Chapter 13 Dragon Flying Tiger
Because of Shi Xiangxia's move, Gu Dali was pulled back to his seat. Poor Yan Qing was about to sit down when his seat was taken by Gu Dali again. And from that time until the end of the game, Gu Dali never left that seat again.
As for Li Xiangping, ever since Lao Shi gave him some advice, Li Xiangping was no longer willing to worry about it himself. He handed over all the tasks of playing chess to Lao Shi. Apart from making moves according to his instructions, he just watched the game quietly from the side.
Li Xiangping saw the meaning of this. When it comes to the game of Go, playing Go by yourself and watching others play Go are two completely different experiences. Because Go has a characteristic, or all chess games have a common characteristic:
That is, there are some moves that you cannot perform according to your own level, but if you see others perform it in this way, you can understand it.
Li Xiangping is obviously one of those people who "can understand but cannot put it into practice".
Therefore, in the following period of time, as the two sides played chess back and forth without giving in, especially when Shi Xiangxia instructed Li Xiangping to place the pieces on the chessboard, the moves were always beyond Li Xiangping's expectations, but upon closer thought, they were reasonable, which made Li Xiangping watch with great interest and endless aftertaste.
The game continued step by step, and by around 9:30 in the evening, there were dozens more moves on the board. At this moment, the battle on the board was extremely fierce, no, it can only be described as "tragic". Several big dragons from both sides were fighting each other, and the situation was completely chaotic.
However, at this time, although Li Xiangping still couldn't figure out all the specific changes, he could still see some clues about why Shi Xiangxia said that he was "in a very bad situation" when he took over, and his overall conception during this period.
It was precisely because Li Xiangping had seen through his meaning that he sighed in his heart : It is said that people like Huang Fanshi, the top masters of medieval chess, have extremely strong mid-game combat capabilities. This seems to be true. I don’t know how they compare with professional masters, but at least compared with people of my level, there is a gap of several levels.
If I am a one-dimensional Go player, then Mr. Shi is at least a three-dimensional Go player and he has to go further.
At this time, Li Xiangping already knew that just before Lao Shi took over, his opponent had set a trap for him and prepared a very hidden and powerful move for him. Li Xiangping knew that if he was the one playing this game, he would definitely fall into the trap. Not only would the big chess piece worth more than 20 points be snatched away, but his external forces would also be shattered.
Simply put, if the opponent succeeded at that time, he would have to lose at least 10 points - you have to know that although Li Xiangping didn't think much of Yan Qing, he still had some self-knowledge and knew that in a game of this level, he obviously couldn't afford to lose 10 points.
Not only did Shi Xiangxia see through his opponent's intention, but his subsequent response also opened Li Xiangping's eyes. He emerged from a place Li Xiangping could never have imagined and created all kinds of clues on the chessboard. From the time he took over until now, he had prevented his opponent from having a chance to make a big move worth more than 20 points.
Li Xiangping could see that his opponent did not want to play. His intentions for many of his moves were quite obvious, which was to free up his hands as soon as possible to grab that move. However, under Shi Xiangxia's relentless pressure, his opponent could not find this opportunity at all.
After another 20 minutes and dozens of moves on the chessboard, Li Xiangping felt happy because, judging from his chess skills, he felt that the black pieces had begun to slowly gain the upper hand.
Li Xiangping, who was very happy, started to talk nonsense:
"Brother Ding'an, I remember your good friend once said that the masters of the chess garden in the early days of the country were so focused that they could create single and subtle things. They could create order from order, reality from illusion, and front and back from back. They all played their part and achieved their own unique style. I see that your recent moves have at least reached this level, right?"
Fan Xiping said this, so Shi Xiangxia certainly knew it. He just asked:
"Good friends? What do you mean?"
"This... it means that you and Senior Xiping are equally matched, and often love and hate each other on the chessboard. In modern terms, your situation is called good friends."
"Love and hate each other? Haha, your description is quite interesting. According to what you said, Brother Xiping and I are indeed a pair of good friends."
Li Xiangping suppressed his laughter and said, "Brother Ding'an, what do you think of the current situation? It should be no problem to defeat the opponent, right?"
