January 1st is New Year's Day, which happens to be a Friday. Together with Saturday and Sunday, it makes a total of three days off.

On the second day of New Year's Day, Luo Yu made an appointment with Zhao Changqi for an individual competition. When Mr. Mo found out, he was very excited.

Because it was a holiday, and the news of the competition between Luo Yu and Zhao Changqi had spread, in addition to some old men, a lot of young people also came today.

"I never thought someone would dare to challenge Teacher Zhao. Who has the courage to do that?"

"I don't know. I heard it was a young man."

"That's quite courageous, but I'm really looking forward to it."

"That's right. If we accidentally counterattack, it will be a real show to watch."

…

It can be said that most of the young people come to watch the fun, while the old men are the ones who really come to watch the game.

"Hey, Lao Mo, when will Luo Yu come?" Grandpa Zhou asked anxiously.

Old Master Mo said impatiently: "You've asked this several times. Xiao Zhao is not in a hurry, so why are you in a hurry? Besides, the appointment was at 9:30, and it's only 9:20 now. Isn't there still ten minutes?" Besides, his daughter-in-law is pregnant again and has been sleepy lately. Of course, it is impossible for her to come so early.

As soon as Mr. Mo finished speaking, he saw Luo Yu, who was wearing a white coat, a scarf around his neck, and a woolen hat, with only his little face exposed, walked in, followed by Mo Han, who was wearing the same black coat.

Looking at Luo Yu, who was wearing exaggerated clothes, Mr. Zhou couldn't help but ask, "It doesn't seem very cold in this weather, why are you wearing so much? Are you sick?"

"No." Luo Yu smiled awkwardly.

After hearing what Grandpa Zhou said, he was indeed wearing too much compared to the others in the chess gym. Luo Yu couldn't help but turn his head to glance at Mo Han beside him. Actually, winter in Kyoto wasn't that cold, but before going out, Mo Han was afraid that Luo Yu would get cold, so he made sure he dressed warmly every day. When Mo Han wasn't around at school, he could still take it off in the car, but now that Mo Han was with him, that wasn't going to work.

"Boy Luo, I'm optimistic about you. You will definitely win," said Mr. Zhou.

"Don't worry about Lao Zhou, Xiaoyu, just do your best and don't put too much pressure on yourself." Although it was words of encouragement, from the meaning of the words, even Grandpa Mo was not optimistic about Luo Yu.

Luo Yu smiled, then took off the hat on his head and handed it to Mo Han, "Hold it for me first."

"Put it on." Mo Han took the hat from Luo Yu's hand and wanted to help Luo Yu put it on again, but Luo Yu dodged him.

"It's not cold indoors, and wearing a hat blocks your view."

Since Luo Yu said so, Mo Han had no choice but to take the hat, but he still helped Luo Yu to tidy up the scarf. His attentive look made many people present feel jealous!

"Thank you, Mr. Zhao, for taking the time to come over." Luo Yu heard that Zhao Changqi originally planned to go out of town, but because Luo Yu said he wanted to challenge him again, he agreed without thinking.

"It's rare to meet a young man like you who is my equal in chess. Of course I can't let you go." Zhao Changqi smiled meaningfully.

Luo Yu also laughed. It turned out that the master he met on the Chinese chess website was really Zhao Changqi. It was just a guess before, but now it is certain.

The chessboard was set up, and the rules were best-of-three. After Luo Yu sat down, Mo Han also sat down next to him.

Luo Yu made the first move, followed by Zhao Changqi.

Both players started out very cautiously, not attacking automatically, but testing or laying out their plans first. The real battle finally began after both captured one of the other's pieces.

Luo Yu began to attack continuously, and Zhao Changqi began to counterattack while defending. When he thought Luo Yu had eaten an important chess piece of his and would continue to attack, Luo Yu suddenly stopped.

The people standing by were watching intently and with great interest, but since chess is a silent game, no one said anything. Mo Han, who was sitting next to Luo Yu, didn't move at all, for fear of disturbing Luo Yu.

To be honest, everyone actually thought that Luo Yu could not possibly defeat Zhao Changqi. After all, Zhao Changqi's strength was obvious to all. But now it seems that Luo Yu's strength is not weak either, and neither of them is willing to give in to the other.

It wasn't obvious in the middle game, but as the game progressed, everyone realized that as Luo Yu's pieces decreased, Zhao Changqi's were also decreasing at the same rate. Elder Zhou and Elder Mo, who were closest, were the first to notice.

Old Master Zhou couldn't help but glance at Luo Yu, who was deep in thought, with a look of surprise on his face. He remembered that half a month ago, when Luo Yu fought Zhao Changqi, he was clearly at a disadvantage. Although he had some strength, he was clearly far behind Zhao Changqi. But now, he was able to press forward step by step, and even had the possibility of overtaking him if he wasn't careful. How could this not be surprising?

