LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 422 Do you want me, a first dan, to teach a seventh dan how to play Go?
Gossip less.

Tian Bin's purpose in specifically inviting Lin Ruo to the chess academy was certainly not to boost his reputation.

However, after the two sat down, Tian Bin did not reveal his purpose at the beginning, but only said to wait a little longer.

The meaning of "wait a little longer" was easy for Lin Ruo to guess. It most likely meant that there were other people besides him, which clearly meant that today's event was about making connections and introducing people.

Lin Ruo didn't know exactly who would be coming, but she figured it must be related to the Mengbaihe Cup.

About 10 minutes later, there was a knock on the office door. Tian Bin quickly got up to open it and brought in a young man with glasses who looked rather simple and honest.

He's probably around the same age as him, and judging from his slightly shy demeanor, he's unlikely to be a veteran. Unsurprisingly, he's probably a promising player that the Shanghai team values.

Lin Ruo glanced at them, confirmed that she didn't recognize them, and then politely stood up as well. After exchanging pleasantries, she watched the two of them sit down before returning to her seat.

Tian Bin poured tea for both of them before getting straight to the point and saying to Lin Ruo, "Let me introduce you two. This is Li Weiqing, a 7-dan player. He's also a member of the post-2000 generation and is a key prospect that our Shanghai team is cultivating for the future."

"At the same time, he is also one of the top 64 contestants in this Mengbaihe Cup, which is why I called you two over to get to know each other, you know?"

After speaking in one breath, Tian Bin looked at Lin Ruo, whose expression did not change much.

Perhaps because he didn't have much of an impression, Lin Ruo only knew one potential star player for Shanghai in the future, and that was Wang Xinghao, who would win the world championship in the future. He was the star player of the Shanghai team.

However, at this time, Wang Xinghao was probably still preparing for the professional ranking tournament to try and become a professional first dan, so it's normal that he hadn't been discovered yet.

"As for him..." When it was time to introduce Lin Ruo to the other party, Tian Bin smiled but didn't know where to begin.

Does Lin Ruo need any introduction?

Nowadays, anyone who has ever been exposed to Go knows these two words, let alone a 7-dan professional Go player.

Li Weiqing, who was wearing glasses, understood and took the initiative to extend his hand to greet Lin Ruo in a friendly manner.

The two are roughly the same age, but there is a significant difference in their skill levels. Li Weiqing, who started playing Go in elementary school, entered the professional Go scene much earlier than Lin Ruo.

But when facing Lin Ruo, he tried his best to maintain the proper attitude of a junior towards a senior.

In Go, skill always speaks volumes. Li Weiqing believes that as a relatively new 7-dan player, he has no ability to compete against a 9-dan professional player.

Lin Ruo, however, could do it without any luck or chance, because before defeating the 9-dan professional Go player Park Young-hoon, he had already defeated all the other 6-dan, 7-dan, and 8-dan players.

This is why Lin Ruo has become an absolute prodigy in the Go world. He advanced from the group of death to the main tournament without any luck, relying solely on his strength.

Li Weiqing, who believed he would need to learn from someone stronger than himself, naturally leaned towards the younger generation in his attitude.

Lin Ruo, however, didn't consider any of this. She smiled and reached out to accept the greeting. Getting along with peers is actually quite easy; it's just a matter of calling someone "brother" or "buddy."

He also understood Tian Bin's intention as team leader. Since they were all going to participate in the Mengbaihe Cup, he could help mentor the newcomers along the way. He definitely understood.

Well, who can blame him for being stronger?

A month ago, he was still a super rookie in Team Leader Tian Bin's eyes. After a month of the Mengbaihe Cup qualifiers, he was directly promoted to the so-called invincible prodigy.

The title "super rookie" is no longer a good one.

"Can I play a game with you?" Li Weiqing asked expectantly after they met.

This is also what he wants to do most today: to play a match against a prodigy like Lin Ruo who can defeat a ninth-dan player, and to test his own level.

"Sure." Lin Ruo had no objections; he quite liked helping others recognize the gap between themselves and others.

Because doing this is very simple; all you have to do is put your hands on it.

The three left the office and chose a nearby game room to play a match, which attracted many aspiring young players who wanted to improve their rank to swarm over.

Tian Bin didn't say anything. This was the result he had in mind. It would be a good thing to let these kids broaden their horizons and experience the grand scale of a game.

