Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 582: Anna’s Game!

While the men’s section was still entangled with so many cutthroat battles, the women’s section also started to get heated. Anna, who currently had 3.5 points, was so desperately in need of a win in this round, at least to put her name back in the competition again.

Her position was far from the top of the table. Not to mention those who had higher points than her, which was about 6 people, there were still several with the same points as her, so if she was not careful, she could’ve been dragged further down the table. That would definitely be a nightmare for her.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the universe was conspiring against her, as she had to fight against one of the top players in this tournament today, the WGM from Vietnam, Vo Thi Kim Phung. That was also the same player who Medina beat yesterday, and she was also a woman on a mission, eager to bounce back after the result yesterday.

That was why the game went explosive since the beginning, with them marching forward bravely to get through their opponent’s defense.

The first to take action was Anna. Playing as the black piece, she picked the variation that caught the Vietnamese WGM off guard by accepting the Queen’s Gambit without even thinking about it.

That Vietnamese WGM was so startled that she didn’t write the move on the scoresheet immediately, but turned her head to the girl and stared with a dumbfounded gaze. Anna tried her best to hide it, but a shade of red could be seen tingling on her cheeks as she was so flustered by her own move.

’What the hell? What am I doing here?! Who do I think I am, a fucking Beth Harmon?!’ She screamed at the top of her lungs in panic. Inwardly, of course, since the girl would’ve been kicked out if she screamed loudly.

Yeah, this was a move that she pulled on a whim. The girl herself couldn’t say that she was familiar with the system. However, who was?

After all, the Queen’s Gambit opening was one that every coach always emphasized not to take, opting to develop slowly before striking back later. This had become a taboo for any serious player whose rating was low, being warned several times that accepting the gambit would only end in a disaster. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Now, suddenly pulling this shit up, Anna was so nervous, afraid that many things could go wrong. However, she couldn’t deny the exhilarating feeling sparking inside her heart.

’Yeah, even if things went south, my point is already low here, and losing will only mean I have no chance to catch up with the leader of the standings. Fuck it, why not risk it all?’

With the mentality of do or die, Anna threw away all her shields and hesitation, ready to go for a kamikaze operation.

Somehow, though, this worked in her favor because Vo Thi Kim Phung seemed to be stumped. There was no way the woman had never seen the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, but just like what Anna thought, it had been a long time since she saw one, and now, her brain worked so hard to dig up all the knowledge on this matter.

In theory, the accepted gambit should favor her as the white piece. She had a chance for early development, having all of her pieces staring at the kingside from the long diagonal. The pawn she sacrificed could also be taken back immediately, nullifying Anna’s early advantage.

However, reality told her otherwise.

Anna’s marching troops on the queenside also gained a strong foothold, and not only that, but her defense setup was also strong enough to face any storm that the Vietnamese WGM was about to bring.

Then came the decisive moment.

It seemed Vo Thi Kim Phung also realized that the advantage the white piece should get in this system was far out of her reach, and the woman started to get anxious. She racked her brain hard, trying to take advantage of all the active pieces she had on the board. That was when her recklessness took over, and she suddenly sacrificed her knight to open up the line where Anna’s king sat.

’Um?!’ Anna blinked, her gaze was full of confusion. ’What is going on? Why would she suddenly throw away her knight? Is there anything I didn’t notice here?’

This was her thought jumping in reflex, immediately thinking that she missed something instead of her opponent making a mistake. Her brain spun, trying to calculate every line possible that her opponent could take.

Unfortunately, she only wasted her time here, throwing away about 25 minutes just to be stumped in one move.

’My knight is vulnerable, but it is supported by the bishop. She will definitely not take it with her queen. No, she is not stupid. If I want to put more reinforcement, though, my queen can move, but it will abandon the bishop. So, what is the threat here?’

In the end, though, Anna gritted her teeth, finally taking the knight sacrifice after a lot of hesitation. ’Screw it! Let’s just see what kind of move she would make after this!’

It was proven to be the right decision, though, as after taking the knight, Anna saw her opponent push the rook forward, maneuvering in a sharp yet awkward position to stare through the G line where Anna’s king was standing. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but feel dumbfounded.

’Wait... This is her plan in sacrificing her knight?’ She muttered incredulously. Right now, all she wanted to do was bang her head on the table repeatedly for wasting so much time stupidly earlier. ’Damn... I am so stupid! How could I overcomplicate things like this?!’

Yeah, compared to the worst-case scenario inside her mind, this was definitely a way better, because Anna figured out the best way to neutralize the attack. It was just a simple move. By pushing her H pawn one square forward, it basically controlled the square where the rook could go, basically nullifying all of the attack the Vietnamese WGM tried to pull.

Now that she didn’t have to worry about it, Anna clenched her fist under the table, inwardly thinking, ’Now, it is time for revenge!’