Hans Niemann, the American prodigy, whose rating had been rising in the last couple of years. Unlike the Indian geniuses like Praggnanandhaa or Gukesh, who sometimes played exactly like a robot and moved with cutting-edge precision, Sheva could detect a hint of human sense in Hans's game. However, that didn't mean it was easier playing against him compared to the others.

If Sheva could describe Hans's playing style in one word, the closest one that resembled it was definitely madness. Yeah, the 19-year-old grandmaster often played like a lunatic, a hungry beast who was unleashed in the wild. It didn't always work, as sometimes, the bigger beast would bite him back before he could strike. However, the ferociousness the boy showed was always enough to overwhelm all of his opponents.

Honestly, Hans's playing style was what Sheva envisioned himself to be when he delved deeper into the chess world for the first time a few months ago. If not for Anna's reminder to keep everything balanced, he would definitely try to imitate the American grandmaster at some point. However, unlike his recklessness, Hans could also defend really well, so once things went south, he didn't have any problem backing down and avoiding defeat.

Still, if there was one thing Sheva appreciated the most about his next opponent, that would be Hans's desire to win in every game. Even though some might end up badly or at least a draw, he would always take the initiative to throw the punch first, turning the game into a wild west where it was either him killing or getting killed by the opponent. This was definitely Sheva's favorite approach compared to the boring positional battle where both players had to wait and see until the endgame just to settle for a draw.

Meanwhile, Claudia would also have a tough matchup in the last round of the tournament. She was paired against the veteran Indian IM, Tania Sachdev, who had also scored 5.5 points up until then. Even though Tania Sachdev's rating was just around 2392, just like Irene, the girl believed it couldn't reflect Tania's true ability. After all, it was common knowledge that the women players' rating often got nerfed because they didn't have a bigger platform to showcase their abilities, like in the open section. As for them joining the open section… Well, that would be another story for the future.

Still, the fact remained that Claudia would have to battle against a top women's player here. Fortunately, Tania Sachdev was a high-profile player in this sport, what with her side job as a famous host in almost all the top-rated tournaments like the Grand Chess Tour or something like that. This meant the collection of her games in the past should be pretty good in any chess database on the Internet, allowing Claudia to study her opponent in this short period before the ninth round began.

"Oh, well…" Sheva took a deep breath, leaning his body against the chair. He offered a mischievous smile to the puzzled Claudia who didn't know what he wanted to do, and then the boy said, "Since this is the last round of the tournament, let's have one last fun, okay?"

Claudia was stunned for a second, then let out a small snort as an answer. "You are such a joke, Sheva." Still, she didn't refuse his words. This was going to be their last day in Iceland, and she didn't know when she would have a chance to play in such a good tournament again. The girl had also achieved something that she had never expected here, a WGM norm. So, having already had a blast of a tournament, it seemed to be appropriate for her to have one last fun time before going home tomorrow.

With that kind of mentality, they both prepared themselves for another tough battle. However, since they only had one and a half hours to prepare, those two could only try to get a better look at their opponent's playing style. As for an appropriate strategy to overcome their opponents, they would have to think about it on the fly.

Time was ticking by quietly, and without anyone realizing, it was almost 2 P.M. already, which was the time when the last round would start. Fortunately, Bagas reminded them about the clock, or they would've been too engrossed with their own research to care about anything else. After a quick goodbye and a photo session with the owners of the Chinese restaurant—Good people, they were—the three teenagers finally took off, getting ready for the last battle.

"Good luck with your game, Boys! Girl!" The uncle shouted from afar. "Go and win your game!" He waved funnily with a wok in his hand.

"Don't forget to come here again next year!" The aunty also shouted, waving her hands at them. "We will give you a proper Chinese meal next time!"

"Thank you, Uncle! Aunty!" Claudia shouted back, feeling emotional. "Don't worry, we will be back next year!"

As they walked away from the restaurant and the sight of the old Chinese couples started to disappear from their sight, both Sheva and Claudia adjusted their mood quickly. Even though they were basically overachieving in this tournament, no one wanted to end their journey with a defeat, including them here.

As they arrived at the venue, it had already filled with people, and they both had to jostle their way through the crowd. Bagas himself had already separated himself from the group, going straight to the small area where all the journalists and broadcasters sat and analyzed the game.

In their journey, they also found Irene chatting with her acquaintance, which, surprisingly enough, was Eric Rosen, the famous IM from America and a male streamer whose popularity was probably only second to Levy Rozman, the GothamChess himself. Both Sheva and Claudia just gave them a polite nod, not wanting to interrupt their little reunion here.

"So, where are you going to play?" Sheva asked, navigating his way through the crowd.

"Table 16," Claudia answered shortly, holding the corner of Sheva's jacket so that they wouldn't get separated here. "What about you?"

"Table four," Sheva answered.

Claudia stopped for a moment, turning her eyes to look at Sheva's expression. Even though she couldn't see it clearly, the girl noticed the shit-eating grin plastered on Sheva's face, and she couldn't help but pout. It would be a lie if she said she wasn't jealous. After all, table 1 to table 5 were the ones where most of the attention was on. Still, Claudia had to admit that the boy deserved this, so she could only say one sentence here.

"Don't embarrass yourself, okay?"

"Who do you think I am?" Sheva replied with a snort. As they arrived at the table where Claudia was assigned to, He offered a fist bump to the girl and said his parting words here. "Good luck, okay?"

The girl nodded, returning the fist bump and said, "You too."

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