Chapter 27 — No One Wants to Lose

The first match of the city-level tournament was tense but smooth for Lam Khe. The opponent, despite coming from a famous specialized school, played quite rigidly and was inflexible in the face of unexpected changes in the game. Lam Khe skillfully applied the balance between solid defense and calculated attack that she had been practicing for many months, winning after nearly an hour of competition.

"First game won," she texted Nam Phong as soon as possible, even though she knew he was also busy with his own game.

The first day passed at a fast pace — each player had to play three games a day, facing opponents of equivalent level based on the Swiss ranking system applied by the organizers. Lam Khe ended the first day with a record of two wins, one draw — a solid start, although not absolutely perfect.

The evening after the first day of competition, the whole team had dinner together at a restaurant near the hotel where the school arranged for the team to stay for two nights during the tournament. The meal atmosphere was filled with excitement mixed with fatigue after a long and stressful day.

"Tomorrow will be much more difficult," Mr. Hung reminded the team while eating. "The opponents in the next round will have the same or higher level than you, based on today's results. You need to prepare carefully mentally."

Lam Khe nodded, but in her heart she no longer felt scared of that challenge like before, but instead was eagerly looking forward to showing off her full potential.

The second day of competition started with a dramatic match against a strong opponent from a prestigious international school. This opponent plays an extremely sharp attacking style, forcing Lam Khe to use all his delicate defense abilities to withstand the intense pressure right from the first moves.

But unlike the previous turbulent regional finals, this time, despite facing great pressure, Lam Khe did not let fear dominate his play. She calmly analyzed each move, carefully considering defense and looking for opportunities to counterattack, applying exactly the emotional control method that she and Nam Phong had practiced together for many weeks.

In the mid-game, when the opponent was somewhat subjective after creating a certain advantage, Lam Khe recognized a decisive counterattack opportunity - a small piece sacrifice to pave the way for a strong coordinated attack on the opponent's king position.

Her hands did not tremble when making that move, a steady confidence had completely replaced the fear that had made her falter in the past. The opponent, surprised by that sharp counterattack, took a lot of time to find a way to respond, gradually falling into a passive position.

The match ended with Lam Khe's victory after nearly two tense hours, a victory that she felt more proud of than any before, not only because of her strong opponent, but because of the way she completely controlled her emotions throughout the game, not letting any old fears creep into her decisions.

"That game was really impressive," Nam Phong said when he saw her again during the break between rounds, his eyes filled with undisguised pride. "I watched most of the game, how you handled pressure from your opponent, how you found opportunities to counterattack at the right time — that's exactly what I always believed you could do."

"Thank you, for trusting me throughout this journey," Lam Khe replied, smiling happily.

The second day of competition ended with Lam Khe claiming two more victories, bringing her total record to four wins, one draw after five games — an excellent result that put her in the top group of the tournament's individual rankings.

The entire Trung Vuong team, thanks to equal contributions from all four members, was also in the top group of the team rankings, creating a big surprise for many other strong teams that did not appreciate the abilities of a club that was at risk of dissolution just a year before.

"Tomorrow is the last day of competition, deciding the final rankings," Mr. Hung announced in the evening meeting, his voice filled with excitement mixed with tension. "If we maintain this form, it is possible that our team will be in the top three in the entire city, an unprecedented achievement in the club's history."

That news made the whole team explode with joy and determination, but Lam Khe, while equally excited, still maintained the necessary alertness, reminding herself that tomorrow still has many challenges ahead, and she needs to continue to maintain the balance between caution and boldness that has helped her achieve impressive results up to this point.

That night, before going to bed, she texted her parents to tell her the good news about her achievements. Her father immediately replied: "We have been watching the online rankings all day today, we are very proud of you. Tomorrow we will come earlier to watch your final game in full." Reading that message, Lam Khe felt a warmth spread throughout her body, knowing that no matter what the outcome tomorrow was, she had a solid support system standing behind her, ready to accompany her in all the challenges ahead.

She lay on an unfamiliar hotel bed, the streetlight shining through the curtains creating faint streaks of light on the ceiling. The room she shared with Thao Vy, who also slept soundly after a long and tiring day of cheering on her teammates even though she was not in the official squad participating in this year's city-level tournament. Lam Khe lay quietly, reviewing each past game in his mind, not to worry, but to cherish every moment he had experienced.

She remembered her feeling of paralyzing fear a year ago, when Yen Chi first registered her name in the internal tournament without asking first. She remembered the first afternoon she walked into room 203, her hesitation as she stood in front of that peeling blue painted door. She recalls every small step, every failure, every lesson that helped her become the person she is today — someone who can sit here, in a strange hotel in the middle of the city, preparing for the most important day of competition in her student chess career, with a peace and confidence that she never thought she could achieve.

Her phone vibrated slightly, one last text message from Nam Phong before they both went to bed: "Good night, future champion. No matter what tomorrow brings, I'm proud of you." Lam Khe smiled and read the words, typing back a short line: "Thank you, for everything. Good night." She put down the phone, closed her eyes, and let sleep gradually come after a long day full of emotions.

The next morning, when she woke up, Lam Khe felt a rare alertness and full of energy, different from the usual sleepless anxiety before important competition days in the past. She had breakfast with the whole team at the hotel, the atmosphere at the dinner table was filled with determination mixed with excitement, everyone was clearly aware of the importance of the upcoming final day of competition.

"Today is the decisive day," Duc Anh said, his voice both excited and tense, holding a half-eaten sandwich in his hand. "I dreamed about playing chess all night last night, probably because I was so nervous."

"It's normal for you to be worried," Quang Minh replied, rarely saying much but today it seemed like he wanted to contribute words of encouragement to his teammates. "The important thing is that I have prepared my best, now I just need to show what I have."

Lam Khe nodded in agreement, feeling the strong solidarity of the team before the decisive match day, a feeling of belonging that she cherished more than ever after all they had been through together during this tumultuous school year.

Nam Phong, sitting across from her at the breakfast table, looked at her with familiar reassuring eyes. “You just have to play the same way you've been playing for the past two days,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. "There's no need to try anything special today. You're already yourself, the best version of yourself, and that's more than enough."

Lam Khe smiled, nodded, feeling all the pent-up pressure in her heart gradually disappear before those simple but sincere words of encouragement. The whole team left the hotel together, boarded the bus heading to the city center stadium, bringing with them all the preparation, determination, and confidence that had been cultivated throughout the long journey to get ready for the final day of competition, which decided the final rankings of both individuals and teams.