"It's hard to say. Although we have a slight advantage at the moment, there are too many unknown factors on the board. In particular, I see that the opponent's chess skills are very high. His moves are powerful and powerful, and he is also very talented. Many of his moves are beyond my expectations. Therefore, the outcome is still unpredictable. Alas, I didn't expect that only a few hundred years have passed, and the skills of Go have developed to this point. I can easily meet someone with such strength. Ding'an has really become a frog in the well."
"Hmm? Brother Ding'an thinks this person is very talented..."
Because he thought that the person sitting opposite him was Yan Qing, Li Xiangping felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this:
"Then Brother Ding'an, if this person were to return to your time, what level would he be at?"
"He is now firmly ranked among the famous masters. I heard from my friend Xiang Ping that this person is about your age. So, given time, he can be expected to become a great master."
"Masters" is the second tier in medieval chess, while "Masters" as mentioned by Lao Shi is the highest tier in medieval chess. In medieval chess, except for Huang Longshi, Zhou Donghou, Xu Xingyou, Liang Weijin, Cheng Lanru, Fan Shi Xiangxia, Chen Zixian, and Zhou Xiaosong, who can be called "Masters", even masters like Guo Bailing, Zhou Lanyu, Sheng Dayou, and Wang Hannian can only be ranked as "Masters".
"Can Yan Qing be ranked among the 'famous masters'? He may even become a 'great master'..."
Li Xiangping's discomfort flashed away, and then he became complacent.
His complacency is certainly not without reason. You should know that although Yan Qing is his "nemesis", Li Xiangping never thinks that this guy's level is much higher than his own. Moreover, when he was learning chess in the past few years, there were many teachers who praised him for his "outstanding chess talent", but he had never seen anyone praise Yan Qing.
"By the way, Brother Ding'an just said that we have gained a little advantage, right? Then Brother Ding'an, please do your best to kill this man."
"Please don't say too much, my friend Xiang Ping, and disturb my mood."
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything. Haha, just play chess in peace."
Li Xiangping shut up and waited for Lao Shi to help him win the game. As for whether Lao Shi could do it, Li Xiangping was still very confident.
You have to know that Old Shi is the chess saint of medieval chess. Although in modern society, there is still a lot of controversy about the chess skills of these ancient chess players, there is not much doubt about the mid-game fighting ability of guys like Huang, Fan, and Shi.
"Huang, Fan, and Shi's mid-game fighting power is even better than that of modern top-notch players."
If this statement was made before 2015, many people might not believe it, and it would easily cause great controversy. However, after 2016, this statement is basically not questioned, because this conclusion was not drawn by humans themselves, but by Go AI.
Many Go AIs in later generations have built-in chess strength testing functions. Some people have recorded the chess records of Huang, Fan, and Shi and shown them to Go AIs to let them give their evaluations.
Due to Go rules, Go AI gave a very low evaluation of the opening of ancient records, thinking that many moves were incomprehensible. However, after entering the middle game, Go AI gave a very high evaluation of ancient records, especially the top players in ancient Go. In terms of mid-game moves alone, the average score given by Go AI even exceeded that of modern top-notch players. This result may be difficult for many "anti-ancient" players to accept, but it is a fact! An irrefutable fact!
In his previous life, Li Xiangping had seen this kind of test, so he trusted Lao Shi so much. You have to know that when Lao Shi first took over this game, it was already in the middle game, which happened to be his strongest point. Not only that, Li Xiangping still thinks that his opponent is Yan Qing, a guy that even Li Xiangping himself is not convinced of. If Lao Shi can't even beat such a person, then Li Xiangping really has doubts.
He began to doubt whether the old man living deep in his soul was really Shi Xiangxia.
It was for this reason that Li Xiangping was so confident about this game, and he confidently waited for Lao Shi to bring him a victory. When the time came to 9:40 in the evening, Li Xiangping even had time to care about the situation of other games.
This concern was not a big deal, but it frightened Li Xiangping:
"Oh my god, how come there are so many people crowding in to watch the game at table 4? Are the games at other tables already over?"
