Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 507: The First Day of the Tournament!

"Come on, Shev! The first day of the tournament! Let’s create a huge storm today!" Bagas grinned, giving a fist bump to his friend.

"Hmph... Don’t worry, just sit tight in the media booth, I will bring the win back at the end of the day." Sheva accepted the fist bump, walking inside the venue with confidence.

It was finally D-Day, and honestly, Sheva couldn’t wait to get back into action again. It had been about a month since the Tata Steel Tournament was over, and he was afraid that he had gotten rusty. Even though the boy enjoyed teaching the others, it still couldn’t replace the thrill of sitting in such a hot seat, fighting for the glory.

Fortunately, this time, they managed to get a room in the hotel where the tournament would be held, Hotel Don Giovanni. Even though the cost was quite pricey since the hotel was basically full of the chess players staying in for the rest of the two weeks, this was still better compared to having to walk so far to the venue, just like when Sheva was in Wijk Ann Zee or Dubai in the past.

To Sheva’s surprise, though, the moment he walked into the hall, he was surrounded instantly by countless people, some having their phones taking a picture or a video of him, while some were asking for a sign.

"Sheva, can I have a sign, please?!"

"Hey, I am the first to come! Get down, kid!"

"Běž se bodnout, old man!"

Sheva was stunned when he saw the scene where a middle-aged man with a camera on the phone was bickering with a teenager in the local language, which he himself didn’t understand a single word of, while the crowds were still surrounding him. In the end, he couldn’t help but look at Bagas, asking for help.

"Okay, okay, no need to make a mess, everyone!" Fortunately, Bagas was already used to this situation, so he managed to calm the crowd instantly. "Let’s not get into cutthroat with each other, okay? You can ask for a sign or a photo later after the game, but for now, please, let my boy focus on the game first, okay?"

Most of the people there could accept the explanation, indeed, feeling like they were pushing too far here. Some were still stubborn enough and wanted to push their luck, but Bagas had already signalled the security team to get there, making them wilt instantly under the threat. In the end, it took only three minutes, and Sheva’s path to the venue was cleared already.

"Damn, I didn’t prepare for all of this shit!" Sheva cursed, indeed forgetting how he always got mobbed whenever he played. Still... "How could the reaction be this exaggerated? This should be the first time, right?" Sheva couldn’t help but ask his best friend.

"Indeed, it is." Bagas nodded after thanking the security team. "However, you have to know that not a lot of prestigious names are here. Besides you and Vincent Keymer, probably only Harikrishna Pentala, the veteran GM from India, could draw people’s attention, so get ready to be surrounded by your fans every day, okay?" He smiled gloatingly, which elicited a groan from Sheva.

"Oh, God, I just want to play chess peacefully, why is it so difficult these days?!"

"Bah! Don’t be shameless! A lot of people want to be in your position, okay? Just accept it with grace!" Bagas slapped his shoulder playfully. "Anyway, you go first! I still have to prepare my streaming setup. Good luck, okay?!"

As Bagas stormed off, Sheva finally started walking to the venue. It was the hall of the hotel, and the place was separated into two parts. The first one was the podium, where all ten games of the Master Section and the Challenger Section would be held. This was the main focus of the tournament, where everyone could see the games clearly. Then, below the podium, so many tables were set for the open section, and that was where most people who surrounded Sheva earlier came from.

The moment Sheva stepped onto the podium, though, the air shifted instantly. Even without him turning around, the boy could feel hostility from all over the place, and it was enough to send a shiver down his spine.

’It seems everyone has already set their eyes on me, huh?’ He muttered solemnly. However, the smile curling on his face told everyone otherwise, as he was the most excited one here. ’This is going to be interesting... Let’s just hope that no one will give me a boring game...’

Of course, Sheva would only say that inside his head. There was no way he could utter such outrageous and arrogant remarks so loudly. Even if he believed that way, the boy still wanted to live, and attracting people’s hate was definitely not the best way to do that.

"Hey, Sheva! We meet again!" Suddenly, a voice with a rough German accent greeted him. When Sheva turned around, he could see Vincent Keymer, his teammate during the team battle after the Tata Steel Tournament, smiling at him.

"Hey, Vincent. It is good to meet you again." Sheva smiled, accepting the handshake from the man. "I am so envious of you! If anything, I also hope to play in the master section!" He laughed jokingly, trying to engage in small talk.

"Ha! I also hope that I will be able to play against you." Vincent chuckled. "But since you are not in the master one, I can go berserk and vent out all of my grievances out there..." His expression turned dark as the German GM had already imagined the bloodbath scene that he could cause.

Sheva had a sweat drop on his face as he listened to that. However, the boy could understand Vincent’s feelings. The German GM had just come back from the WR Chess Master, the tournament that Anish bragged to Sheva a month ago, with a terrible result. He shared the last place with three other players, and losing three games in a tournament was something unacceptable. The German boy needed something to vent out, and this tournament provided him a reason to do that.

"Oh, well, good luck with that." Sheva patted Vincent’s shoulder lightly, chuckling awkwardly.

"You too, Sheva." Vincent’s voice was deep, as if he knew something that Sheva didn’t. "Don’t worry, we will meet again soon."

His mysterious smile really triggered Sheva’s curiosity. However, before he could even ask, the alarm suddenly rang, and the boy couldn’t help but curse. "Oh, shit! The game is about to begin!"