The Way of the Blind Girl Chess Saint

In contrast, the three amateur fifth-dan players displayed a thoughtful approach to their moves and a cautious demeanor, a stark contrast to the fat man's.

Luo Xinglu's dark green eyes gradually narrowed. He knew that Ji Yingting wasn't serious, but... even though she was thinking so quietly, the heavy pressure still swept over Luo Xinglu's mind.

Sweat dripped down his face, and something seemed to be awakened within him.

To beat a professional Go player, you need to carefully consider every move.

He could calculate the changes up to fifty or even a hundred moves ahead. He could even feel that each of his moves was transforming!

.........

With a thud, the fat man let out a long sigh of relief, and his expression relaxed considerably.

"The middle game is almost over. Black has 67 points, and White has about 61... Including the komi, White is leading by less than two points!! Is it really possible for me to beat a professional player? I just hope I can make up at least three points in the endgame."

At the same time, Ji Yingting thought to herself, "This game of chess is already over." Under the fat man's nonchalant gaze, she slowly opened her pale purple star-like eyes.

"Hey?"

*Snap!* Just by seeing Ji Yingting's sleeve flutter, the white chess piece had already fallen onto the chessboard.

So fast… The fat man was slightly taken aback. As he placed the chess piece, there was another heavy thud. He didn’t even see how Ji Yingting placed the piece. *Thud!*

"Ah~ They actually dared to play against a professional Go player. Ji Yingting and Fatty played Go so fast just because they were bored, right? They wasted a golden opportunity to break through their bottleneck." Jiang Gu, the blue-haired handsome boy and president of Beaver Middle School, slowly shook his head.

As Ji Yingting rapidly placed her pieces, her long, light green hair swayed gently.

One way is to carry and stick, stand alone, the crane stretches its legs, flies across, and is carried in two directions.

I'm so sorry...

However, she didn't want to seriously play against an amateur fourth dan whose skill level was extremely ordinary, so... as long as she could win, that would be fine, right? The white stones spun and fell, and Ji Yingting made an attack on the last line of defense of the black stones with a blank expression.

The vast difference in endgame ability is the inherent gap between amateur and professional players! Faced with Ji Yingting's almost mindless endgame strategy, the fat man was overwhelmed and hurriedly placed his pieces, leading to a complete defeat for Black...

"........."

"How is this possible?! Twenty-seven points in the endgame? Is this still the Go I know...?"

"Damn it...damn it, damn it!" Watching helplessly as Ji Yingting wouldn't even give him the last single official calamity, the fat man lowered his head in dejection.

This is the first time anyone has ever seen such an amazing, terrifying ending!!

The intense mental shock sent chills down everyone's spines. Looking at a professional Go player's game records didn't seem unusual at all. But... only by seeing it with one's own eyes could one truly understand the honed skills of a professional Go player.

The fat man didn't think carefully about this game, but Ji Yingting didn't even need to think; he finished the game quickly entirely based on his intuition!

A brilliant and imaginative opening, a thrilling and astonishing mid-game battle, and... a perfect ending that can only be described as art.

To become a professional chess player, these three basic abilities are indispensable, which leaves only four games.

Ji Yingting took the feather fan handed to her by Xiao Hongye, a junior schoolmate, and waved it gently. Only at this moment did the people of Jingliuzhai realize that the fat man's game had ended.

"No, I can't let my mind wander. It's because Fatty's skills are too weak..." Zhou Hansheng frowned slightly, but his hand holding the black chess piece hesitated to fall.

He played the "Chinese style," a style favored by amateur players. Because he had been criticized by Ji Yingting before, his moves in this game were extremely steady.

Fortunately, he was able to fully demonstrate his superb skills, which gave Zhou Hansheng a sense of relief.

"I give up..."

Suddenly, another familiar voice attracted everyone's attention; it was another amateur 4-dan player from Jingliuzhai Middle School.

His chessboard had the fewest moves of the four games, but it was also the only one where Ji Yingting played a move outside the goal area.

The battle spread to a quarter of the board's corner, and Black's pieces were almost wiped out!

