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

Chapter 288 Patrol
"I lost."

Li Junhe watched as Yi Zheng placed his piece in less than three seconds, and finally took a deep breath to calm himself down.

After that giant flower blooms in the center, even if a rider descends on the opposite side, Li Junhe's chances of winning are less than 50%.

There was no other way but to place a single mountain on the heads of the two white pieces on either side. Yi Zheng could play with his eyes closed and not even know how many pieces he could circle in the center.

Li Junhe's own pieces, on the other hand, were like being entangled and bound by the roots of a giant flower, sinking deep into the mud. All the sharp attack methods that could be imagined seemed so pale and powerless at this moment, like trying to pierce thick bulletproof glass with a toothpick.

The next few moves were just to get by, or rather, to adjust my mood.

After all, being completely overwhelmed at the start is still a bit hard for top players to accept.

Such a match is a rare occurrence even in a professional career.

"I've never seen a throwing knife like this before, but Yi Zheng threw it incredibly fast, especially in the initial choices. Although he slowed down a little later, it wasn't by much..."

Judging from Yi Zheng's smooth and almost instinctive response, Li Junhe was absolutely certain that Yi Zheng had at least thoroughly mastered the basic variation chart of the throwing knife and all the corresponding countermeasures.

Moreover, with such confidence and decisiveness in unleashing firepower, the direction the opponent takes, even if not the optimal solution, is probably not far off.

Given these preparations, it's not entirely a loss.

"Ha, I thought I was well prepared, but I didn't expect the other side to prepare a throwing knife I've never seen before."

Li Junhe gave a self-deprecating laugh; he didn't think throwing knives was about winning through skill.

If throwing knives is a trick, then there's no need for prior research and preparation. Just like those old guys from hundreds of years ago, holding a pot of hot tea, they could spend six or seven hours on a single move, and a single game could take a year.

Times have changed. In professional esports, the competition is all about information asymmetry and computing power depth.

More importantly, throwing knives have both advantages and disadvantages. The person using the knife is also taking risks, and a single careless move could easily backfire.

High returns are always accompanied by high risks.

If you get screwed over, isn't it because you didn't study enough? If you don't study enough, you deserve to be screwed over. In professional competitions, there's no such thing as taking shortcuts; it's just about winning and losing.

There's only one thing to say: if you're bad at it, practice more; if you can't handle it, don't play.

The words may be crude, but the reasoning is sound; this is the truth.

Lee Jun-hyuk solemnly pointed out two chess pieces placed on the chessboard and couldn't help but sigh.

But after muttering to himself for a while, Li Junhe looked across at the other side, and the next second, his pupils dilated slightly, and he froze on the spot as if he had been frozen in place.

His gaze was fixed on the competition chair opposite him, which was now... completely empty?!

No?

So all my feelings just now were directed at thin air?

Where are you!
You're not even in your place!
Li Junhe was completely stunned. He turned to look at a referee who had been watching the game. Although he didn't say anything, his meaning was clear.

The referee had put his phone, which he originally used to take pictures, into his pocket, but he quickly took it out to take pictures the moment Lee Jun-hyuk conceded defeat.

There was no way around it; he clearly felt this was a historic moment, and it would be a real shame not to take a picture.

Even if you don't win any awards, posting it online will still get you a lot of likes.

Upon hearing Li Junhe's question, the referee first took out the match result sheet and handed it to Li Junhe: "Yi Zheng, 8-dan, left to patrol the field immediately after making his move."

As the referee spoke, he pointed to the side, where Yi Zheng was currently watching other people play chess from a different spot.

After making his move, Li Junhe did a lot of mental preparation before finally conceding defeat when he heard the countdown. Yi Zheng also got up and left during that time.

Touring the arena is a traditional skill in Go competitions.

Simply put, it means that when you are stuck in a deadlock in your game and your opponent is thinking for a long time, you can temporarily leave your seat and wander around the game like a ghost, while watching how others are being tortured or torturing others.

There are actually many benefits to patrolling the field, because if you stare at a situation for a long time, your brain may fall into a cognitive trap, and you may not think of many simple things.

