Chapter 449: The Battle for the Championship
Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da…
The sound of chess pieces dropping could still be heard in the competition venue.
Yu Shao and Zheng Qin returned to the competition venue at some point, came behind Su Yiming, and watched the chess game.
After struggling for a long time, the Dutch chess player sitting opposite Su Yiming finally lowered his head dejectedly and said, "I lost."
"Thank you for your advice."
Su Yiming had a calm expression and bowed to his opponent.
"Thank you for your advice."
The Dutch chess player opposite had an extremely bitter expression. After exchanging greetings with Su Yiming, he put away the chess pieces.
Then, he stared blankly at the empty chessboard in front of him, as if the game was still before him, and he felt a little upset.
At this moment, a pair of hands rested on his shoulders. He was slightly startled and turned his head, then he saw a blond man in his forties standing behind him.
"It's raining pretty well already."
The blond man had a faint smile on his face and said, "Although you lost, it was only because your opponent was too strong. You really did the best you could do for yourself. I saw that."
"We must admit that there is indeed a gap between us and Chinese chess players. You should be proud of playing like this."
Hearing this, the Dutch chess player's expression was extremely moved. He actually didn't react much after losing the game, and was even prepared to be criticized.
However, when he heard these words without any criticism, his emotions suddenly surged and he almost couldn't help crying.
This was his first time stepping onto the world competition stage. For this day, he had devoted almost his entire life to honing his chess skills, but he was easily defeated by his opponent in the first round!
It’s as if all the efforts in the first half of my life have been negated. The feeling is indescribable.
The others looked at this scene with mixed feelings.
This chess player from the Netherlands is not the first example like this, nor is he destined to be the second. Only now did they finally understand how heavy was the weight of what Zhao Zhengyang said before the game: "Good results don't always come from hard work."
Su Yiming watched this scene quietly. Although, in his opinion, the opponent's chess skills were not strong, this game of chess was not a difficult battle for him.
However, every move of his opponent contained his passion for Go. Hidden beneath each move was an indomitable will and unyielding fighting spirit, which touched him deeply.
Even if the opponent is not strong, he should still be respected.
He even saw his own shadow in him. Wasn't it the same between him and Yu Shao?
In the China-Japan-Korea Go League, he tried his best but couldn't find any opportunities. Later, he continued to study chess records and learn modern patterns, but he was eventually defeated!
So far, he has never won a single game against Yu Shao in a formal competition. Even the draw in the Gemini Cup was a huge effort.
"I will go on in your place in this competition..."
Su Yiming thought silently, then lowered his eyes to look at the empty chessboard between the two of them. On the chessboard, every game he and Yu Shao had played in the past seemed to appear on it.
"I will definitely defeat Yu Shao."
"All the hard work you put in for the World Championship, like mine, will not be in vain!"
Finally, after a moment, Su Yiming slowly stood up and saw Yu Shao and Zheng Qin behind him.
Su Yiming was not surprised at all by this. After taking a deep look at Yu Shao, he withdrew his gaze and said, "Teacher Zhuang Weisheng is still downstairs. Let's go and take a look."
Although Yu Shao felt that there seemed to be a hint of different emotions in Su Yiming's eyes, he didn't think much about it. He nodded and said, "Let's go."
…
…
Time keeps passing.
A heavy and anxious atmosphere always spread in the competition venue. All the players were trying their best to prove themselves to the whole world on this highest stage of Go.
Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da…
More and more chess games have been decided.
Honinbo trusts and advances!
An Hongshi, qualified!
Zhuang Weisheng qualifies!
I wish Huaian to qualify!
…
As some people advance, naturally some people are eliminated. The players who advance are able to move forward at the cost of their opponents' shattered dreams. This scene can be said to be cruel.
Some chess players qualified and felt relieved for a moment, but after a brief moment of joy, their expressions gradually became heavy again.
Because this is just the first step forward, there is still a long way to go.
Some players hung their heads in dejection, some remained silent after the game ended, and some even burst into tears...
The joys and sorrows of the world are not shared.
After the game ended, most of the players did not leave the venue, but stayed and continued to watch other games.
The eliminated players try to pin their dreams of continuing in the world championship on their friends or familiar players, while the qualified players are exploring the strength of their possible future opponents.
