LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 455, Move 451: Slaying the Dragon! You Don't Even Have a Chance to Throw!
As time passed, and after only a few minutes of thought, Park Jung-hwan's expression changed noticeably, a hint of disbelief playing at the corners of his mouth.

"No, how... how could this be? It absolutely shouldn't be like this."

With his eyes fixed on the chessboard, Park Jung-hwan's puzzled expression gradually tightened, and pressure began to rise on his forehead, turning into beads of sweat that were barely visible.

This step of excavation was simply unacceptable to him, because it seemed to have broken through...

His encirclement of the black pieces below seemed to have been brutally torn open, leaving a gaping wound.

Just because of this one digging step—no, there's also the step before that.

Park Jung-hwan didn't understand that step at first, but now it became the most powerful hand, pushing the knife in hard.

The white player was the one whose chest was cleanly and decisively pierced by a single knife.

In short, this move has made the situation extremely complicated. Park Jung-hwan, who was racking his brains, could think of many ways to deal with the situation, but none of them seemed to be able to reverse the huge advantage he had over the black stones at the bottom.

If Black captures below, then Black can easily capture with a counterattack, and when Black tries to capture again, Black will turn out, and there's no way to stop it.

Especially if he tries to turn the game around again later, as long as Black can hold on, the situation will be completely different.

Black not only escaped being surrounded but also emerged smoothly. The result was only one thing: not only could Black not capture any stones in the lower left corner, but his large group of stones, which was about to live, suddenly became unable to live because of this digging.

The dragon lacked vitality and, in fact, it was short of a break point, leading to its immediate collapse.

What if we attack from above?
Park Jung-hwan's mind was immediately thrown into turmoil. This move was clearly more infuriating than the previous ones, because Black only needed to make a move, and he simply couldn't make the cut he wanted to make afterward.

All you can do is capture the black piece that has been attacked, and then stick to it with your backhand. That's almost the same as the move of capturing a piece from below with your fronthand.

It was still impossible to save the black stones in the lower left corner from escaping, and the large white group that was halfway to life was suddenly cut short.

So what if it breaks off right from the start?

This was the only countermeasure Park Jung-hwan could think of, but the actual results later told him it wasn't good.

After White cuts off the stones, Black calls for a capture.

White captures, and Black attacks directly. After White connects, Black attacks even more obviously, prompting the upper part of the board to unleash its full power.

In the end, White still collapsed, although not as obviously as before. However, it is a fact that Black broke through the encirclement, and the premature death of White's large group was still an unchangeable result.

Just moments before, Black had made a brilliant move that could have defied fate, but who could have imagined that Black would respond with three consecutive moves, executing an even more divine move that would overturn the entire board?

Watching a tiny piece on the chessboard cause the game to turn around, Park Jung-hwan frowned and fell into an unprecedented state of melancholy.

Heaven and hell are separated by a single thought.

He finally managed to take that first step, but only enjoyed the pleasure for less than five minutes. Now, he has to endure ten times the suffering.

The lower right area had already fallen, and the game on the left, which was used for exchanges, collapsed overnight despite a huge advantage.

Now, we have no advantage in any area.

Black has more influence in the upper left corner, and attacking it would only make the situation worse.

Park Jung-hwan thought he had made the best move, and in fact it was the best move for White, but Black had several better moves to make.

Seeing the dramatic change in just four or five moves, everyone watching, both on-site and online, was shocked and incredulous.

"My God, what kind of plot is this? White made a brilliant move that swallowed up all the black stones in the lower left corner, but then Lin Ruo, a first-dan player, made three consecutive opening moves to turn the tide."

Wild Fox's commentary also shifted from initial disappointment at Lin Ruo's advantageous strategy being suddenly thwarted to immense excitement.

"Black has come back to life in the blink of an eye. That digging move was too clever!"

"By blocking all of White's positions in the lower left corner, Black regained its vitality, while White suffered a great loss and returned to a state of near death."

"Both sides made some brilliant moves, but in the end, Lin Ruo, a first-dan player, was clearly superior. He efficiently stabilized the situation and kept the game in the state it was before his brilliant move. At this point, it was obvious who was better and who was worse."

