The Way of the Blind Girl Chess Saint

"A semi-professional dojo..." Xiao An had a piece of bread in her mouth, but she was a little nervous.

She still remembered what her sister Sakuraba had told her before she came to take the professional exam: if she wanted to become a professional Go player, she would have to defeat most of the members of the semi-professional dojo where her sister lived to have a chance of standing out.

Compared to last year, this year's semi-professional dojo is not approached with a casual, playful attitude.

The professional exam, first round... Thirty members of Group A entered the hall one after another. The beautiful young referee with long, light green hair sat at a tea table, waving a small fan. The first match was a good opportunity for players with above-average skill levels to build confidence.

After all, most chess players haven't adjusted their mindset yet. At least after winning a game by overwhelming the opponent with their chess skills, they can quickly get into the zone.

Xiao An was very lucky; her opponent in the first game was at the bottom of Group A.

Everyone took their seats, and after a while, Ji Yingting noticed that there was an empty seat.

Two minutes until the first round begins...

"........."

Soon, a girl wearing a pure black Taoist robe with gold accents and long brown twin ponytails appeared at the door.

Ma Gongling's expression was rather unpleasant. The game was about to start, but Dean Chu insisted on calling him over for a talk.

"Chirp!"

Just as Ma Gongling entered the chess room, Ji Yingting suddenly reached out and grabbed one of her low ponytails.

"Ok?"

"You're late. Go stand outside for ten minutes as punishment..."

"........."

After being stared at like she was an idiot for a while, Ji Yingting finally said awkwardly, "Okay, go sit down. Try not to be late next time."

Arriving late would waste time on the timer, and not arriving within half an hour would mean forfeiting this round. Ji Yingting justified herself by believing that she was thinking of the other party.

When Ma Gongling reached the corridor, Ji Yingting whispered almost inaudibly, "Adjust your mindset."

"Um……"

Ma Gongling took a deep breath, swung her pigtails, and sat down in her seat.

………………

Ji Yingting looked relieved; she seemed to be in exceptionally good spirits…

Ma Gongling's breathing was very steady, with little fluctuation in her breath. Compared to those who were confident they could become professional Go players, her level was already completely different.

Your real opponent is a monster in the professional Go world. Don't stumble in such a boring place again, Ma Gongling...

"The first round of the game begins."

Ji Yingting announced, and at the same time, countless sounds of chess pieces being picked up rang out before our eyes.

Last year, she was a test taker.

This year, she is an examiner.

The sounds of pieces being placed echoed incessantly throughout the venue. Many new test-takers must have found the noise unsettling.

An anxious mindset and tense thinking will distract chess players from getting into the zone, especially from the sound of pieces being placed.

Ji Yingting drank from her teacup for a while, and only got up to inspect the area half an hour later.

After several months of recovery, her eyes were no different from ordinary people's. The original purple color faded, replaced by a crescent moon of moon green. The strange and crazy eyes were a bit of a blemish on her image, so Ji Yingting didn't want to openly announce to everyone that she could see again.

Of course, Ji Yingting was most concerned about her student, Xiao An, and walked around to the black-haired girl's side. Hmm... her chess skills were quite good. Although her palms were a bit sweaty, she had a huge advantage in the game and should be able to finish the match within an hour, without having to wait until lunch break.

"Referee, this is over..." Suddenly, a cold voice rang out from behind Ji Yingting.

Two strands of ice-blue twin ponytails were as thin as lobster whiskers. Lu Binghu, from the semi-professional dojo, gently raised her hands, while her opponent lowered her head slightly, as if admitting defeat.

"Referee, this side is finished too." The two seemed to be competing to see who could finish faster. Bai Yongye raised her hand, and her opponent readily admitted defeat because she didn't want to be the most embarrassed person. In fact, she had wanted to admit defeat for a long time.

Their voices attracted the attention of many chess players; they must be quite experienced.

Since it was a direct resignation, the candidates cleaned up their own pieces in both games, and Ji Yingting only needed to keep track of the results.

The game didn't end that quickly afterward. After all, the fastest way to finish a game is to play fast chess and force your opponent into your rhythm. In a professional exam, that approach is far too unreliable.

Ji Yingting sat back down at the tea table, picked up her teacup, and took a few sips. Most of the chess players were experiencing such a long game for the first time, and the idea that "since there's time to think, you must use it all" wasn't a good approach...

After all, prolonged periods of meaningless thinking can easily cause test takers to lose their concentration.

More than an hour later, Ji Yingting glanced at her phone and received a notification.

"Ten minutes left for lunch break"

"Um……??"

Upon hearing this, many chess players straightened up and glanced at the clock on the wall; the referee was already reminding them that it was time to decide who would play the game.

If one player is playing chess and makes a move within ten minutes, the lunch break becomes the opponent's thinking time.

If you give up playing chess, you can continue thinking during your lunch break.

