Chapter 418: The Flame
The Gemini Cup ended unexpectedly with one win and one draw. This game has become a memory that many people will never forget in their lifetime.
Although the competition has ended for several days, many people can still be seen gathered in the chess halls on the streets and alleys, reviewing every move of both sides in the two games and talking about the game with relish.
"Yu Shao's game was truly amazing. The reversal of strength and weakness overturned the thousand-year-old concept of Go."
"The first game? Indeed, even now, thinking back on it, I still feel hot all over."
"The second game was even more exciting, wasn't it? Yu Shao and Su Yiming both displayed extraordinary skill, fighting till the sky was dark and the sun and moon were extinguished, and in the end, it ended in a draw! It's simply divine!"
"I'm really looking forward to their performance at Worlds. With these two rising stars, plus Zhuang Weisheng and Kong Zi... we're definitely going to get good results at Worlds this year!"
"Su Yiming and Yu Shao played two games of chess, a life-and-death struggle. When I was watching, I was afraid they would start fighting after the game."
"After watching this match, I suddenly feel that other matches are a bit boring. Now I am only looking forward to their next match."
“…”
Ma Zhengyu passed by a chess hall on the street and heard the heated discussions coming from far away in the hall. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"This competition was really well organized. I didn't expect it to cause such a big sensation."
Ma Zhengyu felt somewhat proud of the Gemini Cup that he had personally promoted.
"Everyone is brimming with confidence about the upcoming World Championship, and there's even a Go craze going on. Xiao Ding says the number of kids signing up to learn Go at major Go clubs has skyrocketed in recent days."
“The future is promising!”
Ma Zhengyu, in a relaxed mood, hummed a little tune and soon arrived at the gate of the Southern Chess Academy.
He walked into the hall of the chess academy, passed through the corridor, and finally came to his office. He lay down on his office chair and let out a comfortable groan unique to middle-aged people.
“Knock, knock.”
Not long after Ma Zhengyu sat down, there was a knock on the door.
Ma Zhengyu immediately sat up straight, cleared his throat, and said, "Please come in."
"Morning, Chairman Ma."
Soon, a staff member from the chess academy opened the door and walked in. While greeting, he handed the documents in his hand to Ma Zhengyu and said, "These are the chess players from various countries who have registered for the Phoenix Cup. Please take a look."
"OK."
Ma Zhengyu nodded, took the document, and asked, "There should be a lot of sponsors for this World Championship, right?"
"Hiss, Chairman Ma, it's more than that."
The staff member gasped, looking horrified, and said, "The sponsorship fees for this World Championship were already set incredibly high, yet the sponsors are still pouring in like crazy, and there's no stopping them!"
"Especially those well-known domestic companies, their enthusiasm is a bit scary."
Ma Zhengyu smiled faintly, his expression as if it was exactly what I expected, and said, "This year's Phoenix Cup not only has Mr. Zhuang Weisheng, but also Yu Shao and Su Yiming. Of course, they are willing to spend a lot of money to sponsor it."
"I'm also looking forward to their performance in the World Championship. I'm a die-hard fan of Su Yiming." The staff member smiled and said.
"oh?"
Ma Zhengyu became interested and asked with a smile, "Why aren't you a fan of Yu Shao?"
"It's normal for people to have different styles of chess. Yu Shao's calculations are profound and he's good at understanding his opponent's mind. He often defeats his opponents with cunning and subversive tactics under complex and ever-changing board conditions."
The staff member said, "Many of his moves are extremely extreme. To me, he's like a peerless master of an evil sect."
"But Su Yiming's chess is different."
At this point, the staff member smiled and said with some admiration, "His chess is full of strength and bloodiness. He doesn't use strange moves or tricks, and he is well versed in the art of war. His style of play is upright and upright, and he shows strategic tactics. He hides a murderous intent in the invisible."
"Their fight, to me, is like the fight between good and evil."
Hearing this, Ma Zhengyu couldn't help but laugh and teased, "If Ding Huan heard what you said, he would probably fight you for three hundred rounds. He is a die-hard fan of Yu Shao."
"Everyone has their own preferences." The staff member smiled and said nonchalantly.
The two chatted for a few more minutes before the staff member finally said goodbye and left Ma Zhengyu's office.
After the staff left, Ma Zhengyu finally opened the Phoenix Cup registration list and started looking at it.
Soon, Ma Zhengyu saw many familiar names on the list. Behind these familiar names, almost all of them had shaken the chess world and created legends.
