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

Chapter 306 Why Can't We Float?
The closing ceremony of the third stage of the Chinese Chess Saint Tournament.

After seven rounds of fierce competition, the dust has settled, and the two chess champions who have overcome numerous obstacles are about to engage in their first showdown on the chessboard representing the highest level of competition in China.

At the center of the stage, the two protagonists—Jiang Mobai, the defending champion of last year's Go world, and Yi Zheng, the rising star of this year, who is currently enjoying great momentum—are having a seemingly ordinary ceremonial handshake, while the sound of camera shutters clicking incessantly from the audience.

"I told you, I would be waiting for you in the finals."

Jiang Mobai raised an eyebrow and said something to Yi Zheng with a playful smile.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zheng almost reflexively rolled his eyes: "Senior Brother Jiang, no matter what, I secured my spot in the finals in advance and entered the finals with a perfect record. So, it's my turn to wait for you."

"What are you saying? I was last year's chess champion, the defending champion. Of course, I'm the one waiting for you to come and challenge me!"

Jiang Mobai refused to budge an inch, unconsciously tightening his grip on Yi Zheng's hand, trying to emphasize his "home field" advantage even on a physical level.

“The past is the past, and the present is the present. If you keep using the past as the present, why don’t you compare it to when you were just born?”

Yi Zheng was not to be outdone. Feeling the force coming from his hand, he immediately used the finger strength he had developed from frequent weightlifting to respond.

Because the two people weren't speaking loudly, from the perspective of the hundreds of reporters, chess players, and guests in the audience, it was just a routine friendly handshake before the match.

The camera captured two young, handsome faces, radiating confidence and mutual respect – a harmonious picture representing the "golden generation" of Chinese Go.

Reporters were busy adjusting their angles, the clicking of camera shutters creating a cacophony as they tried to capture every moment of these two chess prodigies, hoping to report on the "handshake photo of the two stars" that would surely go viral tomorrow.

"Holy crap! I don't care, I'm just waiting for you!"

"I'm waiting for you!"

It can only be said that some youthful spirit will not disappear with the weight of the "Chess Saint" crown.

Men remain boys until death, and chess masters are no exception; it's just that their battlefield sometimes shifts to this silent "handshake" outside the chessboard.

After seven rounds of round-robin matches, Yi Zheng entered the finals with a record of seven wins and zero losses, ranking first, while Jiang Mobai entered the finals with a record of five wins and two losses, ranking second.

In a month or two, the two will compete in the final of the best-of-five Go tournament, the highest-level Go competition in China this year!
Watching the two young men interact "friendly" on stage, Ma Zhaoxu's lips curled up uncontrollably, eventually bursting into a low, off-key hum that seemed to be squeezed out of his nose: "First~ to~ Xian~ Yang~ to~ be~ the~ king~, then~ to~ Xian~ Yang~..."

He even added his own rhythm, tapping his fingers on his knees, displaying an air of "riding high on the spring breeze."

If you can't sing, don't sing.

"Tsk, Lao Jin, what's the rush?"

Ma Zhaoxu looked at Jin Wan, whose face was almost as black as the bottom of a pot, and couldn't help but click his tongue twice: "Yi Zheng is also your apprentice, so cheer up. He also entered the finals with a perfect record, so you should be proud of him too."

Jin Wan clenched his fists even tighter upon hearing this; he knew perfectly well what Ma Zhaoxu was pleased about.

Regret, in short, I regret it very much!
A large portion of the budget of the seven major chess academies was allocated based on the winning results of the third stage of the Chess Saint Tournament.

In previous years, the North China Chess Academy, with the "double insurance" of Jiang Mobai and another formidable player, always managed to snatch the most lucrative piece of the "big game," while the East China Chess Academy followed behind, only getting scraps.

Jin Wan felt that this year would be the same, since even if Yi Zheng won the Chess Saint title this year, it would be next year before two people from East China could participate.

This year's funding will definitely come mostly from our own side.

But who knew that Yi Zheng would achieve a perfect record this year, which is quite terrifying.

In North China, Jiang Mobai's five wins can be considered a normal performance, as achieving this level of wins would generally guarantee qualification every year.

However, Chen Yanran, another participant, was very unlucky, losing continuously until the very last match. In the end, she was so desperate that she managed to turn the tide and win a game. Even so, the two players from North China only had six wins combined, one less than Yi Zheng's seven wins alone.

7 games > 6 games!
In other words, North China will receive one-seventh less budget this year than East China.

So Ma Zhaoxu's mouth was practically sticking up to the ceiling, and Jin Wan's face naturally turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

"If only we had transferred Yi Zheng to North China from the beginning, then he would have been fighting for North China!"

Jin Wan is now regretting it more and more. In short, she regrets it, she regrets it so much!
Who would have thought of all this back then? Who would have imagined that Yi Zheng could reach such an outrageous level in less than three years?

Is there really a way to undo regrets in this world?

Jin Wan was already very unhappy, and hearing Lao Ma singing opera next to him made him even more eager to punch.

Unfortunately, there were leaders present, so this couldn't be done.

Jin Wan could only forcefully suppress the burning flames of regret in his chest through deep breaths!

They also have to force their facial muscles to squeeze out a professional fake smile that looks worse than crying, as if to say "I am very pleased".

After taking photos, Yi Zheng and Jiang Mobai returned to their seats, and then the leader went on stage to give a speech.

Yi Zheng was in a very good mood, and he sat down with his legs crossed and couldn't help but hum.

But how could Old Ke see Yi Zheng so smug? He immediately launched his usual attack: "Still laughing? How can you still laugh? Don't you even see what kind of nonsense you played in the last few rounds? It's practically tactical sleepwalking, intermittent brain fog."

However, what Coach Ke said was not wrong. After Yi Zheng defeated Jiang Mobai in the fifth game, he had basically secured his place in the next round and was completely relaxed.

The next two games were also very easy. Although we won both, there were still some problems in between.

"cough…"

Yi Zheng cleared his throat slightly awkwardly, stopped crossing his legs, and sat up a little straighter, but then his pride from breaking the record took over again, and he raised his chin again: "Stop talking so much, just tell me whether you won or not, Lao Ke."

Yi Zheng has now extended his winning streak to 30 consecutive wins, breaking the record of 29 consecutive wins set by Jiang Mobai, and becoming the player with the highest winning streak in official Chinese Go competitions.

Yi Zheng's subtext is obvious: From a results-oriented perspective, I'm the star! I broke the record with my own strength, so why shouldn't I be a little smug? I have the right to be arrogant!
No matter what, we should at least take a break.

When Old Ke saw Yi Zheng's nose sticking up to the sky, he knew that this was a normal reaction for Yi Zheng and that he might even return to normal after a while, but he still felt that he had to strike hard.

This is my "love" as a teacher.

It's definitely not because Yi Zheng called him "Old Ke" that he wanted to deliberately get revenge on him!
Absolutely not!

"Let's play a game together during our few days off."

"Isn't it playing every day except for the matches?"

Yi Zheng found this strange. Apart from official matches, Yi Zheng played a game with Coach Ke almost every day, rain or shine.

It's already a routine task, so there's absolutely no need for Elder Ke to mention it again.

Old Ke raised his eyebrows slightly: "It's AlphaGo!"

How can someone call themselves a top player if they've never played against AlphaGo?

(End of this chapter)