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

Chapter 294 What will Yi Zheng eat for lunch?

"Welcome everyone to the first round of the third stage of the Chess Saint Tournament! I'm your old friend, the host of the 'Muye Fox' live commentary program. Quiet!"

"I am Jin Wan."

Jin Wan, a 9-dan professional Go player, was invited as a special guest to give a commentary on the game.

It wasn't just him who was invited; the seven-day competition invited the seven most famous title holders from that year, making it a limited-time nostalgic return program that truly brought back memories of my youth.

Teacher Anjing also introduced today's program: "Today's featured matches are Jiang Mobai 9-dan vs. Zaxi Sangjie 9-dan, and Yi Zheng 8-dan vs. Chu Tianjiao 9-dan. As the competition of the third stage of the round-robin tournament, it can be described as a clash of titans, with every match being a tough battle!"
Our program has also undergone a complete upgrade. As you can see on the large screen behind us, the live broadcast of four chess games will be shown. Furthermore, you can operate the game via computer and try out some moves on the screen, breaking free from the constraints of the traditional chessboard and allowing for simultaneous commentary on several games.

Normally, you can only explain one game at a time, otherwise it would be too troublesome to keep moving the pieces around on the board.

However, because a game of chess can take so long, and some players can spend more than an hour thinking about a single move, the commentator has to find a way to talk about other things during these breaks, which is a big challenge for many commentators.

Not everyone can stretch something that can be explained in three minutes into an hour.

Now, with internet technology, it's possible to play several games at the same time.

If you go into a long period of thought in this game, I'll switch to another game to talk about it, so we won't end up in an awkward situation where there's nothing left to say.

Of course, there will definitely be a main speaker, with the others providing brief explanations as interludes; otherwise, if they are too scattered, the audience's attention will be diverted.

"As you can see from the scene, the contestants have mostly entered the venue and taken their seats. This atmosphere makes me extremely excited."

The camera followed a tall figure, and An Jing added in a timely manner, her tone filled with expectation: "Especially this year, there is an absolute rising star who has entered this highest stage of the round-robin tournament - Yi Zheng, 8th Dan! He is only seventeen years old! He can be called the new generation king of the Go world, directly pulling down the average age by a lot."

He truly fulfilled his promise from last year, becoming a top figure among the new generation! And the only one of the new generation to achieve this title!

"And just over two weeks ago, Yi Zheng, 8-dan, defeated Li Junhe, 9-dan, who was ranked number one in the world, at the Asian Cup, and pulled his opponent's ranking down to second place."

Jiang Mobai, a 9-dan player, advanced to the top of the rankings with three consecutive wins in the Asian Cup. People joked that Jiang should give Yi Zheng a "Best Wingman" award.

However, this expression of gratitude may not be enough, as the two players will soon enter a new round of competition in the Go Saint Tournament's round-robin stage.

At the competition venue, Yi Zheng was already waiting in his seat for today's opponent, Chu Tianjiao, a 9-dan player.

Chu Tianjiao pulled out a chair and sat down. Instead of asking any questions related to the competition, he asked, "Have you decided what to have for lunch today?"

Because both sides have three hours of time left in the Chess Saint Tournament, the match usually lasts for six or seven hours or even longer, making it an extremely long match.

Even if it starts at 10 a.m., it usually doesn't end until around 5 p.m., and even ending at that time is considered relatively quick.

Therefore, the chess academy prepares lunch and even dinner for the participating players, and thoughtfully offers a pre-order service.

Contestants can tell the organizers what they want to eat a day in advance, and can even specify which restaurant it is.

Around noon, the organizers will deliver the contestants' meals.

Of course, while most food items are allowed, not all are permitted. For example, foods with strong, pungent odors are not allowed, such as durian and stinky tofu. Behind each rule lies a rather absurd incident: one year, a contestant from Lingyou ordered snail rice noodles, and the entire open space was filled with the smell of snail rice noodles.

One of the contestants was already feeling unwell due to fighting for six consecutive days, and he vomited on the spot after smelling the odor.

Fortunately, this player turned his head to the side the moment he vomited, avoiding the disastrous situation of another player spraying vomit directly onto the chessboard.

Therefore, from then on, foods like snail rice noodles became prohibited.

After all, if you eat douzhi (fermented mung bean juice), it's just a matter of your personal taste. But if you eat luosifen (river snail rice noodles), it's not a personal issue anymore; it's maliciously carrying a biological virus.

So what will Yi Zheng eat for lunch?
"I ordered something simple: KFC, an Angus triple burger, fries, crispy chicken, and a Coke."

Yi Zheng had already chosen his meal plan beforehand. For such a high-intensity competition, ordinary food wouldn't be enough; he needed a carbohydrate bomb.

Hamburgers were originally a staple for workers who did high-intensity labor, and in some ways they were considered a cheap source of carbohydrates.

Because it is rich in oil and has a high calorie content, it ensures that workers can work at high intensity and eat quickly so that they can work without interrupting their work in the shortest possible time.

To some extent, hamburgers are indeed suitable for use in Go competitions, as they are convenient, quick, and high in calories.

Chu Tianjiao couldn't help but shake his head. He was also at the age where he needed to take care of his health: "This kind of thing is unhealthy. It's better to eat less fried food."

I ordered quite a few dumplings, with cabbage and pork filling. I'll share two with you later.

"Okay, thanks."

The atmosphere between the two was relaxed and friendly.

With a ten-year age difference, in the eyes of a "senior" top chess player like Chu Tianjiao, Yi Zheng was just a genius "younger brother" who needed occasional help. After all, some of the younger brothers of their peers were several years older than Yi Zheng.

Of course, treating a child means caring for them in daily life. But if you treat Yi Zheng like a child on the chessboard, you're doomed.

Moreover, there are no fathers and sons on the chessboard, let alone brothers.

At this moment, the chief referee walked solemnly and steadily to the center of the field, his voice clear and loud: "Chess Saint Tournament, third stage, first round of the round-robin tournament, using the number-based competition rules of Go, Black gives a komi of 3.5/4 points, both sides have 3 hours of time, and 5 one-minute byo-yomi periods."

The competition has officially begun. Players, please guess first!

The moment the last word fell, the last trace of leisurely smiles on Chu Tianjiao and Yi Zheng's faces vanished as quickly as ice and snow melted away, and both of them simultaneously took out chess pieces from their boxes and placed them on the chessboard.

Several pieces, representing the choices, landed steadily on the chessboard in the blink of an eye.

As the audience watched the chessboard on the big screen, they couldn't help but hold their breath in suspense.

Single or double?

(End of this chapter)