Chapter 203: The Last Game of the Tournament
’This is it...’ Anna took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind before the decisive game started. The tension on her shoulder would always be there for the rest of the game, yet the girl didn’t want it to disappear. No, she enjoyed this feeling of getting so close to the goal she wanted to reach, and she wanted her body to remember this feeling as well. ’One more obstacle, and I will be able to stand next to him. Just wait, Sheva... This time, it would be me who is chasing you!’
Facing the fierce gaze from Anna, though, Medina didn’t show any reaction. No, she still had the stone-cold expression, not even bothering to respond to this silent provocation. However, even though she was the least expressive player in this tournament, no one dared to underestimate or even associate her style with timid or easy to deal with. No, if anything, Medina was the most dangerous and unpredictable player in this game.
In total, out of five games that she played, the woman always went for an aggressive line, wanting to gain a massive advantage even from the beginning of the game. While yes, she got three draws and one defeat with only one win on her bag, that was because she failed to capitalize on it all in the endgame. However, in all of those games, Medina would always have at least a +2 advantage over her opponent at one point, showing how her style was good enough to overwhelm her opponent to death.
Anna herself could still remember what happened during their game in the third round. At that time, if not for Medina’s mistake in the move order that led Anna to force a draw, the woman would’ve won the game in an absolute manner, and the tournament would have gone in a completely different way. Although in the end, the final result was a draw, the girl didn’t want to repeat a similar roller coaster experience again.
’No, I don’t need to rush things here.’ Anna took a deep breath once again, reminding herself over and over. ’Just use the most boring and ordinary opening ever, exchange all the pieces, and try to force a quick draw. I can do this!’
Right as the alarm rang that signalled the game to begin, Medina didn’t waste her time, blitzing her way through the opening stage. Anna also followed her all along, returning the favor pretty quickly. Just like she envisioned, though, the girl went for a boring opening that would often lead to a draw result. She pulled the French Defense, aiming to bore the woman in front of her to death.
’Come on, Sister Medina... Don’t be stubborn, just accept my draw, please...’
Of course, Medina wouldn’t do so. She was also in need of a win right now, as this was the only chance for the woman to get the number spot in this tournament. Hell, even winning wouldn’t really ensure her first spot, as if Irene also won the game against Claudia, it would be Irene who got the first place. However, winning was still important, so Medina would never go for a conservative game here.
Both players moved so fast, with Anna showing her intention for a quick draw since the beginning of the game. Well, it seemed that she was a bit too eager here. The girl wanted to exchange all the pieces as quickly as possible, even to the point that she put her own knight on the H6, the edge of the board. She forgot one thing that Sergei emphasized on the knight’s development.
"Knight on the rim is dim."
That was a short and straightforward lesson that told her and any other player that a knight on the edge of the board was always a bad idea. However, what made the move worse for Anna wasn’t just that, but the fact that she forced an exchange with only a pawn protecting the knight, which resulted in a doubled-pawn and an open file on her kingside. This would prevent her from castling to that side forever, which meant Anna would never be able to put her king on safety, as she had already advanced all the pieces on her queenside forward, leaving no protection on that side.
However, that was it.
Even though Medina had a slight—a very slight—better position, there was not a lot that she could do here. This was just the nature of the French Defense in the modern era; everything could be calculated to a draw game easily. This time, Anna treated everything carefully, not even making a single mistake that would lead to her downfall.
Medina bit her lips nervously at the current position, somehow feeling frustrated about everything she saw on the board. Almost all the pieces were gone in the last few exchanges, leaving her with just two rooks and a light bishop. Anna was also in the same situation, but for the one who only needed a draw result, the girl didn’t mind this position at all. Hell, she even hoped that Medina wouldn’t be able to do anything here, as Anna was already one step closer to the finish line right now.
’Come on, Sister Medina... This is a draw game, just accept it...’ Anna felt the nerves start to get to her head. She tried to maintain her composure, but the shaking legs behind the table were a big clue about what kind of a mess was inside her head right now. ’Come on... I can do this...’
Even though the game itself was anticlimactic with almost no action here, the fact that this was the biggest game of the tournament was enough to gain the others’ attention. They were all also surprised to see Anna thriving here. Not that they doubted her ability, but in the stage where two legendary players, Irene and Medina, were in, not a single sane person would be optimistic about her.
Well... That just meant Sheva was far from being sane, right?
’Yeah, nice one, Anna!’ The boy clenched his fist when he saw another exchange happen. Just force another rook exchange and turn the game into the bishop endgame one, then a draw would already be in your bag! Just stay patient and don’t rush!’
He was probably one of the only two people here, along with Bagas, who were invested in Anna and Claudia’s games since they were friends, so this was definitely the best result that the boys could hope for. Then, a few moves later, when Medina finally sighed in resignation and offered a draw, those two turned at each other, and even without speaking it out loud, the boys could know what the other thought in that moment.
’Yeah! She gets it in her bag!’