With Nie Whirlwind, the most "big-name" chess player in China, came to Shencheng. The "main competition" of the 3rd "Tianyuan Battle" of Chinese Go also began.

At the beginning of the professionalization of Go in China, I also learned from Japanese professional tournaments in terms of competition system design. Most of the competitions are divided into three stages: "Qualifier", "Tournament" and "Challenge". In particular, the latter two stages are no different from Japan's "news chess battle". The real gap is still the "qualifier" stage.

In Japan, as long as you become a professional chess player, then you are eligible to participate in all professional tournaments. Of course, this "qualification" refers to the qualification to participate in the "qualifiers". However, in China, under the current circumstances, it is clear that this condition is not fully met.

For example, the "Tian Yuan War", although this year is already the 3rd session. A few qualifiers have also been added, but there are still many local professional chess players who are not able to participate in this tournament. Of course, compared with others, there is indeed a little gap in the completeness of the event. But the overall situation is getting better and better. For example, compared to the first edition, the situation is much better. In the 1st edition of the tournament, 3 of the top 4 spots were assigned. This kind of competition system is not like a "news chess battle" at all, and it is almost the same as an "invitational tournament".

By the end of the tournament, the tournament had reached 32 players, and players would go through five rounds of single-elimination tournaments to determine a challenger. In this list of 32 people, basically all the domestic Go players are gathered. The members of the national team are basically not missing. Those who can pass the qualifiers, except for Chang Rensheng and a limited number of young chess players, the other chess players are all local powerhouses.

It is precisely because of the scarcity of opportunities to participate. So everyone cherishes it extraordinarily. Not only were they very serious during the competition, but they also did not miss any learning opportunities in the interval between the competitions. Especially for those local chess players, such an opportunity is not only an opportunity to compete, but also an opportunity to "answer questions".

In the current era. Another benefit of professional competition is that the pace of the game is slower. After a game of chess, there is a minimum of one day between the games before the second game is played. Like in later generations, there was one game of chess a day, and some professional tournaments in Korea even had two games a day. It is unthinkable in this day and age.

Even if it's a day apart, there are players who complain that the pace is too fast - you know, the professional tournament schedule in Japan is often one game per week.

For the organizers of the tournament, the "cries" of the chess players should of course be heard. Hence such a single-elimination tournament. Although there are only 5 rounds of competition, the entire schedule spans more than 10 days. When the top 8 are decided. To add a day off. When it comes to the final round, the one that decides the challenger, another day of rest is added.

After the official start of the competition, in the first two rounds, it was generally uneventful. Li Xiaoqiang, along with 7 other chess players, successfully entered the top 8. There weren't many upsets in the whole arena. In the current era, the overall thickness of Chinese Go is not very thick, and most of the strong players are basically concentrated in the national team. Lift your eyes up. In the top 8 that has just been produced, Nie Ma, Cao Qianyu and other national team players are impressively listed.

Of course, Li Xiaoqiang is also on this list, and he has encountered 2 local players in the first two rounds. It was a relatively smooth win of the game. Such a result obviously did not surprise everyone. To this day, in a game of this level, no one thinks that Li Xiaoqiang's victory is considered an underdog.

The game is going on so far. There was no big news on the field. But off the field, on the rest day of the game, the whole stadium seemed to be lively.

Although after two rounds. There are already 24 players who have been eliminated. But many local players did not leave the arena. For many chess players, this kind of tournament system is an opportunity to learn and communicate in addition to participating in competitions. Therefore, in addition to the chess players who have something to go home, many people are also willing to stay. Watch the players live, and then listen to their post-match reactions. This is still very different from pondering the game by yourself.

Even on the rest day of the competition, many people were very enthusiastic about learning. For professional chess players, it is not necessary for everyone to play chess together and study the gains and losses of some Go skills. It's also a pleasure. Not to mention, on such an occasion, Li Xiaoqiang is quite popular.

"Xiaoqiang, come here, what good things have you prepared today, hurry up and take it out for us to see......"

The reason for Li Xiaoqiang's popularity is, of course, his "novice new form" full of brains.

Li Xiaoqiang's mind is full of whimsical ideas, and the "novices and new forms" that come out of his hands are endless, and they are constantly ......"

For Li Xiaoqiang's characteristic, not only the members of the national team are very clear, but also local chess players have heard of it. What makes everyone feel even more valuable is that Li Xiaoqiang has any good ideas, he never seems to "hide his secrets", and he is very willing to share it with everyone. This is also the reason for Li Xiaoqiang's popularity.

Of course, this is not to say that Li Xiaoqiang is so noble. The reason why Li Xiaoqiang is willing to do this. There are reasons for this.

Li Xiaoqiang's so-called "whimsical ideas", of course, are mostly from later generations. Although he has a lot of information like this, he wants to use it as a "secret weapon" in official competitions, and he may not be able to get immediate results.