When you've gone outside to observe how others do it, cleared your head, and come back, some things that had been puzzling you suddenly seem clear. How could I have missed something so simple and obvious?

It can also put pressure on your opponent, making them feel that you have victory in your grasp.

Mr. Ke said that he used to enjoy wandering around the chessboard, watching the games among all kinds of players. Once his opponent made a move, Mr. Ke would quickly return to the chessboard and make his own move, and then continue to stroll around.

Old Ke seemed to say in a very nostalgic tone, "Back then, I didn't know what they were thinking. Why did it take so long? Later, on the contrary..."

Previously, Yi Zheng played mostly high-level games, which were quite demanding, and time was extremely precious most of the time. Yi Zheng would not waste a single second and would stay in his seat the whole time.

This time, thanks to Li Junhe 9-dan's intervention, Yi Zheng also experienced the joy of stomping a high-level player and got a taste of the mindset of the world's number one Go player.

"The King of Chu is feeling a bit unwell."

Yi Zheng, who had walked to the side, glanced at the game between Chu Bawang and Miao Jun. As one of the few civil wars in China, Chu Bawang, the champion of the Northeast, was actually suppressed by Miao Jun.

Against Miao Jun's iron-walled defensive style, the Chu overlord, a classic warrior, was actually restrained.

However, given his senior's experience, Chu Tianjiao eventually found a flaw in Miao Jun's iron wall. He singled out a pawn and fought his way in, turning the tide against all odds.

But by the end, Chu Tianjiao was almost soaked in sweat, complaining that the air conditioning should be turned up a bit.

Chu Tianjiao looked up at Yi Zheng, who was watching the match from the sidelines. Yi Zheng would be one of his opponents in the title round-robin tournament next month.

However, he did not expect that Miao Jun, who was a year younger than Yi Zheng, was now almost at the level of a title holder.

He even looked like a complete challenger to the title, wondering what he was doing at his age.

What exactly did these children eat to grow up?

Yi Zheng glanced at Chu Tianjiao, nodded, and then slowly strolled back to his seat, wondering if Li Junhe had made up his mind yet.

Yi Zheng has already patrolled the field countless times today. There's no way around it; Li Junhe is taking a very long time to make each move due to the torment of this throwing knife.

Knowing the answer in advance, Yi Zheng felt his mind was blank, with nothing to think about except what to eat for dinner.

To prevent himself from drooling on the chessboard while lost in thought, Yi Zheng had no choice but to go outside for a walk.

There's no way around it, I can almost smell the hot pot already, and my tongue is already tasting the familiar flavor.

When Yi Zheng returned, Li Junhe was still sitting in his seat, but the referee had been waiting for a long time, the chess clock had stopped, and there were two more pieces on the chessboard.

The classic ceremony of conceding defeat.

"I lost."

Looking at Yi Zheng who had returned, Li Junhe felt that Yi Zheng's emotions were no longer normal, so he could only say, "But it won't happen again next time."

Upon hearing this familiar-sounding "challenge," Yi Zheng calmly nodded, his face expressionless.

After all, in the professional world, being defeated by a brand new, powerful throwing knife for the first time can be considered a learning experience.

But if he stubbornly tries to run into the same knife again, it's not just being stubborn; it's like someone with water in their head trying to crack a walnut with a hammer.

He knew very well that with Li Junhe's chess skills and wisdom, he was definitely not the kind of stubborn, inflexible "idiot" who kept jumping into the same trap.

only……

"I have way too many throwing knives."

Yi Zheng couldn't help but sigh, "Even if you deliberately avoid this one, I still have seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve throwing knives."

However, Yi Zheng maintained a serious, old-fashioned expression, bowed slightly in return, and watched Li Junhe leave the research room with a belly full of complaints and dissatisfaction.

He really couldn't stand it for another second. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't leave until Yi Zheng finished signing the confirmation form, he would have turned around and left long ago.

In the air, he could still smell the domineering fragrance of the central demon flower in full bloom and the silent wails in his heart.

P.S.: Please vote for me, everyone!
(End of this chapter)