Chapter 589
I don't have the habit of getting second place.
competition is over.
After the referee made his notes, the two players stood up, bowed to each other, and put away the chessboard according to traditional etiquette.
Under the flashing lights of the media throughout the venue, Yang Dingxin, who was seated, seemed to have nothing to say. He simply shook his head, looked at the chessboard, and asked, "Why don't you fall for my tricks even once?"
Yes, he really doesn't understand.
With such accurate judgment, there's absolutely no possibility of making a mistake.
Faced with such a player, Yang Dingxin was completely convinced.
This time, it was truly a glorious defeat.
Although the loss was quite quick, think about it, the opponent didn't make a single mistake. To lose to such a perfect player, well, it's just a loss.
Despite having few opportunities throughout the game, Yang Dingxin showed no signs of frustration. He simply took off his glasses, wiped them as usual, and then made a joke:
"You're such a pervert, really."
In the ensuing debriefing, Yang Dingxin wanted to find out the mistakes that were nothing more than those two traps.
He set so many traps, and Lin Ruo never fell into them once, but Yang Dingxin fell into both of Lin Ruo's traps without exception.
Maybe I shouldn't jump here, maybe I shouldn't click here.
The crux of the matter is why this trap was set so cleverly.
Well, actually, his own trap was quite well set, but it didn't work because Lin Ruo had already eliminated it with her superb judgment.
Lin Ruo's trap wasn't much better than his.
The real problem is that his ability to judge the situation is far inferior to Lin Ruo's, and he cannot see the danger of the so-called trap in time. This is the real reason for losing the game.
Thinking about this, Yang Dingxin felt that it was all just so-so.
There's really nothing we can do if we can't beat them.
As he left the scene, many media reporters kept asking him about the content of the match, basically asking Yang Dingxin why his offensive was so fierce today, which seemed a bit illogical.
"Yang Dingxin, don't you know that Lin Ruo is ridiculously strong in offensive exchanges?"
"Yang Dingxin, if you hadn't played an offensive game today, would you have had a chance to win?"
harm.
Yang Dingxin summarized all these issues into one sentence: "He is better than me in some aspects, so I can't win today no matter what rhythm I use."
Yes.
This is not something you can win by simply not attacking.
The difference in judging details meant that Lin Ruo would hardly fall into his trap, while he was destined to fall into the countless traps set by Lin Ruo.
Even if this doesn't fall, that one will definitely fall.
Therefore, winning the game is unrealistic and has nothing to do with the so-called rhythm of the game.
"So what do you think about Lin Ruo's two appearances in world-class competitions, reaching the finals both times, and the possibility of him winning his second world championship?"
What can I say?
Hearing these words, Yang Dingxin could only sigh in genuine admiration: "He's truly invincible."
For Go players, the probability of winning a world championship on their first attempt is not high, let alone on their second, third, or even fifth attempt.
For example, Shin Jinseo, the top player in South Korea, have you ever asked him if he has won a championship in the three or four years he has played?
So he really is invincible.
If Yang Dingxin wins his second title, then he will only be able to add the word "lonely" after "invincible".
……
The game continues.
The match on one side of the field has ended and the players are giving interviews to the media, while on the other side, the game has reached a fever pitch.
The duel between Liao Yuanhe and Tang Weixing was much more intense than that between Lin Ruo and Yang Dingxin.
The two sides fought fiercely from the very beginning, but the target of their attacks or defenses kept changing.
In the early stages of the game, Tang Weixing took advantage of Black's initiative to launch numerous attacks.
Later on, Liao Yuanhe seized the opportunity to launch a series of counterattacks, and the duel between the two sides remained at a 50/50 level, with no significant difference in the AI's win rate.
It wasn't until after more than two hundred moves that the situation entered what is known as a one-sided phase.
The young Liao Yuanhe was clearly struggling in the later stages of the game, making several mistakes, which led to Tang Weixing turning the tide and putting him at a significant disadvantage.
The sudden stability quickly turned into a disadvantage for White.
Liao Yuanhe, who still had some experience, was never able to withstand the black's attack again and was eventually forced to resign at the last minute.
After the match ended, it was already afternoon. When the two men, who had both breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, bowed, shook hands, and looked at another table...
