'What?! What is he trying to do here?!' Claudia panicked inwardly.
Just like any excellent positional fighter, once she fought against a creative tactician, the girl would always fall into a panic state. She scanned through the entire board for more than half a minute to figure out what Sheva wanted to do here.
'A draw is definitely the most logical conclusion here. So, why does he want to prolong the game and take this approach?' She frowned, shifting her sitting position uncomfortably. 'Is he really that confident that he could win with two rooks versus my queen? Then, does that mean he saw something that I didn't notice here?' What is it?!'
She hesitated for a while, getting drowned by her over-complicated mind. She didn't count that Sheva was just being reckless and wanted to avoid a draw here. In the end, when only two minutes were left, she finally made a move, taking the queen sacrifice from her opponent. She had to, since if she avoided it, she would lose two rooks for nothing, which would also end the game quickly.
Pieces started to fall as the queen sacrifice allowed Sheva to tear down Claudia's defense. He chopped all of her hanging pieces, from the isolated pawn to the bishop that got screwed by his rook. In the end, she only had one queen, while Sheva had two rooks and a bishop that stared silently from the back. Not only that, they both had the same exact number of pawns, which was three, yet somehow, Sheva's pawn structure was solid with each anchoring the others, while Claudia's structure was such a mess that it was impossible for her to defend all.
'Hey, what is going on here?!'
'Claudia is losing?! No way!'
'She faces the newcomer, right? Is the newcomer whom Master Irfan brought so fierce?!'
'Look! She is about to cry! He is so cruel!'
As Irfan observed the game all the time, it also attracted the other players' attention. Most who had already finished the game also started to come and check on why the leader of the club would be so focused on one board. They didn't expect that their talented player would be pushed to the edge like this by a newcomer. Now, they started seeing Sheva in a different light.
'How is it, Master? Is my best friend talented?' Bagas smiled smugly when he heard the whispers from the surroundings. For that, Irfan could only smile helplessly, knowing full well that this was Bagas's response to his negative comment toward Sheva. It wasn't like Irfan hated Sheva here. Hell, he was the one who brought the boy to the club. However, as Claudia's coach, he had a slight bias toward his protegee at the beginning of the game. He didn't expect that Bagas would slap him on the face like this.
'Well, what can I say? He is someone whom I recruited, after all. As expected, my insight is still good.' In the end, Irfan just shrugged, smiling as he praised himself shamelessly.
Bagas felt the corner of his mouth twitch a little, not expecting the IM to be so narcissistic like this. However, he turned his attention back to the board, adjusting the phone that was recording everything to make sure that it still caught the movements of both players.
'So, is this game already in Sheva's bag?' He couldn't help but ask.
'No, it is still not a clear win yet.' Unexpectedly, it was another person who answered the question. When Bagas turned around, he could see an older girl with a similar figure to the girl who was Sheva's current opponent, frowning while staring at the board intently. Unlike Claudia who had short, bob hair, this girl styled her hair in a high ponytail and also wore neutral-gender attires, giving her a tough appearance. Still, anyone could see that both girls were siblings here. 'An imbalanced position like this is tricky for both players. While yes, Claudia is in a disadvantageous position here, if her opponent is not careful, she would be able to capitalize on it for a draw.' She analyzed the game seriously.
Bagas just pecked his head obediently, not even understanding half of what she said. He also decided to close his ears to the girl's skeptical and hopeful tone that Sheva would make a mistake here. He knew that his best friend – no, his brother was thriving here, and Bagas couldn't help but feel proud about it.
'Come on, Shev! It is your time to make a name for yourself! Go for it! Make them remember who Adrian Sheva is!'
Tak!
Tak!
Tak!
For the next few minutes, only the sound of the chess pieces hitting the board could be heard in the room. No one noticed it yet, but at this time, all the games besides Sheva against Claudia were already over, and everyone gathered around the table seven to watch the conclusion of this game.
Claudia was still trying her best to make a miracle here, but two connected rooks were always better than a queen. Moreover, Sheva still had a knight that was roaming freely on the board, constantly making threats that were enough to give Claudia a headache. She also had already lost two more pawns, and the only pawn left on her side was on the A-file, pretty useless in this situation.
The game lasted for another few minutes, and Claudia started to get into time trouble. She moved her pieces frantically, running against time. Sheva who still had two whole minutes on his clock just returned everything calmly, not even batting his eyes at the little girl who started having tears falling on the corner of her eyes.
In the end, the girl finally made a blunder, pushing her queen straight to the square where it was perfect for Sheva's knight to fork it with the king. She realized the mistake instantly, and when Sheva also realized that and slid his knight into the L shape, she finally offered her trembling hand for a handshake, knowing full well that she was defeated clean and clear in this game. Her lips quivered a little bit as she bit them to hold back her tears. This was probably the first time she lost against someone other than her sister in this club, and she was devastated about it.
As Sheva was sighing in relief, Claudia somehow felt that this was a gesture to humiliate her, making everyone think that this was an easy game. Couldn't bear with it anymore, she slammed the table, surprising everyone here. However, before anyone could react, she glared at Sheva, pointing her finger at the confused boy on the other side of the table.
"Just you wait, Brute! My sister will avenge me later!"