LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 457 Accept the punishment, Little Blackie

After both sides bowed and nodded to each other, the competition officially began, and the battle to determine the champion of the Mengbaihe Cup officially kicked off amidst great anticipation.

Park Jung-hwan, playing black, opted for a small star opening, which Lin Ruo followed suit with her own move.

If you have a star, I have a star; if you have a small eye, I have a small eye. The main strategy is to follow without thinking.

Seeing Lin Ruo's opening moves, Park Jung-hwan frowned slightly. If he made the same opening move as Lin Ruo, it meant either he was being played or Lin Ruo was about to reveal a new move.

Of course, it's also possible that it's both.

But at this point, Park Jung-hwan couldn't care less about anything else and could only try his best to take his steps carefully.

Nothing is more important than avoiding making mistakes.

Lin Ruo's actions were likely a strategy of remaining calm and observing the situation in the early stages, waiting for Lin Ruo to make a mistake.

That was definitely not going to work out for him, so Park Jung-hwan calmed down and continued to play his pieces according to his own thinking.

After that, both sides used their corners to disrupt the situation in a tacit manner.

The first three moves were exactly the same. The change began when Black jumped to defend the corner in the upper left corner, and White used a spike as the next move.

This move was generally considered a bad move in the past; in short, it's equivalent to feeding the enemy team kills at the start of the game.

Because if you stab, the opponent will be forced to stick to you, which is equivalent to strengthening their formation.

However, from the perspective of current AI, the party making this exchange can walk outside, and its purpose is self-evident. It is not necessarily a complete loss; it mainly varies from person to person.

As Park Jung-hwan had predicted, Lin Ruo, who had successfully forced his opponent to fill in the gaps, decisively changed his position and launched a preemptive attack.

A tall, narrow room on the upper right.

Black moves a jump, White moves a fly.

Both sides used established patterns to target each other in the early game, until Park Jung-hwan's next move, a double jump, slightly revealed his thoughts on the game.

This is a very old and conventional opening move, which fully demonstrates the retro mindset that might be unfamiliar to young people like Lin Ruo.

However, although Lin Ruo didn't know much about it, that didn't stop him from coming up with a solution.

White moves forward, and Black then takes advantage of the situation to extend its territory.

Lin Ruo used her fingertips to separate the upper and lower parts, prompting Park Jung-hwan to take the initiative to lean on her to build a base.

White blocks, and Black places a move.

If White continues to play according to the old pattern, White will inevitably extend here, thus giving him the opportunity to squeeze in from the side.

Based on the previous moves, Park Jung-hwan was certain that if Lin Ruo understood this pattern, then since they could evenly match each other, she wouldn't take any risks.

Therefore, he naturally began to devise his moves after the third move.

However, Lin Ruo quickly told Park Jung-hwan that whether or not I understand the so-called fixed patterns in your mind will not affect my playing my own moves.

Of course, following the established formula is indeed the safest approach, and Lin Ruo cannot deny this. Therefore, he made some slight modifications and added some ingredients to ensure that the original flavor was preserved while also having its own unique characteristics.

This allows for more varied and effective subsequent moves.

On move 22, White did not extend at the star point, but instead played a move in the middle to block Black's stones on the outside.

Compared to the ancient and fixed patterns of long, the biggest difference is that the coverage area is larger, making it more difficult to control and also testing the player's judgment more.

After making eleven moves, Park Jung-hwan finally showed surprise.

This was the first variable he noticed, and Lin Ruo began to demonstrate his comprehension skills.

After weighing the options, Black finished the game by cutting.

White attacks and Black attacks in return, then extends and connects to replace the White stones.

When Lin Ruo blocked the attack in actual combat, a subtle difference appeared in the situation.

Overall, it's undeniable that Park Jung-hwan was the one who suffered a slight loss.

Especially in terms of local territory, the two sides are not much different in terms of actual area, but in the directions where they can make a breakthrough, White has much more breathing space than Black.

This also means that White definitely has a better advantage than Black in terms of external influence.

Clearly, this old formula did not stump Lin Ruo; on the contrary, it allowed Lin Ruo to come up with a novel approach that was different from the past.

Park Jung-hwan couldn't help but feel a little frustrated, thinking to himself, "Is it really impossible for me?"

Actually, it would have been fine if the white stones in the upper right corner had gained a slight advantage, but Lin Ruo's white stones also gained the initiative after the game.

If this continues, the resulting trouble will be enormous.