There's hardly anyone there anymore.
Well, it ended so quickly, Liao Yuanhe knew without a doubt that Lin Ruo had won.
So he immediately ignored the review and turned to his good friend Tang Weixing to tease him: "Congratulations, you've successfully won the runner-up position."
Tang Weixing, still basking in the joy of his victory, adjusted his glasses and dismissively expressed his disdain for Liao Yuanhe's comments: "You can call me bad in other places, but sorry, in the Samsung Cup, you know the legendary Korean Go player Lee Sedol, right? I won the championship by stepping on his head."
Liao Yuanhe certainly recognized it. After all, five years ago, he was probably also a young boy aiming for a professional ranking, watching this final match at the dojo with many other children his age.
Indeed, Tang Weixing caused a huge upset at the time, as a young professional 3-dan player swept aside world number one Lee Sedol to win the Samsung Cup.
Who wouldn't be surprised back then?
After this match, Tang Weixing was promoted to China's fourteenth world champion, and then went from professional third dan to professional ninth dan.
However, just when everyone thought Tang Weixing was going to dominate the world, he became somewhat mediocre after entering the Chinese Weiqi League.
She only gets regular screen time during the annual Samsung Cup.
However, that's not important. After today's match, Liao Yuanhe believes there's still a gap between him and Tang Weixing, but he's confident about tomorrow's final.
Liao Yuanhe still stuck to his point of view and smiled at Tang Weixing's words, retorting: "But I think Lin Ruo is even more terrifying than Lee Sedol."
"Really? Maybe."
Seeing how confident his opponent was, Tang Weixing was starting to have second thoughts.
However, one thing is true: geniuses are always young. Just like when he first emerged and defeated the world champion, Lin Ruo did it again. In fact, this is the second time.
So Tang Weixing dared not underestimate him, but he also believed one thing: "With my buff, who's afraid of who?"
Having participated in so many Samsung Cups, I have always been able to demonstrate remarkable strength, which is much better than struggling in the Chinese Weiqi League.
This made Tang Weixing believe that he really did have a buff, or at least had that concept of it. He was still very confident about the upcoming finals.
Even if you can't win, you can still have a good, satisfying fight, okay?
What Tang Weixing didn't know was that, in terms of public opinion, Chinese and South Korean netizens were unusually united and had unanimously sentenced him to death.
[I heard Tang Weixing has a three-star cup buff, well, sorry, our Lin Shen is covered in buffs, you can have as many as you want.]
[My Lin Shen specializes in beating men with buffs, he wants both the lazy buff and the red buff. Just look at how Park Jung-hwan got beaten in the Dream Lily Cup.]
What are buffs compared to absolute power? Sorry, I, Lin Shen, am a man with absolute power.
[Are you kidding me? I've already photoshopped a picture of Lin winning the championship and lifting the trophy. You're telling me Lin can't win? Are you kidding me?]
[You're a fake fan. There are no championship trophies in Go. Do you think this is League of Legends? Go's trophy is so small, it doesn't even need to be held up. You can hold it between two thumbs.]
...
The wording on the Chinese Open was relatively mild, while it was much more direct on the Korean Open.
Wow, this final is really a 10-0 split. It feels like Lin Ruo, this little brat, has no rivals at all.
[Consider that he reached the finals in two world championships as an amateur player, and now he's aiming for a second consecutive title. If someone like him focuses solely on Go, he could probably dominate for many years.]
[Sigh, the Chinese team has been practically dominant for the past few years with Ke Jie, and now Lin Ruo has emerged – it's truly unbelievable.]
Losing to Lin Ruo is one thing, but look at how all the Korean players in the lower bracket were completely crushed by Tang Weixing, who gets beaten every day in the Chinese Weiqi League. That shows how badly our generation is lacking in talent.
Although Tang Weixing didn't know these things, he could probably guess them, as many clues could be seen from the final press conference in the afternoon.
Less than two hours after the match ended and the break was over, all the media reporters gathered again in the reception hall.
Lin Ruo and Tang Weixing, the main characters in this final, also arrived on time to participate in the press conference.
In addition to their usual handshakes, photos, and interviews, the two also had their own speaking sessions, mainly about their thoughts on the final.
It can be either making harsh statements or expressing feelings.
