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

Chapter 171 My Judgment is Above Yours [Bonus Chapter for Every 3000 Words]

Both sides started with a star-shaped opening, but the directions of the small points were different.

Shen Guhong, playing black, directly made a small knight's move to connect with the small eye. Yi Zheng did not respond and followed with a counter-connection. Then black made a high clamp on the second space, and Yi Zheng made a low clamp on the third space.

Both sides started by going their own way, completely ignoring each other, each going their own path – a contest of momentum.

The guest commentator for this game is Jin Wan, a 9-dan professional Go player. He is quite interested in the final match of his protégé.

Of course, the most important thing is that Ma Zhaoxu appeared last time, and he came out to explain this time out of spite.

After all, Yi Zheng made a three-year agreement last year, but now, just one year later, he has already made it to the finals of the Rookie of the Year competition.

This speed is terrifying, no, it's terrifying beyond belief!
To be honest, Jin Wan thought it would be good if Yi Zheng could reach this level in three years, but she never expected that Yi Zheng would do it in just one year.

That's outrageous, absolutely outrageous.

But he is my apprentice!
If things continue like this, he might be able to touch a title in three years. A title holder at the age of eighteen is quite remarkable, and the probability of him becoming a Go Saint in the future is very high.

Thinking of this, Jin Wan couldn't help but smile, but when he thought of Lao Ma as an obstacle, he instantly became unhappy again.

Damn it, if only it had been earlier! Jin Wan wished she could travel back in time!

"It seems that Shen Guhong, a seventh-dan player, is still using his most proficient strategy of 'first grabbing and then washing,' which is also his most skilled style."

An Jing, a regular commentator, noticed Jin Wan, a 9-dan professional Go player, suddenly lost in thought and couldn't help but offer a suggestion: "What do you think?"

"Oh!"

Jin Wan then realized that he was still recording a program, and it was a bit strange for him to suddenly space out. However, he hadn't heard what the other person was saying, so he chose to change the subject: "I feel that technology is becoming more and more convenient now. Back then, it was really troublesome to send a chess score."

Now we can see the real-time updates directly on our phones. They're playing chess at the Longmen Grottoes, and we in the capital can provide live commentary. Technology truly changes lives!

"Indeed, what do you think of Shen Guhong's style of 'getting what he wants first and then cleaning up'?"

“I’ve been following this kid before. His style is very distinctive, especially in the area of ​​clearing the dragon. He’s very skilled. Many people can’t kill his Baron.”

Anjing continued asking questions after hearing this: "So, who do you think has the best chance of winning the championship in this final?"

Jin Wan pondered for a moment after hearing this: "From a rational perspective, Shen Guhong has a higher probability of winning. Firstly, he has won the championship in this competition before, and he has more experience in the finals. Secondly, he is older, so he may have a slight advantage in terms of strength."

However, I think Yi Zheng will ultimately win the championship.

Hearing the last sentence, An Jing was speechless. You praised him so much, went through all that trouble, and finally said Yi Zheng would win the championship. You really know how to...

Jin Wan, looking at An Jing who was awkwardly laughing beside him, added, "I think Yi Zheng will win the championship not because he is my apprentice, but because of a kind of inexplicable belief."

"believe?"

"Well, the more you spend with this kid, the more you'll feel that he has a kind of power that makes people believe in him. Or how should I put it, his achievements this year have been too brilliant, making people feel that he can create miracles."

Or to put it another way, Yi Zheng has been creating miracles ever since he reached the top rank.

During the match, Yi Zheng, who was hailed as a miracle, found himself in a "bitter struggle".

"Really..." Yi Zheng never expected that he, who had been hunting geese all day, would one day be pecked in the eye by a goose. Shen Guhong used his own tricks to outmaneuver him and remove the last corner.

At the crucial moment of the situation, Shen Guhong directly made a move to test Yi Zheng's position, a move that Yi Zheng usually liked to make.

However, Shen Guhong used this move to seize the last piece of land in the upper left corner of Yi Zheng's territory, forming a four-corner penetrating pattern.

Shen Guhong revealed a barely perceptible smile. After studying and preparing for so long, he had finally scored a point here!

Now on the chessboard, Shen Guhong has formed a four-corner penetrating pattern, and all four corners are under his control.

This situation is exactly what he is best at and what he likes most. In Shen Guhong's view, he has already won 80% of the game.

It's not only a positional advantage for me, but also a position I'm good at, and the opponent is playing white.

After winning this game, Yi Zheng played the black pieces, which he was not good at, in the second game and was facing match point. Shen Guhong felt that his chances of winning were also very high.

Of course, now is not the time to pop the champagne at halftime.

Shen Guhong then made his move.

Move 47, Black, jump!

Looking at the increasing number of pieces on the board, Jin Wan, a 9-dan player, couldn't help but shake his head. The current situation was indeed difficult for Yi Zheng to play.

but……

Yi Zheng, who was in the middle of the game, didn't think so. Shen Guhong in the upper left corner felt that he was using Yi Zheng's own methods against him and tricked him with the moves that Yi Zheng was best at.

However, Yi Zheng felt that Shen Guhong had tried to imitate others blindly, like Dong Shi trying to imitate Xi Shi... Although he didn't know how much he had lost, Yi Zheng felt that he had lost out.

Shen Guhong didn't use it very well; he did manage to remove the last corner, but the actual effect wasn't significant.

Shen Guhong appears to have occupied all four corners, but in reality, it's very weak, and the current situation makes it difficult for him to place any more targets.

However, Shen Guhong didn't seem to feel that way; he thought it was his advantage.
However, this situation is quite normal. Even top players find it difficult to determine who has the advantage in the middle game.

Even before the advent of the artificial intelligence era, many situations that everyone thought had one side's advantage was already secured were completely reversed by artificial intelligence.

This involves one of the most important things in Go: judgment.

A three-time Go champion once commented that if a 9-dan player knew their current winning percentage, they wouldn't need to know the exact numbers, just the approximate values. Whether they had an advantage or a disadvantage, they wouldn't need to look at any AI-recommended moves; they would be invincible.

Whether it was Coach Kobe or the later world number one, when others commented on why they were better than others during their peak, most people would mention that their judgment was a level above others.

Yi Zheng now feels that his judgment is better than Shen Guhong's.

My judgment is superior to yours.

Yes, that's a good thing.

PS: Please give me monthly tickets, brothers.
(End of this chapter)