Chapter 617 617: Sheva's Good Day!
"Oh! Sheva sacrifices the rook! He sacs the rook!" In the broadcast room, Bagas jumped excitedly, knowing full well that he had great content awaiting him. "And Nils Grandelius resigns! He knows he cannot do anything to stop the attack here! He has no choice, because a checkmate is on the board!"
"I have to say that Sheva's tactical awareness is still top-notch here," Irfan added, his tone was way softer than before. It was true that winning the game would erase all the sins in the past. "You can see that his head perked up a moment at Nils Grandelius's queen move, as he knows exactly that he has something big, and he delivers everything perfectly."
"Yup, yup!" Bagas nodded rapidly. "There is still a line that GM Nils Grandelius can pick to avoid the immediate loss, but that would only prolong his life for a moment, because he will lose his queen for nothing. I think it is fair to say that in a game like this, it would be those who have the sharper eyes who can thrive further."
Bagas also let out a relieved sigh secretly, glad that Sheva won the game. He had been sweating a lot since Sheva made an inaccurate move earlier, and when the computer engine showed –1.5 for the Swedish GM, the boy tried his best to distract Irfan from talking about Sheva, not wanting to get scolded here.
Fortunately, Sheva could flip the table, or he would have to face another round of awkwardness later.
"Anyway, with this win, Sheva is maintaining his position on top of the table, while he himself is also waiting for Gukesh's result to come out. Hopefully, Arjun Erigaisi can surprise his compatriot here, stealing a point to let our boy stand taller than the others."
Those two Indian prodigies didn't really know that someone was talking about them right now. However, they also caught the movement on Sheva's face, and when they saw the boy's grinning face, their heart dropped for a second; somehow, their mood worsened instantly.
'Really? After forcing a draw against me yesterday, can he not last longer than 2 hours?' Gukesh clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Arjun even had a more hateful thought here. 'After beating me and stealing a point from Gukesh, he lost? Is he just here to beat us Indians?'
Nevertheless, no matter how dissatisfied they were, they couldn't affect the final result of the other game. Right now, the pressure was on their shoulder, as they had to do something to stay in the competition. Well, more to Gukesh, per se, but Arjun would also really like to get a win, since his position in the standings was way too embarrassing for the second-seed of the tournament.
As for Gukesh, the younger boy still grumbled inwardly. 'Tch! Why would Arjun try so hard in this game? He has already died, why wouldn't he give me a win so that I can get closer to the top?'
Of course, he wasn't serious here. After all, while usually, in this kind of tournament, two players from the same country would settle in a quick draw, it didn't really work for the four Indian prodigies. Gukesh, Arjun, Pragg, and Nihal Sarin were too ambitious to settle for a draw; even though they faced their best friend, they would still go all out for the other's throat.
This was also the case for this game.
Earlier, Arjun really got a great advantage, what with him getting two pawns on the dead center to control the flow there. Those two deterred all of Gukesh's pieces from crossing through the middle, and now, they all had to reroute first before they could reach the white's kingside.
However, that advantage disappeared instantly due to Arjun being too ambitious, pushing those two pawns hastily to break through the middle. The computer engine dropped back to the equal state immediately, and now, they were busy getting entangled in each other's positions to even think of attacking the other side.
Sheva also watched the game from outside the venue, having a big frown on his face as he narrowed his eyes on the small phone screen in his hand.
'Gukesh is one pawn up, but Arjun's position allows him to initiate the attack. At least, his queen is in a better position, ready to knock on the door. Now, how should they process it?' His hand moved to see what the computer suggested, and his eyebrows rose slightly when he saw that.
'Oh, Gukesh has a way to force the queen out of the equation? So, he can simplify the game to two rooks and a knight against a queen, a rook, and a light bishop? If he found the move, he would be at a greater advantage in the later stage. Still, it is not an easy move to find, especially when they are this stressed.' Sheva took a note on the big frown and sweat rolled on their face.
True enough, Gukesh really failed to take advantage of his current position, and if anything, it was Arjun who gained a massive advantage. Now, the older boy started to chase Gukesh's king with a queen and a rook, and honestly, it was a miracle that checkmate was not on the board yet.
'Yes, come on, Arjun! Just end this quickly!' Sheva bit his lips unconsciously, his fist tightened in nervousness.
The best situation here would be Gukesh losing the game, since not only did that mean the boy was one whole point behind him, but Sheva would play against the Indian prodigy yesterday with the younger boy not in the best state. At least, the revenge that he had been waiting for a long time would be easier than Sheva thought it would be.
Then, in a decisive tactical action, Arjun executed a masterclass here, cornering Gukesh's king to the edge of the board. In the end, the younger boy finally resigned, and somehow, Sheva's complexion rose immediately when he saw that.
Yeah, he was way happier right now than after winning his game earlier, since Gukesh's defeat meant he was going to stand on top alone this time.