Chapter 620: The Dutch Defense Once Again!
The Dutch Defense.
In fact, Gukesh was not really that familiar with this opening. He was able to win the game last year, knowing that Sheva only had this one in his arsenal. However, today was a different story.
Gukesh knew how much Sheva had improved since their last encounter, and how nasty the Indonesian boy’s opening arsenal was. He knew Sheva had a lot to offer, from the most controversial Benoni to the most conservative, such as the Catalan Defense. Yet, when it mattered the most, Sheva suddenly went back to the origin of their story, the Dutch, and while Gukesh should’ve expected this to come, the move still caught him off guard.
’Tch! He wants to use this as his revenge, aiming for poetic justice, huh?’ The Indian boy clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Yeah, if Sheva managed to win today, it would be a huge commotion, but if he did it with the Dutch Defense, the one that got beaten by Gukesh himself last year, it would shake the entire chess community, and he could’ve already imagined the headline on some of the major websites tomorrow.
’Shock! Look at how Adrian Sheva Avenge Himself!’
’The Wonder of the Dutch Defense! From Losing to Taking Revenge!’
Or... Something ridiculous and with more outrageous ’clickbait’ elements that could attract more readers, but also humiliate Gukesh more in the process.
’No, no, no, I cannot let him do that to me.’ The Indian prodigy shook his head quickly.
Meanwhile, the chat room on the live broadcast also turned festive, as excitement exploded the moment Sheva made his first move.
Hilda99: Damn, Brother Sheva is going crazy! He wants complete revenge on the Dutch!
Ronnie0: Um... A new viewer here, anyone care to tell me what is so special about the opening?
Froggies: This is the opening that Sheva used when he was beaten by Gukesh last year! He wants to prove that even with the same opening, he can do better than last year!
Jinxzy60: Hell, yeah! Come on, Sheva!
Bagas watched the excitement on the screen with a satisfied smile. His facial muscles hurt when the boy also noticed the number of viewers on this live.
16,000 viewers, and it is still increasing? Damn, this should be our record, right?!’ He would’ve shouted to the world if only the boy had not been the host for this broadcast. ’Fuck it! As expected, this game garnered more attention than anything else!’
In fact, he had already predicted this a long time ago. After all, the narrative for this game was very strong, with Sheva’s desire for revenge never hidden from the media. Now, everyone was rooting for him, wanting the boy to show the world that he had what it took to bounce back after the setback he suffered in the past.
As for Irfan, the man didn’t really care about the streaming. No, his attention was completely on the game, and for a moment, he shook his head in disapproval.
’This is a big game for him, and if he lost, it would be enough to disturb his momentum for the rest of the year. Why risk it with a risky opening like the Dutch?’ He asked inwardly, his frown was deeper than ever.
If it were against anyone else, he would’ve thought that Sheva was underestimating his opponent here. However, Gukesh was a different matter.
Just like Bagas thought earlier, Sheva had never hidden his desire for revenge against Gukesh, and Irfan didn’t believe he would let his arrogance take over him when this was the game the boy had been waiting for in a long time. No, if anything, Sheva would be more careful than usual.
’He doesn’t strike me as a sentimental person who would go like this. Does he have a secret plan to deal with the aftermath later?’
Unfortunately, he couldn’t really ask Sheva right now, so the man had to watch how the game unfolded on the small screen in front of him. No matter how anxious he was, there was nothing he could do other than pray that Sheva knew what he was doing right now.
The game continued, and Gukesh, as one of, or even the best, youngsters on the planet right now, showed why he was so feared among his peers. Even though the boy wasn’t really prepared for the Dutch, he showed his understanding of the opening’s theory, choosing all the best possible moves that the theory offered.
He extended all of the pawns on the queenside at least to the fourth rank, creating a barrier there with three pawns having their backs against each other to prevent any black advancement from rushing toward that side. Not only that, but he was also able to plant a strong knight in Sheva’s territory, and while it didn’t pose any threat right now, in the long term, that piece would be a gargoyle, enough to kill the opponent even without moving for an inch.
Contrary to that, it was Sheva who was in a bad situation.
His position was passive, with all the paths to develop his pieces blocked by the white pieces. Right now, one of his knights, his two bishops, two rooks, and the queen were still trapped on the back, not being able to get enough space to create something.
Hell, in the last couple of moves, Sheva only pushed his piece back to the eighth rank, restarting his development again to get a better position. This allowed Gukesh to gain a strong tempo advantage, as the computer even showed +1.3 for the Indian prodigy.
However, Sheva himself wasn’t really that worried. No, the boy didn’t even blink, still staring at the board in front of him without even a trace of panic in his eyes. No, this was already within his prediction, so the boy didn’t really complain about the current situation.
’Yeah, if anything, it would be strange if Gukesh doesn’t really take advantage of this opening.’
After all, the nature of this opening gave the white piece a tempo advantage, and Sheva knew about it beforehand. That was why he came to this game fully prepared, knowing that he had to play passively for the rest of the game.
’Still, will it be enough to bait him?’