Generally speaking, if ladies wanted to demonstrate their chess skills at a banquet, they would have a skilled chess master to play against them. Since Ren Yaoqi was a master, it was natural for Zhao Yingqiu to challenge her, unless Ren Yaoqi herself admitted that she was not good enough and conceded defeat.
However, Ren Yaoqi was now being put on the spot by the Yanbei Palace. Naturally, she wouldn't give in easily. Winning or losing in chess wasn't always easy. Ren Yaoqi didn't know Miss Zhao's abilities, so she naturally wouldn't be so arrogant as to think she was truly invincible. But she wasn't afraid of losing either.
Ren Yaoqi stood up and nodded politely to Zhao Yingqiu. She walked towards the chessboard. When she reached the princess, she smiled and said, "Just relax and play. Losing is not shameful. After all, no one can be a jack of all trades."
Ren Yaoqi nodded, answered yes, and then sat down opposite Zhao Yingqiu.
The two players guessed the pieces, and Zhao Yingqiu played the black pieces first.
Ren Yaoqi observed Zhao Yingqiu's moves, pondering as she slowly made her move. Judging from the opening, Zhao Yingqiu was considered an intermediate to advanced chess player among women. Her moves were difficult to discern, even appearing somewhat haphazard, like a tickle, leaving no room for counterattack.
Fortunately, Ren Yaoqi was a very patient person. She had played against many real masters of the time, such as Pei Zhiyan and Xiao Jingxi, especially Pei Zhiyan. When Mr. Pei was demoted and had nothing to do all day, the two of them would play a game from time to time, which would last for half a day.
So no matter whether Zhao Yingqiu did this intentionally to disrupt his opponent's thinking, Ren Yaoqi remained unmoved.
The two of them played out their match in a rather uneventful manner for a cup of tea. Zhao Yingqiu wasn't anxious, and Ren Yaoqi wasn't either. The crowd, who had been anticipating a thrilling duel, were practically dozing off.
Just when everyone thought that this battle would go on in a dull manner, Zhao Yingqiu's style of play suddenly changed. After a few moves, the situation was turned upside down in an instant, and the pieces in the lower left area of Ren Yaoqi were almost wiped out.
The people present suddenly perked up. Some sighed in disappointment, while others secretly cheered for Zhao Yingqiu. Others thought that no one is perfect, and Ren Yaoqi was not the best at everything, and they couldn't help but feel a little comforted.
On the contrary, Ren Yaoqi, who had lost half of the city, remained calm and composed. She didn't even change her chess strategy because of this. She remained calm and unhurried, and did not lose her composure because of Zhao Yingqiu's sudden attack.
As a result, Zhao Yingqiu was unable to maintain her offensive momentum. The game between the two slowed down again. Ren Yaoqi was busy regaining lost ground step by step. Although the speed was slow, she was in control of the rhythm.
Zhao Yingqiu couldn't help but glance at Ren Yaoqi: "Miss Ren is very determined."
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi smiled at her and placed a piece slowly.
In fact, at this moment, Ren Yaoqi had thought about Zhao Yingqiu's chess moves several times in her mind. It would have been fine if Zhao Yingqiu didn't move. Just now, when she set up a game to take over half of her territory, Ren Yaoqi always felt that Zhao Yingqiu's chess moves had an inexplicable and strange sense of familiarity.
She hadn't figured it out at first, so she deliberately gave up her lower left corner to see Zhao Yingqiu's moves more clearly. The more she looked, the more shocked she became. Zhao Yingqiu's chess style was surprisingly similar to Pei Zhiyan's. Ren Yaoqi thought about it carefully. Zhao Yingqiu probably had no connection with the Pei family. So Zhao Yingqiu must have carefully studied Pei Zhiyan's chess games and learned about his style. For example, when she set traps to lure the enemy, she learned Pei Zhiyan's unconventional and unexpected moves. Zhao Yingqiu was truly clever. If Ren Yaoqi hadn't been so familiar with her master's style, she would have been fooled by Zhao Yingqiu's tricks.
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