A mont later, the commotion was finally over, and everyone went back to their original chair—or carpet, for those who sat on the floor—and stopped bothering Sheva anymore. Well, not straightforward, per se, but the whispers and glances at him were still quite intense.
"Wow, to say fuck Nepo that loudly, he sure has the guts, huh?"
"What is so strange about that? There is no cara around today, so he can say anything he wants!"
"Yeah! Also, with Nepo’s unnecessary accusation, it would be strange if Sheva doesn’t have any temper!"
The gossip and debates kept going on, and Sheva himself just let out a deep sigh, shrinking himself behind Anna and Claudia, who sat on the carpet. The two Marisa Siblings giggled at his act, with the latter couldn’t help but mock him. "What is wrong, celebrity? They are all your fans! Be proud of it, okay?"
"Ia..." Sheva groaned weakly, sending his fiercest glare to the girl. Unfortunately, it lacked the hatred or the energy, making everything look like a kitten trying to glare at its mother. "You know I hate this kind of event, right?"
"Oh, I know! That’s why this is also sothing that I have waited for!" Her smile spread from ear to ear, eliciting another groan from Sheva.
"Okay, okay, don’t tease him too far, Ia, or he will snap." Anna finally took rcy on him and saved the day here. "Anyway, the ga is about to begin, so try to focus on the screen, or maybe you will miss a lot of things."
Claudia nodded solemnly, dropping her act as she had her eyes locked onto the giant screen in front. Not just her, everyone was also the sa, and the room’s noise suddenly got sucked into the abyss.
There, they all could see that both Nepo and Ding Liren had already accepted the handshake before Ding started to make his first move. It was a tie-break day, so even though it was the World Classical Championship, everything would be determined in Rapid, and if it was not enough, both players would go for the blitz.
As Sheva watched both players blitzing their way through the opening stage, soone—Sheva wasn’t really sure who—suddenly asked, "What do you think will happen in this ga, Shev?"
This question also attracted so attention. Honestly, this was the fun thing about streaming a chess ga together with the community. While the ga itself might take a long ti, the break between each move was enough for them to have a heated discussion about everything in between.
"Hmm... How should I say it..." Sheva pondered for a mont. "If I have to say, the first ga wouldn’t have a lot of ups and downs. Both players will stick with their preparation, and if they couldn’t find a breakthrough, they wouldn’t try to force it. So... A quick draw is possible here."
"Alright, the master has already said! Who wants to go for a bet~!" Right after Sheva finished explaining, the sa boy suddenly rose from his seat and shouted.
"Damn! Good idea! Just between friends, right?"
"Yeah! Maximum 50K rupiah! Co on! Who dares to challenge Sheva here?!"
"20K for a draw in 20 moves!"
"Ha! 10K for a draw in around 25 moves!"
"Co on!"
The atmosphere was quite light with people joking around like this. The bet was not that serious since they all agreed not to put more than 50K rupiah or 4 US dollars, so everyone could have fun in this case. Sheva himself could only shake his head, getting dumbfounded at everyone’s antics here.
The chatters were still going on for a while, as most of them still didn’t pay attention to the ga. As it entered a crucial stage, though, the voices seed to evaporate in the air, as all eyes were on the screen again. This ti, no one dared to let any word escape from their mouth, not wanting to get the death stares from the others.
Sheva himself was already imrsed in the ga. He kept calculating every possible line, wondering what he would do if he were in their position.
’Ding’s position is currently at an advantage, yet it would be hard for him to pierce Nepo’s defense. If anything, he wouldn’t dare to do that, and soon, he would offer or accept the draw agreent.’
The thought beca reality, as in the next five moves, Ding’s advantage was gone already, and the Chinese GM finally offered a handshake. This was already within everyone’s expectations, as both players always had a slow start. Then, fifteen minutes were given for both players to rest, and after that, the second ga would be played again.
"Man, this is a little bit anticlimactic, right?" A boy who was also a mber of the Black Rook club suddenly spoke, attracting so attention. "I an, to play the tie-breaker of the World Championship in such a boring line... If it were Magnus Carlsen who was there, he would slaughter them both already!"
So who had never played in a high-level tournant couldn’t help but nod, agreeing with the evaluation. However, those who had the experience, even though it wasn’t as extre as what they saw on the screen right now, all frowned, including Laysa, who had just arrived here.
"Well, you cannot bla them, you know?" The girl argued. "Don’t you see Ding’s hand is shaking on so occasions? Also, after losing twice against Magnus, this is the first ti Nepo has been so close to being the World Champion, so there is no way he wouldn’t be nervous. They both have their own consideration, and this draw is just a warm-up for them. Even if it was Magnus, he probably would make the sa choice in their shoes."
"Well said, Laysa." Master Irfan sent a thumbs-up. "You have to rember, guys, that we might ask for an exciting ga, but for them, this is not entertainnt. This is a duel for their life. As long as they won fairly, any trick will do, so having a strategy is definitely a good thing. Psychology plays a big factor today, so getting a boring line for a draw to adjust their ntality sotis is the best way to start the day."
Those who tried to downplay this ga earlier just scratched the back of their neck sheepishly, staring at each other before shrugging, knowing that they couldn’t win here. However, before anyone could say anything else, Sheva suddenly chid in.
"Well, if you want to see sothing exciting, you are in a good place right now." He said. "Just wait, because I am sure that Nepo will start to exert his strength in the next round."
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Author’s note: Hey, everyone! I just write a new novel as an entry to the WSA 2026 competition, with the title of ’I Am the God of Football in the Fantasy World’. Please, help support this new novel by adding it to the library and leave your comnt in it. Thank you!
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