Chapter 590
Final
As for Lin Ruo, his thoughts were no different. Why study the opponent? Just study Ming Kai and then stop fighting?
forget it.
It's best to get some sleep and focus on maintaining your mental state for tomorrow's match.
Oh right, tomorrow is the final, I need to post something on Weibo to hype it up.
There aren't many trending topics on Weibo, and I don't want to buy one myself, so I'll just have to create one myself.
Posting something like this will immediately generate buzz, and the content doesn't need to be too flamboyant: "Brothers, I won't win the championship tomorrow."
Then the comments section was filled with question marks.
[What the heck? Lin Gou actually thinks he can't win the championship? What's wrong? Is it because the opponent is older than you that you feel inferior?]
Why has our invincible Forest God suddenly lost his fighting spirit? Who hurt our Forest God?
[This is sarcasm, right? If Lin doesn't win the championship, the sun will probably rise in the west. Okay, or maybe Lin got paid, since we all know he loves money more than winning a championship.]
Okay, after reading the comments, Lin Ruo realized, "Brothers, you guys are really talking nonsense. Oh no, it seems his true fans are actually trolls."
Fortunately, there are still many white ones.
[Can we please remove everyone who didn't understand? Don't they know the final is a best-of-three series? To win, it will be at least the day after tomorrow, so whether Lin Gou wins or loses tomorrow, he won't win the championship.]
[Lin Geng is starting to filter his fans; someone like me, who knows they won the championship the day after tomorrow, is a true fan.]
There are too many Yunzi. Send them all to Siberia to dig potatoes. Eight-hour workdays, five days a week.
"Is that so? Then I'll admit I'm Yunzi. Send me too. I want to travel to Siberia—oh no, I mean, work as a laborer."
Alright, alright, seeing that people still have such depth when they're having fun, Lin Ruo is relieved.
Now it's time to sleep!
The next morning, Lin Ruo got up and ate breakfast as usual, followed by lunch at ten o'clock.
Although Tang Weixing hadn't eaten lunch yet, he didn't go to the competition venue early either.
In the huge reception hall, almost everyone except the two contestants was present, including Liao Yuanhe and Yang Dingxin, who even gave interviews to the media.
……
"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the live video broadcast jointly organized by the Chinese Chess Academy and FoxGo. I am your commentator for today, Zhang Xuebin."
"Hello everyone, I'm Xiaxia, the streamer from WildFox. I'm very happy to be watching the Samsung Cup final with you all today."
FoxGo, the most official platform for live streaming Go competitions, is still packed with viewers today.
"The Samsung Cup is nearing its end, and the first round of the best-of-three final will begin soon, with our Lin Ruo 9-dan and Tang Weixing 9-dan facing off."
"Today's match marks Tang Weixing 9-dan's return to the Samsung Cup finals after five years, while it is also Lin Ruo 9-dan's first finals appearance. Will a new king be born or will the reigning champion return? We shall wait and see!"
After Xia Xia gave her a brief introduction, Zhang Xuebin immediately chimed in:
"Yes, but I believe everyone is watching today's final with a very relaxed mindset. After all, no matter who wins the championship, it will belong to the Chinese chess world."
At this point, Zhang Xuebin couldn't help but laugh out loud. Commentating on civil wars is great; you don't need any emotions at all, just enjoy it.
"And we share the same thought as all the viewers in front of the screen: let's enjoy this spectacular final together today."
After the opening, Xiaxia, the female host who was in charge of creating a lively atmosphere, opportunely looked for topics to discuss:
"The competition is about to begin. I'd like to ask Mr. Zhang Xuebin what he thinks of today's match and who he believes has a better chance of winning."
Hearing this, Zhang Xuebin nodded and asked in return, "What do you think?"
"Me? Both of them are professional players. To be honest, I'm too inexperienced to make that kind of judgment."
As the top streamer on Yefox, Xiaxia, with a sweet smile, skillfully smoothed things over and quickly threw the topic back.
However, although he said that, if he really had to make a judgment between Lin Ruo and Tang Weixing...
Xia Xia clearly still sided with Lin Ruo without even realizing it; as the saying goes, the data speaks for itself.
