Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!

It was almost noon, yet the weather was still quite chilly in Reykjavik. The sun hung straight above them, yet it didn't give the scorching feeling that they usually felt in Jakarta. Honestly, if this were the regular weather for this city, Sheva would think that this was the best city to live in.

Unfortunately, he knew that this was only because it was spring. Once winter came… He didn't want to imagine living in temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius. No, that was too insane for him.

After having a shopping spree for more than two hours, both Sheva and Claudia arrive at the airport. It was strange, though, since their belongings were still at the hotel. Not having anything to bring to the airport was definitely something new for Sheva.

They walked faster to get to the café that Bagas said, not wanting to keep their friends waiting for too long. Soon, they arrived at a small yet comfortable building, and the ambience there was definitely the best for people to spend their waiting time at the airport. Sheva had to give his best friend a hat off for his thoughtfulness here.

Once they went in, those two teenagers noticed Bagas and Irene's presence immediately. Those two were sitting close to the windows, not wanting to disturb the café with their chatter. However, to Sheva's surprise, he found two more people already sitting next to them, and somehow, he felt a little bit familiar with those two.

'Hmmm… I wonder if they are the people I know about or not…'

It was Claudia who reacted first. She was also surprised to see the two new people there, but the girl recognized their identity almost in a heartbeat. "Master Sergei? Sister Sabrina? You are finally here?!" She exclaimed in a happy surprise.

Yeah, the two strangers who were chatting with Bagas and Irene were Sergei Azarov, the teacher that Irfan found for the three teenagers, and his wife, Sabrina Anashkin. Somehow, Sheva didn't recognize their faces after meeting so many strangers from all around the world this week, and he also forgot that the old Belarusian grandmaster had already promised that he would come here.

"My sweet Claudia! It is good to see you here!" Sabrina, being kind and gentle as she usually showed during their online meeting, greeted Claudia enthusiastically, engulfing the little girl in a bear hug. Then, she turned around at Sheva—who somehow had a bad feeling out of nowhere—and made an invitation gesture to join the hug. "Come here, Sheva! Don't be embarrassed."

"Ah! Urgh…. Never mind, Sister Sabrina… Let's keep it this way…" Sheva said awkwardly, glaring at Bagas, who was snickering at him. Then, he noticed Sergei's flustered state and couldn't help but ask, "Is he drunk already? Is that even allowed at the airport?"

For that, Sabrina just let out a defeated sigh, staring at her husband in a dissatisfied manner. "He has been like this since his teenage years, always having the urge for vodka whenever he steps on solid ground again after a long flight. Don't worry, though, he knows his limit. I will ensure that he won't take more than one shot at the airport. It would be troublesome if the security team found him to be drunk here."

Sheva had a sweatdrop on his face when he heard the answer. 'The problem should be that he takes it at the airport, not the amount he takes, right?' Of course, he wouldn't say it out loud. Still, the boy couldn't help but look at his 'unreliable' teacher warily.

"What, Boy?" Sergei narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly noticing his hostile gaze. Even though his face was red due to his drunk state, it seemed that his senses were still sharp. "Don't think jus' because you have a good tournament, dat you can disgust me like zat, Boy!"

Yeah, the man was completely drunk. Not only did his accent slip, but he also daydreamed here. Sheva didn't even do anything, yet he got a random shot from the man. It seemed that Sabrina also had enough of her husband's antics. She dragged the man forcefully, not even saying anything before they both went to the closest washroom. They left the four Indonesians alone, staring at each other awkwardly.

Then, a moment later, the couple was back, and Sergei looked like he was more sober than ever. It was just… His entire upper part of his body—from the neck above—was so wet, as if someone had just dunked him in a pool. This sight was so out of place, especially at the airport where they were currently in. Everyone looked at each other awkwardly, then turned around at Sabrina, whose smile was still angelic as before. However, the dark aura surrounding her was enough to tell them all that while she was gentle, the older woman was definitely not someone they could mess with at all.

"Sorry, everyone. That is a horrible display for me." Sergei coughed; his voice was raspy. He also ignored his messy appearance, taking a seat once again as if there was nothing wrong with him. "Anyway, Sheva! Good job doing your best in your tournament! Everyone is always talking about your game against Idani Pouya, and I am sure you are tired of hearing that already. Instead, I will talk about your last game against Hans Nieamann, which not a lot of people talk about yet. Your resilience and defensive resourcefulness really impress me. It is rare for a new player to achieve something like that this quickly. It is unfortunate that you couldn't show that against Gukesh, but it is what it is. I cannot expect you to always come with a miracle in every game, right?"

"Claudia! Your first game against that Icelandic IM was good! You are always better when playing a slow and positional game, and you really showed your potential at that time! However, I took notice of a few things here, for example…"

"Irene, honestly, I don't even need to comment on your game, as you should've known how horrible your performance was, right? Still, I have some advice for you, and that is…"

The three Indonesian players listened to Sergei's evaluation of their results in the tournament, not even blinking their eyes in fear that they would miss something. Even though Sergei was a drunkard, when he was sober, his ability to analyze the game and his attention to detail were top-notch, and it helped them realize a few blind spots that they missed and could improve in the future.

This was really the advantage of having a good coach in one's career.

"Anyway, you three are entering the Olympiad team of your country, right?" Sergei suddenly asked, taking a glass of water to relieve his thirst.

Both Sheva and Irene nodded as they had already qualified for that, while Claudia pouted slightly as she was so close to the ELO rating threshold that Irfan set for her. "Not yet, Master. I am currently still 2233, and Master Irfan said that I should try to raise my rating to 2250 first before I get accepted into the team."

Sergei nodded in understanding, clearly knowing how the system worked. "Well, with your ability, it would be easy for you to reach that point. Just find a small tournament close to Indonesia and try not to lose any game there, and I am sure that you will pass that threshold soon."

Claudia could only nod begrudgingly, knowing that Sergei was right here.

"Anyway, I have one more good news for you guys!" Sergei suddenly announced, making all the people there look at him curiously. A small smile curled on his face, satisfied with the gazes he received before he continued, "One month from now, I will be going to your country to help you guys prepare for the Olympiad next July! So, be prepared for me, okay?!"