CHAPTER 329: THE OPPONENT FOR THE SEVENTH ROUND!

Besides the super grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who had a strong root to Italy and even represented the country for some period in the past before switching federation to the USA, honestly, Sheva couldn’t really connect this country with chess. The only impression he had was that this was a powerhouse in football and the birthplace of so many classic dishes like pizza and pasta. Other than that, he knew next to nothing about this country.

However, as the boy read the information about the players who represented Italy, Sheva couldn’t help but feel impressed.

’All of them are in the high 2500s and are almost crossing 2600. Well, the leader is 2616, Daniele Vocaturo. It seems that he is the legendary player there, with his status the same as Master Susanto’s for our team. Not the strongest country, but quite solid even in the whole world.’ Sheva pondered. ’However, their ages...’

Yeah, besides Vocaturo and the reserve member, Sabino Brunello, who had already reached their late 30s, the other three players were in their early 20s, with the youngest being Francesco Sonis, who was just 19. The fact that all of them were about to cross the 2600-rated ELO threshold at such a young age indicated that they had high potential and would become strong players to be reckoned with in the future. Underestimating them would definitely be the last mistake that Sheva could make before he died.

’So, my opponent tomorrow is either Francesco Sonis or Sabino Brunello, huh?’ Sheva let out a long sigh, wiping his exhausted eyes after watching the bright screen for quite a long time. ’Let’s just hope that it would be the latter one...’

Not that Sheva underestimated Sabino Brunello, but he would always prefer playing against a veteran player rather than the rising youngsters. Not because the veterans were weaker, of course, but because they were less unpredictable.

Usually, the veteran players would’ve already reached their peak or even passed it. That didn’t mean they were weak, of course, but the chance of them having a sudden big leap was almost none. This made it easier for Sheva to measure his opponent, as their rating usually reflected their true ability quite well. Most of the youngsters usually had a far lower rating compared to their true ability, making it hard for Sheva to really prepare for the game.

Well, he himself was also one whose rating didn’t really reflect his skill, so the boy couldn’t really complain that much here.

After spending about two and a half hours studying for tomorrow’s game, he fell asleep on the bed, just to wake up the next morning to the violent nudge coming from his best friend.

"Shev! Come on, wake up!" Bagas shook his body quite violently. "Your game is about to begin in the next two hours; you’d better prepare from now!" He didn’t forget to remind his best friend, knowing that Sheva would probably miss it if not a single soul reminded the boy about today’s game.

"Urgh... Yeah, yeah... Five more minutes, please..." Sheva groaned weakly, still adapting to the light above him. "What time is it now...?"

"It is 9 AM already! Come on, everyone is waiting for you!"

Sheva grunted lightly, still trying to adapt to his surroundings. He also knew that Bagas was lying for the last part. The team would only start getting ready to go 45 minutes before the game began, so he still had quite a long time here. However, since he had already been awoken, the boy decided not to go back to sleep. Instead, he took a quick shower and changed into his formal suit, not wanting to be in a hurry later.

"How could you wake up this early, by the way?" Sheva asked when he saw his best friend coming with breakfast for them both. "I mean, when did you come back last night?" As long as he could remember, Bagas was still outside when he fell asleep, so how could he be here and ready for the day right now?

"Oh, I didn’t come back last night. I just arrived this morning. Sarah and I stayed together in the place we reserved yesterday." Bagas answered casually.

However, this answer stunned Sheva, as he turned around and stared at his best friend in disbelief. "...Really?"

"Of course!" Bagas slapped his chest proudly. "You might be forgetting this, but last month, Sarah celebrated her 18th birthday, officially entering adulthood. You know what that means, right?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Sheva was too speechless to answer that. While yeah, both Bagas and Sarah were adults officially, it looked like they moved too fast here. Maybe it was the Indonesian inside himself who was a bit too conservative, but in his mind, having sex should have to wait until marriage, and not before that.

Little did he know, though, that he was overthinking in this case. Bagas didn’t specify what he did, but Sheva had already jumped to a conclusion without investigating more details about what was going on between them.

’Oh, well, that is not really my business, right?’ Sheva muttered inwardly.

They chatted for a while as Bagas tried to catch up on what had happened yesterday. After a while, someone suddenly knocked on the door, and when Sheva opened it, Medina had been waiting there with both arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Come on, we have to go now." She said shortly.

Sheva was a little bit surprised since it was still one hour before the game began, a bit too early for them to go. However, he and Bagas still followed the order, going together with the team to the venue. As they arrived, the boy finally realized how wise the decision to come early today was.

"What the hell..." He shook his head rapidly, trying to figure out whether the sight in front of him was real or not. "How many people are here? And they all come for chess players?"

Yeah, right in the entrance door, so many people had already blocked the building, waiting for their favorite players to arrive. Some were shouting Magnus’s name, while the others were calling their local heroes like Praggnanandhaa or Arjun Erigaisi. This was definitely far crazier than in the last couple of days, and Sheva couldn’t comprehend how so many people came just to watch a chess game here.

"Well, this is India, where chess has a special place in their heart," Medina explained. "The organizer even prepares a space for the fan zone inside the building, and if I am not wrong, the capacity is about 500 people."

Yeah, now... Everything seemed to be far crazier than he thought. While the number was far lower than usual, this time, the fans would be allowed to come inside, while before this, they could only wait at the entrance gate. Don’t underestimate 500 people. While it might seem low on the Internet, when they all gathered together like this, the noises they made would still be too loud and could be a distraction.

This would be a huge test for all the players inside, as only those who could control their nerves would triumph in this building.

’This should be my first time playing under this situation, right?’ A small smile suddenly formed on Sheva’s face. ’Interesting... I wonder how far I would fare today...’