Chapter 581
Lin Ruo is at a disadvantage
The South Korean spectators were chanting for an attack, but in reality, the chances of them actually launching one were very low, as the game remained deadlocked as always.
For example, Lin Ruo maintained his consistent style of torment in the upper right corner, which was to use the flying corner technique to gain a lead in the number of points.
In the end, it was just a formality, and no major battle broke out.
Shin Jinseo focused more on the lower right corner, making two moves that coordinated with White's moves, which was arguably the biggest move so far in the opening, aiming to expand the advantage in the lower right corner.
White extends its single piece, and Black presses down again.
The purpose of pressing is to prevent White from turning, because if White turns out in the lower right corner, it's as if White is expanding in.
The right side is Black's territory, and the bottom is White's territory. If Black can expand in both areas, it will be very bad for Black's positional awareness.
That being the case.
Lin Ruo could only continue to grow, expanding further to my left side.
If you won't let me in, then I won't insert it. Sometimes you have to learn to control your desires.
However, Black became quite aggressive at this point, pressing down on Black as well, as if to say, "You want to come over here too?"
Well, actually Shin Jinseo didn't really want to; he was just afraid that White would continue to move in that direction.
After all, there's more than one place where you can turn; you can turn from a slightly off-center spot.
The thicker appearance on the right gave Shin Jinseo a great deal of determination to take the initiative and suppress the enemy.
Lin Ruo's task was, of course, to pull him aside. She waved her hand to indicate "Stop, that's enough, that's enough. If you come any closer, I'll unleash the dogs."
Upon hearing that the dogs were to be released, Shin Jinseo lost interest in coming over and went back home in the blink of an eye.
It's too late to go back.
Lin Ruo is the same; he currently only wants to focus on strengthening his white pieces, especially taking advantage of this opportunity to move towards the central center point.
This way of going out is very useful.
Until the mid-game, the situation remained so stable that the score was never 60/40.
In the other tables, the situation was one of complete domination.
First, there was the only all-Chinese match in the upper half of the draw. In terms of playing skill, the mature and steady Yang Dingxin almost completely crushed Tao Xinran.
Tao Xinran, who was full of energy in front of Ke Jie in the previous match, seemed to have lost her mind in this one, making many mistakes and failing to play at her best.
Or rather, his best performance was clearly already displayed when facing Ke Jie.
Today's strength is equivalent to being halved, which is probably because I can't see the reason why I can't trigger certain buffs.
Anyway, Yang Dingxin didn't feel much pressure throughout the match. If Ke Jie were standing in front of him today, Yang Dingxin would most likely feel that this was a fight to the death.
However, Ke Jie did not appear here.
The person who actually appeared here is Tao Xinran, who eliminated Ke Jie, and should be stronger in theory.
actually not.
Tao Xinran has never been considered a top player in China; she was only truly at the top when facing Ke Jie.
Before the match, Yang Dingxin thought Tao Xinran had evolved, but he realized halfway through that he was still the same boy who only showed true affection when facing a man named Ke Jie.
So in less than a hundred moves, Yang Dingxin quickly finished the match and secured a ticket to the semifinals.
Yang Dingxin, who had just gotten up, immediately looked toward the other match in their upper bracket and was relieved that it wasn't over yet.
Everyone knows that Lin Ruo plays chess quickly, but if he is still this fast when facing Shin Jinseo, and is the first to finish the game and leave the field, then Yang Dingxin will most likely think that forfeiting in the semi-finals is the best option.
After all, he has already defeated top players like me, so defeating me next would be a piece of cake, right?
Thankfully, no.
Tao Xinran, after the match ended, didn't really want to review the game, because she had indeed made many basic mistakes.
However, for him, reaching the quarterfinals of the Samsung Cup was already a very good achievement, so Tao Xinran didn't seem to be too upset.
After discussing it, the two decided not to leave. Instead, they got up and went to table number one, where they stood and observed.
At this point, the game at table one was already in the middle stages, and Lin Ruo was at a slight disadvantage.
After a meticulously planned strategy, Shin Jinseo finally found a good advantage by making a decisive move from below.
At first glance, this cut seems like a common move, but in reality, it is a very powerful one. Although it does not sever White's continuous connection in the lower area, it has a very significant effect in hindering White's subsequent development.