Li Weiqing's current rank is already in the upper 7th dan. According to the domestic ranking system, if he continues to participate in competitions, he will be able to achieve the promotion to 8th dan in less than a year.

To be honest, he's a player of at least 8 dan level, otherwise he wouldn't have been one of the top 64 in the Dream Lily Cup.

"Shall we play a coin toss?" After cleaning the chessboard, Li Weiqing looked at the chess box in front of him and spoke first.

Lin Ruo shook her head: "No need, I don't really like being the black piece, I'll just use the white pieces in front of me."

"Then please give me your guidance." Li Weiqing said, and made the first move in front of everyone.

In Chinese Go rules, Black has the advantage of starting first, so Li Wei naturally assumed that Lin Ruo was letting him win.

Only Lin Ruo himself knew that he simply didn't like being a hater.

"I feel that watching them play a game of chess is probably more useful than me playing ten games of chess by myself."

"So, who can win? Senior Brother Li Weiqing is an outstanding talent in our chess academy, and we all know his strength."

"You know how strong Senior Brother Li Weiqing is, but don't you know how strong Park Young-hoon is? Lin Ruo, a first-dan, has a much higher chance of winning. Defeating a ninth-dan is not something Senior Brother Li Weiqing could do, but he did it anyway."

"I'm too lazy to talk about it. I'll go get a stool and a notebook to take notes."

Almost everyone understood the rule of placing a piece silently, so the moment the black piece was placed on the board, the previously restless young players aiming for professional ranks all quieted down without needing any reminder from team leader Tian Bin.

They watched quietly as this match offered them a chance to learn something.

Each player made four moves, and both were using the currently popular 3-3 opening.

Until the 15th move, Black played a move that allowed Lin Ruo to play White aggressively and capture the stones, thus setting the stage for a fast-paced battle in the game.

White 22 made a hand contact, moving with skill and finesse.

Lin Ruo used the most flexible moves, leaving Li Weiqing completely overwhelmed by his backhands in certain areas, making it impossible for him to counterattack.

Li Weiqing couldn't help but look up at his opponent. He rarely saw a player who could play so well in the stable opening phase.

However, it is still in the planning stage, and the advantages that Lin Ruo has established are only in the initial stage.

Until the 32nd White Tiger, Lin Ruo easily opened up the situation in the lower right corner.

White 42 and 44 forcefully split the field, White 48 then captures the enemy. Then White 50 dismantles the large area.

After 50 steps, Lin Ruo started drinking water, and Li Weiqing also began to sweat, the kind of sweat that he was too embarrassed to wipe because there were so many people around.

Originally, he had high hopes for the future, but in the end, he had no choice but to accept that he was beaten so badly in the early stages that he had no chance to fight back.

This was just a normal game, so there was no need to force it and refuse to give up. When White's winning percentage was about 70%, Li Weiqing chose to decisively give up the game.

This left all the aspiring young players present dumbfounded. The match ended quickly and quickly, leaving them like a group of onlookers who hadn't even had a chance to delve into the story before realizing that the drama was already over.

In short, it left us wanting more.

Is this Lin Ruo's strength at the first stage? It's terrifying! Many people present gasped in amazement.

"That move that pierced the elephant's eye was brilliant. May I ask your thoughts?" Li Weiqing, who was carefully examining the game, quickly found the key point and began the post-game review with Lin Ruo.

Winning or losing a game of chess is one thing; what you learn from it is another.

The latter is more important than the former, because only by learning it can you reduce the mistakes you might make in later games, thus increasing your chances of winning.

Li Weiqing knew he had made a mistake, but it was more of a mistake he was forced to make under pressure from his opponent.

In other words, he knew it was a mistake, but there was nothing he could do to avoid falling into that position.

"Actually, it's nothing special. You've exposed your isolated piece, so I have no reason not to make a move. Killing the isolated piece isn't the main point, but rather to distract you from defense so I can attack the central area."

Go is not about relentlessly attacking; it's more important to operate the attack lines flexibly. Because the board is so large, it's only meaningful to play defensively. If one opening doesn't work, try another.

Whoever finds the breakthrough first will be the winner.

Lin Ruo was found, so they won.

Li Weiqing stared at another spot and asked a question that puzzled him even more: "Why did you take your clothes off here? You clearly had the advantage if you continued."

“Being too early to be considered a good thing isn’t necessarily a good thing,” Lin Ruo replied without hesitation.

Li Weiqing paused, speechless. What did he mean by that? Did he think that this advantage was too small and might even hinder a larger, more strategic plan?
This was the first time he had heard this viewpoint, and it surprised him greatly.

