Chapter 618 618: Before the Long-Awaited Game!
"Hahaha! Come on, let's eat more!" Sheva laughed, wolfing down a bucket of KFC like he had been starving for a full week. The crumbs and traces of oils could be seen on the corner of his mouth, yet the boy couldn't care less right now. He was just laughing his ass off, adding more pieces to Bagas's plate. "Come on! Today is a good day, worthy of celebration!"
Bagas just smiled wryly, eating the portion in front of him silently.
Indeed, Sheva had a reason to be happy today. Not only did he win, but Gukesh also lost in this round, making the leader of the standings clear at this point. Now, he was in the lead with 3.5 points, and surprisingly enough, behind him was Peter Svidler with three points.
Yeah, after losing against Sheva in the first round, the man bounced back silently, winning three games in a row. It seemed that he was in the zone already, as with the momentum on his shoulder, it would be hard for anyone to stop him.
However, this really didn't bother Sheva. After all, he had already beaten Peter Svidler in the first round, so as long as his point wasn't chased by the man, he would always be in the lead. Not only that, but Peter Svidler still also had to fight against Gukesh, meaning the two closest competitors in this tournament would have to kill each other to compete with him.
This was definitely the best-case scenario in Sheva's mind.
"Don't eat too much food, you know? You will get a stomachache tomorrow morning." Bagas didn't forget to remind his best friend. "Just remember, you haven't won yet, and you still have a mission to finish. You still have unfinished business, taking revenge against Gukesh. Don't forget about that."
Hearing this, Sheva nodded solemnly; his playfulness ebbed away for a moment as it was replaced by his usual serious gaze. "Don't worry, I have been preparing this for a year. I will not let this chance slip so easily."
For Sheva, this was not going to be an ordinary revenge game. Even though he could predict that they were going to face each other a lot more in the future, this game held more weight inside his heart, as this was the second time Sheva was going to have this matchup against Gukesh. He wanted to prove at least to himself that he had been improving so much since last year's encounter.
Of course, Sheva himself knew about that. However, beating the one who managed to beat him would be like a testament to his hard work.
"So, how is it? Are you ready for tomorrow's game? Need help researching anything about Gukesh?" Bagas couldn't help but ask.
"Don't worry, I get this." Sheva smirked a moment, taking a deep breath before adding, "He is a very strong player, aggressive yet also calculating. He is a beast in a deep, complicated middlegame, and his mind works like a computer in the endgame. Honestly, he is a textbook-perfect player in my mind."
He could also remember some reports said that Gukesh was a 'Universal' player, emphasizing more on attack, a rigid calculation, yet still with room for imagination to play in his game. There was also no glaring weakness, and it was no wonder that the boy was dubbed the closest one to reach the height of Vishwanathan Anand.
Bagas couldn't help but gulp nervously when he heard that. "So, how do you intend to break him?"
Sheva pondered for a second here, thinking of how to answer that. "I mean… Even my quick playing style will not work that much against him. His mental composure will only make him better in a time-pressure situation. However, he hasn't really done a great job in the last couple of days, so before he could regain his form, this is my best chance to strike where it hurts the most!"
Coincidentally enough, right after he said that, Gukesh stepped into the same KFC, and the boy froze when he heard that. Sheva and Bagas also noticed him, and the surroundings turned into a dead silence, with only the background music from the cashier could be heard.
It was such an awkward moment that Bagas really wanted to bury himself here, getting a second-hand embarrassment from getting caught offhandedly by the person they were talking about.
Fortunately, after that, an older man with white facial hair and a more serious demeanor than Gukesh came from behind. The man asked something in the language that neither Bagas nor Sheva recognized, and Gukesh also replied quickly for a moment before they nodded at each other.
In the end, Gukesh didn't really say anything, just stared at Sheva coldly before sneering in disdain.
After the boy walked away, Bagas couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh, wiping away the imaginary sweat on his forehead. "Damn, that is so intense and awkward! I mean, we talked in Indonesian, right? He shouldn't know what we are saying, right?" He couldn't help but ask Sheva with a worried tone.
In return, the boy pondered for a few more seconds before shaking his head firmly. "No, even if he knows Indonesian, he wouldn't know the content of our conversation, what with him only arriving at the end of my speech. No, it should be that he just didn't expect to see me here, no more and no less."
Bagas nodded silently, yet still mumbling, "Well, I hope so."
Sheva himself didn't really think too much about the awkwardness of their encounter. His mind just recalled the man whom Gukesh talked to, as he seemed to see the man quite a lot of times in the past whenever Gukesh was playing in a tournament.
'I heard he is Gukesh's father. Hmm… So, the man is definitely his supporting system. That means he would be able to recover faster after the defeat yesterday. Damn, I need to be aggressive since the beginning of the game tomorrow, or I will have to face him in his best state!'