Chapter 603: The End of the Game!
Meanwhile, outside of the venue, the atmosphere turned festive, as everyone could see from the computer line that Sheva’s advantage finally rose. They could see the best move on the board from the computer, so of course, they would be excited when Sheva was just three steps away from gaining an absolute advantage.
"Yes! Yes! Sheva is about to do it!" Bagas jumped wildly, holding the microphone with a thick vein popping on his forehead. "He is about to get it! After almost three and a half hours playing this long and arduous game, Sheva is about to take a step further to get closer to the win!"
Honestly, this was a little bit exaggerated, especially when people thought that this sequence of moves only pushed the evaluation bar slightly, from -1.7 to -2.5. However, this was the harsh reality of a top-tier game like this.
Everything could be alright for most part of the game, but one moment of slip like this was enough to make everyone excited.
The mistake itself was simple. It couldn’t even be considered as one, per se. No, to be more precise, this was the continuation of the advantage Sheva gained early in the game, as the boy finally bore the fruit of it now.
The move was also difficult to find. First, Sheva had to retreat the queen back to the eighth rank, acting like it didn’t pose any trouble for Svidler. Then, in the next move, he let the queen stay at that exact place, and instead, it was the king’s turn to move.
It was only one square, and honestly, the move itself was quite dangerous, since this could lead to a perpetual check if Sheva was not careful. However, with the boost of 30 percent concentration he got from the title, there was no way Sheva would slip in such a crucial moment.
The purpose of letting the king get checked was simple. It was to draw the opponent’s queen on the same line as the isolated pawn on the G file. Yeah, the pawn. Not the king.
As for why? Sheva wanted to aim for a fork here, forcing Peter Svidler to pick either his pawn or his queen. If the man picked the former, Sheva could just exchange the queen immediately, and with one pawn advantage and a better king on the board, he could’ve just marched forward without thinking.
If Svidler picked the latter, though, it would be easier. Sheva would just get that isolated pawn freely, and with a two-pawn advantage, it would be easier for him to win.
Either way, the advantage established by Sheva earlier finally emerged, and now, it was time for the boy to reap the fruit of it.
’Yes! I can do this!’ He clenched his fist under the table, eyes shining immediately with no hint of exhaustion. ’I need to keep calm, but after this, my time is finally coming! His time is also going to run out! I can do this! I can win the game!’
As his mind was convinced of his grand plan, Sheva could feel his body shaking a little. He still tried his best to maintain his focus, but it was a difficult job to do when his brain was trying to jump and predict so many branches of the future in front of him.
It seemed Peter Svidler also finally recognized Sheva’s winning move here. Well, he had to, since the man himself was still a very top player in the world. Still, he was so vexed that it took a long time for him to figure out the whole situation here.
’What is wrong with me today?’ The man clicked his tongue in annoyance. ’I should’ve seen this coming from afar! Tch! It seems I will become another stepping stone for this boy’s career.’
The man was annoyed, but honestly, he wasn’t really that disappointed. After not playing in any official tournament for at least three years, he didn’t expect his first match to be smooth, especially since his opponent was the hottest youngster in the world right now.
Still, it was so frustrating to be so close to getting a draw that he wanted, just to be slipped in the last moment like this.
Peter Svidler didn’t even want to prolong the game. IN his mind, even though the computer engine was still -2.7, a number that could be overturned easily with one mistake, it was basically impossible for Sheva to slip that badly. Not that he knew the evaluation from the computer, of course, but in his eyes, this position, against any top player in the world, was a death sentence for him.
This was also a recognition for Sheva, as the Russian veteran treated him like a superstar right now.
In the end, Peter Svidler just took a big sigh before offering a handshake, announcing his resignation.
"Good job, Boy." The man spoke in a thick accent. "You stayed sharp for the entire game and didn’t give up until the end. That will bring you to a higher place."
Sheva accepted the handshake and nodded carefully. "Yes, thank you, Mister Svidler."
As this was the last game of the day, all the people around didn’t hesitate to applaud. It was an exciting game, full of turns and twists. While for the players, this kind of game was too stressful for them to handle, for the fans, this was definitely the best.
Right off the bat, Sheva was surrounded immediately by some fans. Not a lot, of course, just seven or eight teens, but it was still a nice scene that was enough to relieve the tension on the boy’s shoulder.
"Hey, Sheva, can we have a photo with you?"
"I am a 2000-rated player on chess.com right now. What do you think I should do for my first-ever on the board tournament?"
"Hey, don’t ask any complicated things! Don’t you see how tired he is?!"
Sheva still put up a big smile as he accepted all the requests patiently. After five more minutes, everything was finally over, and he could finally take a breath here. However, any words seemed to stick in his throat as he saw the others’ results, as he was too speechless to react here.
’Goddamnit! This is way too explosive!’