Rematch!!!

"Hey!!! Rematch!!!"

The next day.

The exhibition match against Jansen was scheduled for two games of rapid chess with no increment—a "No Fischer" format.

It was decided that the match would take place right on the finals stage of the Korean Junior Chess Championship.

Seoyeon's family, Jihou, and Miha gathered in the players' waiting room.

"Mr. Kwon, is this Jansen guy really that strong? Is he better than our Seoyeon?"

Sujin tilted her head in curiosity.

"That goes without saying. If I may be so bold, he is the strongest player in history."

"Whadya say?"

Seoyeon glared at him.

Her eyes narrowed sharply.

"...Well, he is definitely in the top three of all time, alongside James Fischer and Garry Kasparov."

"Fine."

Magnus Jansen, the 16th World Chess Champion.

Born in Norway, it was safe to say his reign as World Champion was never truly threatened until he voluntarily abdicated the throne.

He was fully deserving of the title of the statistically strongest player in history, having achieved the highest rating in chess history at 2882.

His only weaknesses, if they could even be called that, were occasional time management slip-ups once every few dozen games, and criticism that his desire for victory was sometimes too excessive.

Alongside Garry Kasparov, who ruled for fifteen years, and James Fischer, who held the largest rating gap over second place in history, Jansen was an absolute powerhouse who was never left out of the chess GOAT debate.

Indeed...

He was the perfect opponent for the reincarnated James Fischer!

"Seoyeon, did you study the materials I gave you?"

Once the quarterfinals bracket had been finalized, Jihou had realized that none of the other kids stood a chance against Seoyeon or Miha. Thus, he had prepared detailed game analyses and tactical notes specifically tailored for facing Jansen.

Of course, even as he compiled the data, Jihou had wondered, Isn't this a bit much for an exhibition match? and Is there even any point in analyzing the weaknesses of a player who has none? But in the end, he had stubbornly pushed through and prepared it anyway.

Even though it was just an exhibition match, and a rapid one at that, he hoped that showing a proper game against Jansen on his first visit to Korea would save the face of Korean chess.

Seoyeon's opponent is Magnus Jansen. He's a superstar that any modern chess player would dream of playing at least once.

"The materials? I looked at all of it! Jansen's pretty good, I guess."

Seoyeon remained completely unfazed, even with the world's strongest player right in front of her.

She acknowledged Jansen's genius, but there was no way Fischer would be intimidated by a brat whose playstyle had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been corrupted by computers, devoid of true creativity.

I sat down in my chair with a solemn heart.

To think the day would come when I would face a world-class player across the board once again!

Hehehe.

Coincidentally, we both had massive fallouts with our respective chess federations and threw away our champion titles with our own hands, didn't we, Jansen?

Let's see what you've got.

"Um, yes... Seoyeon. I believe we can begin the match. An Seoyeon will play White, and Magnus Jansen will play Black."

"Huh? But he's not even here yet!"

The seat opposite me was completely empty.

Did he go to the bathroom?

"Magnus Jansen just sent word that he will be seated within a minute, so he asked us to start the game."

Tsk! What a buzzkill.

How dare he be late to a sacred match.

"Since we also have a schedule to keep... we will begin the match now, as requested by Jansen!"

Ahem.

What should I gift the strongest player of this era for our historic first game?

It has to be this, of course.

e4!!

I showed you some respect, you noob in jeans!

Now, hurry up and get over here. Your time is ticking away.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Five minutes passed after that.

The chair opposite me remained empty.

Did Jansen clog the toilet or something? He still hadn't shown up.

"...Did he die?"

I raised my hand and called the arbiter.

"Mr. Arbiter! My opponent isn't here."

"Ah, indeed. We've been trying to contact him as well... Oh! There he comes."

The guy in jeans came waddling over and finally sat down.

This... insolent brat!

Is he taking this lightly just because it's an exhibition match?

You disrespectful punk.

Are you trying to insult me?

Snap!

I could practically hear the sound of my concentration snapping!

"Hmph!"

"I heard there was a good janchi-guksu place nearby. A Korean noodle spot. I ran over to grab a quick bite. It was amazing for three dollars. I'm jealous you get to eat stuff like that all the time."

"Just make your move already!"

I barely restrained myself from flipping the board. I was being incredibly generous.

If this were my past life, I would have—!

"Hahaha! Sorry, sorry."

Scratching the back of his head, he moved a pawn.

c5. The Sicilian Defense.

"Pfft. ♥"

It was only the first move, yet he had less than forty percent of his time left. And he chose an opening that I knew inside out?

What an idiot.

I'm going to crush him so hard he won't even be able to breathe!

Clack!

...Or so I thought.

This guy in jeans was no joke.

I thought I had an easy win because of the time advantage, but he ruthlessly exploited my slightly imprecise position.

