Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 538: The End of the Tournament!

"Duta! Here!"

The moment Duta left the venue, he was greeted by Devi, who was waving at him excitedly. It seemed the girl was done with her game way earlier. Well, considering she had already secured the trophy earlier in the morning, this final round was meaningless for her, so a quick draw was acceptable.

"Hey, congratulations!" The girl offered a bottle of water as he got close. "This win will allow you to get a trophy! Also, you have secured your spot in the top three! Our target! We can go to Biel together with Brother Sheva next July!" She said excitedly.

Duta just offered a faint smile, but years of knowing the boy, Devi could deduce that he was as excited as she right now. After all, this really opened up so many doors for them; the doors that neither of them had ever dreamed of in the past.

Biel...

Thinking of that beautiful city and how much money they needed to play in that tournament, both teenagers shuddered in fear. Even if they saved money for the rest of their lives, it would be impossible for them to go there. But now, with Sheva’s backing, they had a chance to step into the big league, which was probably more valuable than the trophy they earned in this tournament.

"Anyway, only Brother Nay left, huh? Should we wait until he finishes his game, or should we go to the others?" The girl asked.

After pondering for a moment, Duta finally said, "Let’s just wait here. He would be sad if no one waited for him."

"Brother Nay? Sad?" Devi snorted. "If anything, he will be the biggest queen in the world." Still, she just nodded along, waiting for the older boy in front of the entrance gate.

They were not the only ones, as so many people gathered there. Hell, they could even see the crowd getting bigger surrounding table 1, and it seemed that the game there had already entered a decisive stage.

"Hey, you two! We have been waiting for a while!" Suddenly, the familiar Indonesian language in this foreign land snapped them from their own thoughts. When they turned around, they saw that Bagas and Sheva were running at them. "I thought you would come to us soon, but it seems you want to wait for Nayaka, right?" The former asked.

"Oh, by the way, congratulations, Duta!" Sheva smiled genuinely. "You have done a great job today! Two rounds, two amazing wins! You will also bring the trophy back to our country, which is something you can be proud of!"

Honestly, Sheva had won so many trophies this year, and yet, this was probably the moment he was excited the most. After all, those were his students, and he didn’t know why, but the boy was always nervous about whether his teaching could help them or not. Now, with two trophies already in the bag and one more to follow, he knew that the worry was unnecessary.

"Uh... Thank you, Brother Sheva." Duta nodded stiffly. However, his ears turned red as he was flustered by the praise. "Anyway! Have you seen Brother Nay’s game? Is he doing okay?" He asked, trying to change the topic.

Well, not just that, but he was genuinely concerned about the older boy. Even though they were rivals, when it came to representing the country, both boys always shared the same dream, which was to make the red-and-white flag fly higher in the sky. Duta couldn’t imagine how Nayaka would feel if he managed to get onto the podium and Nayaka failed to do that.

"Eh, you both are really the same." Bagas snorted amusedly.

"Um? What do you mean?"

"It is exactly what I mean! You don’t know this, but Nayaka called us yesterday before we flew here!" The boy explained with a little bit of exasperation. "He was worried that you would be depressed after your bad form in the last couple of days, asking if there was anything he could do. Now, this? Honestly, if you are a girl, I would’ve thought that you both are seeing each other secretly, you know?" He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

Duta’s face flushed, while Devi choked in laughter at that. Still, he didn’t know that Nayaka was worried about him, and honestly, the boy felt warm for that concern. However, before anyone could question his orientation, he stirred the topic back to his question.

"You still haven’t answered, Brother Bagas. How is he doing?" The boy asked once again.

Instead of answering, though, Bagas and Sheva just exchanged a mysterious glance, which sent a bad signal for the two teenagers in front of them.

"What? Is he losing?" Devi voiced her worry. She had a sharp mind, and it worked quite fast. "I mean, if there is nothing wrong, you will not hesitate, right?"

"Urgh! No, he is not losing!" Bagas shook his head quickly. "It is just..."

"Just what?" Duta pressed further. His anxiety was at its peak, and he even forgot his happiness from winning the game earlier.

"Oh, for God’s sake! Stop dilly dallying, Gas!" Sheva started to lose patience. Then, he turned his head at the two teens in front of him and answered, "No, he is not losing! He even had a huge chance to win the game!" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

It sounded good, but Duta, perceptive he was, caught the keyword here. "Had?"

"Indeed, good catch." Sheva nodded in satisfaction. "He had a chance to win, even with a +4.4 advantage that the computer engine gave him. However, he threw it away with one silly mistake, and now, you can expect that..."

Before he could finish his words, applause could be heard from inside the building, and when they took a peek, they saw that people surrounding board 1 were cheering as both players shook hands, yet none of them looked happy with the result.

"Yeah, you can expect that the game will end up in a draw, which is what happens there." Sheva chuckled.

Both Duta and Devi were dumbfounded. However, a moment later, the boy snapped, realizing something crucial here. "If their game ends up in a draw, what would happen to the standing?!"

-Author’s note-

Hey, everyone! Thank you for supporting my story! I have written a new one with the hope of getting a contract for that story as well, the title is ’The Rise of the Iron Wall!’. It is a football story, so if you like, please give your support by adding it to your collection and giving your power stone to that story! Thanks!