Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 502: Evaluation

"Good! First things first, Nayaka!" Sheva barked, as if he were an instructor in the military camp.

"Yes, Sir!" Nayaka straightened his back immediately, acting accordingly. The fact that there was still a trace of bread crumble and tomato sauce on the corner of his mouth somehow amused Sheva, yet the older boy didn’t mention it.

"Honestly, your weakness is exactly the same as mine a few months ago."

"Really?!" Nayaka widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Yeah, why would I tell you a lie?" Then, Sheva turned to Bagas for confirmation. "You remember that phase clearly, right? How I challenged Anna all the times just to get beaten up black and blue almost every day?"

"Oh, yeah, that is a funny period." The corner of Bagas’s mouth twitched a little as he reminisced about the past. "If I remember correctly, before you solve the problem, your record against her should be 2 wins, 5 draws, and 21 losses, right?"

This time, not just Nayaka, but the other two teenagers also stared at Bagas with dumbfounded expressions. After all, in their eyes, Sheva was an omnipotent presence, someone who could beat anyone in the world and was about to ascend to heaven. Who would’ve thought that he had such a dark history?

"What? Don’t underestimate Anna, okay? She is a very strong player, I tell you that." Sheva smirked in amusement at their reaction. "Also, at that time, my playing style was not quite mature yet, so it is understandable for me to get defeated once or twice."

In reality, though, Sheva had only been beaten by Gukesh in the official tournament. All of the losses he suffered against Anna were during the sparring game, yet he still took the record seriously and never denied them, as it was a testament to how far he had gone since he started his career.

"So, what is the weakness, Brother Sheva?" Nayaka asked eagerly. In his mind, if his weakness was the same as Sheva’s in the past, if he could solve that, maybe his ceiling would be as high as the older boy in front of him.

"Well, it is simple. You are always too eager to attack, forgetting to balance it with a strong defense." Sheva explained. "In short, you are being too greedy and selfish."

"Selfish?" Nayaka frowned. He could understand the greedy part, but the latter one? "I don’t understand..."

"Hmm... How should I put it..." Sheva pondered for a moment. "It is like this... Whenever you are under attack, you will only look at what you can do, and more often than not, you will ignore what your opponent can do. This results in you often making mistakes during your attack, because you are too blinded by your ambition."

’This was also probably why his attacking and defense stats are so different.’ Sheva couldn’t help but mutter inwardly.

Nayaka frowned as he recalled all of the games he played in the past. He might be loud and obnoxious, but stupid was definitely not the word that could describe him. However, recognizing the problem was one thing, and solving it was another.

"How should I fix it?" He finally asked, not being able to think of anything else right now.

"Well, it is easy." Sheva suddenly showed a feral grin, enough to make the boy gulp nervously. "We still have three weeks before the event, so I will make sure your brain and your body remember how to stop being greedy and selfish. Just... Be prepared, okay?"

Both Duta and Devi stared at their big brother in pity, knowing that the boy was in for hell. The former swallowed his saliva for a moment, but in the end, he braced himself by asking, "What about me, Brother Sheva?"

"You, Duta? You are completely the opposite of Nayaka; you are too rigid for your own good!" Sheva didn’t mince his words at all. "Honestly, the problem is still the same as the last time I said to you a few months ago in Dubai. You still remember it, right?"

Duta could only nod silently, recalling the memory of him getting lectured by Sheva a few months ago.

"You don’t know how to be flexible, and once the opponent catches you off guard, it takes a long time for you to adapt! Honestly, if not for Devi controlling the tempo and Nayaka being reckless, I think you would lead some of the games earlier into a quick win for me. Also, this is probably why Nayaka has a better record in a matchup against you."

BAM!

The last sentence was like a hammer getting slammed through his heart, and Duta himself couldn’t find any words to refute that. He stared blankly at Sheva, probably even doubting his life right now.

Seeing this, Devi couldn’t help but feel worried. "Duta... Are you okay?" She asked carefully.

"Don’t worry, he is just too stunned after I point out his weakness." Sheva waved his hand nonchalantly. "As for you, Devi, honestly, you are really an all-around player. You can play aggressive chess quite well, positional battle is good enough, and when you are getting pushed, your defensive resilience is top-notch."

"Ehehe..." Devi rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, happy to get praised. Nayaka could only stare in envy, as she was the only one who didn’t get scolded today.

"However, your all-around talent is also your current weakness," Sheva added, stopping the girl from being too smug. "Excel in all strategies, but master in none. Your current situation could be described in that sentence."

Devi frowned, but before she could complain, Sheva continued again.

"Your only weakness is that you are not the best at anything. In positional battle, you cannot be as solid and rigid as Duta, and in an aggressive tactical approach, you cannot be as bold as Nayaka. If you continue like this, you might still be able to rise to an elite level, but to be the best? That will only be in your dream."

The frown got bigger, and Devi’s eyebrows even met in the middle of her face. For some, being an elite was enough. However, Devi was still young, and with Sheva paving the way for the other Indonesian players to climb higher, there was no way she wouldn’t have any lofty ambitions.

In the end, she could only sigh, asking Sheva with a helpless expression, "So, what are we going to do?"

"Oh, well, it is simple." Sheva smiled a little, yet it was enough to frighten the little girl. "We will try to find a suitable style for you without abandoning your all-around talent. However, you will suffer a lot in the process, so get ready for three weeks of hardship, okay?"