I somehow managed to keep the position equal heading into the late game, but his endgame technique was a cut above what I had anticipated.

He really is as strong as they say.

They said he was a madman who could conjure wins out of thin air, converting endgames that even the latest chess engines evaluated as dead draws.

But I... am no slouch at endgames either!

Clack, clack.

"Tsk...!"

The game transitioned into a rook endgame.

Each of us had a rook and three pawns.

The material was equal, but his pawn structure and rook activity were a fraction of a hair better.

And between top-tier players like us, that microscopic difference decides the game.

Rg3.

My hands and feet were trembling...

I can't take his b-file pawn with my c-file pawn. No matter what I do, his king and f-pawn will shepherd the e-pawn forward, and I can't stop it.

I lost.

There's no way to win.

Whoosh!

"Kyaah!"

I grabbed my white king and flung it toward the spectator seats.

My face burning all the way to the back of my ears, I clutched my twin tails in frustration.

I was so mad I felt like I was going to explode.

Why?

It was just a friendly match.

A rapid game with no increment.

There was no title on the line, no rating points to lose.

It was just an exhibition, yet my chest felt like it was on fire.

Because I lost?

Yes.

Because I lost.

Why did I lose?

Was it because I let my guard down?

It was true that I looked down on him a bit when he showed up late and wasted his own time.

But I hadn't let my guard down for a single millisecond during the endgame.

He had won even after giving me a massive time advantage.

Because that guy in jeans played better than me!

There wasn't even an excuse!

I've never suffered such a humiliating defeat in my entire life.

W-W-What?!

"Exactly as expected"?!

I wanted to knock him down a peg, but this is so humiliating!

"Good game, Little Fischer."

He offered his hand.

"Ugh..."

My face burning, I hung my head and gave him a humiliating handshake.

Don't look at me like that, you noob!

There was still one game left, but...

I am Fischer.

No matter if my opponent is on drugs or has memorized the entire computer database, I am the one who must stand at the top in the end.

"Good work. In one hour—"

"Seoyeon? The next game is—"

People were saying things to me, but I didn't look back. I ran straight to the waiting room and locked myself inside.

"Dyu..."

I stared at the wall alone for about thirty minutes.

"Waaaaah!"

I burst into tears!

I couldn't hold them back at all.

That bearded guy had said it.

That even if Fischer came back today, he wouldn't stand a chance against a modern Super GM trained by engines.

Was that true?

What if, no matter how hard I try, I can never beat him and can never be the "best"?

"Damn it, damn it. Ugh... For Fischer to be outplayed in the endgame...!"

My head hurts.

If I can't be the best, I might end up staring at a yellow ceiling until I die, just like in my past life...!

What if a secret society of bad guys comes to get me?

All kinds of negative thoughts flooded my mind.

The voice and accent were slightly different, but I was hearing auditory hallucinations just like in my past life...!

"I... I always have to be the best... What do I do?"

The hallucinations were making all sorts of terrible thoughts spiral.

What if this is all a dream?

What if I'm still James Fischer lying on that hospital bed, and this life as An Seoyeon is just a delusion born of my misery?

Aaaah, stop it!

Woof! Woof!

The barking of a dog shattered the hallucinations.

"W-What?"

Pant, pant, pant!

The owner of that brave voice was Ippo.

"Ippo! How are you here?"

"Seomi brought him during the match. Since there are no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spectators today, they said pets are allowed. Ippo wanted to cheer you on too."

Miha-unni was holding Ippo in her arms.

Mom and Seomi-unni followed right behind her.

"Seoyeon, why did you run off without answering when we called you?"

"We were so worried something happened."

Mom hugged me tight.

Wait, what?

Even though I lost like a total noob, my family doesn't care at all?

Then, what about Miha-unni?

The strongest?

Miha-unni actually knows chess.

She saw that game and still thinks that?

"Miha-unni... I lost."

"I saw. It's Jansen, after all. He's incredibly strong."

Miha-unni chuckled.

"Why are you acting like this over just one game? No matter how strong he is, Seoyeon-sensei will win the next one. You're the strongest in the universe!"

Looking at the three of them, my mind suddenly cleared.

Had I been having pathetic delusions all this time?

Does that mean the auditory hallucinations and delusions that tortured me in my past life were all fake too...?

"It's okay if you lose a hundred times, just go out there and have fun. Mom will be cheering for you, Seoyeon!"

It's okay to lose?

I hadn't thought of that.

I appreciate the sentiment, but...

"Okay. I'll go have fun."

Because what I find most fun is absolutely crushing my opponent on the chessboard!

"You're early this time, little boy!"

"Oh, your face looks different than before. Can I expect more from this game? ...Sir?"

The second game against the strongest player of the modern era.

And the result?