Among them, there were some names that seemed unfamiliar to him, but overall, there were not many.
"Unknowingly, they have come to this point."
Ma Zhengyu couldn't help but feel a little emotional. He was the chief referee of the Go ranking tournament last year, and the scenes that happened at that time seemed to be still vivid in front of his eyes.
Now, a year has passed, and Yu Shao and Su Yiming have both won the World Championship and become highly-anticipated rising stars. Each has their own loyal fans, which is truly moving.
"However, none of the names on this list are easy to deal with. The World Championship is destined to be a tough battle."
Ma Zhengyu looked at the names on the list in his hand, and the smile on his face began to fade.
This year, Ande, the Rookie of the Year who won two major American titles in a row and swept the North American chess world, was hailed as the "savior"!
Fujiwara no Motoki has maintained the highest winning rate in Japan for five years at the level of 7th dan and above!
Jiang Hanen, known as the North Korean Tiger, has set an undefeated record in foreign competitions in the world championships for two consecutive years!
In the world competition, Norihiro Ishida, who has a very high winning rate against top Chinese players and has made countless Chinese players bleed on the chessboard, and is known as China's tough opponent, is the king!
Known as the "Barbarossa of the Go world", he holds five major titles in Germany and has won four championships in the European Go League. He was a dark horse in the world championship and defeated Zhuang Weisheng and An Hongshi successively to win the world championship!
Toyama Xun's teacher, Kimura Go, 10th Dan, has fought with Yasu Hiroiseki many times and forced Yasu Hiroiseki into desperate situations countless times. Although he has never won a world championship, he is known as the "uncrowned champion"!
…
These names full of stories and legends, these influential figures in the Go world, are all listed on the list, making Ma Zhengyu feel that the registration list in his hand seems to have become a little heavier.
You know, the Phoenix Cup has just opened for registration. It is foreseeable that the number of registrants will increase sharply in the near future, and those names that have shone in the history of Go will gather at the Phoenix Cup.
When the Phoenix Cup begins, it will surely be a time when the stars shine!
"The storm is coming..."
"Although the overall level of Chinese chess is among the top three in the world and we have many top players, the competition in the world championships is too fierce and the margin for error is too low."
Thinking of this, Ma Zhengyu couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "Except for Teacher Zhuang Weisheng, we haven't received good grades for a long time."
Boom boom boom.
Just then, there was another knock on the door.
Ma Zhengyu calmed himself down, put the Phoenix Cup registration list on the top, and said, "Please come in."
Soon, a bespectacled staff member opened the door and walked in. He walked over to Ma Zhengyu's desk, handed him a document, and said, "Chairman Ma, this is the list of our region's successful first-level professional players who have achieved promotion this year. Also, arrangements for the Xinhuo Battle need to be stepped up."
"Flame War?"
Hearing this, Ma Zhengyu couldn't help but pat his head and said, "I was so busy with the Gemini Cup that I almost forgot about this. I'll arrange it right away."
The staff member nodded, handed the document to Ma Zhengyu, and hurriedly turned and left.
Ma Zhengyu opened the paper document and pulled out the list of professional beginners. He glanced at it from top to bottom, and his eyes finally stopped on Zhuang Fei's name.
"Zhuang Fei, that kid, has finally reached the upper level?"
Ma Zhengyu couldn't help but smile, thinking of the Go ranking tournament a year ago.
"Zhuang Fei lost to Yu Shao, and his mentality was broken at that time... But now he probably doesn't think much about it."
Ma Zhengyu smiled, picked up the ballpoint pen from the ground, and wrote the two words "Zhuang Wei" behind Zhuang Fei's name. When he was about to write the word "Sheng", he seemed to think of something and the pen tip suddenly stopped.
Ma Zhengyu glanced at the other names on the list, and soon his gaze locked onto the runner-up of the Southern Division Go Qualifying Tournament.
He Yu.
"He Yu, seems to be a young man who is trying to become a dan from the Tiandi Dojo?"
Ma Zhengyu fell into deep thought.
A moment later, Ma Zhengyu picked up his phone and called Zhuang Weisheng.
…
…
An hour later.
Yu Shao's family.
"My partner in the Xinhuo Battle is He Yu?"
Hearing Ma Zhengyu's words on the other end of the phone, Yu Shao was slightly startled and asked, "I remember that in our southern region this year, no amateur players successfully qualified for the professional chess position, right?"
After learning that according to the regulations, he might have to participate in the Xinhuo War, Yu Shao immediately looked up relevant information.