It's like planting a landmine in the white pieces' camp.
After this move, Black's winning percentage immediately rose to over 70%.
The South Korean Go commentators couldn't help but laugh in the live broadcast room. Actually, they shouldn't have been laughing, because the two tables in the lower half of the bracket were now in the final stages.
The South Korean players on their side were all at a disadvantage.
For example, in the game between Liao Yuanhe and Shin Minjun, Liao Yuanhe was full of momentum and, although the game is not over yet, he has completely dominated the white side in terms of the situation.
Shin Minjun, on the other hand, was clearly unable to keep up. Starting with his terrible move of 56 in the lower left corner, he seemed to have a chance in the later stages of the game, but in reality, he was on the defensive and in a very dangerous position.
On the contrary, Liao Yuanhe began to take full control of the situation from this point onward.
Therefore, Shin Minjun was in a very bad situation, and the game had already become 80/20 by the middle game.
He is now completely overwhelmed by this young player from China born in the 2000s.
Whether he presses down or cuts off, he has no room to maneuver in the lower left corner.
Given that the black stones on the right side already had a strong position, the situation became quite precarious.
Shin Minjun could still play at this point, but it seemed like a game he was destined to lose unless his opponent made a very big mistake later on.
However, Shin Jinseo's current moves are quite stable, and he basically doesn't give players any opportunities.
Shin Minjun had to admit that it seemed that only he himself had made such a huge mistake. Could it be that his opponent would make the same mistake as him by going off-target?
It's obviously very difficult.
So it seems that the first table in the lower half of the bracket is already coming to an end.
The situation at the other table was even worse, with Chinese player Tang Weixing having already completed a dragon-slaying attack on the opposing South Korean player in the middle game.
Tang Weixing is in his element in the Samsung Cup.
Yes.
Tang Weixing.
His performance in the Chinese Weiqi League was abysmal, and his rating was below 20. He was basically not a well-known player in the Chinese Weiqi world, just like Tao Xinran.
However, he is far more famous than Tao Xinran. Back in 2013, Tang Weixing defeated Lee Sedol, the then-Korean champion, to win the Samsung Cup.
In the following five years, Tang Weixing reached the Samsung Cup semifinals four more times.
In other words, no matter how poorly Tang Weixing performs in other competitions, as long as he is placed in the Samsung Cup, he will defeat as many Korean players as there are.
Tang Weixing's performance in the Samsung Cup is always his strongest moment of the year.
And this year is no exception.
In today's game, Tang Weixing did suffer a lot in the opening stages, but after Black played a double swallow in the lower left corner, White's moves were questionable and the situation was reversed.
In particular, White's move 78 was extremely tricky, and the subsequent move 94, a jump on the second line, completely gave Black an opportunity to exploit the situation.
After this reversal of the situation, Black began to attack the large group of stones in the center and achieved a mid-game kill.
Tang Weixing once again achieved the feat of advancing to the Samsung Cup semifinals, reaching the semifinals five times in six years. The only one comparable to him is the three-time champion Ke Jie, who was eliminated.
So that's it.
Apart from the table in the upper half of the draw, all the South Korean players were eliminated; they gained no advantage in either of the two China-South Korea matches.
Perhaps they had already guessed this reason, which is why the Korean commentators didn't seem too frustrated by the result, since it was something that was bound to happen.
Again.
Their only hope for winning the championship lies with Shin Jinseo; there is no other way.
Therefore, after Shin Jinseo took the lead in the middle game, the Korean commentator, who was worried about the elimination of his two other Korean players, quickly emerged from his gloom and became excited.
"Wow, Shin Jinseo made a really good move! The stalemate that lasted for so long has finally been broken. Nice!"
The Korean commentators' excitement was not without reason, because Shin Jinseo had gained an advantage and was extremely confident, with virtually no possibility of being overturned.
That's just how he plays.
This is Shin Jinseo's biggest change in the past six months. Perhaps six months ago, Shin Jinseo was more enthusiastic about being aggressive, but now he only seeks victory by taking steady steps.
This game is the best example. Shin Jinseo performed more steadily and understood the details than Lin Ruo, thus gaining the upper hand in the middle game.