For Park Jung-hwan at this moment, the disadvantage was far greater than he had seen, because he knew what kind of person Lin Ruo was—the kind of person who would crush his opponent once he gained the upper hand.

Forget about panting, even breathing is a sin.

After pondering for a long time, Park Jung-hwan gritted his teeth and made another move.

On the second line, try to return to the corner to defend.

Now he can only do his best to make all the necessary arrangements to preserve this incomplete dragon. It can be dead, but it must not be allowed to die.

However, Lin Ruo would not let Park Jung-hwan succeed. It was normal for a fish out of the water to thrash around. He just needed to gently pick it up and put it in the bucket.

First strike.

The first step is to cut this dragon, which has no way out, in two, sever its lifeline, and completely control this situation that is already in our grasp.

But in Park Jung-hwan's eyes, this so-called first step was the most fatal one.

As the game progressed, the atmosphere became increasingly tense, though this tension was more one-sided.

However, if you include the off-field tension, the atmosphere in the Korean online broadcast room at this moment was just as tense.

The Korean commentator, who had only enjoyed a few minutes of peace, was already dumbfounded.

The dimness in his eyes has persisted ever since the encirclement in the lower left corner was severed.

He never imagined that his brilliant move could be completely neutralized, leaving the situation still in such a terrible state.

This undoubtedly disappointed him, and more importantly, it inevitably brought the anger of the Korean viewers in the live stream to its peak.

Initially at a disadvantage, then gaining an advantage, Lin Ruo then completely overturned the situation with three steps.

The West African fans, who were all popping champagne ahead of time, felt as if they had been tricked, and their anger and embarrassment only intensified.

However, this anger stemmed more from the fact that Lin Ruo was too terrifying, instilling a genuine sense of fear in them.

[Damn it, what kind of freak is Lin Ruo? How can he come up with so many brilliant moves in less than five minutes? Did he invent Go?]

Don't talk nonsense. So what if he's good? Go originated in Korea; it was created by Koreans.

[Sigh, I don't know if Park Jung-hwan, a 9-dan player, is too weak, or if Lin Ruo is just too strong.]

[If it were anyone else, even if they could find a counterattack point, they would have to think for at least 20 minutes. How could they have done it in just 5 minutes?]

[Park Jung-hwan 9-dan played a very good move, but his opponent found the only opening—no, it should be said that he created it through his own strategic moves.]

[Good heavens, I feel like I'm watching the devil. Is his brain filled with AI? Such a short thinking time is too fake.]

...

While Korean netizens lamented, Park Jung-hwan's situation remained unchanged. Given the current momentum, without a reversal, he would likely lose before the mid-game. In other words, it was another humiliating and thorough defeat, not much different from the first round.

The only difference might be that a brilliant move was made, but that's all; there wouldn't be any other distinction.

Hey.

Hey.

The chess pieces were placed one after another.

The Korean commentator couldn't bear to watch the roaring comments from the viewers in the live stream, so he could only follow the game closely, hoping that the situation would turn around, even if it was just a tiny, subtle possibility.

"White made a jump, but Black continued to pursue relentlessly. The opponent's attack was very purposeful, giving no room to breathe at all. This is too crazy."

"Wow, this invasion is quite deadly. White is somewhat isolated in the lower left corner and it is indeed difficult to stop the repeated attacks. At this time, White needs to calm down, but there are too many gaps."

Unable to resist swallowing, the Korean commentator continued to repeat the emotional words used by the man.

The gap is widening, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for White to mount a strong comeback in the mid-game. They're likely to lose momentum before that happens.

The initial setup has completely collapsed, making it impossible to drag the game into the mid-game. Even if it does, it will be a futile effort.

This scene was too brutal for the Korean commentator to watch, and was clearly unsuitable for all Korean viewers, including him.

The West African audience had good reason to be upset; just look at how badly they were beaten.

The face is gone.

Of course, Park Jung-hwan had no face left now. Sweating profusely, he once again picked up a chess piece and stubbornly resisted.

Knowing that failure is highly probable, all one can do is feel resentful.

With a win rate of less than 10%, Park Jung-hwan sees not hope, but utter despair.