Lin Ruo came from the top 32. Apart from Yu Meimei in the first round, who was a newbie gift, the people she encountered later, such as Park Jung-hwan, Shin Jin-seo, and Yang Dingxin, who was swept yesterday, were all top-level powerhouses.
That's why.
Lin Ruo is currently experiencing a media frenzy in the Go community, after all, he is known as the man who single-handedly prevented South Korea from winning the Samsung Cup.
Based on his performance so far, no one doubts that Lin Ruo has a higher probability of winning the championship, given that he faces more formidable opponents.
Zhang Xuebin actually thought so too, but he certainly wouldn't say it outright, and Go is all about how you feel on the day.
So, borrowing a famous quote from a League of Legends player, I said, "I think it's a 50/50 chance. I feel that both sides have a chance to win the game, and neither side is afraid of the other."
"Hey, Lin Ruo is really terrifying, but Tang Weixing isn't weak either, right? He never underperformed in the Samsung Cup."
Hearing this, Xia Xia nodded obediently in agreement, but the viewers in the live stream were not happy.
[What, a 50/50 chance? Unless Tang Weixing breaks the finger our Lin Shen uses to play chess right from the start, he won't win by a single point.]
[Breaking it won't help; our Forest God can still use his feet, or if all else fails, his mouth.]
[Hey, I'm putting this out there: if Tang Weixing beats Lin Ruo, I'll eat him right here and now, as much as I want, brothers, don't hold back.]
[Trying to freeload again? Wait, no, you mean Tang Weixing definitely can't beat Lin Ruo? You really don't want to eat today? If you don't want to eat, just say so. Nobody's forcing you. What are you pretending for?]
[Let me clarify here that regarding Lin Shen's matches, there are only a few questions to consider: first, where will he win; second, when will he win; and third, how will he win? Beyond that, there are no further questions, so let's not discuss anything else.]
That's right, our Lin Shen has never had the option of losing. How could he possibly lose unless you give Lin Shen more money than the match is worth.
[Don't even mention it, I've already photoshopped the picture of Lin winning the championship trophy. Brothers, hurry up and like and retweet this on Weibo. I'm going to get all excited early. Everyone knows that opening champagne is a professional daily routine for us Lin fans. Don't ask us why we do it, because our idol opened it even earlier than us. That's the power of leading by example.]
Zhang Xuebin, who was naturally aware of Lin Ruo's popularity, was not surprised at all at this moment, and immediately chose to change the subject: "The competition is about to start, let's take a look at the scene."
When the camera cut to the scene, the contestants' seats were still empty, but five or six large cameras had been set up not far from the contestants' seats on both sides, and the media reporters were ready.
Tang Weixing didn't enter the venue until about 15 minutes before the match started, and quietly sat down in his seat.
As for Lin Ruo, she was still behind.
However, the South Korean media reporters did not know his location. A reporter went to the cafeteria just now and found that Lin Ruo, who was supposed to come here for lunch at 10 o'clock as yesterday, was not there this time.
Then she should be in the dormitory. That's right, Lin Ruo was indeed in the dormitory at this time. As for why she didn't go to the cafeteria for dinner on time at ten o'clock, it's because Tang Weixing had already eaten at nine o'clock.
Lin Ruo then naturally learned about today's meal from Tang Weixing, who had returned to the dormitory.
Well, it's not to his liking at all.
So Lin Ruo chose to stay in her dorm at 10 o'clock and eat the instant noodles that Liao Yuanhe brought. After finishing her meal, she went to participate in today's third final match with a satisfied heart.
When they arrived at the venue, there were only two minutes left before the final match started.
Tang Weixing almost thought Lin Ruo had been poisoned by instant noodles, which would have been a sure win for him in the first round. But no, food poisoning doesn't heal in a day.
He should most likely win the championship by a straight 2-0 victory without even having to fight.
Obviously, reality wasn't so kind, and Lin Ruo still managed to secure her seat in the last minute.
The media standing nearby were the ones who felt resentful, as they missed the opportunity to take photos before the match.
Now that Lin Ruo has arrived and the competition is about to begin, taking photos is definitely out of the question, since we can't exactly film ourselves in front of a recording camera.
Damn it, Lin Ruo didn't even give them a chance to take a picture if they arrived 5 minutes early?