Li Xiangping then realized that there were more than 200 chess friends watching the game in his room. This number might not be unusual in later generations, but it was only the year 2000, and on a small server like Lianzhong that could only accommodate 400 people, so the number of spectators was a bit too much. Especially since he was the fourth server, and it was supposed to be inconspicuous, so the number of spectators seemed even greater.
Among the crowd of spectators, Li Xiangping also saw several familiar accounts. One of them was Beggar Gang*Hongqiao Wolong, and the other was Beggar Gang*Gourmet, the chess player on his side who was sitting at the first table.
It was not surprising to see Hongqiao. After all, he was the organizer of the competition, so it was normal for him to go to that room. It was just a little strange for the Beggars' Sect Gourmet to come here now. So Li Xiangping greeted the "Beggars' Sect Gourmet".
Honinbo Xiuqin of the Beggars' Sect: "Old Beauty, have you finished your own chess game?"
Beggar Gang Gourmet first sent Li Xiangping a "handshake" expression, and then gave a short reply:
"It just finished."
Beggars' Sect* Honinbo Xiuqin: "What was the result?"
Beggars' Sect*Gourmet: "Luckily got it."
Beggars' Sect* Honinbo Xiuqin: "Haha, congratulations."
Beggars' Gourmet: "Thank you."
After he finished saying this, he added: "Xiuqin, stop chatting and play chess seriously. We are waiting for your game now. If you can win, we will win this confrontation."
Honinbo Xiuqin of the Beggars' Sect: "Haha, yes sir, I promise I will get it."
What Li Xiangping didn't know was that while the Beggar Gang's *Gourmet* told him not to chat, he himself was chatting with Hongqiao Wolong, but in a private chat.
Beggars' Sect Gourmet: "Hongqiao, do you know who this Xiuqin is?"
Beggars' Sect*Hongqiao Wolong: "Didn't I tell you that he is the young man in white from our sect? You should know about this, Old Mei. I think I told you before that the real identity of the young man in white is actually a young man who is trying to get a rank."
Beggars' Sect Gourmet: "I know about white clothes, but this Honinbo Xiuqin is definitely not white clothes."
Beggars' Sect*Hongqiao Wolong: "Ah?! Why do Americans say that?"
Beggars' Sect Gourmet: "It's very simple, because the real white clothes should not have such a high level. Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you, do you know who is sitting opposite him now?"
Beggars' Sect* Hongqiao Wolong: "Who is it?"
Beggars' Sect*Gourmet: "Gu Dali?"
Beggars' Sect*Hongqiao Wolong: "Ah?!!!!!!!"
Beggars' Sect Gourmet: "The news came from the Chinese Chess Institute. It's confirmed. Now you should know why I say he is not Bai Yi. Look at this game. Gu Dali was basically suppressed. He was pinned to the ground and beaten by Xiu Qin. Is this a move that Bai Yi can make?"
The Beggars' Sect Gourmet was a Go player, so Hongqiao certainly trusted his sources.
Beggars' Sect* Hongqiao Wolong: "Then this Xiuqin might be a hired gun by Baiyi."
Beggars' Sect*Gourmet: "I am interested in this gunner now. Hongqiao, you may not know that Gu Dali is not the only one playing chess at the Chinese Chess Institute. It is said that the best players of the National Youth Team are all here. Even if they work together, they cannot defeat this guy. Hongqiao, think about it, who in the country is qualified to be this gunner?"
Beggars' Sect*Hongqiao Wolong: "Ah?! Hahaha, I don't know. I really can't guess who this person is."
Hongqiao was happy. After all, this person named "Honinbo Xiuqin" was also representing the Beggars' Sect. But at this moment, Hongqiao thought of another name.
Beggars' Sect*Hongqiao Wolong: "I say, American, do you think this Xiuqin could be that person?"
Beggars' Gourmet: "Which one?"
Beggars' Sect* Hongqiao Wolong: "Who else could be the master who could pin Gu Dali to the ground and rub him, and who also likes to play chess online? Of course, it can only be Long Feihu, the Long Feihu who appeared in Qingfeng some time ago."
Beggars' Sect Gourmet: "Long Feihu? This is really possible..."