Tang Weixing, who picked up the microphone first, was very direct: "I have always performed well in the Samsung Cup. Since winning the championship in 13, my worst year was at least a quarterfinal appearance. Before this year, I also won two runner-up titles and two semifinal titles. Since I didn't make it to the quarterfinals this time, it's time to win two championships, right?"
The media present couldn't help but express their agreement, as Tang Weixing is a familiar face at the Samsung Cup, having been seen there every year.
Even their media outlets aren't as diligent as Tang Weixing, managing to stay in the second half of every game.
So you're putting up this stack of buffs again...
Well, Lin Ruo next to him thought that the buff stacking was pretty good, and it did focus on symmetry. After all, with two runner-up finishes and two semi-final appearances, they should definitely get two championships as well.
But buffs aren't so easy to stack.
When it was her turn to speak, Lin Ruo's words were very brief, with her usual smile: "I never take second place, this doesn't belong to me."
The media present also stirred up a little excitement once again.
Indeed, Lin Ruo really means it when he says he never gets second place. In all the League of Legends competitions he's played, have you ever seen him get second place?
I've played quite a few Go games, from the National Games to the Mengbaihe Cup. No matter how strong the opponent, I've never won the runner-up title.
Runner-up.
For many Go players, this would be an achievement that is hard to come by, but for Lin Ruo, it was something to be scorned. The difference between people is undoubtedly enormous.
In the following photo session, the two struck various poses as promotional photos for the finals.
After a brief speech by the South Korean organizers, the press conference before the finals came to an end.
……
When Lin Ruo returned, she didn't see Liao Yuanhe and Yang Dingxin, who had been eliminated, packing their things. Instead, she saw the two of them quietly playing chess.
how?
Lin Ruo scratched his head: "How come I didn't know there was a third-place match?"
Liao Yuanhe was amused by this and smiled, "Just playing around with it. We're not leaving tomorrow either; we plan to watch the finals before going back to China."
Lin Ruo knew that Liao Yuanhe was indeed a post-2000s generation who was interested in everything. He would naturally be willing to stay until the end to watch the final match and learn from him. As for Yang Dingxin, he didn't know.
“I also want to see what else you can come up with,” Yang Dingxin quickly added.
Liao Yuanhe wanted to observe and learn, while Yang Dingxin was very curious about Lin Ruo. He wanted to see for himself how Lin Ruo could play chess and find out what kind of thinking he had that allowed him to come up with all sorts of amazing moves on the chessboard.
In this era where AI is becoming increasingly prevalent, there are indeed fewer and fewer chess players who can still develop their own unique style.
Yang Dingxin observed that Shin Jinseo's style is increasingly moving towards AI, and it is already showing initial results.
"Oh no, it seems like you two both think I'm going to lose."
Tang Weixing, having just finished an exclusive interview with off-site media, leisurely returned to his dormitory. Hearing that both of them wanted to watch the final because of Lin Ruo, well, he understood his predicament.
Hearing this, Yang Dingxin disagreed: "Nothing is certain. I'm actually more looking forward to you letting Lin Ruo experience what it means to lose tomorrow."
Besides wanting to see Lin Ruo's strategic thinking, he also wanted to see Lin Ruo make mistakes and be pressured.
Yang Dingxin really didn't want Lin Ruo to remain in his memory as an invincible person from beginning to end after the Samsung Cup.
This could be very good for the Chinese Go world, because someone as invincible as Lee Chang-ho might emerge again.
However, the emergence of such a person is definitely a very bad thing for other chess players who still want to win the championship.
So before leaving South Korea, Yang Dingxin wanted to confirm that Lin Ruo was still a worthy opponent.
However, he thought it would be difficult, but considering that Tang Weixing had indeed performed at a very high level in this Samsung Cup, which was different from that of the Chinese Weiqi League, Yang Dingxin still held some hope that tomorrow would be a wonderful match with back and forth.
In these non-stop competitions with insufficient rest time, compared to other world-class competitions with ample preparation time, the players' ability to adapt under pressure is put to the test.
And with only one night's rest time, is it really necessary to study the opponent?
forget it.
Tang Weixing chose to rest early; anything he could figure out in a short time might be a fatal mistake he'd make tomorrow. (End of Chapter)