On the thirty-fourth move, White took the lead and flew down to the lower left.

Black moves by crawling, white moves by jumping.

Lin Ruo then continued his high-level attacks, returning to the top with a flying attack. After Black was forced to come up and block, Lin Ruo calmly returned to the lower right corner to defend the corner.

In the current overall configuration comparison, the white side is very lively and full of energy, while the black side appears rather sluggish and lags far behind its opponent in terms of speed.

For Park Jung-hwan, it was inevitable that he would have to do some things he wasn't very good at again.

That means directly invading from below. White has already come down to defend the corner. With the stones placed in the opening, he can't let White surround it, because at this moment White's momentum on the right side is already strong enough.

This disrupted his rhythm to some extent, and it also meant that he would be led by the nose again later on.

It's so inexplicable. He was clearly the black piece, and he was the one who had the first move.

But with that casual post and the series of actions that followed, Park Jung-hwan seemed to have lost all hope of ever regaining the right to strike first.

Even if he plays here, it doesn't diminish the immense potential of White on the right side.

This is a way to protect oneself, which is meaningful, but only for humble and insignificant self-preservation.

Less than forty moves into the game, the AI's winning percentage for Black had already dropped below forty percent as the game progressed.

The Korean commentary was unbearable to watch; he clearly entered a state of numbness much faster today than the previous two days.

As Black, I was supposed to have komi, but in the early game I was forced to take the initiative and was pressured instead. I can't believe what it will be like if this drags on.

The facts show that the Korean commentators were too timid, unlike the official commentators from FoxTalk, who dared to think outside the box.

"It's so well-organized. Lin Ruo, a first-dan player, plays very smoothly. He neither creates an unreasonable situation where one side is strong and the other is weak, nor does he allow Black to achieve its goal in the most proactive upper right corner."

"In comparison, Park Jung-hwan 9-dan's moves were too passive and lacked strategy."

As the commentator also knows, it wasn't that Park Jung-hwan failed to break out of the established pattern and rhythm.

Instead, Lin Ruo's attacks disrupted their rhythm. This was entirely predictable from the matches of the previous two days, and if things continue to develop, it's likely that the same quick-push finale will play out for three consecutive days.

The world's number one? That's pathetic!

If it is truly a case of being crushed in three consecutive games, resulting in a straight 0-3 loss, then this would be an extremely rare record in the history of Go competitions.

Although it's only around 40 lots so far, such a disadvantage isn't enough to draw any conclusions too early, but that's just how the market has been moving in the past two days.

If the opponent is Lin Ruo, then such a disadvantage is enough to cause a fatal result.

Even without other viewers' opinions, Park Jung-hwan himself thought so.

The classic opening move was so bad that he was almost out of his mind, which forced Park Jung-hwan to calm down for more than five minutes before making another move.

When White chose to strengthen its position on the left, Park Jung-hwan temporarily retreated to defense, while Lin Ruo signaled by continuing to press hard on the left.

Is the left side dangerous? Actually, it's alright, at least that's what Park Jung-hwan thinks.

After all, the left side was his stronghold, while the right side was his real enemy territory.

Everyone knows that if the formation on the right side isn't broken, with its fragmented chess pieces, it's only a matter of time before it's overwhelmed by a solid advance.

Therefore, Park Jung-hwan, disregarding all else, chose an overly aggressive approach, needing to address the problem caused by being outmaneuvered in the upper right corner opening.

We must not allow it to continue expanding into emptiness, becoming the final abyss that will devour us.

Lin Ruo looked at the chessboard where the game had suddenly turned into an offensive, and at this point, he didn't need to do anything hasty.

Just defend, stick close to them.

It's all about applying stickers; wherever you tear off, I'll stick it there, mainly for applying a subsidy paste.

Go ahead and attack, if you can break through, then you're really something.

Park Jung-hwan, who refused to give up, underwent two more surgeries and managed to get some minor eye surgery.

But immediately afterward, White played a small knight's move in the lower right corner to defend the corner.

This was a move that no one noticed, because very few people would suddenly make such a move at such a moment.

Even if Park Jung-hwan considered himself the white piece, he certainly wouldn't blindly move out to the lower corner with a small knight's move.

However, it cannot be denied that the small flying horn is quite effective, and Lin Ruo made good use of its characteristics to apply pressure from a distance.

Where should it be pressed?