"Whoo, whoo, whoo"

His breathing was a little uneven. The black-haired boy had slightly curly hair. Lin Duan was a member of the A group of the semi-professional dojo, and he looked up at the brown-haired girl with twin ponytails sitting opposite him.

With a cute appearance but a very cold expression, she is Ma Gongling, the former senior sister of the semi-professional dojo.

Having played against him, he was well aware of Ma Gongling's formidable skill, but in the months since Ma Gongling left, his own chess ability had also increased rapidly.

Lin Duan had high expectations for himself in this professional exam.

At least, he wasn't completely crushed in this game. When it was his turn, playing black and trailing by five and a half points, he could definitely play to the endgame... his chances were still very good!

His heart pounded. He had played exceptionally well in this game. Did he have a talent for deep thinking? If he could beat Ma Gongling in the first round, wouldn't he be able to become a professional Go player right away?!

Lin Duan's timer took more than an hour, while Ma Gongling's took twenty-five minutes.

The mid-game battle has made the board very complex, so I need to think carefully. I don't need to make any more moves after that, and I should make good use of my lunch break.

Lin Duan put the chess pieces back in the chess box and stared intently at the chessboard.

One minute, three minutes, seven minutes, until nine minutes...

In fact, Lin Duan had been calculating this move for about half an hour, and just as the lunch break was about to end, he suddenly thought of a move.

Why!?

First point, then cover, isn't White dead?

Lin Duan frowned as he picked up a Go stone. His calculation ability as an amateur fifth dan player was very strong, especially in the middle game.

Almost instantly, the next ten moves of the game flashed through his mind. In the last three seconds, Lin Duan hesitated before picking up a piece and placing it on the board.

The abnormal heartbeat was a sign that Lin Duan was very confident of winning a game of chess.

We won...we really won!!

but……

The instant Lin Duan's fingers left the chess piece, a slender arm crossed parallel to his and quietly pushed it onto the chessboard.

"Lunch break is over, please stop playing chess."

pat, pat.

Two consecutive sounds of pieces being placed rang out at the same time, even overlapping with Ji Yingting's voice, perhaps even a step later.

"........."

"Sorry, I don't want to think during lunch break," Ma Gongling said softly. Under Lin Duan's puzzled gaze, she stood up, shook her two low pigtails, and turned to leave.

"........."

How could that be! Did she make her move at the last second?

Realizing this, Lin Duan quickly lowered his head.

The next second, his pupils gradually contracted.

Black wanted to make a small jump to trap White's stones in a foolish shape and then seal it off. However, White's move landed in the middle of the small jump, a move known as "cutting through".

"This guy... with just one move, Black's position is already beyond saving."

Such an obvious flaw made Lin Duan's body tremble slightly. Was it because he made his decision too quickly and lost so easily?

But what was Ma Gongling thinking? Was it because she had already calculated it? Or... was it simply because she didn't want to think about it during her lunch break?

After hesitating for a long time, he finished tidying up the black pieces with a heavy heart, walked to the tea table, and signed the word "concede" on the game record.

................

In the morning, thirteen games ended early, and seventeen more were scheduled after the lunch break. The players left the game hall one after another, while a few chose to stay and continue calculating.

Ji Yingting yawned and left the chess game, just as An Ruotong walked out of the B group chess room opposite.

"Xiaotong, how are things on your end?"

"The average skill gap is too large; 20 games have already been played."

"Wow, that's an exaggeration! Does that mean your task is super easy?"

"Since there are thirty games to play anyway, it's not going to be easy. I hope there are more players who have the self-awareness to admit defeat directly."

"Don't let anyone from the Crescent Moon Chess Academy hear you say that, or you'll never be able to be a referee again."

“good good”

To cater to the test-takers, the basement of the Crescent Moon Chess Academy has temporarily housed numerous restaurants and entertainment facilities. Entering a fast-food restaurant, An Ruotong suddenly remarked, "Shi Shishi, it seems he's going to lose the first round to a newcomer."

"Hmm...?" Ji Yingting frowned slightly. Shi Shishi was a chess player in the Shi family, but she was already nineteen years old this year, almost reaching the age limit for professional exams.

Despite growing up in the Shi family, her talent was rather mediocre.

He took the exam for five years to become a professional Go player, and he was completely different from the true geniuses of the Shi family, Shi Leyue and Shi Loulou.

Last year... this 19-year-old girl was already in despair, and this year should be her last year.

Who did you lose to?

An Ruotong said softly, "Qin Hanyue seems to have just been promoted to amateur fifth dan in the provincial competition. I glanced at their game; they haven't made many moves, but Shi Shishi is already at a disadvantage."

"There's no way around it, it won't work this year, and next year will be the last year."

Ji Yingting shook her head regretfully. What good is it for a chess player who has been abandoned by the Shi family to study at a semi-professional academy for five years? Rather than wasting everything on the professional exam, it would be better to realize one's limits sooner.