Two hours had passed, and at this time, some games that didn't have any business going on in the final round had already taken a quick draw, not wanting to use their last moment in this city to think too hard right now. Devi was also one of them, as she was quite satisfied with her result already.
With the draw she earned today, in total, the girl gained 4.5 points out of 9 rounds, standing in the fifty percent line that the girl set as a target before she went here. Not only that, but the last draw also earned her 11 more ratings, and now, she was around 2167, getting at least 80 ELO ratings in just one tournament.
Devi was still far from Claudia, whom she saw as a rival, let alone Anna, who had been doing amazingly in this tournament. However, the girl knew that in just one tournament, she had done everything she could, and with how low her initial rating was, this was definitely a big improvement in her career.
'Now, let's see how the others are faring…' She took a deep sigh, strolling around the venue while watching the other games here. After pondering for a moment, the girl shook her head, and her step became firmer. 'Oh, screw it. I don't care about the others, but I want to see how Brother Nayaka is going.'
Yeah, out of all the people here, the two whom she cared the most were Nayaka and Duta. While yes, the girl still took a glance at the other Indonesian players, but honestly, she wasn't really that close to them. Only those two boys were constantly communicating with her, as they came from the same camp here. It was exactly like how Claudia always latched onto Anna, as they were from the same origin.
Once she was there, the girl could also see Duta observing the game. It seemed the boy had also finished his own journey here, and he was concerned about how the big brother of the group was doing. Their eyes met each other for a moment before Devi approached him, leaning slightly to get a better look at the board.
'So, how is it going?' She asked, her tone barely a whisper.
"It goes well," Duta answered shortly, his eyes still on the board. "Brother Nayaka is up by one pawn, and it seems his opponent is too hasty, wanting to remove the knight even if he has to exchange it with his own strong bishop. I don't know where the advantage is, but I can see that Brother Nayaka has the upper hand right now."
Devi nodded silently, assessing the situation on the board. Indeed, everything was going well for Nayaka, with him having three pawns compared to the two lone soldiers on the other side of the board. Not only that, but the two pawns also marched forward bravely, and with the help of the two rooks controlling the F file, one of the pawns was determined to get promoted to the queen soon enough.
His opponent seemed to notice the problem as well. The German boy was having a meltdown at the table, clutching his hair in frustration as his eyes darted from one place to another so quickly. This was definitely the sign of him losing focus, and even though the game was still far from being over, both Duta and Devi could already see the outcome here.
'Yeah, there is no way Brother Nayaka throws away this game.' Devi whispered in admiration. 'Damn, he is so cool! Beating an opponent whose rating is 150 points above his when he only needs to get a draw? Is this what they say an aura-farming?'
Duta felt the corner of his lips twitching, not expecting the girl to utter such trendy slang like that. Still, he couldn't agree more here, as indeed, Nayaka really set a high standard for them. After his success in Asian Zone 3.3 last month, it seemed the older boy was not staying idle, kept practicing to rise further in his career.
"We cannot be left behind too far, Duta," Devi whispered once again, her fist clenched in determination.
"You are right." Duta's answer was still the same, short and precise. However, anyone who knew him a little bit could see a rebellious spirit burning in his eyes, as if he were unwilling to stay in this situation for too long. "We have to catch up quickly, or we will not have any right to stand next to him and Brother Sheva."
While those two were monologuing, Nayaka himself didn't know that his friends were talking behind his back like this. No, his focus was completely on the board in front of him, as a big frown formed on his face.
'Hmm… I know my advantage clearly here, but how should I proceed after this?' He muttered inwardly.
This position was so delicate with a lot of scenarios flashing in his mind, and honestly, Nayaka was slightly afraid to make a move right now. He was frightened at the thought of ruining this position, throwing away all the advantage and coming back empty-handed.
He was being too afraid, though, as the position really favored him. Hell, Nayaka didn't even need to do anything; just wasting the tempo with a brainless king move would be enough for now. He could just hand the ball to the opponent, letting the boy deal with this disastrous situation by himself.
However, Nayaka was still full of competitive spirit. He didn't want to win that way, wanting to prove that he could capitalize on this situation on his own.
Fortunately, this determination still matched with his skill set, as the boy managed to find the best move in a complicated situation like this. It also helped that his opponent couldn't find any opening to launch a counterattack and at least aim for a draw. Each one of the boy's moves only made him suffer more.
At one point, his king was finally cornered, completely isolated by the two rooks and a queen that stood far away from the action. Seeing this, the German FM finally let a long sigh, shaking his head reluctantly before offering a handshake.
He resigned, giving Nayaka his final win of the tournament.
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