For example, Li Xiaoqiang's mind contains a "novice new form" that only appeared 20 years later. But when he remembered this method, he was only at the amateur 5th dan level. It is simply impossible to understand deeply. It must be pointed out that among all the "novices and new forms", "throwing knives" are a minority after all. More often than not, it can only be called a "new formula".

Not to mention, for the so-called "throwing knives". The concept of a professional chess player is still different from the concept of an amateur chess player. For example, a specific large-scale change, assuming that a certain side can be significantly cheaper than 5 moves, then it may be considered a "flying knife" for professional chess players. But what if it's a karma 3 with this change? Cheap is definitely cheap, but I'm afraid it's not a "flying knife", right? Maybe just inadvertently, he returned the 5-move chess to the opponent.

At Li Xiaoqiang's current level, for many changes, it is not of much use to just know the specific means of the Dao. More importantly, it is necessary to judge the gains and losses. It is necessary to know what kind of global configuration the Dao is under before such a means can be used. That's the most important thing.

And judging the gains and losses is precisely the most difficult part of Go.

"There was an unexpected change on both sides. I don't see this change clearly for the time being......"

Something like this is often seen in many chess reviews, right? When professional chess players say this, they are not modest, and they are not unaware of the concrete means. The so-called "unclear" means that they are not yet able to judge the gains and losses.

Because in many cases, a new local change may be the gain or loss of one or two chess, in a short period of time, even if it is a top professional master. It may not be possible to clearly judge the gains and losses.

This is the reason why Li Xiaoqiang is willing to share the "new form of novice" with others. He threw out a question, and then through everyone's communication and discussion. Analyze the gains and losses clearly. In this way, although everyone has gained, the one with the most profound understanding and the greatest gain is probably Li Xiaoqiang himself, right?

For this kind of self-benefiting thing, why not Li Xiaoqiang?

On the rest day after the first round of the game, Li Xiaoqiang was dragged by Yu Bin, the "children's leader". When he was in the national team, Li Xiaoqiang often played the role of "examining questions". Therefore, everyone is accustomed to it.

"Hey, hey. To tell you the truth, just around this time, I was really working on an interesting question. Since everyone is interested, I'm going to make something special today. ”

"Oh?"

After listening to Li Xiaoqiang's words. Chess players who know a little bit about Li Xiaoqiang, especially those who have spent time in the national team, are really interested. Because in their opinion, although Li Xiaoqiang's age is young, he can be said to be famous in this regard. "The wizard on the chessboard" is not just a random call. In the past, when everyone studied it collectively. Li Xiaoqiang has all kinds of means at his fingertips. It feels like he has too many ideas. And this time, since Li Xiaoqiang himself said "interesting". Of course, everyone would like to see what kind of special law it is this time.

Like the stars holding the moon. Li Xiaoqiang was surrounded by everyone in front of a chessboard. Li Xiaoqiang didn't talk nonsense, he began to set up chess pieces on the chessboard, and showed his "exam questions" in front of everyone.

At the same time as Li Xiaoqiang's "question", everyone gradually discovered that Li Xiaoqiang's question this time seemed to be really different from usual. is different from the previous "novice new form", looking at the order of his moves, it is obviously like putting up a game of chess. It doesn't matter if it's a real chess game, and looking at him like this, Li Xiaoqiang's "exam questions" seem to be still a problem in the middle and back game. He had almost 100 moves on the board before his movements stopped.

"Hehe, everyone should have guessed that what I'm putting on now is a game of masters. It is also a modern game, and it is also a black chess stick of 5 and a half meshes. When you solve a problem, you should also use this rule. That's where my question begins. Before that, let's judge the current situation. When the game is played to this position. Which side is in a better situation? ”

After hearing Li Xiaoqiang's words, everyone quietly thought about the chessboard and began to judge the situation. It didn't take long for everyone to have a clearer judgment. After all, there are professional masters around, although it is a bit difficult to judge the situation in Go. But some situations are easier to judge.

To judge the situation, it is nothing more than two hard indicators, one is the comparison of the number of meshes, and the other is to look at the thickness of the chess. Suppose one side is "empty and thick", then you can draw a more definite conclusion: "one side has the advantage". For example, Li Xiaoqiang just put up this situation. Although there are still some unstereotyped places, the whole situation is still a bit chaotic. However, there should be no deviation in the overall judgment.

"In the current situation, it should be that white has a clear advantage, right?"

"Yes, I think so, I think it's a handicap situation......

The so-called "winning or losing the board" means that the thickness of the two sides is about the same, and the real space is basically the same. Then in this way, black will not be able to fit the eye. It's a big gap, and it's a big gap in the professional game.

"It's good, it seems that everyone's judgment is basically the same. It is agreed that white has a clear advantage at the moment. Then my current problem comes. Let's help black find a way to open up the situation. ”

"Oh!"