The two then exchanged only a few words and did not conduct a detailed review.

After finishing everything, Lin Ruo stayed at the chess academy for lunch before preparing to leave and take a taxi back to the club. Her flight was around 16 PM, so she had plenty of time to pack her things.

Li Weiqing went to Beijing to report for duty after lunch. The two booked adjacent hotel rooms and agreed to continue their discussion the next day.

In fact, Li Weiqing still had many questions he wanted to ask Lin Ruo, but it was inconvenient because there were too many people at the chess academy. As he was entering the top 64 of the Mengbaihe Cup for the first time, he was also eager to go further in this tournament.

Lin Ruo became his helper during these two days.

Having a fellow chess player to discuss chess with every day, even if it's just for a short day, can be very beneficial.

"Good luck in this tournament! If you win, I can't believe what the world of Go will become."

Tian Bin smiled as he saw Lin Ruo off, his thoughts filled with all sorts of fantasies about winning the championship. Lin Ruo couldn't believe there was anyone in the world more confident than him.

It seems that the best-of-five solo matchup in April really made him too impressed, to the point that Tian Bin almost became his sycophant.

Actually, among the players participating in this tournament, the Shanghai team also has veteran Rui Naiwei, but she went to Beijing a long time ago to participate in Go academic activities and prepare for the competition.

Tian Bin naturally didn't arrange for them to meet. The reason he introduced Lin Ruo and Li Weiqing was simply so that the two young people could help each other.

Well, to be more precise, it should be said that Lin Ruochu unilaterally helped Li Weiqing 7th Dan.

However, Li Weiqing also has his uses; at least Lin Ruo won't be alone. Don't forget that Lin Ruo had Shi Zhiyu to talk to when she participated in the Mengbaihe preliminary round last time.

It would be boring if there were no people in the game, wouldn't it? As for how long the people can stay, it's hard to say.

Li Weiqing's opponent in this tournament is an 8-dan player. Based on the rankings, this is already the best possible matchup, and he has a good chance of advancing to the round of 32.

After reaching the top 32, Tian Bin didn't think there was any chance of advancing to the next round, but the possibility of Lin Ruo advancing to any number of rounds was infinite.

After saying goodbye to team leader Tian Bin and returning to the club, Lin Ruo realized that he didn't actually need to pack anything, because most of the items he brought back from Paris hadn't been put back in their original places.

Well, the main problem is that BJ's schedule is quite long this time, at least a week or more, which is almost equivalent to participating in another MSI Mid-Season Invitational.

After the Demacia Cup in the summer, the new summer season will start in about five days, on June 11th. Lin Ruo estimates that he will be able to return in the next day or two.

I definitely won't be able to participate in the scrims, and if I don't play scrims, I probably won't get a chance to play in the first match of the Summer Split.

Before leaving, Lin Ruo told Abu about this in advance to give him a heads-up.

Abu frowned at this and said, "Aren't you being a little too confident? After all, this is a world championship. You probably won't last until the end."

Unless Lin Ruo makes it to the finals, he will definitely be able to return two days before the start of the Summer Split, which will allow him to participate in practice matches to prepare for his starting role on the first day of the Summer Split.

As for Lin Ruo saying he might miss the first week of preparations for the Summer Split, Abu was 99 points in disbelief. After all, no matter how good someone is, it's impossible to win a world championship in just over a year.

Lin Ruo won the League of Legends championship because he had been training since his youth training days, which is why he was able to achieve such a meteoric rise so easily after becoming a professional player.

Other games that topped the charts, however, had nothing to do with professional competitions.

If someone were to become a world champion in Go, that would inevitably be considered extremely abnormal.

Abu didn't believe it, but he couldn't completely disbelieve Lin Ruo, who didn't look human. He could only wave his hand and say, "Whatever. If you can make it to the finals, there's nothing I can do if you can't participate in the first match of the summer season."

Haro has been developed, so it's fine for him to start in the early game.

Abu is just worried that if Lin Ruo continues like this, he might not even want to play anymore and might have to retire on the spot soon.

However, he quickly dismissed this idea, saying that was impossible. There was nothing in the world as lucrative and stress-free as League of Legends, which would allow Lin Ruo to spend most of the year playing other games.

If all else fails, raise wages.

He vividly remembered Lin Ruo saying that he would win five championships and wear down the "Great Demon King" Li Ge until he retired.

(End of this chapter)