Can it be translated? No, it can't.

What will happen if this continues? It will just be experiencing being tortured into a mental illness.

Fortunately, this time he didn't have to hold on for more than 100 moves. At the most critical moment, White had already reached more than 120 moves, but there was really no way to go after that.

Almost every move Black makes ruthlessly cuts off any possible escape routes for White.

This also saved Park Jung-hwan from the possibility of being tortured into a mental illness. Seeing that the score difference was huge, the situation came to an end after 135 moves.

It wasn't that he voted, but...

Hey.

The sound of the plate being dropped was incredibly crisp.

Lin Ruo made his final move, breaking through the chessboard to the astonishment of the entire audience, thus completing a perfect ending to the game.

The dragon-slaying is over; Black wins by resignation in the middle game.

The match ended, but many people were still not truly shaken off the experience.

The three referees on the sidelines looked incredulous, unable to believe that the match would be played by this Xiangzi. Apart from that one stroke of genius, Park Jung-hwan was completely suppressed and had no chance to fight back.

If the first round was due to poor form, then in the second round, saying that you're still in poor form is just an excuse to get on your flight home as soon as possible.

Although Park Jung-hwan had given it his all, the result was stark and realistic; he didn't even have a chance to surrender or admit defeat.

2: 0.

The referee, taking a deep breath, stood up and, trying to suppress the turmoil in his heart, announced the final result.

The second round of the best-of-five final of the Mengbaihe Cup has concluded, with Lin Ruo taking the lead with three match points. If all goes well, she could lift the final championship trophy as early as tomorrow.

Even most viewers who trusted Lin Ruo wouldn't dare to dream like that.

Not only did they win 2-0, but they also dominated every game.

Look at this, is this something a human being could do?
【Lin Dog? Lin God!!】

I heard you have a divine hand; sorry, I have a divine third hand. If one step isn't enough, then three.

[Park Jung-hwan 9-dan was really impressive today, managing to make Lin Ru think for almost five minutes. Next time, try to make Lin Ru think for more than ten minutes.]

Indeed, if things continue like this, they'll definitely be able to try and win a game in their next world championship match.

[No, it's only 2-0, why are you all making such a fuss? It's not a best-of-three match. People would think it's 3-0. Can you keep making that fuss tomorrow? Park Jung-hwan isn't without a chance. I believe in Park Jung-hwan 9-dan. Good luck! Tomorrow, let Lin Go think for more than six minutes, thank you.]

You didn't let him go either.

[It ended too quickly. Every time I watch Lin Gengxin play Go, I don't think it's Go at all. Go tournaments never last more than four hours!]

To be honest, judging by Lin Gou's movement speed, I thought he was playing Connect Four.

[This is ridiculous. I can't even play Gomoku as fast as Lin Go.]

The chat in the WildFox live stream room was exploding, and reporters from various media outlets outside the venue were also rushing to report on the results, which came out earlier than the online live stream.

"Good morning, everyone. This is the Chinese Chess Academy in BJ. The second round of the best-of-five final of the Mengbaihe Cup has ended. Lin Ruo, a first-dan player, won with a huge advantage by killing the dragon and crushing the opponent."

"Park Jung-hwan 9-dan suffered another unfortunate defeat. Will a new world champion be born? Will Lin Ruo 1-dan become the first world champion of the post-2000 generation? We'll wait and see at the same time tomorrow."

The first world champion born in 2000...

This term became the most talked-about topic among all viewers after the match.

Winning a world championship at eighteen is considered a young prodigy, but it's not among the earliest, as there have been several people in history who won the world championship at fifteen.

Ke Jie, for example, won a world championship before he was even seventeen.

However, if you add the prefix "post-00s", then everything changes completely.

Almost eighteen years have passed in the 21st century, but during this period, no one born in the 2000s has ever won a world championship.

After winning the second game and reaching match point, Lin Ruo undoubtedly became the only candidate most likely to achieve this feat, a groundbreaking record beyond doubt.

The Go community has always been looking forward to a new world champion who can take over the baton of the era.

Shin Jinseo, who initially made it to the semifinals of the World Championship, was the most watched player, but after today, there will only be one left.

(End of this chapter)