After hearing Li Xiaoqiang's real question, everyone suddenly became interested again. Everyone thought seriously about the chessboard again. Indeed, Li Xiaoqiang's question seems to be a question of "looking for the next hand". Listening to his tone, it seems that there is a real combat trick hidden on the chessboard. If you find this clever move, it seems that you can help black "open up the situation in one fell swoop".

It's obvious. Solving this kind of mid-game problem with a practical nature is actually more interesting than "new form for novices". It also makes the surrounding masters more interested. Because this kind of problem involves a wider range of aspects, there are both means and judgments in it. It even takes a series of ideas. It is a comprehensive problem in Go.

After Li Xiaoqiang left the problem behind, he turned around and left. Because he knew that for his question today, everyone would not be able to find out the answer so quickly. It's not even necessary to find out......

In the next few days, Li Xiaoqiang threw 3 or 4 sets of similar problems in a row. It's all about posing a clip of actual combat, and it's all about a certain side that seems to have obvious advantages. Then ask everyone to help the other side find a way to reverse.

Finally on a rest day, Li Xiaoqiang's actions caused "public outrage". His questions seemed a little strange. It even alarmed the domestic "Nie Ma Shuangxiong".

After the "Tianyuan War" decided the top 8, Li Xiaoqiang was blocked by the "Children's Head" again:

"Hahaha, I said Xiaoqiang, aren't you playing with us these days? Is there really a standard answer to the games you played? ”

"What am I lying to you for? Hehe, I'm not afraid to tell you the truth, the few games of chess I played are all real battles. And people have really reversed it. You can't find the answer, that's your own stupidity. I said the regimental commander. Are there still people like you? You can't solve the problem yourself, you don't find the reason in yourself, and you actually question my topic. You're really good enough......"

In the face of Li Xiaoqiang's "ridicule", Yu Bin didn't seem to care. He still salivated and pestered Li Xiaoqiang:

"Hehe, in front of your Li Da "celebrity", of course I have to admit that I am stupid. All right. I'll honestly admit it now: I really can't do those few topics of yours. But you're too uninteresting, we can't do it. You should at least publish the standard answers. ”

"It's okay to publish the answers, but you need to at least find a referee. Such a profound question, if there is no referee to judge, what should you do with me? ”

"Hehe, I knew you would say that. Don't worry, I've already asked for a referee. In order to see your good moves, I even brought in two referees......

Surrounded by a group of chess players, "Nie Ma Shuangxiong" appeared in front of Li Xiaoqiang. Of course, in the current domestic chess world, if Li Xiaoqiang or Yu Bin encounters problems in Go skills, it seems that only these two are qualified to be "referees".

"Hehe, since Teacher Nie and Teacher Ma are here, then I'll finish those games of chess. Let's take a look at whether this way of playing is considered a high chess ......"

Under the gaze of a group of chess players, Li Xiaoqiang came to the chessboard, and he demonstrated the "answer" in the chessboard step by step.

Li Xiaoqiang clearly heard that in the process of playing chess, there was a whisper around him. He even heard a burst of exclamations:

"Huh? Kill from this place? It's unexpected......"

"Huh? It turns out that Go can still be played like this? ”

"High! This is indeed a high chess! Anyway, it's a brilliant idea......"

Li Xiaoqiang also noticed that the "Nie Ma Shuangxiong" who was originally smiling. Their expressions gradually became solemn, and they looked thoughtful. At this time, Ma Xiaofei suddenly asked:

"Xiaoqiang, whose chess are you playing?"

Li Xiaoqiang did not answer Ma Xiaofei's question directly, at this moment, he made a joke with Ma Xiaofei:

"Teacher Ma, someone once said, but when it comes to Go talent, even you can't compare to this person. After watching these game clips, do you agree with this now? ”

"Ahh It's him? ”

"Oh? It's him! ”

"Hey, what kind of dumb riddle are you playing? Who is Xiaoqiang talking about? ”

"Hehe," the first Cao Yanzi, the second Ma Xiaofei". Anyway, you also play Go. You haven't even heard this from Mr. Fujisawa Hideyuki, have you? ”

"Oh? It turned out to be him, no wonder ......"

"Tsk, no wonder Xiaoqiang ......"

When everyone was talking, Li Xiaoqiang left again.

That's right, Li Xiaoqiang is using the information in his head. He carefully produced an issue of "Cao Yanzi Album". Then he presented himself in front of the Chinese chess players and in front of Nie Whirlwind in such a way.

Li Xiaoqiang said that in the current era, China and South Korea have not established diplomatic relations at all. As a result, the chess games of Korean chess players are basically not seen in China. Besides, the current Chinese Go is not as good as the Korean Go. Almost everyone believes that only Japanese Go is the target to catch up.

"There's really only so much I can do now. I will show the strongest point of Cao Yanzi, if you can understand it, or even feel it. Guess that's my help to you......"

After doing this, Li Xiaoqiang refocused his mind on the "Tianyuan Competition", because he knew that this was one of the few professional events he had in the middle of the year. (To be continued......)