, in Sheva’s mind, everything was still kinda blurry. However, for the other players, his name had already emerged from a rising star to a threat and a force that they couldn’t ignore anymore. The three clean wins that he got put him immediately as the player with the highest chance to win the section.

Also, while there were still slight negative voices about the suspicion of him cheating and something like that, no one really dared to raise their concern. After all, even though what Hans did to Magnus’s accusation—suing for 100 million US dollars—was way too extreme, it was also a wake-up call for anyone not accuse the others easily. At least, if they didn’t have that much power like Magnus, not a single player on earth would be brave enough to do that.

"Hey, what are you doing, daydreaming in broad daylight?!" Bagas slapped him on the back quite hard, bringing a plate full of bread and various jams. "Here, take your breakfast first. You will need something in your stomach for today."

Instead of thanking his friend, though, Sheva couldn’t help but groan. "Urgh... Another bread?"

"Well, what can you do, mate?" Bagas snorted amusedly at his reaction. "Just like any wise man said, when in Rome, dress like the Romans."

Sheva just grunted before taking a big chunk of bread and shoving it directly into his mouth. Honestly, he himself didn’t hate the bread. However, a sweet breakfast for three days in a row? For him—or any other Asian, maybe—this was a bit too much to handle.

"Anyway, you ready for today’s game?" Bagas patted his shoulder once again.

"Yeah, don’t worry." Sheva gave an ok signal. "Alexander Donchenko will be a tough nut to crack, but his playing style is similar to mine. This is going to be a tactical battle, my bread and butter." He said it confidently.

Yeah, his opponent for today’s round would be Alexander Dorchenko, one of his competitors who had already gained two points. Sheva had already researched everything he needed to know about the German GM, and honestly, he couldn’t be more excited about the matchup today.

After all, Donchenko was known for his aggressive and attacking style, always willing to take the risk to get the game out of a boring state. This was a very similar approach to Sheva’s style, so the clash of two madmen would be interesting to watch. Sheva didn’t know what the result would be—he was confident that he would win, though—but whatever happened later, the game would only end in a bang.

"Okay, hold your horses, Soldier." Bagas snapped his finger, trying to gain Sheva’s attention when he saw his best friend was daydreaming with a disgusting smile on his face. "I know you are excited, but remember, this is your chance to widen the gap with your competitors. Try to get a win even though it is ugly, okay?"

"I know, I know! Who do you think I am?" Sheva scoffed Indignantly. If anything, though, this only made Bagas worry. However, he didn’t say anything else, knowing that this was the best he could get.

’Also, Sheva is quite a mature player. Why would I worry about him getting excited and losing his composure?’ The fat boy shook his head silently.

They spent the rest of the afternoon turning the serious conversation into a casual chat, an attempt that Bagas made to help his best friend unwind. This was going to be a long marathon, so maintaining his spirit was also an important thing to do. Even though he didn’t say it out loud, Sheva also understood his intention, and the boy was quite happy to accept that. In a head full of chess, it was nice to get something to fill the gap there.

Until...

"It’s 13:00 already," Bagas spoke while also checking his watch. "Time to go, Shev. Ready?" He offered a fist bump.

"Huh! Who do you think I am?" Sheva snorted, bumping the fist lightly. "Just sit still and wait, Gas! I will bring the win for you!"