Riding the wind of rebirth

“You should learn more from the chess academy about these things, and it would be best to involve them as well.” Mai Mingdong was an old hand after all, and he immediately spoke from experience: “They have much more experience in participating in and organizing events than you do, and it is much easier for them to get approval than for you to do it on your own.”

"The post-match interview with Dazhu Heroes is here," An Chunjia reminded everyone to watch TV.

When facing reporters and flashing lights, Otake Hideo's first words were: "I have decided to withdraw from the future China-Japan Go Tournament."

The flashbulbs went off everywhere.

This was the era when Go was flourishing. The island nation had just gone from its zenith to its decline, while China and South Korea were thriving and vying for the top spot. The Go movement in these three countries was at its most widespread and influential stage in history.

There are tens of millions of Go players in island nations alone, millions in South Korea, and tens of millions in China.

Although most of them are just following the trend, Otake Hideo's words will undoubtedly become tomorrow's headline.

“My style of play places extreme emphasis on the perfect structure of the board, striving to combine the essence of idealism and realism. This style of play is known as ‘turtle walk’.” Otake Hideo tapped his head: “The board shapes in this mind will always be like this.”

"Otake's playing style is characterized by his preference for exploiting the opponent's weaknesses by focusing on key points throughout the game. He is a typical representative of the Japanese classical school of Go, known for his solid and resilient style, emphasis on the overall game, and slow pace of play, hence his reputation for 'turtle steps'," Hu Changfeng explained to the people around him, listening to the clumsy on-site translation.

“Young people and the times are changing their thinking,” Hideo Ohtake continued. “I can feel this deeply in the last few games.”

"Therefore, I think we should give the opportunity to younger players who are more adapted to the thinking of the times." Hideo Ohtake smiled frankly: "Let them carry on and promote this cause."

"Mr. Otake, do you have any other matches to continue?" a reporter asked eagerly as Otake bowed and prepared to leave.

"Of course, you'll see me on other stages." Hideo Ohtake nodded again: "Perhaps, the day I can no longer form a perfect board position in this mind will be the day I finally retire."

After speaking, he left the stage unhurriedly, ignoring everyone's calls.

By this time, CCTV's recap of the event had already been released, and they were capitalizing on the momentum to further boost viewership.

"This tournament took place in Tokyo, Japan on May 17, 1996. As usual, the women's team went first. China's Feng Yun defeated Japan's Nishida Eimi, maintaining the consistent advantage of Chinese female players..."

"Naoki Hane from the island nation defeated Toyo Aoi. He is Yasumasa Hane's son. It's true that like father, like son. He inherited some of his father's genes and then defeated Wang Lei..."

"...Whether Chang Hao was lucky or strong, he ate like a string of candied hawthorns in one go, defeating Otake Hideo all the way through..."

"...Otake Hideo is still yesterday's Otake Hideo, but Chang Hao is no longer yesterday's Chang Hao. In fact, in the last tournament, Chang Hao had a five-game winning streak, and what's even more astonishing today is that he won all his matches!" "This tournament is the only time Nie Weiping has stayed on the sidelines. While the reigning champions of the Japanese Go world have all come out to compete, the Chinese Go team has kept Nie Weiping out of the game."

"This is also what Lao Nie meant. He was very pleased to see that his disciple Chang Hao was already able to conquer cities and territories and become a general who could stand alone. Last time, after his five-game winning streak, he was blocked by Da Zhu Ying Xiong. This time, Chang Hao will perform a legend again, and Da Zhu Ying Xiong will not be able to stop him!"

"The Chinese Chess Academy has just received a proposal from the Japanese side that the China-Japan Go Tournament will now be concluded! Please remember December 27, 1996. This is an unforgettable day because Chang Hao defeated Otake on this day, thus ending the tournament. This conclusion has two meanings: due to the wishes of the Japanese side, this will be the last tournament. In future tournaments, everyone will continue to compete in the China-Japan-Korea Go Tournament!"

"Chang Hao became the double terminator! The China-Japan Go Tournament was initiated by Japan and ended with Japan's decision. In the end, the Chinese team won 7-4!"

"From Nie Weiping's thrilling victory in the first tournament to Chang Hao's sweeping dominance, twelve years have passed—a full cycle of the Chinese zodiac. The ups and downs along the way are countless, but one thing must be stated: my country's Go level has caught up, surpassed its predecessors—this is an indisputable fact! Although this process took twelve years, it has allowed players from all over the world to experience the vibrant vitality of traditional Chinese culture in the ancient art of Go. Now, Chinese Go is flourishing, with young players surpassing their predecessors, and it will surely usher in an even more glorious tomorrow!"

"Wow, is Chang the Prodigy really that powerful? He ended the entire competition directly?" An Chunjia was dumbfounded.

"The era of the six super-powers of the island nation has come to an end." Hu Tianyu sighed and said, "How arrogant and conceited the island nation was during the first tournament! The media publicly said that the battle should have ended with Ishida Akira, and we ourselves thought that as long as we could get Kobayashi Koichi to come out, we would have won."

"As a result, the chess master turned the tide and won. Our whole country was in an uproar because most people could not believe that we could win. This victory was a very pleasant surprise."

At that time, Japan had more than fifty first-class players and six super-first-class players: Hideo Otake, Masaki Takemiya, Koichi Kobayashi, Masao Kato, Cho Chikun, and Rin Kaiho.

At that time, the level of Chinese Go was relatively poor. Chinese players did not have a high chance of winning against Japanese 9-dan players, let alone these six super-players who were all considered to be among the top five players in the Go world.

"Even when Nie Weiping was the only one left in the second tournament, everyone in the island nation felt that the previous tournament was an accident and that no more accidents would happen."

"However, an unexpected event still occurred: the classic battle of Chess Saint Nie." Zhou Zhi clapped his hands and smiled.

"New talents emerge in every generation, each leading the way for decades. China is no longer in the era when it could only rely on Nie Weiping. Now we have our own top-class players. In addition to veterans like Liu Xiaoguang, Ma Xiaochun, and Cao Dayuan, young players like Chang Hao, Gu Li, and Kong Jie are also capable of carrying the torch."

"China's rise is inevitable. Although this rise will not be a straight line and will encounter twists and turns again and again, these twists and turns are precisely what demonstrate the inevitability of this process in a seemingly accidental way," Zhou Zhi said. "Chess luck is only one aspect of national fortune, and we will see many more aspects of rise in the future."

Mai Mingdong liked it most when Zhou Zhi spoke "seriously," and nodded, saying, "Zhouzi is right. Even in our country's relatively backward information industry, we are now striving to catch up, and in some areas we have even reached a leading position in the world. However, we must not be complacent and need to continue to maintain our efforts."

"Xiaozhi represents a completely new direction for the development of information technology, and it is also a direction that is completely different from the current mainstream information technology development!"

"In traditional areas, we must acknowledge that we are currently lagging behind and catching up. However, thanks to everyone here, we possess enormous technological and intellectual property advantages in this area, and we are developing very well!" (End of Chapter)