After giving it much thought, Jessica Daimler eventually took her seat. 'I can't be a sore loser. Even if it means embarrassing myself, I can't earn a reputation of being one to go back on my words. Otherwise, my reputation in the circle will be ruined.'

The chessboard was set.

Of course, given Jessica Daimler's status, she wouldn't make the first move.

She handed a notebook over to Megan Daimler. "Keep count of my moves. If I don't win the game within 50 moves, I'll admit defeat."

This was the only method Jessica Daimler had thought of to salvage the situation. Given her status, it would be no different from a defeat if she needed more than 50 moves to win against this novice.

Jessica Daimler had full confidence in herself, but nobody thought that she was wrong in doing so. Of course, if she had boasted about her abilities in front of her mentor, they definitely would've reprimanded her.

But it was Finn Taylor she was going against. He was a stranger that nobody knew.

They had no feelings for Finn Taylor. In fact, they even felt that he wasn't deserving of playing a match against Jessica Daimler.

It was just a feud between Jessica Daimler and Carl Gillies. Nonetheless, neither of them was willing to give in to the other.

'You should've known to back off after beating Megan Daimler. If not for your words, everyone would've been able to leave just fine. But because you asked for Jessica Daimler's guidance, you angered her. She's not going to let you off just like that.'

Megan Daimler did a quick count of the notebook's number of lines.

Then, the game between Finn Taylor and Jessica Daimler started.

As expected of the American Chess Association's president, Jessica Daimler didn't even hesitate before making her moves.

The audience couldn't even keep up with her speed. Often, they were still thinking about why she had made a certain move even after she had done so.

Just like that, they progressed to the 25th move.

By then, the two players had already set the stage and were starting to reel in their nets.

Everyone could clearly see that Jessica Daimler held the absolute advantage.

Third Master Gold and Carl Gillies glanced at each other, helplessness in their eyes. 'There's nothing we can do. Finn Taylor is already an excellent player. Even if we are to play together against him, we won't be his match. However, Jessica Daimler really is too talented. She's indeed the top female chess player in the world and the American Chess Association's president.'

With every move, she conquered more of the board and vanquished even more of Finn Taylor's chess pieces.

Everyone couldn't help but sigh. 'There is no way out of this. It seems like our chess association is destined to be crushed today.'

Yet, Jessica Daimler hesitated for a long while when she reached her 40th move. It was obvious that her hand was trembling.

In fact, her whole body was trembling.

'What's going on?'

"W-what?" Jessica Daimler was in slight disbelief as she uttered that word. She hesitantly made her 40th move.

Finn Taylor quickly made his move yet again. With this, he wiped out almost all of his opponent's chess pieces.

Then, the 41st move.

Finn Taylor quickly made his move yet again. Once again, many of Jessica Daimler's pieces were swept off the board.

The 42nd move.

The 43rd move.

The 44th move.

The 45th move.

With every move, Finn Taylor swept even more of Jessica Daimler's pieces off the board.

On the 49th move, it was obvious that she had lost all of her advantages.

She made her 49th move, but she had nearly no pieces left on the chessboard.

In the end, she couldn't even make her 50th move.

"I lost." Jessica Daimler's words left the audience dumbstruck.

Everyone's eyes looked as though they were about to fly out of their socket.

They stared at the chessboard, overwhelmed with emotions. 'Jessica Daimler lost—to a young man no less! If word about this gets out, it will surely shake the whole chess community!'

But just then, Finn Taylor made the move for Jessica Daimler.

With that one move, Finn Taylor turned the tides of the game.

Jessica Daimler was now on the winning side.

She couldn't believe her eyes—her eyes were glued to the chessboard. Only after a long while did she ask, "You mean that I didn't lose?"

Jessica Daimler didn't even seem like a top player now. She looked much more like a novice who was seeking guidance from Finn Taylor.

Jessica Daimler hadn't lost, yet she hadn't recognized that. She had even admitted defeat to Finn Taylor!

This was even more humiliating than losing the game! As the American Chess Association's president, she hadn't even been able to tell whether she had won the game.

Finn Taylor didn't reply to Jessica Daimler and simply made his move.

With that, the tides turned once again.

Jessica Daimler had lost her advantage.

Finn Taylor was once again in control of the game. "No, you lost."

Yet again, Jessica Daimler couldn't even tell whether she had won or lost the game.

'I'm in full control of the game.' With his actions, Finn Taylor proved to Jessica Daimler that there was always someone better no matter how good one was.

This time, Jessica Daimler was convinced of her loss. "I lost."

They were the same words she had said earlier, but the tone was completely different.

The previous time, Jessica Daimler had been a little reluctant, thinking that she had been too careless. If she had played well, Finn Taylor never would've had the chance to win.

But this time, she understood full well that she never would've been able to win against him.

This had been an exhilarating match, especially toward the end—where Finn Taylor had been in full control of the whole game.

Even Carl Gillies and Third Master Gold—who were watching on by the side—were dumbfounded.

Jessica Daimler looked at Carl Gillies. "I lost, but you didn't win either. This young man can't possibly be your disciple."

Of course, there was nothing Carl Gillies had to say. It was true that Finn Taylor's chess abilities were out of this world.

He had never ever witnessed such a chess formation in his life. There was no way he could've raised a disciple like this.

"We may be old, but it looks like there's hope for the chess community here in America." Jessica Daimler stood up and bowed to Finn Taylor, giving no care to her status. "As the American Chess Association's president, I have a shameless request. Will you represent America in the International Chess Competition?"

In recent years, the American chess team had been on the decline and was no longer respected in the international community.

Now that such a talent had appeared, Jessica Daimler naturally wanted him to represent their country.