Chapter 30 "Chess Master"
Chapter 30 "Chess Master"
[Yongchao Nantian]: Lei Qi, you will return to Dajing tomorrow, right?
[Dao Tu Jian Qi]: Yes, Teacher Shang!
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: Oh, that's good. Sorry, I can only give you five days off to visit your family...
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: You are almost an adult, and according to my previous promise, I will no longer control you after you turn 18. But I think you are sensible enough and don't need my control anymore...
Hmm? Why did Mr. Shang suddenly express his feelings today?
Lei Qi sat in the living room, looking at the WeChat chat history on his phone with a little confusion.
In his impression, Shang Chaotian has always been a very pragmatic person, and his occasional empty talk is just to make use of the real situation to talk about the abstract.
But why did I suddenly feel emotional today?
Just as he was thinking about how to reply, he saw that the other party sent another message.
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: I don't think I have anything special to say before your eighteenth birthday. There is only one thing you may want to listen to me.
【Dao Tu Jian Qi】: What’s the matter? Tell me!
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: Ah, it’s simple: play a game of chess with me.
[Dao Tu Jian Qi]: This is easy, I will come to see you when I come back tomorrow!
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: Haha, it’s not that simple... Let’s talk about it when you return to Dajing!
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: Also, you need to prepare well for the next month and a half. I won’t say much about this. I believe you know what to do.
【Dao Tu Jian Qi】: This is natural! Don't worry.
Lei Qi responded decisively.
Although neither the teacher nor the student explained it, both knew what to prepare.
The final of the Chess Saint Tournament will begin on June 6th.
Lei Qi 9th Dan will challenge for his first national title.
Although Lei Qi won the national championships of "Pinghu Rapid Chess Tournament" and "Changqi Cup" in the second half of last year, and won the championship in South Korea at the beginning of this year, and has achieved great results in the semi-finals of various chess competitions this year, he is not so eager to prove himself with another title or championship.
However, Lei Qi still attached the highest importance to the title of [Chess Saint]:
Among the many domestic titles and competitions, the Chess Saint Tournament undoubtedly has the greatest influence.
This is partly due to the 130 million yuan domestic championship prize money, and partly because of the profound historical significance of the Chess Saint Tournament.
Among the five major titles for Chinese men's Go, "National Player" and "Go Master" were only established in recent years and have only been awarded twice so far. They are titles that are temporarily supported by prize money.
The titles of [Qi Sheng], [Tian Yuan], and [Ming Ming] all have a long history. [Tian Yuan] and [Ming Ming] were both established in the 1980s, while [Qi Sheng] was not officially established until the end of the last century. In fact, in terms of history, [Qi Sheng] is the youngest of the three old titles.
But historical significance is not simply that the longer something lasts, the greater it is.
The term "chess saint" has a special meaning in China and is enough to represent a respectable period of history.
What’s even more coincidental is that since the title of “Chess Saint” was born, it has always been held by the person who is generally recognized or later recognized as the best in the country.
The first Chess Master Tournament was held in 1999. Because it was the first one, it was an open elimination tournament rather than a challenge tournament.
As a result, the 23-year-old Shang Chaotian defeated many powerful players and became the second person in the country who could be called a "chess saint".
Of course, this is not disrespectful to the first person - in fact, the reason why the "Chess Saint" title competition was established was partly because the master hoped that someone could help share the tremendous pressure that came with the title.
In the seven subsequent Chess Saint Competitions, Shang Chaotian repeatedly defeated strong opponents in five-game matches and achieved the extremely glorious eighth consecutive championship of the title of "Chess Saint".
It was not until 2015 that Fang suddenly fainted during the third game of a five-game match. Due to health reasons, he had to regretfully hand over the title of Go Saint that he had held for years to the -year-old Lin Ruixin.
From then on, the chess king Shang Chaotian officially announced his retirement.
As for Lin Ruixin, whose promotion was quite controversial at the time, he quickly became the undisputed number one in the country. He has won seven world championships to date and is ranked first in China together with Shang Chaotian.
The title of "Chess Saint" has always been in his hands and has never fallen into the hands of others.
To sum up, [Chess Saint] is the highest title in China, recognized by the chess community and no one objects to it!
Now, Lei Qi, at the height of his popularity, has taken the position of challenger to the Chess Saint. The meaning behind this is self-evident. …
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: That's good! But don't put too much pressure on yourself. You still have time to grow. Even if it doesn't work out this time, there will be opportunities later.
[Seeing Chess on the Road]: Yeah.
[Dao Tu Jian Qi]: By the way, Mr. Shang, I have something I want to ask you.
[Yongchao Nantian]: What’s the matter?
【道途见棋】：Who was the person who played chess with me yesterday?
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: Why are you asking this?
【Dao Tu Jian Qi】: Nothing, just a little weird. I always feel like that person has some misunderstanding about me, so I want to ask him...
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: Why? Just because people don’t know you?
[Dao Tu Jian Qi]: That's true. I've never seen such a low-level provocation!
[Dao Tu Jian Qi]: I obviously have certain strength, but I pretend to be ignorant. I think I have never offended anyone!
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: Hey! You, kid, can keep your mind steady and unmoved when facing things on the board. I didn't expect that you would still have psychological fluctuations when facing things outside the board!
[Dao Tu Jian Qi]: ...You are right, I am not mature enough.
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: Actually, this is just a small reminder for you! You should know that Lin Ruixin is very arrogant and will make big statements before the game. Don't wait until the game starts and let him mess with your mentality.
[Dao Tu Jian Qi]: Well, I have already made up my mind. In June, I will change to an elderly phone and will never read any off-market news.
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: Wow, you have a better solution! I feel relieved!
[Yong Chao Nan Tian]: Then do you still want to know who [You Feng Lai Yi] is?
[Dao Tu Jian Qi]: I don’t want to think about it anymore!
[永朝南天]: That's right! Well, I still have work to do, so let's not talk about it for now. I'll wait for you to come back tomorrow!
【Dao Tu Jian Qi】: OK!
Lei Qi put down his phone and couldn't help but sort out his thoughts.
What Mr. Gang Shang said is correct...
In fact, I was just simply provoking you, but this method was rather novel. Why did I keep thinking about it?
Hmm... I am still a bit like my dad in my bones...
But just when Lei Qi was reflecting on himself, a message suddenly came on his WeChat.
Lei Qi originally thought that Shang Chaotian had something to tell him, but when he picked up the phone he saw that it was someone else.
[Hongyan Changfei Yulongyue]: Hey, Junior Brother Xiaolei, do you know who the [Youfeng Laiyi] you played against yesterday was?
???
Lei Qi was immediately filled with question marks.
【Dao Tu Jian Qi】: I really don’t know! I asked Mr. Shang but he didn’t seem to be willing to answer.
【Dao Tu Jian Qi】: But Senior Sister, why did you ask me today? There were a lot of people asking me yesterday...
【鸿雁长飞虞龙跃】: What did I ask you yesterday? I knew with my toes that the person couldn't be the teacher!
[Dao Tu Jian Qi]: Why are you asking again today?
[Hongyan Changfei Yulongyue]: But I just saw that "Little Sheep" was letting him play first! So I was a little curious...
Lei Qi was holding his phone and was stunned for two seconds when he saw the latest sentence:
"……What?!
"Why did Zou Yang come here too?!"
Tomorrow’s update will be even better!
I wanted to continue saving my manuscripts this afternoon, but my boss at home asked me to go to the movies, so I can only continue in the evening...
No wonder some great players become even more inactive after getting married. I understand that.
(End of this chapter)