CHAPTER 335: ANNA VS MARIA MALICKA!

’Um?! Sheva has already won his game?!’ Anna was taken aback when she saw Sheva strolling around before standing straight behind her, watching the game carefully. However, the state only lasted for a few seconds before excitement bubbled inside her heart. ’Awesome! As expected of him!’

She didn’t even have a doubt about whether the game was a draw or a loss for Sheva. No, based on the relaxed expression on the boy’s face, the girl knew that everything should be under his control, and that meant one point had already been secured for the men’s team.

’Well, since he has already done an amazing job, I cannot disappoint him, right?’ The girl clenched her fist tightly. She took a quick glance at her opponent before her gaze hardened with resolve. ’Even if I have to drag this game until midnight, I have to ensure that I come back with a win too!’

Honestly, she had been feeling jealous for the last couple of days whenever Sheva and Laysa talked about their chances to get a medal. Oh, she didn’t say that out loud. Anna wasn’t that petty to think that Laysa didn’t deserve her current achievement, especially since Laysa had been the team’s best player up until now. Still, Anna hoped that her performance was better so that she could also join the conversation about the medal here.

’No, there is still a chance for me to be on that conversation! If I want to stand alongside them, I have to step up my game for the second half of this tournament!’ A wave of determination burned inside her heart.

Playing on board 3, currently, the girl had already accumulated 4 points out of 5 games. It was above average, but definitely not enough to be in the conversation for a medal. There were still quite a few players who were higher in the standings, like Vaishali Rameshbabu from India, whom Laysa beat a couple of days ago, or Anna Ushenina from Ukraine.

Ironically enough, those two were not the best players on board 3. No, the one who was currently leading the pack was the girl who sat in front of Medina right now, Oliwia Kiolbasa. She was a very strong player and currently had the tournament of her life, beating all six opponents she faced in the last six rounds. She was probably the only one who still had the perfect record up until now in the whole tournament, and if nothing went wrong, she would’ve beaten Medina in this round, continuing her amazing streak in this tournament.

Oliwia Kiolbasa was in a historical run, and it would be hard for Anna to catch up with that.

’Oh, well, I need to take it slow.’ She took a deep breath, glancing sideways at the opponent in front of her. ’Let’s think about the future later. For now, I have to beat her first.’

The opponent she faced today was Maria Malicka, a Polish FM who was about two years older than Anna. The girl was a perennial IM with an ELO rating of 2393, and she definitely hoped that this Olympiad would be her breakthrough to enter a higher stage.

Playing with the white piece, Anna went all out from the beginning of the game. She initiated the King’s Indian Defense, pushing her pawns aggressively to lock down the position on the enemy’s territory. This put all of Maria Malicka’s pieces on either the seventh or eighth rank, not being able to develop properly under the pressure.

Not only that, when Anna saw that the opponent castled on the kingside, she didn’t follow that action. Instead, the girl started pushing her kingside pieces too, wanting to surround the enemy’s king and overwhelm that right flank with her soldiers. Hell, she even sacrificed her right to the castle, knowing that going passive in this situation would be less beneficial for her. No, Anna was going for blood right now, and nothing could stop her from getting what she wanted.

*Author note: If you want to visualize the position better, check the comment below.

’The situation is tricky here.’ Sheva muttered, nodding in approval. ’It might look like an equal game, but to find the best move in this situation is like finding a needle in the middle of a haystack. I mean, what would the computer recommend in this situation? Not taking the pawn on G4 is definitely not an option here, as Anna could destroy the structure immediately after that. The logical choice is to take it with the F pawn. Not only will it protect the structure, but white’s light bishop will have more room to create. However, I am sure that it is not the best move in this situation...’

In fact, the computer engine showed that the best move was to slide the rook on the F8 square one square forward. However, it was impossible to find, except if the player was among the best ones on the planet. Why? Simply because the black’s situation was quite bad, with almost all the guns being pointed at its kingside. It would be strange if, under such a situation, black would ignore all the threats and just make a seemingly pointless move like that, so Sheva believed that Anna was at an advantage in this situation.

True enough, the game developed in the way that Sheva had calculated before. Maria Malicka didn’t like the situation on the kingside, so the Polish girl took the G pawn with her F pawn, giving the bishop room to create something. However, this was considered a mistake, and right after the move was on the board, the evaluation bar moved slightly up, showing +1.1 for Anna.

The situation was still quite complicated, and it wasn’t easy for Anna to take over the game. However, the way had already been cleared up, and now, she should have a clear sight of how to capitalize it. Sheva wasn’t really that worried about Anna throwing away the game, because he knew the girl had the ability to win from this position.

While he was there, though, the boy didn’t forget to take a look at the other game, and when his eyes were set on board one, he couldn’t help but have his eyes widened in shock.

’Wait! Sister Irene is winning?!’