Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 478: A Little Interview with Two Legendary Players

"Welcome back, everyone! Right now, we have a special guest among us, the one who has just beaten Vaishali Rameshbabu and cemented his dominance in the challenger section! 5.5 points out of 6 rounds, who else other than Adrian Sheva?!"

Sheva could feel the corner of his lips twitching speechlessly as he listened to the dramatic introduction by David Howell. Honestly, his knowledge about the man was that he was always calm and composed, so how could he turn into this boxing-style commentator? Did he get infected by Bagas or what?

Still, he offered a polite smile, waving at the camera. "Hello, everyone." The boy didn’t forget to greet the viewers back home.

It was five minutes after the game was over, and somehow, Sheva got dragged into this interview by David Howell. The man was the main host for the official channel, and combined with Peter Leko, the legendary GM from Hungary, somehow, the lineup was enough to make the boy feel nervous.

"So, you have done well in the last game, controlling the tempo from the very beginning and forcing Vaishali to dance on your palm. When did you notice, though, that she had already fallen?"

"Well, ultimately, I was so sure about her mistake when she put her rook back to the A8 square, letting me fork that piece with my queen. However, even before that, I had already smelled something fishy in the position." He explained his thought.

"Oh? Is it when your opponent refused to exchange the bishop with her knight?" Peter Leko interjected with his heavy accent trademark.

"Indeed." Sheva nodded in a satisfied manner.

This was a different feeling compared to when Bagas or any other people interviewed him. Peter Leko was a high-level player, so he could see Sheva’s intention at first glance, which made it easy for him to explain.

’As expected, talking with a master is definitely a better feeling here.’ He thought inwardly.

"At that time, I thought that once we traded more pieces, we would go for the endgame with a bunch of pawns and the queen, and I am confident that I could get an advantage with my king’s activity." He started explaining again. "However, she seemed to think that my attack is still quite strong, what with the rook ready to slide down the eighth rank and my queen itself was also ready to move diagonally, putting more threat on her king that was already weak. She saw this and used the knight as another layer of protection, but I also recognize that I still have a bishop, and it controls a very good diagonal, cutting off the king’s escape route. That’s why, even though the advantage was not that much at that point, I could see the vision was there."

Peter Leko and David Howell just nodded in understanding, not even questioning anything about it. They both had already treated Sheva as an elite player, so they weren’t really that surprised to hear the thoughtful explanation. However, the same couldn’t be said for the viewers, especially those who were from Indonesia and always watched Sheva from the Black Rook Channel.

Hilda99: Damn, he looks like an elite player now!

Froggies: Yeah! I have never heard him explain his thoughts so in detail like that!

Goten66: It should be because Bagas’s level of understanding is superficial, right?

Bagas, who watched the interview from his own media booth and also read the chat carefully, could feel the corner of his mouth twitching slightly at the last message. Still, he couldn’t deny that point, because Sheva always dumbed down the explanation for him, which he was very grateful for.

Sheva didn’t really notice the change in his best friend’s expression. He kept chatting with the two official hosts of the tournament, as they both inquired about anything they could think of about Sheva. This privilege fell into his hands because his current record was incredible, and it would be weird if the tournament didn’t really promote his name, even if he was in a challenger section.

After a while, the conversation was about to end, and David Howell finally asked his last question.

"5.5 points out of 6 rounds!" He exclaimed in admiration. "This is not something that anyone could achieve so easily in this tournament, but you have done it! Usually, five wins will be enough to guarantee a first spot as long as you don’t suffer from any losses. So, any plan to slow down?" He smiled teasingly.

’Slowing down...’ Sheva pondered for a moment, not giving an exact answer immediately.

Honestly, that thought crossed his mind several times during his winning streak, either in the Olympiad or the Dubai Master Open. After all, his energy was limited, and preserving it strategically was the best decision. A lot of elite players also did the same, showing that they all had a similar problem.

However, just like in the past, he let out a small smile and shook his head decisively. "It might seem boastful coming from me, but I want to pull another miracle by advancing to the Candidate tournament next year, and before doing so, I have a target to get my rating at least to cross 2700 so that I’m not embarrassing myself. With that ambition and limited time, every game is important for me, so I will not throw even a single one of them easily."

It was clear that David Howell was taken aback by the answer. He looked at Sheva with a complicated mood, somehow remembering the lofty goal that he set for himself in the past.

’Candidate, huh...’ The man muttered in a melancholic mood.

David Howell was an elite player in the past, winning a lot of big tournaments and cementing his name as one of the most talented players of the generation. However, the Candidates would forever be the thorn in his heart, as he had never been able to qualify through that stage. Now that he heard someone whose age was half of his saying that lofty goal with eyes full of ambition, he couldn’t help but feel envious.

’To be young again...’ He sighed like an old man. However, a small, genuine smile formed on his face as the man gave Sheva a nod of approval. "Good ambition! Keep going on, and maybe, we can see you pulling that miracle next year!"