Chapter 88: Arfan’s Preparation
Meanwhile, far from the venue, in a small restaurant near a bustling street, two of the star players of the tournament, Grandmaster Priasmoro Novendra and Aditya Bagus Arfan, sat together while also enjoying their lunch. Yeah, it was not a secret that Master Priasmoro was Arfan’s coach. That was why whenever they played in the same tournament, the GM would help the boy prepare for his next game, including helping him review his next opponent.
"So, your next opponent is the recent superstar from the old man Irfan’s club, a genius who appeared out of nowhere and could be compared to you." Master Priasmoro said while trying to compile Sheva’s data on his laptop. "He has a knack for peculiar openings like the Evans Gambit or the King’s Gambit, so be ready to get caught off guard by him. Also—"
YOU HAVE SLAIN YOUR ENEMY!
A thick vein popped on the GM’s forehead when he saw the boy in front of him didn’t even put in an effort to pay attention here. Yeah, instead of focusing on preparing himself for the next game, Arfan chose to relax and play something on his phone. Hell, he didn’t even take a glance at Master Priasmoro, completely immersed in his own world.
"Can you get a little bit serious for one moment?!" Master Priasmoro finally snapped, snatching the phone out of Arfan’s hand.
"Eh?! No! Old Man, give it back! My team is about to win the match!" Arfan panicked, which only infuriated his teacher more.
"First, your father has been telling me that I should keep an eye on you, since you have gotten addicted to this game recently, so no game for now." He stated firmly, closing the game abruptly, much to Arfan’s desperation. "Also, who do you call an old man, you midget! I am just 22! I am still at my prime, you know?!"
"Well, tell that to your stupid beard!"
"Ha?! Say that again?!"
They just glared at each other childishly, and just by the look of them, like this, no one would believe that they were two of the most talented players in the country. In the end, Arfan just huffed while mumbling with a low voice, yet not low enough so that Master Priasmoro could still hear it. "You should’ve just thought about yourself first, Old Man. I mean, you are just one spot above the rock bottom, you know?"
Master Priasmoro felt his eyebrows twitching when he heard that. Still, he knew that Arfan was right. His performance in this tournament was definitely abysmal. Out of the first five games that he played, he had three draw results and got defeated twice, resulting in him only getting 1.5 points out of the five rounds. He was just half a point away from Anna, and the girl was his next opponent later. A single defeat would drag him to the bottom of the table instantly, an embarrassing feat that he had never experienced before.
"Bah! Don’t worry about me!" The man shook his head quickly, dismissing the concern from his head as quickly as possible before it could affect his mentality too much. "Also, while she is talented, her ability is still not there yet. There is no way that I would be beaten by her."
Yeah, even though Master Priasmoro acknowledged that Anna was a talented player, he still didn’t see her as a real opponent. In his mind, her hype was forced by the media, but in reality, she was still a few steps behind all the top players in the country. Hell, he even felt that Arfan was better than her, but she only got her hype now because of the women’s title, and she got more chances to go abroad than the boy. Master Priasmoro believed that Arfan would pass her sooner or later, and just like any other talented women players in the past, Anna’s name would be drowned in the stream of history too.
"Anyway, back to your opponent—"
"Adrian Sheva, right?" Arfan interrupted before his coach explained more. "17 years old, an aggressive player, likes to pull a peculiar opening, has a little patience, always makes a strange move around the move 15th or 16th, cannot stand a long and boring game, but has a sharp tactical awareness. The recommended way to face him is to go for either a complicated game or a quick exchange variation that will lead into a simple endgame and never engage in a confrontational battle. Am I missing something?"
"..."
Master Priasmoro was dumbfounded when he heard how Arfan peeled off everything about Sheva’s playing style in one breath. It seemed that even he himself still underestimated his protegee, as he still thought that Arfan was just a brash and arrogant boy after he had had a few good tournaments in the past.
"What? You think that I will underestimate my opponent just because I think I am better?" Arfan stared at his coach in disdain as he caught the man off-handedly. "I might be arrogant, but I am not stupid. Genius is not a cheap title that anyone could wear easily, so when a player is dubbed by the media with that, no matter how ridiculous it is, I am still paying attention, you know?"
"... Well, if you paid attention, at least give me a hint, okay?!" Master Priasmoro retorted, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Now, I look stupid here, worrying over nothing!" He grumbled grumpily, eliciting a snort from the boy.
"Honestly, I don’t even know why you are worried about me," Arfan said, stretching his stiff body. "I am more mature than you thought, you know? I am not a little boy anymore, so treat me with a little bit of respect, please. Also, can you give back my phone?"
Master Priasmoro snorted at his hopeful gaze before giving back the phone. Arfan’s eyes lit up instantly, catching it before he checked his game earlier. Seeing him like this, the GM didn’t know what to say, feeling like it was wrong to trust the immature boy in front of him.
Still...
"Don’t you dare come back without a win, you got it?" He said firmly. "With all of your big talk here, I will never forgive you if somehow, Master Irfan’s protege is able to get into you. So, don’t play around and kill him as quickly as possible, okay?"
Arfan blinked his eyes repeatedly for a moment before letting out a short laugh. "Don’t worry, Old Man. I have already planned to do so. Just wait for the good news, okay?"