Chapter 601: Another Tough Endgame Battle!
Meanwhile, outside of the venue, Bagas clicked his annoyance as the setup for his stream was way below his standard. He was in a crowded place where all the chess reporters gathered, and the boy only got a wooden chair to sit in! Far from being ergonomic!
’Urgh... My back and bum will hurt a lot later...’ He groaned inwardly.
However, his professionalism would never allow the boy to show any discomfort in front of the camera. He still had the biggest smile here, just like a good boy, he was, hosting the show as if there was nothing wrong in the venue. Hell, his partner, Master Irfan, couldn’t even see anything from his expression, just going along as they commented on the game.
"You see, this is quite hard for Sheva to make a move." The older man said throughout the video call. "He has to think of which way he wants the game to take direction, either struggling for a non-existent tactical battle or going straight to the endgame fight with basically an equal position. Nevertheless, both choices would lead to a drawish game, and I think that is the biggest reason why Sheva hasn’t made a move yet."
"Yes, but it is a rare occasion to see Sheva stumped for so long just to make one move, right?" Bagas asked for confirmation.
Yeah, it had been 20 minutes since the last move was made, and right now, Sheva was still having both his hands on his head, pondering carefully—way too carefully, in fact
—on which piece he should push. Just like what Irfan said, the boy was in a dilemma right now. All the roads in front of him would lead into a draw game, but it wouldn’t be Sheva if he wasn’t trying to create another way forcefully for him to get into a win path. The problem, though, was that it was not possible in the current position.
"Honestly, if you ask me, I would say that Sheva needs to know how to be pragmatic a little bit." Irfan shrugged nonchalantly. "Not every move will lead to a decisive confrontation. Sometimes, the subtle move that looks useless at first glance is the one that would get him far in the long run. He has to learn how to embrace this boring and ordinary side of the chess game."
It was a funny criticism, but honestly, Irfan had a point here. If there was one thing Sheva always struggled with, it would be in a boring game where nothing really happened for most of the game. The boy’s patience was as thin as a piece of wet paper, so easily broken once he disliked a position.
Honestly, he was the embodiment of a young and talented chess player. Not those who practiced like a robot to the point they could mimic the computer engine to the max, of course, because that kind was simply inhuman, but more like the one who always rushed things up and sought more thrill and adrenaline.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with that. However, in high-level chess, this style is prone to being a recipe for disaster, and Irfan was afraid that Sheva would only fall further if he didn’t make a change or any adjustment in his style.
Sheva himself didn’t know that Irfan worried about this for him. If the boy knew, though, he would’ve laughed, thinking that his old teacher was worried for nothing. Even if he was stumped, with the system inside his head, he would definitely be able to get up quickly.
Right now, though, the boy was still thinking of the game in front of him, and in the end, he finally made a decision.
’Well, my mission is to beat five Russian players in the endgame, right? Then, let’s fucking do this! System, activate my Endgame Master title!’
[DING!]
[The title Endgame Master has been activated! You will receive a 30 percent increase in concentration after this. Good luck, Host! May the force be with you!]
Once he felt his concentration was at its peak and his head became clear enough to see everything on the board, Sheva finally committed to the endgame fight immediately. First, he exchanged one of the rooks to simplify the game, and then, he baited Peter Svidler’s kingside pawns to go a little bit further into his territory by using his light bishop before forcing another exchange.
This time, though, the exchange really got rid of most variables on the board, because Sheva lost two of his bishops to get Peter Svidler’s light bishop and knight.
At this point, the only major pieces on the board were a queen and a rook for both sides. However, somehow, Sheva got the advantage here, as the computer showed -1.7 for his side. This was the effect of his managing to bait the opponent’s pawns to march forward earlier, and now, Peter Svidler’s not-so-coordinated position was going to be Sheva’s biggest strength in this endgame phase.
Then, as if wanting to say that he was going for the endgame, Sheva offered to exchange the last rook, simplifying everything into the endgame where both sides had one queen and four pawns.
Of course, the advantage was still quite subtle here. Sheva himself knew that he had something, but just like any endgame he played in the past, he had to be careful, knowing that one mistake would be enough to get his head slaughtered like a pig.
However, the vision was there, and Sheva was so close to getting the first win of the tournament. He glanced at Peter Svidler for a moment, and it seemed the man was still quite stoic, finding that the situation was not that bad. The confidence was due to the nature of this endgame. The more simplified it was, the easier it would be for the game to end in a draw.
The clash of situation assessment, like this, quite often happens. Only time would tell who had the right idea here. However, Sheva was still confident that he could get one more advantage to help him seal the deal.
’Now, the question is, how do I force him to make a mistake?’