The next day, Sheva ca quite early, just to find Gukesh already sitting next to the table. They just nodded at each other slightly, not even exchanging any polite words. No, for them, this was not just a ga, but also a war.
Gukesh knew exactly that Sheva had been waiting for this opportunity for a long ti. Facing the opponent with the desire to kill him, of course, he had to answer it with open hands. It didn’t matter that he was not in good form, but once he entered the battlefield, he had to be ready to kill, or it would be him who got slaughtered later.
As for Sheva himself, the boy was trying his best to contain his excitent. Even though he put on his best poker face, his spirit was bubbling, as the desire for revenge was on the tip of his tongue. However, he was still sane enough to recognize Gukesh’s ability, so the boy didn’t want to charge blindly into this ga.
Right after he sat on his chair, Sheva mumbled inwardly, ’System, please check his stats, and compare them with mine.’
DING!
[Comparison successful!]
[Na: Adrian Sheva – Gukesh Dommaraju]
Attacking: 92 ( 0.92) ( 4.6) – 94 ( 1.88) ( 4.7)
Defense 87: ( 0.87) ( 4.35) – 96 ( 1.92) ( 4.8)
Calculation: 88 ( 0.88) ( 4.4) – 92 ( 1.84) ( 4.6)
Strategy: 91 ( 0.91) ( 4.55) – 90 ( 1.80) ( 0.45)
Intuition 89: ( 0.89) ( 4.45) – 90 ( 1.80) ( 0.45)
Ti managent: 90 ( 0.90) ( 4.5) – 90 ( 1.80) ( 0.45)
Current state: 91% - 88%
Adrian Sheva’s Title Slot: [Endga Master] [National Resonance] [The Strong Man Aura] [The King of Asia: White level] [The Conqueror of Europe: White level]
Gukesh Dommaraju’s Title Slot: [Buddha] [Indian Four Horsen] [Endga Master]
’Goddamn...’ Sheva had to hold back the urge to whistle as he saw the most ridiculous stats line that he had ever seen in his life. ’The only stat that I am higher in is strategy, and that is only by one point, huh? Wait, he also gets a two percent boost from the Indian Four Horsen? Damn, I forgot that Arjun is here as well!’
Well, honestly, the only advantage Sheva had was the quantity of his titles. However, out of five titles in his slot, only one worked this ti, since there was no Indonesian player in this tournant, and Gukesh himself had a higher rating than him.
anwhile, Gukesh only had three, and yet, besides the Endga Master that Sheva also owned, the other two worked perfectly for this ga.
The title Buddha, more specifically, was ridiculous. Sheva asked the system about it, and the answer left him bamboozled.
Buddha: The more the player is under ti pressure, the calr his mind becos.
The description was short and simple, but the effect was way more powerful than any title that the boy had ever seen. This ensured the man would never make a stupid mistake in the later stage, and combined with the effect of the Endga Master, honestly, Sheva couldn’t imagine how he could beat the boy in front of him today.
Of course, that didn’t an he wouldn’t try to get sothing. No, even after knowing that Gukesh’s stats were better than his, Sheva still set his eyes on winning. It might look impossible, but he had been preparing for this mont for the whole year, and it was ti for him to show his research results.
’Still, to think that he is as on fire as I...’ Sheva couldn’t help but frown, having deep wrinkles as he was troubled by this matter. ’Sotis, stats don’t really matter in a top ga, with titles and current state affecting it more. However, if those two are equal, everything will be back to the basic stats again, and it is clear that I am losing.’
It would be a lie if Sheva didn’t feel any wavering in his spirit. He tried his best to calm his nerves, and yet, the boy could still feel his heart pounding fast.
Little did he know that Gukesh was also in the sa boat. Even though he looked calm, right now, the boy was trying his best to rember all the ditation thods that he learned from his father, his teacher, and so of his ntors in the past.
Even though this ga itself wasn’t specifically important in the grand sche, for both players, this was definitely their do-or-die ga.
Tension built slowly, and yet, everyone could feel it. The sll of the gunpowder was so strong in the air, promising that there would be a violent confrontation later on. People also gathered around them unconsciously, and the number was definitely bigger than before.
This ti, not just local, but so Asian n were also on the sidelines to watch. So cheered for Gukesh, while the others also waved at Sheva strongly. The polarizing crowd also added excitent to the table.
Hell, this commotion is also enough to attract the other players’ attention. It was clear that the ga was big here, as the rest of the players couldn’t really concentrate on their own at the fullest, too busy glancing at table one every five seconds. If only they were not playing today, all six of them would’ve gone to the sideline and joined the fun, watching the ga together with the crowd.
Ti was ticking by, and as it was closer to the ga, the crowd also started to get quieter. The mont the bell rang, though, as both players shook hands, dead silence fell, and everyone held their breath unconsciously.
"Let’s have a good ga!" Those two nodded at each other silently.
Right after that, Gukesh didn’t hesitate to make the first move. The boy pushed his D pawn two squares forward before hitting the clock imdiately. He pulled this one not because the boy thought it was Sheva’s weakness, but because this was his strong point.
Yeah, Gukesh was confident that he had mastered most of the 1.D4 openings, and what better way to show it than when facing an opponent that was trying to kill him?
However, the boy was so stunned when he saw Sheva’s reply, snapping his head imdiately with a disbelief gaze.
’Are you kidding ? The Dutch?!’
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