The mistake itself was subtle. So subtle that it was hard to find, excitement rushed through Anna's head and with the time ticking slowly down to zero. However, any decent player who had more time to think would be able to find it, probably even taking advantage of everything here.
It all started when Bu Xiangzhi threatened her knight. It was just a one-move threat, something that could be swatted easily by moving away that piece. Now, the problem, though, was where she would put that piece. This was where the mistake happened.
The best way to do this was for Anna to retreat her knight. It was a strategic move to reinforce the pawns on the back as well, and it gave room for the rook to breathe.
However, Anna, who had been pushing forward for a while, got stuck in the mindset that she could only move forward here. Without even blinking, she let her knight jump toward the B7 square, which, unluckily enough, also blocked the rook on the A7 square next to it.
Bu Xiangzhi saw this immediately, so he put his rook straightaway to the C7 square to lock that knight down forever, which also killed that rook's strong momentum in the process. Now, Anna couldn't move her knight or her rook would be taken, and she couldn't also move the rook for the exact same reason here.
"From locking up Bu Xiangzhi's king on the eighth rank to being locked up on that A7 square… Damn, this is a harsh reality of a time-trouble situation…" Sheva shook his head in pity. "Now, both players basically move with no rook and knight on the board, just fighting with the bishop and a bunch of pawns on the kingside there. The game is back to the equal state, and I just hope that no more mistakes will be on the board."
Jijxy0: Damn! Just when I thought that she would take revenge for her sister…
Groshge13r: I told you that she is still too weak here! She is not a match for Bu Xiangzhi!
Froggies: Shut up, you Bastard! Why would you always say something so discouraging like that?!
The depressing atmosphere also spread in the chat room, with some people starting to mock Anna for choking the lead here. This was exactly the same as what Claudia did yesterday, so some people didn't even hesitate to target the younger girl as well.
While busy blocking some of the cruel comments on the chat, Bagas also couldn't help but ask, "This is still a draw, though, right? I mean, we haven't lost the game, if I'm not wrong?"
"Indeed, we haven't." Sheva nodded wryly. "But can you imagine the disappointed feeling after knowing that she has a big lead just to end up in a draw? She would be gutted once she realizes how close she is to the win."
Yeah, Anna herself still didn't notice that the game was equal. In her mind, while her rook was locked up in the A7 square, the situation wasn't as bad as she thought. Now, the girl started pushing her A pawn forward like a lone wolf, ready to support the knight so that the rook could escape that embarrassing position.
'I might lose so many tempos from trying to let my rook escape, but in return, my pawn will be strong at the A6 square. I can put back my knight later, and then continue the journey to the promised land. I can do this.' She clenched her fist unconsciously.
It was only a few moves later, when more pieces were exchanged and her pawn stuck on the A7 square without any protection other than the rook, that the girl realized that her calculation had gone wrong. Now, her pieces were frozen, and if she wanted to unfreeze them, she had to give up that pawn she painstakingly marched forward, which would mean she had to give up her only advantage here.
'Did I… Mess things up?' She murmured hesitantly. Only after the next few moves, and she felt the game had entered a stagnancy, did the girl finally convince herself that her advantage was gone now. 'Oh, God… What am I doing here…' She groaned inwardly, feeling the pain of throwing away the game like this.
Even if she knew full well that her initial target was to get a draw, the regret would always be there after knowing how much of an advantage she had just blown. However, Anna was lucky in this case, since she realized that the game was back to equal right on time. If she were a few moves late, she would've just chased the advantage that was already gone, and it could result in a collapse in her position as well.
The game continued, and somehow, the initiative shifted back to Bu Xiangzhi. Hell, Anna was even down by a pawn, the result of her pushing that particular pawn on the A file without caring about anything else before.
Fortunately, the position was still savable. Even though she was struggling to keep up with the attack, the girl managed to hold her own ground until the end, and after she managed to force a rook exchange, the girl knew that a draw was secured on her bag.
'Yeah, even though he still has a pawn left, he wouldn't be able to advance it with just a bishop, especially when I have a knight on my side. Let's just take this and be grateful for the result…' She murmured inwardly.
Bu Xiangzhi himself, for the first time in the last two days, showed a hint of frustration. The man scratched his hair slightly, somehow looking so helpless, knowing that it was a dead end for him. He still hadn't accepted the result yet, moving the bishop back and forth like a headless chicken.
It wasn't like he was trying to get something here, knowing full well that he couldn't do anything in this position. The man was just too stubborn, not wanting to accept that he got forced into a draw against an opponent whose rating was almost 300 below his.
Unfortunately, this was the reality that he had to face. After checking his clock, Bu Xiangzhi knew that wasting more time would only be counterproductive for his side, so he just let out a long sigh here. The man finally offered a handshake, and even though Anna was a bit disappointed with the result as well, she accepted it gracefully.
The game ended in a draw, and the girl was finally able to achieve her initial target.
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