By pressing down, Black has completed its connection with the white stones above, which could potentially destroy the three eyes that Black has just created, while also very steadily protecting its own lower right area.

This can be described as killing two birds with one stone. All that awaits him is a powerless turn in the black stones, attempting to use the three black stones to gain more territory.

Lin Ruo's situation is different. With this extremely valuable small knight's move to approach the corner, he can completely ignore Black's presumptuousness and actively use the move to prepare for the next stage.

The fifty-second move is a simple and clear jump, launching an attack on the black stones in the lower center, creating a clear entanglement and attacking pattern.

You were the one who tried to prevent me from surrounding you, right? Well, I'm going to surround you now.

If you really want to set up a trap, you first need to prevent others from giving you the opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, Park Jung-hwan is willing but unable to do so.

The central attack continued with a shoulder charge, and the surging momentum made the entanglement pattern crystal clear.

Park Jung-hwan said he had seen this situation before, or rather, he had experienced it.

It was clear that he had to hold on, but at the same time he couldn't get too entangled in the fight. What he had to do was try to stabilize the situation by using the most strategic retreat tactics possible.

How does one use the strategy of retreating to advance?
Park Jung-hwan adjusted his glasses and chose to make a sudden move in the lower right corner to find a clue. This way, he could avoid a direct confrontation with White while still posing a considerable threat.

Because the situation in the lower right corner absolutely threatens the formation on the right.

But Lin Ruo didn't think much of it.

Isn't this just a way to slow down and get a feel for things in different positions in a short period of time?
That's really how it is. It's not easy to come up with a solution. I really wish we hadn't collapsed like that in the first two days.

Therefore, what Lin Ruo needs to do is very simple: make this move of retreating to advance only involve retreating.

If I go down directly and forcefully to block, and Black dares to twist and cut, then I, White, will take it all.

No need to think about anything, just block all possible avenues of attack.

If you want to retreat, then retreat. The chessboard is only so big. If you retreat too much, you will eventually retreat to the edge where there is nowhere left to retreat to.

As for finding an opportunity to turn things around, it's best not to even think about it, because it won't do much good except for getting your head spinning.

"Two consecutive wins..."

Having found no clue and feeling somewhat lost, Park Jung-hwan touched his face, unsure whether it was because his face was itchy or because he was wiping away some nonexistent sweat.

He wanted to use the pieces below to create a living group and pose a threat, but it turned out that the room for maneuver was still too small.

White didn't place many stones on the bottom, but they were precisely connected, especially locking down most of the key positions.

This looks amazing.

To construct such an orderly pattern with the fewest pieces is something Park Jung-hwan believes he couldn't have done with such meticulousness.

At that moment, besides the desire to survive, Park Jung-hwan had another, completely unnecessary thought in his mind.

Lin Ruo, I forgive you.

Indeed, the pre-match interviews that said he had less than a 50% chance of winning were undoubtedly correct in light of the current results.

Park Jung-hwan thought he could win, but in reality, fast forward to the point where even winning one game would be difficult.

Park Jung-hwan later thought that even if he lost, he could still put up a close fight, but in reality, fast-forwarding through each game revealed that it was a game where he could save face, and maintaining a three-digit conceding score would be considered a success.

He once thought that Lin Ruo had a brain like an AI, which was why he was able to beat him so badly in the first two rounds without making any mistakes.

However, after the change in the opening move in the upper right corner, Park Jung-hwan noticed something else: Lin Ruo's moves were different from the AI's.

The strategy employed by artificial intelligence is an imitation of the battle between gods and mortals. Standing in the sky, it can see a wider range and use an extremely terrifying strategic perspective to tell chess players that it can think of moves more than twenty moves ahead. Can you do that?
In this respect, Lin Ruo is more like a human being; he simply uses the superior thinking and judgment abilities of human chess players to make various brilliant moves.

At least based on the change in the pattern mentioned above, Park Jung-hwan can be certain that the AI ​​will not make such a precise and deliberate move.

The attempt to steal a chicken backfired spectacularly. There was no progress in the lower right corner, and before the 70th move was even over, the two stones that Park Jung-hwan had placed in the middle were already in danger of being devoured.

You two little black-haired boys, do you even eat fried dough sticks?

Lin Ruo is preparing to send a lawyer's letter to the two little black dots, which is simply a warning.

Of course, after the warning came the trial. He wasn't making things up out of thin air. However, after the trial started, Park Jung-hwan would need to intervene because he was the biggest hater.

(End of this chapter)