Indeed, chess players need to participate in the Torch War in the first year after obtaining the title, but the prerequisite is that there are amateur chess players.
Otherwise, if they already have teachers and seniors, they would naturally prefer to let their teachers or seniors lead them in their first professional game rather than a stranger.
None of the chess players who successfully qualified for the professional level in the southern division this year were amateur players.
Yu Shao had already breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the Xinhuo War would have nothing to do with him, but then Ma Zhengyu called him.
"He Yu's teacher is the retired Bai Suqian, an 8th dan. The only 9th dan senior brother in their dojo is Kong Junxuan, a 9th dan. His recent performance hasn't been ideal, and he finds it troublesome."
Ma Zhengyu on the other end of the phone coughed twice and explained, "I asked He Yu if he would be willing to let you be his partner in the Xinhuo Battle, and he agreed immediately."
Senior brother finds it troublesome to lead junior brother to fight in the torch war?
Yu Shao was a little confused. Are the relationships in this dojo so cold?
"Yu Shao, although you are still young, you are already a title holder. As one of the seven title holders and a national player, you must shoulder the responsibility of welcoming newcomers."
Ma Zhengyu said righteously.
"All right then."
Yu Shao knew he couldn't avoid this Xinhuo War, so he could only agree. He then casually asked, "Who is my opponent then? Where is his partner?"
“…”
After hearing what Yu Shao said, Ma Zhengyu on the other end of the phone suddenly stopped talking.
"Hello?"
Yu Shao was a little puzzled. He called out "Hello" and asked, "Can you hear me? Is the signal bad?"
"Cough cough cough."
On the other end of the line, Ma Zhengyu coughed twice and replied, "I can hear you. Your opponent in the Xinhuo Battle is... Zhuang Fei."
After receiving this answer, Yu Shao couldn't help but twitch his mouth.
When I heard the news, I didn't feel that surprised for a moment. After all, the opponents of the Xinhuo War were arranged by the chess academy, and the chess academy would definitely arrange them in the most hype-filled way possible.
"Then, Zhuang Fei's partner is..."
Ma Zhengyu paused, then continued, "Su Yiming."
Yu Shao was completely stunned. It took him a long time to react. He asked in disbelief, "Su Yiming? Isn't that Teacher Zhuang Weisheng?"
"Yes, Teacher Zhuang Weisheng had something urgent to do, so Su Yiming had to be our partner." Ma Zhengyu sounded a little guilty, but still managed to speak.
His son became a professional chess player, and as a father, he immediately took his son to fight in the battle of inheritance. What else could go wrong at this juncture?
Yu Shao didn't believe what Ma Zhengyu said at all. He suspected that Ma Zhengyu did it on purpose, but he had no evidence.
Hearing Yu Shao's long silence on the other end of the phone, Ma Zhengyu immediately said, "Anyway, everything has been arranged. You can just come to participate in the Xinhuo Battle the day after tomorrow."
"Besides, isn't it better if your opponents are Zhuang Fei and Su Yiming? If it were Zhuang Fei and Teacher Zhuang Weisheng, you wouldn't have any chance of winning at all. This time, it's absolutely impossible for you to win!"
Yu Shao was suddenly speechless and had no idea how to refute.
Indeed, if his opponent in the Xinhuo Battle was Zhuang Fei, and Zhuang Fei's partner was Zhuang Weisheng, he himself felt that his chances of winning were slim.
After all, they are father and son. There is a saying that goes, father and son fight together in the battlefield, and there is a natural bonus when father and son fight together.
What's more, there is a saying that no one knows a son better than his father. As soon as Zhuang Fei sticks out his butt, Zhuang Weisheng will probably know what Zhuang Fei is going to say. In this kind of two-person battle, if his partner is not strong enough, he will probably be beaten into a Muggle.
"Chairman Ma, I actually just want to know how you talked to Mr. Zhuang Weisheng into letting Su Yiming be Zhuang Fei's partner..."
Yu Shao spoke softly.
Ma Zhengyu quickly said: "I didn't, Teacher Zhuang Weisheng had something urgent to do, so -"
Hearing Ma Zhengyu trying to quibble on the other end of the phone, Yu Shao spoke again, calling Ma Zhengyu's name faintly: "Chairman Ma..."
"Ahem."
Ma Zhengyu coughed twice and finally spoke truthfully, "I said, a chess player should be independent, not be sheltered by his father."
"When a chess player takes his first step into the professional chess world, anyone can lead him, but that person should not be his father."
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(End of this chapter)
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