Alright, the media reporters decided to surround Lin Ruo after the match and not let her leave until she answered 20 questions.
But now is not the time to concern ourselves with these things.
As the match time came, the referee in charge of the match took his seat in the center.
"The time has come. I hereby announce that the first game of the best-of-three final of the 29th Samsung Cup Strongest Player Tournament has officially begun."
The voice just fell.
The translator next to me repeated it again.
After receiving clear instructions, the older Tang Weixing, as was customary, grabbed a handful of chess pieces and placed them in his hand, while Lin Ruo generously took out a chess piece and placed it on the chessboard.
One…
Tang Weixing also revealed the number of his opponent's pieces to the public.
Thirteen.
Since both numbers are odd, Lin Ruo guessed correctly and thus gained the right to play black first in the first round.
So regardless of who wins or loses today, in tomorrow's second round, the two will switch positions according to today's prediction.
In other words, Lin Ruo will definitely play white tomorrow, while Tang Weixing will play black.
If there were a third round, the two would gamble again, but in Lin Ruo's mind, there was no such thing as a third round.
That concludes the guessing game.
Exchange black and white chess boxes.
Lin Ruo, playing as the black player, made the first move, placing one point each on the upper right and lower left corners of the board, forming a symmetrical layout.
Diagonal start!
After calming down a bit, Tang Weixing chose to follow, but his lower left and lower right corners were a little different. They weren't occupying any star positions, but rather the carefree corner next to a star position.
"Both players' diagonal starts are a bit unconventional."
In the Wild Fox live stream, Zhang Xuebin sensed something different right from the start.
It's like both of them are using new tricks.
In a standard diagonal opening, Black usually places the diagonal position in the small eye area rather than the star point, but there's not much difference between the two positions.
However, the placement of White's stones in the corner is very important.
However, Zhang Xuebin was able to understand some of White's intentions. After all, Black had the initiative, and normally, after the corner was touched, the move would usually be a sharp knight's move or a large knight's move out of the corner.
In this case, the scout has an advantage.
Tang Weixing's point of view should be here: because Black is playing a small objective, if Black plays first, such as a flying move to press down on the long side, Black may not necessarily be able to gain any advantageous position in the opening.
Therefore, Tang Weixing was more concerned with securing his territory in the corner at the start of the game, and his actions were clearly changing in response to Lin Ruo's opening moves.
Lin Ruo's actions were indeed as expected. He first flew to the lower right, then extended, and then returned to the lower left to defend his own black territory with a large knight's move, without doing any ordinary side expansion. He focused on defending and actively reinforcing his position.
This way, the space can be widened, while leaving room for the side to be extended. If White dares to invade the center of the bottom, White can directly control the top or press down on the right side without any problem.
Since the white stones on the right side form a jumping shape, there is absolutely no problem for white to recklessly invade and press forward.
In actual combat.
Tang Weixing, who also saw through Lin Ruo's intention not to break the side, chose to target the lower left corner, and Black responded by playing a low clamp on the upper left side.
Tang Weixing then swiftly left, neither making any further moves nor following any set pattern.
Instead, it moves to the upper right corner to hook.
Lin Ruo glanced at it briefly and immediately chose to strike with a shoulder punch in the upper left corner.
This effectively limits the development space of the white pieces, while preventing white from blocking the corner areas, thus "flattening" the shape of the white pieces and depriving them of their development potential in those areas.
White immediately returned and placed a stone on the diagonal to prevent Black from expanding or weakening its territory.
Lin Ruo decisively chose to jump.
The two sides' initial moves of about ten or so immediately revealed a stark contrast.
That means Black's current opening is far superior to White's.
Yang Dingxin and Liao Yuanhe, who were watching from the stands, saw this very clearly.
In the upper left corner, Black has a jump move that connects with the shoulder block above, creating a mutually dependent relationship. The lower left corner, which is originally Black's diagonal territory, also has a much better layout than White's.
Unfortunately, in the lower right corner, there's a flying attack that encircles three white stones on the side, meaning Black's formation is far more logical than White's. This opening move already shows Black's intention to restrict White.
White is already starting to fall into a disadvantageous position, which is definitely not good news for Tang Wei. (End of Chapter)