Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!

On the board, Laysa herself also noticed that she gained a massive advantage and was closer to winning more than ever in this game. Her legs started shaking under the table, as her nervousness also took over her mind. The girl didn't even notice that she started biting her lips hard, and if she was not careful enough, she would be bleeding on the spot and would have to be carried to the medical team outside the venue.

It was a rare occasion, but definitely a possible one, and if something like that happened, Laysa would never forgive herself for ruining her own momentum due to her own stupidity.

'Her king is already out of the protection, so I just need to strip off all of the pieces that could block my way. Should I let my knight jump twice so that I could offer a knight exchange? Wait, what about sac my knight to lure her king further away from its own territory? Take that pawn on G6, then give a check with my H pawn, and that king is going to be forced either back to the seventh rank or further to the fifth rank. Still… Then… What?'

The girl calculated numerous lines in her head, trying to devise the best plan possible from this situation. Yeah, this was the problem with playing against a strong player. It was one thing to get an early advantage, but capitalizing on it was definitely another matter. It would only take her one slip, and all of her advantage could disappear in a snap. Hell, that was probably the best scenario; if she weren't that lucky, it would be Vaishali who would chase her back. No,

Laysa couldn't take that risk because she knew that the girl in front of her would definitely be able to catch her mistake immediately. So, after thinking for another ten minutes, the girl finally decided against sacrificing her knight unnecessarily. Even if she knew that it was the best move recommended by the computer engine, the girl would still never choose to do that, knowing that she couldn't afford to take that risk.

"Well, this isn't like Laysa, whom I know." Anna frowned, feeling like something was amiss. "I have been playing against her so many times, and I know for a fact that she could be all things, but cautious was never in her dictionary. What could possibly be wrong here that makes her avoid the knight sacrifice when she has a choice to do that?"

Indeed, Anna knew her friend/rival so well, and normally, when a chance to sacrifice a knight like this appeared, the girl would never miss that. Of course, there was a possibility that Laysa didn't see that tactic. However, Anna would never believe something so ridiculous like that. No, she was probably the one who knew the best about how keen Laysa's eyes were when it came to spotting a tactical move like this, so there was no way Laysa didn't see that.

"You forget how high the stakes of this game, Anna…" Sheva smiled wryly. "Laysa might be a beast during the training camp or any other tournament, but this is the Olympiad that we are talking about, and she also represents the country here, not just for herself. The pressure is too great, that even if it were me, I would never dare to make such a bold move like that if I wasn't 1000 percent sure about the outcome."

Anna also nodded in understanding, feeling like this was something that was easy to explain. The girl also saw that Vaishali approached the position with the same mindset earlier, not wanting to take a risk by advancing the G pawn too far without giving it any support first. However, after thinking about it carefully, Anna paused, then turned her head at Sheva immediately with utter speechlessness written on her face.

"What?" Sheva asked innocently.

"You liar!" Anna accused him immediately. However, anyone could hear that there was no heat in her tone. "You said that you would never dare to make such a bold move in the Olympiad? Don't think that I haven't seen your game against Wojciech Moranda yesterday! You put yourself in danger just to lure GM Moranda deep into your territory! Hypocrite!"

"Ah, really?!" Sheva said in a faux surprise. However, a goofy grin suddenly formed on his face, enough to make Anna flustered. "Well, you get me there! Hehe…"

Hilda99: Damn! They must be dating at this point! I tell you that!

KillianMp007: MF really sprays us dog food in a live broadcast… Fucking hell!

Jorogen135: I am so fucking jealous! Aaargh!

Bagas and Sarah could only stare at their two friends speechlessly, not expecting them to act like this in front of the camera. Well, considering that they were still in the honeymoon period where everything around them could be a weapon to make their couple flustered, this seemed to be pretty normal for those two. However, they did that in the middle of a broadcast for the highest-level tournament in the chess world!

"Anyway!" Bagas coughed, smiling wryly as he also pinched Sheva's thigh under the table. "Let's get back to the business! Right now, Laysa is winning, so what do you think she should do to maximize that advantage?"

Fortunately, Anna realized that this was not an appropriate place to joke around with Sheva, so the girl coughed a little to change the mood before finally answering, "I think the best thing for her to do right now is to not make a mistake."

"Indeed, that is definitely what Laysa should do." Sheva also nodded in approval. "Most of the players, once they get an advantage, would start to lose their patience and want to rush things. No, that would be suicidal for them, because attacking with that mindset will only make them sloppy. What she needs to do is to consolidate her position first, be patient, and be wary about the counterplay that her opponent is about to set."

Unfortunately, Laysa was also included in most of the players that Sheva had just said on the live streaming. The girl was eager to advance things that she miscalculated. Even with 14 minutes on the clock, the girl pushed her pawn forward without thinking, believing that this was the best move in her position. However, if anything, that was probably one of the worst moves that she could pull off, as right after that, the evaluation bar moved down immediately, showing 0.00 for the evaluation.

The game was back to a draw, and Laysa's winning chance seemed to slip from her grasp.