"Xiao Li was defeated by the unfamiliar fixed pattern... If it were me, I would never have gone to hang the corner," a substitute member of Jingliuzhai clicked his tongue in amazement.

When playing online chess, people often pretend to make moves outside the eye, but those are all simple moves. Anything slightly more complicated is beyond their reach.

Only three people are left...

Zhou Hansheng followed a relatively steady Chinese style, while Pan Renqiu used a segmented pattern to create the prototype of a cosmic style, which looked like it was trying to surround the center, and the form was relatively stable.

Luo Xinglu thoughtfully picked up a black stone. Professional Go players are really tough... Don't they have any established patterns? These are moves I've never seen before. After being attacked by Ji Yingting's continuous feints, Luo Xinglu was starting to lose her composure. Should she fight her?

It cannot be ruled out that Ji Yingting might make a calculation error while playing against three fifth-dan players simultaneously, but... the greater possibility is that he will be completely wiped out.

"These three guys from Jingliuzhai are really tenacious; no wonder they're a Go powerhouse in Mingyue City."

In the middle game, none of the three players were at a significant disadvantage. The students of Ruoying Girls' School were also somewhat moved. Despite Pan Renqiu's initial confrontation with Ji Yingting, his serious expression while playing the game was no less than that of the other two.

At the crucial moment of decision-making, Luo Xinglu stopped making a move.

He so desperately wanted to play a game against a professional chess player… and finally it came true. Luo Xinglu knew all too well the endgame skills of professional players; if he wanted to completely control the game, now was the only time to do so.

Although somewhat ashamed, Zhou Hansheng and Pan Renqiu persevered, knowing that now was the only time they could unleash their full potential. Even professional players couldn't possibly push their skills to the limit when facing three opponents simultaneously!

"Whoo~"

Luo Xinglu took a deep breath, and for a moment, the air seemed to freeze, causing all the chess players present to freeze in surprise. The surrounding air became much colder, and a cold wind was gathering around Luo Xinglu at a visible speed.

"This person!!" Bai Chang'an's eyes widened slightly. She had a strong premonition that something strange or eerie was about to happen.

Taking his deepest breath, Luo Xinglu sighed softly, "Chess Strategy - Spear Dance Reincarnation."

"........."

boom!!!!!!!

In an instant, a wave of energy that pierced through the Milky Way pierced past Ji Yingting's ear, and a few strands of her green hair fell to the ground.

A long, turquoise spear spun in Luo Xinglu's hand, as if he were in another dimension. The black chess piece in Luo Xinglu's hand slammed into the white piece's weak point, and the immense force that almost pierced through the chessboard caused the entire board to collapse.

Ji Yingting's expression remained unchanged. "I see, you're a chess player for the Luo family."

"What's going on?! This guy is completely different from before!"

"Has he become a different person?"

The dark green watermelon-shaped hair was blown up by the strong wind, revealing Luo Xinglu's true face. He was very handsome, and his hairstyle had become much more arrogant. His dark green gun-like eyes were sharp.

"Senior, I completely lose control of this power whenever I get excited during a game. I hope you can understand... Is this what professional Go players call 'chess position'?"

"Born for Go, born for the professional Go world, born for the Luo family. I understand this responsibility, but I've never had the courage to unleash my full potential. But deep down... there's a demon lurking within me."

A turquoise storm surged into the sky, even affecting the two chess pieces on either side of Luo Xinglu, causing them to tremble under this strange aura.

As he spun his spear, a spark gradually condensed at its tip.

[Gun Name: Calamity]

Luo Xinglu's voice trembled.

With a whoosh, hundreds of starlight rays swept across space and time towards Ji Yingting, a ferocious attack like a barrage of bullets.

Boom! The chess piece in his hand slammed heavily onto the board, freeing up the board's momentum. Luo Xinglu's fighting style was simply bizarre, unlike anything anyone had ever heard of. Black had proactively divided the battle into three parts! The extremely chaotic struggle caused Ji Yingting to frown slightly.

Seeing hundreds of rays plummeting vertically, and witnessing this deliberate attempt to divide the battlefield... it was strikingly similar to a game record she had seen last year!

Last year's top division league, the Seven Star Cup final.