Who was Zhao Changqi? He was the current president of the Chinese Chess Association, and his chess skills were ranked among the top three in the country. Even if his master faced him, he might not be able to defeat him. After all, he was old, not as good as he was in his prime.

But now, he was forced into a corner by a young man, and seemed to be suppressed, which shocked everyone present.

Just when everyone was sweating for Zhao Changqi, Mo Han frowned.

The next second, just when everyone thought Zhao Changqi was about to lose another game, the situation suddenly took a dramatic turn. Zhao Changqi captured a crucial piece on Luo Yu's side. With that crucial piece captured, Luo Yu's plan was effectively broken. Zhao Changqi quickly counterattacked, catching Luo Yu off guard. In the end, the first game ended with Zhao Changqi's victory.

"Ah... what a shame, it was just that close."

"Yeah, I didn't expect him to be able to pressure President Zhao to that extent. As long as his encirclement plan succeeds, President Zhao will definitely lose."

"As you can see, President Zhao is worthy of being President Zhao. He was able to survive this desperate situation. I have to admire him."

"He almost made a comeback. It was so exciting to watch. Even though he failed in the end, it proved that his strength is on par with President Zhao's. It's hard to say who will win the next round."

…

Mr. Zhou also asked Mr. Mo, "I didn't expect Luo's chess skills to improve so dramatically. Did you hire a chess master for him?"

"He didn't invite any masters," said Mr. Mo proudly. "He figured it all out on his own. I heard from Mo Han that he's been playing chess online a lot lately. He's really worked hard on it." Well, Mr. Mo himself was actually quite surprised. While he knew Luo Yu had been practicing diligently lately and his skills had likely improved significantly, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to challenge Zhao Changqi, he hadn't expected him to improve to such a terrifying degree. He was almost on the verge of a draw with Zhao Changqi.

Seeing that Luo Yu had lost a game, Mo Han said nothing, but just patted Luo Yu's shoulder gently. When Luo Yu looked at him, he gave Luo Yu a look of trust and encouragement. Luo Yu smiled at him and immediately started the second game.

Zhao Changqi has already won one set. As long as he wins the second set, he will win. However, it seems that he himself does not seem to have much confidence.

At the start of the second game, Luo Yu, having previously maintained a conservative and steady start, launched into an offensive attack, chasing Zhao Changqi with relentless attacks. Both Mr. Mo and Mr. Zhou looked at Luo Yu in confusion. Such a disorganized attack from the start. Could it be that Luo Yu had lost his composure after the previous game? But that wouldn't work. Chess requires composure and composure. Once you lose your composure, you're not far from losing.

How could Luo Yu be so impatient and confused? It was all because of his eagerness to win. After all, he was still young, how could he be so patient?

But the next moment, the two old men were stunned, because they didn't know when, only one-third of the remaining chess pieces on the board belonged to Zhao Changqi, which means that the other two-thirds belonged to Luo Yu, and Luo Yu's chess pieces had surrounded Zhao Changqi's "king". Zhao Changqi was now surrounded by enemies on all sides and would lose immediately if he was not careful.

Zhao Changqi hadn't expected this situation. Initially, he'd thought Luo Yu had lost his composure and was attacking recklessly, but by the time he realized what was happening, two-thirds of his pieces had been captured, leaving the remaining pieces vulnerable. Zhao Changqi was forced to abandon his attack and retreat to defend, but he soon discovered that his retreating pieces had been captured again.

Luo Yu's original goal wasn't his "king." He was deliberately setting a trap to hastily capture his "king," forcing him to recall important pieces from Luo Yu's chessboard. This would play into Luo Yu's strategy of feinting to the east and attacking in the west. It was all his fault for being so nervous that he didn't notice. In the end, Zhao Changqi could only watch as Luo Yu captured his "king," move by move.

In the second game, Luo Yu won. His victory was so bizarre and so swift that no one could react, leaving them in a state of shock. It seemed as if Zhao Changqi had a clear advantage one moment, only to have Luo Yu capture so many pieces in the next that he couldn't even hold onto his "king." It was completely beyond everyone's expectations.

Although he lost the second round, Zhao Changqi laughed heartily and said to Luo Yu, "Well done! Such a disorganized and secretive approach, a great feint to the east and attack in the west, and a great effort in one go. You are truly courageous."

He first used a chaotic play to lull him into lowering his guard, then began to lay out his plans from behind, slowly lurking and capturing unimportant pieces to keep him off guard. Then, when he finally realized what was happening, he used a feint to the east and attacked in the west, luring him back to defend, into a trap he had already set, and finally, with a single blow, he captured his "king." The entire process was both courageous and strategic, as he not only calculated the pieces on the board but also his psychology. The entire game had been calculated by Luo Yu before it even began. If he had discovered Luo Yu's intentions midway, his plan would have been ruined. Yet, Luo Yu acted anyway, demonstrating remarkable courage. Zhao Changqi couldn't help but admire Luo Yu.