The next day, I made my way toward the exam hall.
Apparently, that was where the Finals were being held. I was still waiting for an email from the school since that's what they'd usually do at this time. There was quite a large number of students walking along to the exam hall as well. It would appear that there were going to be many spectators.
Eventually, as I followed the crowd of students, a notification appeared on my phone.
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National High School
Well done on making it to the final stage of the Chess Tournament Special Exam. These will be the details of the process.
Unlike the previous rounds, this will be standard chess.
Participants are to find their seats on the east wing of the exam hall. A teacher will guide you if you cannot find it. The clock will start at exactly 10:00 am, regardless of whether you have arrived or not.
~
Your first opponent is Sasaki Junpei.
Make sure to arrive on time and good luck.
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***
[Mizuhara Ayato vs Sasaki Junpei]
Before long, I managed to find my table.
There were a decent number of spectators sitting on the other side of the exam hall, watching from TVs which showed our boards. I was surprised that they put so much effort into this. It felt somewhat like an actual event. We were made to hand our phones to the supervising teachers.
Well, I need to win a few games, at least, since I have to fulfil the deal with Kimura.
The time was 10:00 am, and our clocks began running.
I had spent a little bit of time beforehand looking at some chess theory. For the most part, I simply memorised some openings and analysed some positions using an engine.
I was playing with white for the first time during this special exam.
I started with E4.
He played Knight C6, the Nimzowitsch Defence.
I had a few lines of this opening memorised.
Playing completely by theory, the two of us set up the Vehre Variation.
Eventually, we left the lands of theory, being thrown into the deep end.
From what I could analyse about his play style, it seemed that it was very aggressive. Rapidly developing his pieces, he tried to quickly build an attack against me. He showed no hesitation when it came to sacrificing pawns for a positional advantage.
I decided to contrast his style by playing defensively. His tactic relied on the opponent making a mistake that he could exploit. I made sure to play perfect moves so that I wouldn't accidentally give him an opening.
Due to his aggressiveness, as the game developed, he was losing in terms of material. After making several sacrifices, he still hadn't managed to break through. Since I didn't make any inaccuracies, he wasn't able to use his offensive positioning.
After a little while, we reached the endgame. I was up in terms of pieces, so it was pretty simple. I made some calculations and slowly whittled him down until it was clear that the game was over.
"I resign," he said.
The two of us shook hands before a teacher came over to verify the result.
I got out of my seat and walked around. It looked like my game was the second one to finish. Sasaki made his way to the spectator area after his loss. I assumed that I was just supposed to hang around until the beginning of the next match.
Fujiharu and Murakami's game was also finished.
After a little while, I decided to just sit back down silently and wait for the next game. I wasn't too interested in watching any of the other games anyways.
[Mizuhara Ayato Victory]
-
***
-
[Murakami Akio vs Fujiharu Sara]
Taking his seat, Murakami looked over at Fujiharu. She was holding her head in her hands, trying to hide the stress that was beginning to show on her face. In contrast, Murakami was completely calm, as if he showed no concern for the result.
His posture showed confidence, utter confidence.
The time hit 10:00 am.
Fujiharu began with C4, the English Opening. It was the opening that she was most familiar with and the one she revised the most beforehand.
Murakami responded with E5.
Then Fujiharu played Knight C3, the symmetrical variation of the English Opening.
After that, the two of them went down a very obscure line. It was no longer theory. However, Fujiharu had memorised the engine moves, allowing her to play the best move every time, at least for a few moves.
After a little while, Fujiharu began playing incredibly defensively. She repositioned her pieces, trying to slowly claw out a positional advantage, as was her general strategy.
However, like a computer, Murakami kept up the pressure. He didn't let her defences faze him, continuously playing risky yet calculated moves. Not only were his moves well-chosen, but he also managed to analyse the board and make decisions incredibly quickly--he had spent about half as much time as Fujiharu. After a little while, Fujiharu realised that her position was weakening.
In an attempt not to replicate what happened during her match against Kanako, Fujiharu went on the offensive, trying to attack his king. However, despite the fact that Murakami's king seemed vulnerable, all the paths to it seemed to be being watched. Like an owl, Murakami was able to keep an eye on every attack path without needing to commit pieces to defence.
As Fujiharu attacked, her defences only weakened further. Move after move, she began losing more material. Eventually, her king was completely exposed. A few checks later and it was all over. Bringing his knight over, Murakami was able to trap the already-cramped king.
"Checkmate."
Murakami stuck out his hand. Fujiharu froze for a moment before realising what had happened and shook his. Feeling dejected, Fujiharu slowly got up from her seat. She had been defeated once again.
"Well played," he said.
The teacher came over to check the result.
[Murakami Akio Victory]
***
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