CHAPTER 89: A SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TWO GENIUSES!

An hour later, the venue was already filled with a sea of people again as the sixth round was about to begin. This time, the attention fell onto two tables. First was on the GM section’s table 3, where Master Susanto and Suleymanli Aydin would play against each other for the top spot, and the second one was in the U2250 section, where two geniuses, Arfan and Sheva, would have to fight for the first time in their career.

As for the IM section, well, there was not a lot of heat there. Laysa surprisingly dominated the entire field, getting five points out of six games. She was the current leader of the section and had already secured her second WGM norm, and now, she could stay relaxed and force draws for the rest of the tournament and would still be the winner of the IM section. That was why not a lot of people cared about the situation in that section right now.

Sheva himself was still in a daze right now. Even though he had experienced something similar before, but this time, before he could even enter the venue, some of the children around came and surrounded him immediately, asking for either a photo or a sign on their chessboard. Honestly, it was probably the first time he felt like a superstar, and the feeling itself was pretty intoxicating.

Fortunately, the security calmed the crowd quickly, letting him go so that he could concentrate better. However, when he glanced back at the entrance door, he could also see Arfan with a similar fate, being surrounded by a lot of children there. Seeing a boy who wasn’t that old feeling awkward for getting the superstar treatment from the other children that could be his peers, Sheva couldn’t hold back his chuckle for a moment.

"Having fans trouble?" He smiled playfully once Arfan, with his disheveled hair and shirt, finally arrived at the table.

"You don’t even know half of it!" Arfan groaned weakly, twitching his shoulder a little bit. "Man, they sure are scary. I don’t even know what they want from me. I mean, come on! I am still not that great!" He whined.

Honestly, in this case, Sheva had to agree with the boy. After all, they were both still pretty much low-rated players, not someone who should be idolized for their chess achievement. If anything, the children outside should go to Anna or any other players in the GM section whose accomplishments were already great. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it except for accepting his fate, so he just let himself run with the flow.

As they waited for the game to start, Sheva and Arfan chatted for a while, and honestly, they hit off quite well with each other. Arfan’s chatty personality really made it easier for anyone to get closer to him, while Sheva himself was a good listener and could give a decent answer here and there. If anyone who didn’t know anything about them saw this, they would think that Sheva and Arfan were friends for a long time, not just two strangers met for the chess game.

Once the alarm rang and the game was about to start, though, they both offered a handshake, and Arfan said the last word before he went into his concentration mode. "Let the best genius win, okay?"

Sheva was startled for a second before returning the smile. "Sure, let the best genius win this game."

Right after that, Arfan started the clock and played his first move. As the one holding the white piece, he pushed his D pawn two squares forward. Seeing this, Sheva paused for a moment, thinking about which opening he should use now. He had a lot to consider, from the King’s Indian, the Nimzo, or even the Dutch Defense that he used in the game against Ummi earlier.

Of course, the best choice here was to go for the Dutch Defense. After all, it was the only platinum-level knowledge that he had right now, and with the super GM level of knowledge inside his mind, it would be silly not to use that in such a crucial game. However, Sheva also had his own doubts. In his head, no matter how good the platinum level reward was, it would be useless if his opponent had already prepared for that too, and by the gleam in Arfan’s eyes, Sheva knew instantly what was going on here.

’He is baiting me.’ He muttered in realization. ’It seems that he has learned about my game against Ummi and wants me to play that too. Ha! As if I would fall for this silly trick!’

Instead of pushing his F pawn and going for his strongest opening choice, Sheva took a different approach and moved his D pawn two squares forward, challenging Arfan’s first move directly. The younger boy clicked his tongue in annoyance, feeling pity that Sheva didn’t fall for his preparation. However, he was back to his normal state instantly and pushed his C pawn two squares forward in the next turn, going for the Queen’s Gambit opening.

The Queen’s Gambit opening was one of the most iconic and classical strategies in the game of chess, characterized by the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4. It gained a surge in popularity recently, largely fueled by the hit Netflix series ’The Queen’s Gambit’ a few years ago.

The Queen’s Gambit was considered a good opening because it offered a balanced mix of offense and defense, allowing players to control the pace of the game and develop their pieces harmoniously. Unlike the reckless and aggressive King’s Gambit, which Sheva used a couple of times in the past, the Queen’s Gambit provided more structural stability and long-term strategic opportunities. Its advantages include a strong pawn structure, better chances for positional play, and less vulnerability to counterattacks. This made it a reliable choice for players seeking a sound foundation, as it often leads to complex, maneuvering battles rather than quick sacrifices—attributes that have contributed to its enduring popularity in modern chess.

Still, this was definitely not the game that Sheva was proficient at, as the opening really ensured that everything would be complicated and the duel would turn into a positional one. Seeing the smirk on Arfan’s smile, though, he knew that this was a deliberate choice from the boy after researching his recent games.

’So, he has been studying my style, huh?’ He muttered inwardly. ’Well, isn’t this interesting? Let’s see whether the study will be useful or not! Come on, don’t make this a boring game!’