Chapter 202 Lightspring Maneuver
Arielle nodded politely at Everett. “Hello, I am Arielle and I’m looking forward to playing against you.”
However, Arielle was surprised when Everett only responded with an arrogant nod. After that, he took his leave from Vinson and headed toward his chess table.
Arielle had just been disrespected by her student’s student.
This feels… weird.
“Don’t take it personally.” Worried that she was offended, Vinson explained, “Mr. Eakins is a chess fanatic and only respects those who are good at it. If not for the fact that I’m a chess player, he wouldn’t be talking to me too, not to mention you.”
Arielle’s mind was put at ease having heard Vinson’s reassurances.
Nodding, she replied with a smile, “I’m fine. It’s now rare to find someone who only admires ability and doesn’t fear the powerful.”
“As long as you’re not upset by it. It was inappropriate of me to have introduced you to him.”
Arielle waved her hand casually to show that she was fine.
“By the way,” Vinson continued, “you will be facing Kelsea later, Carter’s cousin. She is also one of Mr. Jewell’s students who lost to Mr. Eakins last year. If you find her to be a challenging opponent, there’s no shame in losing to her.”
Looking displeased, Arielle asked, “Are you expecting me to lose to her?”
Usually, she didn’t care about what others thought. However, when Vinson made that comment, she somehow felt unsettled by it.
Vinson shook his head in response. “I’m not saying that. I just want to tell you that it’s okay to lose. To me, you are more amazing than anyone else. Whether you win or lose, it doesn’t change my opinion.”
Arielle’s heart warmed in response. Biting her lip, she replied, “Don’t worry, as your plus one, I won’t let you down.”
Vinson gazed deeply into her eyes and grunted in acknowledgment.
Soon, the finals began.
Arielle and Kelsea were seated opposite each other.
This time, she was black while Kelsea was white. Based on the rules, Kelsea would make the first move.
In chess, the one who made the first move had a larger advantage. However, Arielle didn’t care.
Fiddling with her queen, Kelsea sneered, “You were just lucky before this. But, your luck ended when you ran into me. If you admit defeat now, I will not require you to kneel for me.”
When she finished, Kelsea waited for Arielle’s response.
However, Arielle dug her ear and asked blankly, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. What did you say just now?”
“You…”
Kelsea was filled with exasperation when her insult fell on deaf ears.
“Arielle!” Seething, she barked, “You had better not go back on your word. Whoever loses will have to kneel!”
Shrugging her shoulders, Arielle tapped on the timer and casually replied, “Let’s start!”
Kelsea took a deep breath to calm herself.
When she was in the break room earlier, she had decided to use the Lightspring Maneuver against Arielle.
It was taught to her by her mentor. According to him, he had learned it from an international chess grandmaster during his time in Lightspring. Therefore, he named it the Lightspring Maneuver.
Initially, she had decided to use it against Everett. However, to guarantee her victory against Arielle, she decided to pull out all the stops. She didn’t want to leave anything to chance even if Arielle could be easily squashed.
Letting out a grin, Kelsea made the first move.
Without a second’s delay, Arielle replied with her own.
When she used to play overseas, she would play lightning chess where the bet was a hundred for every game. Just by doing that, she had won herself a small fortune.
That was how she trained to think rapidly on her feet.
When Kelsea saw how rapidly Arielle made her moves, she assumed Arielle hardly knew how to play at all.
Proper chess players like her would make every move after careful consideration. By moving very quickly, Arielle seemed to be playing without thinking.
With that thought in mind, Kelsea regretted using the Lightspring Maneuver on Arielle.
After all, it wasn’t worth the effort at all.
