Chapter 626: Mental Exhaustion
After chatting for a while, they finally ended the call, right at the same moment Bagas came from outside. He saw that the tray full of food that he had bought earlier was empty, and the boy couldn’t help but snort at it.
"Ha! I know you will take what’s mine so casually like that, you dirty thief! That’s why I buy my favorite here!" He carried a plastic cup of a hot-pipping instant noodle, grinning widely at the sight of Sheva drooling unconsciously at him.
Sheva had to try his best to hide his greediness, as indeed, the strong smell of the savory instant noodle was enough to make his stomach gurgle again. It wasn’t like he didn’t like the bakery he ate before, but after several days of surviving with the blandness of the Scandinavian food, he was craving the spiciness of the Asian food right now.
"Eits! No, no!" Bagas grinned, wiggling his finger playfully when Sheva was about to snatch the cup. "You have already eaten mine, so you better sit tightly and watch me enjoy this like a good boy, okay?" The boy laughed cockily, giving a smug smile to his best friend.
"Bagas, you bastard!" Sheva scowled angrily.
However, he didn’t dare to snatch it forcefully, as the steam coming out of the cup showed how hot it was. It would be a disaster if the cup flipped and he suffered from it. Hell, if that happened, he would be lucky not to go to the hospital nearby, and honestly, Sheva didn’t really look forward to his first-ever experience going to a hospital abroad.
"Anyway, rather than watching me eat, why don’t you prepare for the game later?" Bagas asked, the loud sound of ’Sluuuurp....’
As he inhaled, the instant noodle in one breath was enough to make Sheva crazy. "I mean, I swear, you didn’t really prepare for the game today. What, are you going to go for a quick draw?" he asked, his tone joking. However, to his surprise, it seemed Sheva was truly pondering this.
"Wait, are you serious?" He put down his chopstick, asking his best friend in disbelief.
"Well, can you blame me for this?" Sheva shrugged helplessly. "Yesterday’s game really took a toll on me, and I haven’t really recovered yet since then. I mean, my brain is still like a mush right now, like an old computer lagging behind and is ready to get blown up straight to my face."
Bagas was surprised to hear this. It was probably the first time Sheva complained about him being too tired, and this wasn’t even the most hectic tournament his best friend had ever played. No, the Asian Chess Championship zone 3.3 last month had four double-header days in a row, and Sheva could still play perfectly like a normal person.
"It seems the aftermath of playing in a high-level tournament is really that big, huh?" The fat boy pondered silently. "No wonder so many players make a calculated draw in the middle of the tournament like this... It seems their brain gets overheated, and if they forced it, they would’ve been burned to death instantly."
"Exactly!" Sheva clapped excitedly as if he was saying, ’You got me!’. "I was so naïve before, disdaining how Magnus always gets one quick draw in every tournament he plays, even though he has a chance to go for a perfect score! Now, I finally realize that the pressure on my brain is too much, I can go crazy from it!"
Bagas just looked at his friend in pity. "Well, I get what you are saying, but don’t you feel that the competition is at its tightest right now? If you go for a draw, will it threaten your position?" He still asked the most crucial question here.
Sheva pondered for a second before he finally shook his head strongly. "No, even if Vincent Keymer and Peter Svidler won their game, they would only tie my score. However, I am still the frontrunner since my initial rating is the lowest of the bunch. Also, don’t forget that my last opponent is that old man Boris Gelfand." He reminded his best friend.
Bagas went silent, knowing full well what Sheva meant by mentioning that name. Boris Gelfand, although he was a very strong player in his heyday, is just a shell of his former self right now. The man failed to gain a strong foothold in this tournament, losing so much rating as if he were parachuting from the sky.
Right now, after five rounds of playing, he has only got one point from two draws and three losses, and the man has become the real punching bag for everyone else here. If players failed to beat him, it would be a great loss, making them a half point behind everyone else.
"Oh, well, since you have already decided that, what can I say here? Don’t worry, I will support you." Bagas smirked, punching his shoulder lightly. Then, a mischievous grin formed after that as he realized something. "Master Irfan will kick your ass after this, you know that, right?"
Sheva shivered immediately at that name, remembering clearly how he got scolded for underestimating his opponent or some sort of bullshit like that. However, in the end, he just shrugged it off like nothing.
"Bah! Master Irfan has never even played in such a big tournament, what right does he have to criticize me?! He doesn’t know what kind of pressure I am in right now!" He cursed.
"Oh, shall I send your words to him?" Bagas’s mischievous smile got wider as his friend cursed once again.
"Hell, no!"
They spent the next hour chatting and laughing crazily, not even talking about chess at all. The call from Anna earlier was nice, but this was the kind of unwinding activity that Sheva needed the most.
His best friend knew him so well that he didn’t put more pressure on his shoulder. Sheva only felt this way with two people, his mother and his best friend.
After a while, Bagas’s phone suddenly buzzed, and after checking it, he got up from the bed quickly. "It is one hour before the game. Come on, we need to go."
Sheva nodded, following the action albeit reluctantly. He blinked for a moment, though, when Bagas suddenly offered a fist bump.
"Just a good luck charm." The fat boy grinned. "Just go all out and have fun, okay? Don’t worry about anything else!"
For that, Sheva was stunned for a second before his gaze softened as he accepted the fist bump. "Sure! Just wait for the good news!"