CHAPTER 40: A WILD GAME!

"Oh, he goes for it!" After watching Sheva make his second move, Irfan rose from his seat and leaned forward excitedly. "Adrian Sheva goes for the unconventional road again! He pulls his hidden ace card, the King’s Gambit!" His voice was almost a shout, making Bagas, who was next to him, have to hold the man back from getting too excited.

"Interesting." Grandmaster Susanto Megaranto, who was somehow roped into the commentary booth by Bagas, couldn’t help but make a comment. "The King’s Gambit is not something that any player would pull in such a critical situation. It is either a desperate gamble or a calculated risk by Sheva."

"Oh, I can tell you, Master Susanto, that it is both gamble and calculated risk." Irfan chuckled amusedly. "You might not know this, but Sheva’s first game ever against me in the past was also him pulling the same King’s Gambit, and his approach, while risky, was always solid. Hell, he even forced a draw against me, and that was him not having any experience playing before." He explained while also reminiscing about the past.

"Oh?" Master Susanto crooked one of his eyebrows curiously. "Then, we can expect to have a blast of a game today." The old man also let out a controlled chuckle while inwardly looking forward to this crazy game.

Bagas himself just nodded silently, busy with maintaining the chat that had exploded after the two masters’ statement.

Si_Putih: Using the King’s Gambit in this kind of game?! Damn, he is getting too cocky!

NotMagnus: Someone needs to knock some sense into his head! He is getting too arrogant!

JijiJiji: Hey, I don’t understand. Is it so bad for him to play this opening?

BajiKari234: Ha! You normies Gothamchess’s followers would never understand that!

Hilda99: No need to be rude! The chess community always welcomes everyone who is interested; there’s no need for gatekeeping.

BoluTirus: Bah! It doesn’t matter! Anyway, why would we watch this low-rated game rather than those in the GM and IM sections like Anna Maria?

BajiKari234: I know, right?! This channel is trash!

Bagas just ignored those who started bashing on his channel, not even going to ban them. After all, the number of viewers he had was still pitifully low, so each one of them was very valuable right now. As long as they didn’t make any inappropriate comments, borderline crime like a few days ago, he would just ignore everything. However, inwardly, he took a note inside his head on all the usernames that mocked him and made a promise that once his channel was big enough, he would kick them all out of his community.

As for addressing the issue of him only broadcasting Sheva’s game, well, Bagas decided to stay quiet about that. Well, he didn’t feel like he had done something wrong here. After all, this channel’s purpose was mainly to promote Sheva’s games, so while it might attract more viewers if Bagas changed focus to the higher-rated players, the fat boy wanted to be consistent in supporting his best friend.

Hell, He only showed Anna and Claudia’s games occasionally because they were acquaintances, and if not because of that, there was no way in hell Bagas would give them exposure freely. He ignored all the nasty comments directed at him and Sheva, inwardly clenching his fist tightly.

’Just you wait, Bastards... Sheva will prove you all wrong soon....’

-0-

Of course, Sheva, who was inside the hall, didn’t know that Bagas was thinking about him. No, right now, all of his focus was poured on the chessboard in front of him. He could also see the small frown on Claudia’s face, and the boy couldn’t help but smirk, knowing that the girl had quite a hard time right now.

’Yeah, come on, Ia... I will drag you out of your comfort zone... Let’s go crazy for this game!’

It seemed that Claudia could feel his amused gaze, as the little girl scowled unhappily while also leaning forward to get a better look at the chessboard. Honestly, she hated the kind of opening that would force both players to go crazy like this. Even though in theory, the girl knew that she was at an advantage due to the risk taken by Sheva here, she still felt suffocated by the opening. It was like walking on the edge of a cliff blindly, not knowing whether she would fall or not. This kind of adrenaline feeling was definitely not for her.

However, that didn’t mean she would back down from the battlefield without a fight. Hell, if anything, Claudia was ready for this level of bullshitness coming from Sheva. Even though she didn’t prepare specifically for the King’s Gambit, the girl came here knowing that Sheva would pull something outrageous, so the surprise died down pretty quickly.

’So, you want a rock-and-roll game, huh? Fine, I will give you one!’

"Oh! Claudia is rushing her B and C pawns forward! She tries to suffocate Sheva on his own territory!" Irfan commented excitedly when he saw the move that the girl made. "Now, her king is weak! If she didn’t put it into the safety first, she would be in big trouble! She has to take the queen’s side castle now!"

"Honestly, I don’t think that this is a good idea." Master Susanto also added, shaking his head in disapproval. "She let her emotion clouds her judgment, getting baited into the game where she is not the best at. Sooner or later, she would be punished for this reckless approach."

Indeed, as Master Susanto said, Claudia was not herself right now. Normally, she wouldn’t charge forward like this before stabilizing her position first. The girl also knew that she had put herself at a disadvantage now. However, after practicing together with Sheva for two weeks, she knew that sooner or later, Sheva would make a move that was enough to fluster her. So, rather than waiting for him to take charge like that, it would be better for her to control the error that she would make while also baiting Sheva into the exchange she wanted to happen.

As for Sheva himself, he was startled for a moment, blinking his eyes rapidly when he saw Claudia charging forward recklessly. ’This was new.’ He thought to himself. If this weren’t a formal game, he would let out a low whistle to show his surprise, not expecting the girl to make such a bold move.

However, deep down, he felt a wave of confidence surge inside him. Sheva knew that tactical game was not Claudia’s best strength, and no matter how much she prepared for this, it wouldn’t change the nature of her game. Now, all he needed to do was to poke in the spot that she expected the least, creating some sort of chaos that would catch them off guard, and once the girl in front of him panicked, that was when he would strike the hardest.

’Sorry, Ia, but the game is going to be mine!’