Road to be the Best Chess Player in the World!-Chapter 532: The First Trophy!

"So, this is the trophy of the Prague Chess Festival, huh?" Master Susanto hummed, caressing the trophy that Sheva brought back home so carefully. "It is not that special, huh?" He snorted. However, his not-so-hidden envy was seen by everyone here.

"Oh, not that special? Then, don’t droll on it, Susanto!" Master Ervan exposed his friend cruelly. "Anyway, if you are done with it, give that to me! I want to see that as well!" He snatched the trophy without even waiting for the man to answer his question.

Sheva and Bagas just stared at them silently, somehow a little bit dumbfounded at how childish they were. Well, no one could blame those two veterans, though, as no Indonesian players had ever won any major international trophy before. No, there was one, when Irene managed to win the Asian Chess Championship for the women’s category in 2011 and 2013. However, after that, the Indonesian Chess Community suffered from a long drought, and it took about ten years before a genius like Sheva appeared out of nowhere and elevated the country’s level to a higher place.

So, yeah, while for Sheva, who had already won two, the Dubai Master one and the Tata Steel Challenger, this was not a big deal, but for the veterans like Master Susanto and Master Ervan, the trophy in front of them really represented the change of an era here.

"I have never thought that I would be able to see such a trophy going back to our country..." Master Ervan sighed in melancholy.

"Don’t be too surprised, Master Ervan, because Sheva will bring more, and even a more prestigious trophy in the future," Bagas said casually.

Usually, Sheva was quite resistant when Bagas was bragging about him. However, this time, he didn’t really mind about it, as it seemed Master Ervan needed to hear something like that. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Master Ervan himself just nodded simply, yet he didn’t deny Bagas’s declaration at all. Even though it was full of boasting, he really believed that Sheva’s ceiling was way higher than his current situation, and if he was lucky enough, the boy might be able to enter the 2700-ELO-rated club in the future.

"Anyway, enough of the depressing topic!" Master Susanto clapped his hands loudly, snapping them all from the somber thought. "Sheva, Bagas, how long do you plan to stay here?" He asked, trying to change the topic.

"Just until tomorrow, I guess." Sheva shrugged. "You only asked Mister Wahyu for a one-night trip, right?" He turned to Bagas.

"Yup! I am so exhausted and want nothing more than to go back home and hang out with my girlfriend." Bagas grinned goofily.

Susanto could only look at them with envy, especially at how easy it was for them to spend money. He himself also had a lot of sponsorships back in the day, but asking them for money was like a battle to the death.

’If only I had Mister Wahyu as my backer, I would’ve achieved something higher in my career...’ He grunted grumpily.

Master Ervan also noticed his expression, and he knew what his friend was thinking about. "What? You still think that you are better than Sheva, and the only reason you are stuck is that you don’t have a crazy-rich man as your backer? Don’t dream too much, Susanto. I know full well your quality in your prime, and you wouldn’t be able to touch even the corner of Sheva’s clothes." He whispered mockingly.

"Oh, shut up! At least, I am still better than you!" Master Susanto whispered back, getting irritated.

They started communicating in whispers, and both Sheva and Bagas just looked at their antics in silence, not knowing that they—or at least Sheva—were the ones who caused conflict to rise among those two veterans.

After waiting for a while, Sheva started yawning, the combination of him getting bored and exhausted. Even though the boy was asleep for most of the journey to be here, the exhaustion accumulated from the tournament still lingered in his shoulder, and in the warm weather like this, the only thing he wanted to do was to fall asleep on a comfy bed.

Fortunately, the wait was finally over ten minutes later, when a familiar face suddenly came out of the entrance door, having the biggest smile in the world.

"Devi! Here!" Sheva rose instantly, waving at one of his proteges who seemed to just finished her game inside the building.

Devi noticed him at first glance, and the smile beaming on her face got wider once again, so that Sheva was afraid it would hurt her facial muscles. "Brother Sheva!" She ran excitedly. "I won! I won the tournament!" She shouted like a little girl, not even caring about how loud she was.

"Psst... Devi, mind your volume, please..." Master Susanto hissed, apologizing to the people nearby.

The girl herself just rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, yet there was no regret on her face. No, she stared at Sheva with her big, round eyes, as if waiting for something. Knowing what the girl wanted to hear, Sheva couldn’t help but chuckle.

"So, you are the first one who secures your position for the top three, eh? And you have already won the tournament, nonetheless! Not bad, Devi! You really make me proud!" He praised the girl genuinely.

"Ehehehe... This is just what I should’ve done..." She blushed shyly, especially when Sheva rubbed the top of her head fondly.

Both Master Susanto and Master Ervan were speechless when they saw this. After accompanying the three teenagers for almost a week, they basically knew what the girl looked like, and when she was with the boys, she could be the strictest mother in the world, always scolding and nagging the boys to do anything she said. Now, to see her acting like a little girl...

"I am not dreaming, right?" Master Susanto whispered to his friend.

"No, because I also see the same thing here." Master Ervan whispered back with eyes widening in surprise. "How could her personality be this different? Should we ask her for a checkup at the hospital?"

Their conversation wasn’t that low in the first place, and hearing them talking about her like an alien, Devi couldn’t help but pout; her cheek bulged as she stomped the two veterans without hesitation. "Master Susanto, Master Ervan, you are so insensitive! How could your wife be happy with you?!"

"Hey, hey, no need to mention our married life, okay?"

"Also, just so you know, my wife is super happy! Where do you think our two children come from?"

"Ew! That’s gross!"

While they were bickering with each other, Bagas still kept his eyes on the entrance gate, watching as kids started to walk out of the building slowly, showing that all the games inside had already entered the final stage. After a while, his eyes widened as another familiar face popped up, and without hesitation, the boy waved, "Nayaka! Here!"

-Author’s note-

Hey, everyone! Thank you for supporting my story! I have written a new one with the hope of getting a contract for that story as well, the title is ’The Rise of the Iron Wall!’. It is a football story, so if you like, please give your support by adding it to your collection and giving your power stone to that story! Thanks!