Aryan Chopra, the handsome Indian GM, was the one Devi managed to steal half a point from in the first round of the tournament. The man started the tournament pretty slow, getting two draws in a row against two lower-level opponents. Hell, in just two rounds, he lost 14 ELO rating already, and those were all coming from draws, not a single defeat.
However, after that, the man bounced back higher than ever, beating everyone black and blue. While yes, his next two rounds were still against easy opponents, starting from the fifth round, the man finally showed his worth, beating all the IMs and GMs who were heading to his face.
Hell, in his journey here, the man beat three GMs in a row, starting from the Chinese experienced player Liu Yan, then Nikita Meshkovs from Latvia, whose rating was 2565, and lastly the leader of the pack and also the top-seeded of the tournament, Bu Xiangzhi, keeping the tournament as close as possible.
He came from a possible disaster tournament to the contender for the title, and now, riding on a high momentum, the man would face Anna in the last round to fight for the top spot of the tournament.
Even without checking his stats, Sheva knew instantly that the man's current state should be above 80 percent. That meant that whatever ability he showed in his daily life, it would be increased by one factor for tomorrow's game, which definitely added to the difficulty for Anna.
"Big Sis…" Claudia looked at her worriedly. "I mean, you don't have to win it all, you know? A draw is enough here! Hell, even losing doesn't mean anything! I mean, you have already secured the IM title, you don't have anything to prove tomorrow!" She exclaimed, trying to lift up the pressure from her big sister's shoulder.
"Yes, Anna. Just suffer in the last game, at least you will give me a chance to catch up." Laysa joked cheekily.
Everyone also spoke a bit of their mind, not wanting to put more pressure on Anna. They knew that this version of Aryan Chopra was not the same one who Devi managed to force a draw in the first round of the tournament. She could be ambitious and aim for a podium, but they were afraid that she would get hurt too much from staring at the sky for too long.
Anna herself just smiled politely, accepting every single piece of advice she got without even denying any of them. She didn't show much emotion here, still having the same smile that she carried during her celebration earlier. However, even though Sheva didn't know her for too long, he could still tell whether her expression was genuine or not, and somehow, she could see something was off in her smile.
'Why is she smiling like that, though?' He frowned, pondering for a second. In the end, the boy just shook his head quickly, deciding to ask about this later.
Everyone was just chatting around for a while before they started to go back to their own room. While tomorrow's game didn't really change that much for any of them, they still wanted to ensure that they left the city with a positive result in their hand.
In fact, this was something that Sheva always emphasized. The final result of this tournament would be their capital for their next tournament, so it was better to end this with a good result.
After everyone was out, leaving only Sheva, Anna, and Claudia in the room, the older girl finally couldn't hold back anymore, asking the question that had been bothering her. "Aryan Chopra… What do you think about him?"
Sheva paused for a moment, turning around at the girl carefully. Claudia was also the same, having her gaze back to her older sister. Seeing that she was being serious here, Sheva stopped whatever he was doing and pondered this question carefully.
"Is this what has been bothering you earlier? You still are not convinced that you don't have a chance tomorrow?" He asked softly.
Claudia opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something here, but when she saw the serious nod from the girl, all the words stuck in her throat, and in the end, she could only swallow it bitterly.
"I know that everyone is concerned about me, probably thinking that I don't have a chance and I should be satisfied with this title, but the chance is in front of my eyes, and I don't want to leave any regret by not trying my best tomorrow. So, tell me, what is my chance here?"
Sheva was hesitant for a moment, not wanting to be blunt here. Hell, he even considered a white lie, saying that she could do it as long as she tried hard enough. However, the pure ambition burning in Anna's eyes was enough to make him swallow all of that ridiculous thought, and in the end, he couldn't even bring himself to lie here.
"To be honest, it would be almost impossible for you to beat him. Even drawing is probably difficult to achieve." Sheva said, ignoring the gasp from Claudia. "It is not just the difference between your ability, but the clash of playing styles as well. You haven't done a great job in keeping your composure in the endgame phase, which, coincidentally enough, is his best strength. He would try to drag you into this territory, and I am not confident with you once that happens."
It was a harsh yet truthful assessment from Sheva. Anna herself winced unconsciously, remembering the few games she failed to win where the girl threw all of her advantages out of the window. Now, her opponent wouldn't be that soft anymore, and one mistake would be enough to punish her straight on the spot.
Just based on this alone, it was clear that Anna was the underdog in tomorrow's game.
Still…
"That means I have to force him out of the endgame phase, right?" Anna's smile was dangerous. Her gaze shifted to Sheva, enough to make the boy shiver on the spot. "Well, you are the expert in throwing an unexpected system here. So, care to do another cramp lesson to catch him off guard?"
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