Professional 9th ​​Dan, Shui Tingyue, versus... Professional 9th ​​Dan, Luo Youjun.

So that's how it is. Last year's classic battle, which broke down the game into seven parts, left a very deep impression on Ji Yingting. She has shown the game record of that match more than once or twice.

Luo Xinglu must be Luo Youjun's child...

Ji Yingting looked enlightened, though compared to Luo Youjun, his chess skills and strategies were extremely immature.

After thinking for a while, Ji Yingting chuckled softly. Her small hand passed through the middle of hundreds of starlight rays without being attacked in the slightest. She held the white chess piece between her fingers and placed it against the tip of the cyan spear.

"Just as you said, if you can't fully control the game, it will become your weakness and vulnerability. You're still too early to be doing this."

pat...

It was just a simple move, yet it made Luo Xinglu's eyes widen in surprise. The way he divided the battlefield was impressive, but unfortunately... the complex and terrifying multifaceted calculation ability involved was something that an amateur player could not support.

If there's even one miscalculation, the whole thing collapses!

With a snap, the turquoise spear shattered, the arrogant dark green hair fell away, and the icy aura vanished instantly.

"See? Thank you for revealing such an obvious weakness. With this, the outcome can be decided with just one move." Ji Yingting's eyes crinkled with a smile, an indescribable emotion filling Luo Xinglu's entire body. His all-out fighting spirit was easily interrupted by a single move, leaving him only with a chill from head to toe...

White's stone collided with Black's weak, isolated stone, 【并】!! This seemingly simple move prevented the two Black stones from connecting no matter what. A small jump would cut them off, and an extension would result in a sharp cut.

For professional Go players, is this all there is to a game situation where their skill level is not high enough?

Even Luo Xinglu lost!? The ponytail boy sitting next to him gritted his teeth, regretting his boastful words earlier. Now he fully understood the concept of "professional".

Pan Renqiu's game was originally the most balanced in terms of points, but Ji Yingting's moves broke through the entire center, making it impossible for him to enclose the center. The gap was too great; her understanding of the shape and tesuji was completely beyond his comprehension!

Luo Xinglu revealed a bitter expression. "Is that so? I'm still far from good enough. Thank you for your guidance, senior."

Despite losing the game, his strange demeanor earlier still drew slight glances from many students. Ji Yingting casually waved her small fan and remarked.

"Go to a semi-professional dojo to learn."

"Hey?"

"Your skills are already qualified to enter the semi-professional dojo. The professional exam is approaching. Do you want to give up? Don't you want to be a Go player anymore?"

"I...haven't decided yet," Luo Xinglu said, clenching his hands slightly.

"The semi-professional dojo has sparring partners who are low-ranking professionals, true monsters whose skill far surpasses yours, and geniuses from unheard-of families. Studying there will allow your skill to improve dramatically."

"I want to go to a semi-professional dojo!!"

Ji Yingting's words finally became the last straw that broke Luo Xinglu's mental defenses, and he bit his lip and said with difficulty.

That's right. After playing this game, he realized his shortcomings. No one can stop him from wanting to become a professional chess player!

Ji Yingting then looked at Pan Renqiu and said, "As for you, your playing style is too conservative. You should start by practicing breaking away from conventional opening patterns."

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, senior!" Pan Renqiu blushed slightly. Three of the four corners were standard opening moves, and he knew that his chess skills could only reach this level at present.

Finally, there was Zhou Hansheng, the president of the Jingliuzhai Go Club. He barely made it to the end, with Black making 179 moves... losing by 6 stones, or 12 points. The gap... was still much larger than he had imagined. Zhou Hansheng sighed helplessly.

Of course, he admitted that his chess skills were inferior to Luo Xinglu's, otherwise he wouldn't have hidden his desire to become a professional chess player so deeply.

However, his desire to play against professional chess players was no less than Luo Xinglu's. He just didn't know what kind of evaluation Ji Yingting would give him, and his hands trembled slightly.

"Zhou Hansheng, who taught you your horizontal marking method?"

"Hey?"

Ji Yingting's question, which had nothing to do with chess skills, baffled Zhou Hansheng.