Soon, more and more chess players got their own answers in the first round of the single-elimination tournament of the World Championship. The sounds of chess moves being dropped, which had been heard one after another in the competition venue, became sparse and no longer so dense.
After a while, almost all the players on the field had finished their games, and now only the last table was left.
At the last table, one side was Zeng Jun, an acquaintance of Yu Shao, and the other side was a nine-dan chess player from Russia. Although he was not very famous, his performance in this game was extremely impressive.
The two sides fought until the end, but the situation was still evenly matched. Until now, it was impossible to clearly tell the winner. I'm afraid we have to wait until all the small endgames are completed before we can tell the winner.
Because this was the last table left, everyone was paying attention to this game.
However, the two people who were playing against each other seemed to be completely immersed in the game, and were unaware of this. They kept placing their pieces against the clock, and in this endgame, they were calculating every detail.
Finally, after a while, when Zeng Jun placed the white piece again with sweat all over his forehead, the Russian chess player on the opposite side stopped placing the piece and just looked at the chessboard, breathing slightly.
"All the small official pieces have been collected. This game of chess is over..."
Everyone realized that as the game entered its final stage, the first round of the World Championship had finally come to an end!
Soon, after counting the points, the referee gave the winner of the final game.
"After the points were finally awarded in this game, Zeng Jun, playing with white, won by half a point!"
After getting this answer, Zeng Jun finally felt relieved, as if all his strength had been drained away at once. He slumped back in his chair, gasping for breath.
"Win, win..."
Zeng Jun kept muttering, his body trembling slightly. Although he won the game and successfully advanced, he did not feel happy at all in his heart, only relieved that he had survived the disaster.
Zeng Jun's opponent gritted his teeth and turned his head away, as if he didn't want to watch the game anymore and didn't want to face such reality.
"it's over!"
Seeing that the chess game was finally over, the competition venue, which had been silent just now, suddenly became noisy.
"Wonderful! The last game was also played beautifully!"
"What a shame! Vladimir played several brilliant moves, but he still lost. However, Zeng Jun's performance was well-deserved of the victory!"
"It's truly a world championship, the quality is incredibly high. No matter which game, there were almost no dull moments. Everyone displayed their exceptional skill, competing fiercely until the very end!"
At this moment, the amateur chess players no longer have to worry about the rules of the competition. They can communicate freely and the crowd is constantly discussing.
The results of today's full day of competition shocked many people and were completely beyond their imagination.
"Zhu Huaian won a very impressive victory over Shang Tian 9th Dan. Zhu Huaian now holds two major titles simultaneously. It seems his rise is truly unstoppable."
"Mr. Arakino hasn't competed in ten years, and now he's come back and won his first match. I didn't expect it at all. It seems Mr. Arakino is still as good as ever. It's a pity I didn't see that game."
"What surprised me the most was Toyama Kaoru. I never expected that Toyama Kaoru could actually beat Kimura Go-sensei. How did he do it?"
Talking about today's full day of events, many people were filled with emotion.
However, the excitement only belongs to the amateur chess players who were invited to watch the game.
The professional players, whether they successfully qualified or were eliminated, were not in the mood to chat. Their expressions were rather heavy and they hardly spoke.
Several amateur chess players who knew each other gathered together and had the same heated discussion.
"Speaking of which, who do you think will win the championship in this competition?" At this time, someone suddenly spoke up and asked.
"How can I say that? There are many players who could win the championship, including Honinbo Shingo and Hans... They both played very beautiful games today."
Someone mused, "Especially Mr. An Hongshi. I don't know why, but he gave me a very different feeling this time compared to before. Of course, he also won beautifully."
"I watched Jiang Hanen's game, and I have to say, Jiang Hanen's chess skills have reached a new level. His dominance is very, very, very strong. His previous records can also be checked. Maybe this year he really has a chance..."
"Where's Mr. Kong Zi? Mr. Kong Zi hasn't won the World Championship yet, right? Mr. Kong Zi has always been holding back a lot of energy, and it seems like he's going to make a big move this year."
Everyone was talking about the favorite chess players to win the competition, and everyone had their own opinions.
"If you really want me to say something, I think it's... Yu Shao." At this moment, someone thought about it and suddenly spoke.
Hearing this, everyone else was a little stunned.
Yu Shao is indeed one of the favorites to win the championship. Based on Yu Shao's previous record and the chess records he has presented to the world, no one can deny the possibility of Yu Shao winning the championship.
