'System, please, scan her stats.' Sheva muttered inwardly.

[DING! The scan is successful!]

[Name: Aulia Medina Warda]

Attacking 79

Defense 75

Calculation 77

Strategy 77

Intuition 74

Time management 71

Well, while none of her stats crossed 80, the threshold of GM's skill, Medina definitely stood at the peak of the IM stage. It was clear that she was an all-arounder, a player who was good at almost everything. However, the low time management stats also gave Sheva an idea that she shouldn't be as good in blitz compared to her normal state.

"Are we going to play a blitz game?" Sheva couldn't help but ask, feeling the need to confirm about this first.

"Yes, 3+2 just like your game against Novendra." Medina nodded immediately. "Are you ready?" She asked, her tone slightly impatient. It seemed that Medina couldn't wait to give him a lesson, which was understandable after Sheva's arrogant remark.

"I am going to play with white?" Sheva asked once again.

"Sure, I will give you that," Medina answered. "This way, you don't have any excuse after losing against me. Oh, no, you have one. You can just hide behind the fact that you are tired after playing against Novendra. How is it? Am I kind enough to help you think of an excuse like that?" She smiled sweetly, too sweet to Sheva's liking.

Sheva felt the corner of his mouth twitching once again. This was definitely an unexpected development. He had never expected the quiet and aloof woman in front of him to have such a vicious mouth.

Still…

"Then, please have mercy on your junior, Sister Medina." Sheva returned the favor with the same fake sweet smile on his face. "After all, I still have to give face to my seniors, right? It would be bad if news came out that a rookie like me is able to get out unscathed after playing against two top players of the country, right?"

Priasmoro Novendra choked after he heard that, glaring immediately at Sheva after he caught a stray out of nowhere. Sheva himself just gave the woman the same sweet smile, knowing that it was enough to infuriate her. After the win in the last game, his momentum was great, so there was no way in hell the boy would back down in a banter battle.

True enough, he could see the woman clench her fist tightly, showing that his words were enough to shake off her balance. In the end, she took a deep breath before saying, "Well, let's start the game first."

"Sure." Sheva nodded before moving his E pawn two squares forward.

Right after that, those two blitzed their way through the opening exactly the same way as the last game had gone on. However, Medina didn't have any intention to be timid and wait patiently in the back. No, she wanted to win, and the woman showed her intention from the beginning of the game by pulling out the Sicilian Defense, probably the most aggressive and versatile opening to play against the King's Pawn Opening.

At first glance, it looked like they would play a normal modern line of the Sicilian defense. However, in the fifth move, Medina suddenly pushed her A pawn one square forward sneakily. This was an attempt to prevent Sheva's light bishop from giving a check and got developed into a good square. Coincidentally enough, this was the initiation of the Najdorf variation, probably one of the most popular, reputable, and deeply studied of all chess openings.

The reason why this variation could be regarded that high was because it often led to a rich variety of pawn structures and tactical themes, giving Black dynamic counterplay opportunities. Its flexibility and complexity have made it a favorite among top-level players, as it offers both solid defensive options and aggressive attacking chances, often leading to sharp and complex positions that test both players' strategic understanding.

Many legendary grandmasters, including Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, and Magnus Carlsen, have employed the Najdorf to create unbalanced, fighting games that often lead to decisive victories or deeply strategic battles.

Sheva himself was unfazed by this choice of opening. He had been studying a lot of mainstream openings in the world, and this was just one of them. The boy didn't even blink or take his time, sliding his pieces from one square to another flawlessly. Somehow, this surprised Medina a little bit, not expecting that the boy would be so well-versed in this opening.

'I know he played against the Sicilian Defense a lot in the past, but to think that he could pull the exact theoretical moves up to the first 13th move… He sure is a talented one as what the news portrayed him to be, huh?'

Indeed, thirteen moves had already passed in this game, and yet, none of them had spent their time thinking about it. Hell, if anything, with the increment in this format, their current time even passed 3:30, half a minute longer compared to the initial time control.

As for how Medina knew exactly that this was the 13th move… Well, they played exactly the main line of the variation, and she herself also remembered this line flawlessly. She knew exactly when they would leave the theory line and started to play the real game, and they should be just two moves away from this.

However, it was clear that Medina didn't want to follow the theoretical line. She was experienced enough with the Najdorf variation to know exactly where this main line would lead the game, and in this case, the woman wanted to go for another route. Instead of exchanging Sheva's knight that was in a very active square with her weak bishop, she opted to take back the bishop to the seventh rank, allowing Sheva to push forward and put more pressure on the kingside.

However, the evaluation bar dropped instantly, and the computer gave +1.0 eval for Sheva's advantage. Yeah, her last move was deemed to be a blunder, as right now, Sheva's attack would be able to overwhelm her defense. Hell, this made it even harder for Medina to put her king into safety, as both kingside and queenside were already pried open by Sheva.

It seemed the boy also noticed that, as he couldn't help but mutter, "A blunder? Thank you for your mercy, Sister."

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