Go: Is the portable old man the nine-time champion?

Chapter 138 The Mysticism of Go
"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, God bless you! Mua~"

Seeing Miao Jun sitting opposite him bowing three times with the jade pendant around his neck, Yi Zheng felt a little speechless.

I suddenly remembered that old folk song that Ke Lao hummed: "You bunch of rascals, you like to wear jade pendants around your necks..."

The Rookie King tournament has no rest period; the competition lasts for four consecutive days, leading up to the finals, which will be held several months later in a best-of-three format to determine the winner.

This is also a common format for the finals of chess competitions, because a single game can be a game-winner for players of similar or even vastly different skill levels, as it carries the risk of an upset or even a one-hit kill.

However, if the number of games in a match is increased to three to five or even seven, the risk of an upset will be reduced, and a player's strength will be better demonstrated.

After all, you can't expect to crash two or three times in a short period of time with the same person, right? If you're bad, practice more; if you can't handle the game, don't play it.

Of course, it will also put a player's mentality to the test. For example, if you win the first game of a best-of-three match but are overtaken in the second game, the third game will be very dangerous.

After three days of competition, Yi Zheng won three consecutive matches to reach the semifinals, where he finally faced his childhood friend Miao Jun.

Theoretically speaking, many people think that Yi Zheng's draw is quite good, after all, he has not encountered the three musketeers before the semi-finals, and the three of them are definitely semi-finalists.

But even with the best draw, you're bound to meet in the semifinals.

"Stop polishing your jade pendant, get ready to guess first."

Yi Zheng looked at Miao Jun, who was carefully taking care of the jade pendant around his neck before the competition, and felt a little helpless. He had never seen Miao Jun so careful before.

However, Miao Jun said that this was metaphysics: "Ah Zheng, you don't understand. I calculated that this year is a bit unlucky for me, so I specially used some small methods to improve my fortune. This is something I obtained from Lingyin Temple."

It's strange sometimes that, even though Go is an extremely scientific game, most players seem to have some superstitions involved.

There are even precautions to take before a match, such as not eating noodles, because eating noodles will cause you to lose the game the next day.

Even the Rookie King competition has a touch of mysticism. For example, all the players who have won the title of Kisei have also won the Rookie King, while no one who has not won the Rookie King has ever touched the Kisei title.

Of course, Yi Zheng stated that this was absolutely not the reason he participated in the competition, and that he had no feudal or superstitious beliefs whatsoever.

The fact that I planned to go out for barbecue with Wenxiao last night but canceled it had absolutely nothing to do with the absurd claim that eating barbecue would spread the "stinky chess virus." I just suddenly felt unwell and didn't want to go.

Of course, if you say that this kind of metaphysics is beneficial to oneself, then there is some truth to it. After all, sometimes we have to believe in the wisdom of our ancestors.

Xiong Ba: A golden carp is no ordinary fish; it transforms into a dragon when it encounters wind and clouds. I am destiny itself!

A dragon's roar echoes through the heavens, shaking the very foundations of the world; amidst the gathering of winds and clouds, we swim freely in shallow waters. I, Xiong Ba, do not believe in destiny!

It can only be said that double standards are an art etched into the genes of humankind.

"Hey Lao Chen, what are you doing staring at that table over there? You haven't even beaten me yet and you're already analyzing your opponent in the finals?"

Meanwhile, at the other game table, Qi Ling expressed his dissatisfaction to Shen Gu Hong, who was frequently glancing at the other game.

Am I too weak to lift the knife, or are you getting too cocky? Even if the match hasn't started yet, you shouldn't be losing focus right now, right?

Hearing this, Shen Guhong glanced at his old rival and immediately denied it: "I didn't." "Do you think I'm blind? You looked back at least five or six times just now. Once or twice might be my fault for being blind, but five or six times? Do you think I'm hallucinating?"
"There's nothing to see. Miao Jun is sure to win. I really envy him for drawing such a good lot, while I'm stuck with this tough nut to crack. What a hassle." Qi Ling couldn't help but shake his head and say.

While Go skill cannot be entirely correlated with age, age undoubtedly becomes very important when talent levels are similar.

Because time also represents accumulation.

As the oldest of the three swordsmen, Shen Guhong's strength has always been slightly superior to the other two. Although they have had their share of wins and losses, Shen Guhong has won by a little more.

Therefore, when faced with Shen Guhong in the semifinals, Qi Ling naturally had to marvel at Miao Jun's good fortune.

Even though Yi Zheng's performance in the national youth team is among the best, the lower limit of the national team and the upper limit of the national youth team are not the same thing.

Not to mention, even within the national team, the Three Musketeers are no longer at the bottom.

Qi Ling even publicly stated in an interview that she would be aiming for the title this year or next, and that the title was now hers to take turns sitting on.

He wouldn't have been able to utter those words if he didn't have some real strength.

Upon hearing Qi Ling's remarks, Shen Guhong paused for a moment before replying, "Perhaps, just guessing."

"Come."

Meanwhile, upon hearing the official start of the match, Yi Zheng and Miao Jun also began guessing who would go first.

“Ah Zheng, your habit of guessing who goes first hasn’t changed over the years. If a piece falls back into the box when you draw it, it means you’re counting an even number in your hand. But if no piece falls back, it means you only drew one.”

Looking at the four white pieces Yi Zheng placed on the chessboard, Miao Jun proudly placed a black piece on the board. "We grew up together, I know your little habits all too well."

Miao Jun had to admit that Yi Zheng's progress recently had been incredibly rapid, and his win rate with white had reached an extremely terrifying level, which was simply outrageous.

Therefore, if you want to beat Yi Zheng, you must first practice guessing the first move so that Yi Zheng can play black.

It's not that playing white is impossible, but after careful consideration, Miao Jun felt there was a risk of losing.

Using this little trick maximizes your chances of winning.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zheng was slightly taken aback. It must have been a long time since he had a formal sparring session with Miao Jun. How could he remember such a habit that he had since childhood?

You don't actually have a crush on me, do you?
Yi Zheng also felt helpless about his high winning rate when playing white, because Master Ke gave him too many game records with white, and studying too many white game records inevitably led to some bias.

Although it was not good to get the black pieces, Yi Zheng also influenced Miao Jun verbally: "You used this little trick, which actually puts you at a disadvantage in terms of momentum, proving that you are afraid of my white pieces."

"cut!"

Miao Jun dismissed this with disdain, considering it a tactical victory for himself.

Most things in the world can be viewed from two sides. According to Yi Zheng's argument, the opponent is wrong regardless of whether they are prepared or not. It is only when you actually believe the opponent's nonsense that you are truly misled.

(End of this chapter)