Time has arrived in September before we know it, and the Samsung Cup is about to start. The Chinese delegation sets out again. Eight chess players who have made it through the preliminaries and five seed players boarded a flight to Bangzi Country on the same day.
At the Huaxia Chess Academy, looking at the bus that was gradually going away, a thin young man patted his chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Phew! Dali, this little pervert is finally gone."
Gu Dali nodded with deep understanding: "Yes, I am embarrassed to come to the chess academy during this period."
For this group of young chess players, Li Jie's record was really terrifying.
A young man who has not yet been officially determined as a chess player actually has no defeat in the chess academy and wins consecutively.
Every time he saw the other person's childish face, Gu Dali just felt that he had eaten so many years of rice in vain.
The opponent is obviously much smaller than him, but his strength is infinitely higher.
If Gu Dali had watched Dou Po Cang Qiong, he would probably have taken a deep breath and sighed.
This child is so terrifying, he is definitely a rare existence!
If he had seen Zhetian, he would probably be amazed.
This kid has the qualifications of being a 'Great Emperor (God of Go)'!
After sighing with emotion, the lean young man sighed and said.
"Dali, have you heard that many seniors agree that Duke has the ability to win the championship? Do you think he can really win the championship?"
Gu Dali is Lao Nie's proud disciple, and he knows much more about this matter than ordinary people.
In view of 'Duke's' outstanding performance, the national players in the chess academy are infinitely optimistic that he can win the championship.
After all, 'Duke's' record is too terrifying, and its stability is terrifying.
Even if there is a gap in strength between chess players, especially top chess players, they cannot guarantee a 100% winning rate.
Take Yu Xiaoyang as an example. Although Yu Xiaoyang is recognized as the number one player in Go in China, even he cannot guarantee a 100% winning rate against a group of players with similar or slightly lower strength than him.
What happened in the past month was really a bit magical for many chess players.
The young boy 'Duke' did what even Yu Xiaoyang couldn't do.
Therefore, the rumor that "Duke will win" spreads in the chess academy.
"My master told me that if Duke can maintain its previous state, it is indeed very possible to win the championship."
Hearing these words, the lean boy was stunned and murmured.
"That's a three-star cup!"
Gu Dali raised his head and glanced at the distant sky, and agreed.
"Yeah, that's a three-star cup."
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The next day, after a day of rest, the contestants basically regained their energy.
That evening, delegations from various countries played a chess game at Bangzi National Chess Academy.
Different from the grouping method of the qualifiers, the Samsung Cup does not have a group stage, but draws lots to determine each player's opponent in the next round.
Thirty-two contestants compete for sixteen promotion places. In just one round, half of the contestants will be eliminated.
Moreover, the knockout competition system is all determined by one round. This competition system can be described as quite cruel.
Faced with such a competition system, even the top chess players dare not say that they will win.
Because, in the final analysis, the attributes of chess players are still human beings, not cold machines. Human beings will make mistakes sometimes, and they will sometimes be in bad condition.
In last year's Samsung Cup top 16 match, Country R chess player Ta Yaren was eliminated by another player because of slight physical ailments and poor mental state.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the lottery ceremony officially began.
Seeing that the organizer was about to take the stage, Director Ma, the leader of the Chinese Chess Academy who was sitting below, crossed his arms and said cheerfully.
"Old Nie, who do you think will win our big treasure this time?"
"Who knows."
Lao Nie chuckled and replied in a slightly teasing tone.
"Actually, it's not us who should be worried, but the chess players from country R and Bangzi. It's best for them to pray now and not encounter our big treasure in the first round."
"Ha ha."
Director Ma smiled and nodded, agreeing very much with Lao Nie's statement.
"I don't know who the unlucky guy is. Well, I guess we can rule out the Bangzi Chinese chess player first."
Lao Nie nodded to show his approval.
Although the draw may appear to be fair and just, 'match fixing' is not uncommon.
The sponsor of the Samsung Cup is a company from Bangzi Country. Of course, professional chess players from Bangzi Country will receive more or less preferential treatment.
Fortunately, according to competition regulations, domestic chess players will not meet in advance, so 'Duke' will not meet Chinese chess players in the first round.
Secondly, there is another stipulation in the lottery rules that the seeded players who advance to the main draw will not meet in advance.
The purpose of formulating this rule is mainly to maintain the enjoyment of the game. As we all know, the strength of seeded players is generally better than that of players who gradually advance to the main draw.
But these are all old almanacs.
Among this year's unseeded players, there is a 'big shark' hidden. Now, who doesn't know that 'Jue Yi' participated in the Samsung Cup?
In addition, what happened within the Huaxia Chess Academy some time ago was irresistibly spread among professional chess players.
He challenged the Huaxia Chess Academy and maintained a complete victory. The first reaction of any chess player who heard the news was 'disbelief'!
Because no one can do it!
nobody!
Unless he is not human!
Although many chess players do not believe this fact, this news also proves one thing in disguise.
That is, the strength of 'Jue Yi' is definitely in the first level!
Without such strength, how could the Huaxia Chess Academy spread such news?
In Go, it is impossible to cheat.
Strong means strong; weak means weak!
If 'Jue Yi' is too weak, he will definitely not be able to hide it once the main match begins. Wouldn't it be a slap in the chess academy's face?
"Old Ma, I guess Duke may encounter a master from Country R in the first round. With the host's stubbornness, I wouldn't be surprised even if Duke encounters Yukihiro Taya in the first round."
"Taya Xingyang?"
Director Ma repeated it in a low voice, and then glanced at the stage, with a hint of worry in his eyes.
"If we really meet him, it will not be good news for Duke."
"Yeah, that's Taya Xingyang."
Although Lao Nie has great confidence in Li Jie, Taya Xingyang is not an ordinary chess player after all.
If Li Jie encounters such a strong opponent in the first round, it will not be a wonderful start.
During the conversation, the preparations on the stage were over. Two hosts, a man and a woman, appeared on the stage in costumes. After a brief speech, the lottery ceremony officially began.
In the audience, seeing the drawing of lots begin, Lao Nie was a little surprised.
"Hey, it's really strange this time. The speech time is so short, and the drawing of lots has begun."