However, Yu Shao had never participated in the World Championships. Although he had an excellent record domestically, he had no experience competing with foreign masters. Therefore, they were somewhat surprised by this answer.
"I watched the game between Yu Shao and Dong He, 9th Dan."
The man who had spoken earlier said solemnly, "That game was completely beyond my expectations. The white pieces were almost completely defeated by the black pieces...with overwhelming force."
Hearing this, everyone's faces showed a look of surprise.
Although they did not watch Yu Shao's game, but when they heard the words "crushing with dry and rotten" from his mouth, they seemed to be able to feel how much shock the game brought to him.
At this moment, Han Xiu, who had been silent in the crowd, suddenly said, "Where is Dongshan Xun?"
Hearing this, everyone was stunned and looked at Han Xiu in disbelief, thinking that Han Xiu was joking.
"Fuyou Toyama defeated 10th Dan Kimurago. Everyone agrees that Mr. Kimurago has the possibility of winning the championship. Fuyou Toyama defeated Mr. Kimurago. Don't you think that Fuyou Toyama has the possibility of winning the championship?" Han Xiu asked.
"this……"
Everyone looked at each other in confusion for a moment.
"You might think that Toyama Xun was lucky to win against Kimurago Sensei, or that Kimurago Sensei was in poor condition, or even wonder if he was holding back."
Han Xiu took a deep breath and said, "But I have to say, no."
"I watched that game from beginning to end. In that game, Mr. Kimurago didn't hold back at all. The reason why Toyama Xun was able to win was simply because of that game. He was better than Mr. Kimurago!"
Hearing this, everyone was speechless for a moment, looking at Han Xiu in disbelief, as if trying to find traces of a joke on Han Xiu's face.
However, they couldn't find it, and Han Xiu's feedback to them was extremely serious.
"I have a different idea..."
At this moment, the young man who had been thinking about something from the beginning to the end slowly said: "Perhaps, it will be Mr. Arakino."
When everyone heard this, they all widened their eyes in disbelief and looked at the young man in disbelief, even Han Xiu.
The name Arakino is indeed very important, but that was ten years ago. Now, ten years have passed, and Arakino has not participated in any competitions for ten years. He has long faded out of the chess world and can no longer be compared with his past.
Compared to Arakino winning the championship, they even felt that what Han Xiu said just now about Dongshan Xun having a chance to win the championship was more reliable.
"Didn't you see the game between Mr. Arakino and Zheng Qin?"
The young man spoke slowly, "The former Arakino-sensei was a complete attacking chess player, renowned for his strength. His style of play was unparalleled, and he won by force. He was known as the 'ultimate master of victory.'"
"Back then, Go emphasized 'overall coordination.' It was Arakino-sensei's arrival that pushed Go into an era of competition based on 'strength and calculation.'"
"Mr. Arakino is good at initiating complex battles. He often makes seemingly unreasonable but murderous moves, forcing his opponent to think for a long time or even collapse. Even Mr. Yasuhiro Seki didn't dare to fight Mr. Arakino head-on."
"It can be said that when talking about attack and kill, Mr. Arakino is the chess player that cannot be ignored. Today's chess players who like to attack and kill, such as Kong Ziren and North Korea's Kang Han-eun, can actually see some traces of Mr. Arakino's style."
"For this reason, Mr. Arakino has always been nicknamed 'Ghost Wolf' in Japan. Of course, that was in the past. It's hard to say what it's like now."
The young man's expression grew more serious as he continued, "But after watching today's game, I feel like... this wolf has gone completely mad."
"Zheng Qin was completely defeated without any chance to fight back..."
After hearing this, the whole audience fell silent again for a long time.
After a moment, someone twitched their lips and said, "Is that really that exaggerated? Ten years ago, Arakino-sensei was no match for Hiroishi-sensei. Are you saying that after ten years of no competition, Arakino-sensei is actually better than Hiroishi-sensei?"
Upon hearing this, the young man did not refute but fell silent.
Seeing that the young man did not refute at all, everyone was a little at a loss for a moment.
They all silently memorized the names "Toyama Xun" and "Arakino" in their hearts, preparing to go to the next round to watch the two play chess.
…
ps: Please vote for next month! Please, please, please!
(End of this chapter)
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