A 70/30 split is already quite a significant difference, especially among top-level players, as no one would give away points for making various mistakes without good reason.
However, if the opponent is Lin Ruo, the Korean commentators will still have some concerns.
It's rare for Korean netizens to be so humble.
Shin Jinseo played really well! Just keep playing steadily, and we'll definitely win this game.
[We still need to be wary of Lin Ruo; he's too good at finding weaknesses. Please hang in there, Shin Jinseo! If we get past this, we'll be champions.]
I was completely unfazed by the elimination of the other two Korean players, but I'm incredibly worried about Shin Jinseo, even though he's currently in the lead.
[Xiba must defeat Lin Ruo; they absolutely cannot allow four Chinese to occupy the top four spots.]
……
Whenever South Korean viewers see such a scene, they can't help but think of the League of Legends World Championship finals a month ago.
It was also held in South Korea, but there were no South Korean teams in the finals.
Today was even more impressive. If they lost the match, forget about the finals; there wouldn't even be a single Korean player in the semifinals.
Although there are no Korean teams in the League of Legends finals, there are Korean players and coaches.
However, if a Go match is lost, then there won't be a single Korean player left from the start.
There's no doubt who's more embarrassed, so good luck, Shin Jinseo!
……
cough cough.
Lin Ruo remained calm and continued drinking water. The situation was indeed somewhat unfriendly, but he wasn't worried about it too much.
After all, the time spent playing this grueling game was short, so it's understandable that the mindset hadn't fully adapted yet.
But it seems to be about the same now.
After suffering a mid-game defeat, Lin Ruo did not rush to launch a counterattack. Instead, like Shin Jinseo, she focused on building her external influence.
In fact, given the current clear disparity in strengths and weaknesses, Shin Jinseo will eventually win without a fight if he continues to operate without making any major moves.
Therefore, Yang Dingxin, who came over, didn't quite understand Lin Ruo's way of playing chess.
The commentary in the Wild Fox livestream was even more incomprehensible.
Distracted, Zhang Xuebin also checked another live stream on his phone and then reported: "Liao Yuanhe also won, so we already have three spots in the semifinals. If Lin Ruo wins this game, we'll have all four."
However, after saying that, Zhang Xuebin felt that it was a bit difficult given the current situation.
So he couldn't help but exclaim, "Shin Jinseo is in really good form today. No wonder he's currently ranked number one in Korea. He truly deserves to be the number one player in Korea right now."
“Yes, the current situation is very deadlocked. Teacher Lin Ruo may need to put in some effort to find a way to break the deadlock,” Yu Lijun chimed in.
Watching this game is a bit mentally taxing for a professional 4-dan player like her, especially since she also has to provide commentary.
Fortunately, she was mainly responsible for the beauty aspect, while Zhang Xuebin was responsible for the main content analysis.
So Zhang Xuebin is in a dilemma now. If Shin Jinseo makes it to the semifinals, it seems like having three Chinese players in the semifinals isn't very safe.
Yes, apart from Yang Dingxin, who has always been active in the top tier, the other two players, Liao Yuanhe, are still newcomers. Although he was previously known as the strongest post-2000s player in China, he is still far inferior to Shin Jinseo.
As for Tang Weixing, his performance in China has always been mediocre. The Samsung Cup is paradise for him, allowing him to perform well every time. However, relying on this mysterious buff, no one can guarantee that he might suddenly be brought back to his original form.
Therefore, Zhang Xuebin really hopes that Lin Ruo can keep Shin Jinseo out of the top four.
It's just difficult now.
……
On the field, Liao Yuanhe, who had just finished his game, came to the table to watch after reviewing the game. He was slightly surprised when he saw Lin Ruo in a disadvantageous position.
However, unlike his colleagues, Liao Yuanhe firmly believed that Lin Ruo would eventually be able to turn the tide.
Because when other players are behind, they will make various small movements, such as pulling their hair, adjusting their glasses, or even sitting restlessly and showing a painful expression on their face.
But none of these things happened to Lin Ruo.
Lin Ruo remained calmer than anyone else, her moves continuing without any pause, as if there was no need for further thought.
A decisive and complete overview. (End of Chapter)