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

Chapter 251 New Year
"Ah Zheng, that's enough! You were playing chess online first thing in the morning on the first day of the Lunar New Year, are you even human?!"

Do you know how many times my mom has scolded me because of you?! Get offline right now! My mom is right outside my bedroom door, banging on it with a feather duster and asking me why I'm not watching chess!

Please stop watching, I beg you! My mom doesn't believe what you told me last time about pretending to watch chess while actually watching TV! I even took pictures, but she still doesn't believe me! She says you're using the TV noise to train your concentration! But she won't let me use that trick!

Listening to Miao Jun's complaining voice on the other end of the phone, Yi Zheng looked at the piece Li Zongrui had placed on the screen and cut off his large group of stones without any hesitation.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, there were not many fewer Go players on Muyefox Go, after all, most Asian countries celebrate the Chinese New Year, while only some Chinese communities in Europe and America celebrate this festival.

Therefore, many European and American chess players are still online normally. Lee Zongrui, the perennial workaholic, is also online, and Yi Zheng submitted an application immediately after logging on.

Yi Zheng ignored Miao Jun's rambling: "The title battle is about to begin. Where are you planning to register?"

The title match is the most important domestic Go tournament in China.

China is divided into seven regions and seven titles: Central China: Tianyuan, Northeast: Overlord, North China: National Master, East China: Divine Calculator, Northwest: Chess Demon, Southwest: Orange Immortal, and South China: Great Chess Master.

The title match is divided into four rounds.

First, after the Lunar New Year, various regions hold their own title challenger decision-making tournaments, and the entry requirements are very low.

Any chess player who has obtained professional status can register to participate in the competition. Players can register based on their place of residence or their registered athlete status. Basically, there are about a hundred people registering in each region, and in some places there are even more than two hundred people.

Even many elderly people come out to watch the competition, making it a major event for Go.

After the main tournament of the title match, the final champion of each region becomes the challenger. In the second stage, which is around May, the challenger plays a best-of-three match against the incumbent title holder. The winner becomes the regional title holder for that year.

The third stage takes place around July each year, when the regional title holders from the seven regions gather, along with the previous year's Kisei title holder, for a seven-round round-robin tournament. The two players with the highest scores advance to the Kisei final match.

In the fourth stage, held in August or September each year, the two players who emerged from the round-robin tournament will play a best-of-five match, with the winner becoming the holder of the title of Kisei (Go Saint).

Of course, there is also a fifth stage to some extent. Every year before the Lunar New Year, there is a cross-border competition between China and Japan for the title of Kisei Honinbo. Because it is held before the Lunar New Year, it is also called the New Year Cup by many people.

However, this competition is more symbolic, but because it involves competition between countries, it generates even more buzz.

That's why Yi Zheng asked Miao Jun which title match he wanted to participate in, because Miao Jun had two places to choose from.

For example, Yi Zheng, whether registered or registered in East China, can only participate in the East China title competition, unless he moves his household registration to his maternal grandmother's home in the southwest.

Of course, some professional players do this because, in terms of competitive level, the title matches in East China are the most difficult, with a considerable number of high-ranking players. Then comes North China, since the capital city is where many top players gather.

In comparison, the competitive pressure in other regions is slightly less.

Therefore, chess talents from East and North China are often recruited to other provincial teams. These provinces can obtain talents who can compete in competitions such as the National Games, and the players also have a greater chance of winning titles. To some extent, it is a win-win situation.

Therefore, the strength of the title holders in the seven regions is not too different. After all, if someone is strong enough, they won't just stay in one place.

"Of course I'll fight in East China. My registered residence is in Lin'an, and what's the difference between East China and North China? Aren't they both hellish difficulty?"

Miao Jun felt that Yi Zheng's question was pointless and unnecessary. Was there any difference between asking me whether I took the college entrance exam in Shandong or Henan?
"Then we'll meet."

"It's not that simple. Although it's easier in the early stages, by the time you reach the round of 16, everyone becomes a strong opponent, and the top four are all top-tier." Miao Jun couldn't help but shake his head. Last year, he was eliminated in the quarterfinals, and his best result was only reaching the top four.

Among the Three Musketeers, Shen Guhong only made it to the Challenger Finals before being defeated.

As the largest individual competition in the country, everyone came with their best condition and a winning mentality.

Becoming a title holder means you have truly become one of China's top-tier chess players, among the most outstanding in the country.

Furthermore, it involves endorsements for many important products, so naturally everyone is scrambling to get in.

"So we need to be even more prepared."

Yi Zheng looked at the screen on the chessboard where Li Zongrui had conceded defeat, then lay back in his chair. Yi Zheng was really prepared to fulfill his earlier boast about winning a title this year.

But why can't this title be "Chess Saint"?

Jiang Mobai set a record by winning the title of Chess Saint at the age of nineteen, and I, Yi Zheng, was exactly eighteen when I reached the finals, which is also possible.

Hearing this, Miao Jun felt like the sky was falling: "Go ahead and gamble! Go ahead and gamble! Gamble until you win all the championships, confuse the chess world, and destroy Go. I'll just risk my life with you!"

Yi Zheng smiled and shook his head. Miao Jun talks a big game, but he's actually incredibly greedy. He just keeps saying he can't be greedy.

In comparison, Shi Yuhan, the other roommate, was probably a little more relaxed. Perhaps she had been discouraged by too many geniuses and thought that having Go in her life wasn't so bad.

Sometimes, it's not a bad thing to not put pressure on yourself and relax.

Yi Zheng glanced at the New Year's greetings constantly being sent to his phone and replied to some of them, but most of them were just formulaic replies, basically mass messages.

Of course, a few people did reply to Yi Zheng quite seriously, after all, the blessings they sent were quite heartfelt.

After giving a brief reply, Yi Zheng heard relatives coming to pay their respects outside the door, and he had to go out and show his face.

There's a saying that goes, "When you're poor, no one cares even in the bustling city; when you're rich, even distant relatives come calling from the deep mountains." Yi Zheng's family wasn't exactly poor to begin with, but after he became famous in the last two years, many relatives who hadn't been in contact with him before suddenly started visiting again.

Yi Zheng wasn't really fond of these people, but his parents sometimes felt it was a matter of pride.

After Yi Zheng went in and out several times, he looked at Old Ke, who was again hogging the computer to watch movies, and said helplessly, "There are always so many things to do during the Spring Festival. I think we should just go on a trip next year. That way, I feel like I can relax a bit."

"Sure, I quite enjoy outdoor camping. I even went camping with my friends and filmed some videos before."

Mr. Ke couldn't help but think of the title of his video back then, which was taken out of context by a bunch of netizens and turned into something very strange.

"Happy New Year, Mr. Ke."

Upon hearing this, Old Ke leaned back strategically and said, "Then hurry up and go watch the Lunar New Year movies, before the entertainment industry collapses like this."

P.S.: It's the first day of June, please vote for me, brothers!
(End of this chapter)