CHAPTER 39: VS CLAUDIA AGAIN!

After waiting for about thirty minutes, the gong inside the hall finally rang again, the sign that the second game of the day would start soon. Sheva and Anna went straight to their respective battlefield immediately, but not before fist-bumping each other first.

"Good luck in your game. Come back with a win, okay?" Sheva smiled gently at her.

"Don’t worry, I have it in my bag." Anna also smiled confidently. "Also, please, have a little mercy toward my little sister, okay? She is a little bit fragile." The smile turned into a mischievous one.

"Oh, don’t worry, I will take care of her." Sheva grinned widely.

Once they got separated from each other, Sheva paused for a moment, then, instead of going to the table where he would play, the boy went outside the hall once again. This time, he went straight to the small commentary booth on one corner, finding that Bagas, Irfan, and an old man whom he recognized as the Grandmaster Susanto Megaranto had already sat there.

"Oh, Sheva! You are here!" When Bagas saw him, the fat boy greeted him with enthusiasm. "You will not believe who I have just met earlier!"

"Oh?" Sheva crooked one of his eyebrows curiously. "Besides Master Susanto and Master Utut, who else have you met?" He asked curiously. He could also see that Master Susanto was waving his hand at him, yet the man was still entangled in a conversation with Irfan. Even though it looked pretty casual, Sheva didn’t dare to barge in like they were old acquaintances or something like that.

"Well, basically, I have already met all the Indonesian players who are in this tournament!" Bagas grinned. "You won’t believe it, but there are also two boys younger than you whose ratings are even higher than Anna’s! Hell, they are here to chase their first GM norm! They have the IM title already!"

"Really?!" Sheva was startled. Even though he knew that the younger generation of chess players kept getting better, the boy didn’t expect that there would be that kind of monster in his country, the barren land for the chess players. "Do you know their names?" He couldn’t help but ask curiously.

"Of course! They are Bagus and Satria, two players whom Master Irfan and Master Susanto deem as the strongest youngsters in the country! You need to keep your eyes on them in the future!"

Sheva nodded solemnly, putting this information on the back of his head. He exchanged pleasantries with Bagas for a while, yet his mind kept wandering far away, thinking about all the new names he learned today. From Gerry Mandagi, who was going to be Anna’s opponent later, to the two boys, Bagas and Satria, it seemed that Indonesia wasn’t as barren as Sheva initially thought for the chess players. A small grin formed on his face when he thought about this.

’Oh, well, even though it is a little bit late, I am glad I decided to accept Master Irfan’s invitation to join his club. Who knew that I was just a frog on the bottom of the well before?

They chatted a little bit more before the second gong rang once again, showing that it was five minutes before the game started. Sheva rose immediately, offering a fist bump toward his best friend with a huge grin on his face. "Well, wish me luck, okay?!"

"Luck? You have never needed one before." Bagas snorted. "Don’t worry, just stay calm and give me your best! Also, hold back a little, okay? I don’t want to see her crying after you beat her!"

Sheva could only sigh helplessly when he heard that. It seemed that Bagas still remembered the first time he and Claudia played against each other and how the little girl threw a tantrum after losing the game. Even though the conflict was resolved pretty quickly, it wasn’t likely for the fat boy to forget about that easily.

’Oh, well, it is her problem, not mine.’ Sheva shrugged, referring to Claudia. ’Anyway, I need to go back to the hall quickly!’

He jogged a little bit, getting through the crowd to get to the hall again. Fortunately, the air conditioner there worked its best, or the temperature there would have killed most of the people inside. With how hot and crowded the situation was, it was as if they were thrown into a hot oven or something like that.

"Hey, there. Have you been waiting for long?" Sheva asked while trying to hide his pants when he saw that Claudia was already in her chair.

"Hmph! Of course, I have!" Claudia huffed annoyedly at him. "Have a little bit of decorum, please! You are almost late, you know?!"

"I know, I know! No need to make a fuss about it!" Sheva waved the concern nonchalantly. "Anyway, ready to lose the game?" The mischievous smile went back on his face, making Claudia squint her eyes dangerously at him.

"Don’t underestimate me, okay? I will show you how much I have improved in this game!"

The determination burned in her eyes, startling Sheva a little bit. However, his expression turned solemn as he realized that this game should mean a lot to her. "Don’t worry. Underestimating you is the last thing I have in my brain. Just go all out, and I will return it all tenfold."

"Good." The girl nodded satisfactorily. "Beating a strong opponent when he is serious will be very satisfying. Get ready."

The banter went on for a while, yet they both also secretly acknowledged each other in their heart. Claudia knew already how strong the boy in front of her was, and after seeing the burning determination on the girl’s eyes, Sheva didn’t dare to underestimate her at all. Doing that would be the stupidest move that he could pull in this tournament, and he didn’t want to make himself look like an imbecile.

As the game started, they both blitzed their way in the opening stage. Well... That was the initial idea. However, just like the usual, Sheva’s mind suddenly worked wonders, guiding him to go for another dark territory that only a few players dared to step into. He pushed his F pawn two squares forward in his second move, and Claudia gasped in disbelief when she saw this.

"The King’s Gambit in a game like this? Seriously?!"