novelraw Chapter 375 251: A League of My Own!
Chapter 375 251: A League of My Own!
"Grandpa, the doctors are only concerned about your well-being."
"They're worried that your emotions might fluctuate greatly during a chess match. Besides, if you really want to play chess, you can have someone accompany you at the hospital, there's no need to participate in the competition!"
The beautiful woman said earnestly.
"What's the point of having someone accompany me at the hospital to play?"
"Those people have no sense of competition at all and treat chess as a mere task, it's no fun at all."
The old man pouted.
Listening to their conversation, Shen Qiushan and the others began to form a preliminary understanding of the old man in the military uniform.
As expected, this old man was quite influential, at least before his retirement.
Judging by the attitude of the beautiful woman towards him, even now that he's retired, he still seems to have considerable influence.
This is Beijing, after all!
It's always a place full of hidden talents. An ordinary-looking old man might have been a powerful figure in the past.
"I'll head back once the competition is over."
The old man added.
"Alright, I'll stay with you, then."
The beautiful woman had no other choice but to silently stand by the old man's side.
At almost the same time, her attention finally fell on Shen Qiushan.
After sizing up Shen Qiushan, she raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, with a look of surprise in her eyes.
It's unclear whether she recognized Shen Qiushan or was attracted by his handsome appearance.
But she didn't speak, and Shen Qiushan naturally wouldn't take the initiative to greet her.
At this moment, the first-round results of the preliminary matches were announced, showing the table numbers and names of the opponents on the big screen above the gymnasium.
Table 1: 0725 Zhang Wei VS 1023 Zhao Jincheng
Table 2: 2080 Yang Jinfeng VS 0125 Yin Fangyu
...
Table 25: 2049 Shen Qiushan VS 0096 Luo Zhengyi
Upon seeing his name on the big screen, Shen Qiushan quickly went over to Table 25.
The old man in the military uniform followed closely behind.
"So we're in the same group, are we? I'm curious to see how you plan to beat me!"
Luo Zhengyi glanced at Shen Qiushan, pouting with disdain.
He was quite confident in his chess skills, having decades of experience under his belt.
When he was young, he was one of the top chess players in the compound, winning against all the old men there at just over ten years old.
After entering the workplace, he was the undisputed chess champion, second only to the leaders.
Even while playing against the leaders, the matches were often evenly contested, and even when he lost, it was always appropriately.
Those who understood knew that losing in such a manner was harder than winning!
After retiring,
Luo Zhengyi participated in numerous chess competitions and won several awards.
So, among amateur chess players, his skill level was definitely among the best.
It was based on this glorious track record that he didn't regard Shen Qiushan as a challenge.
The preliminary matches were in a best-of-three format.
No regrets allowed after making a move.
Each move had a time limit of 60 seconds.
If a player exceeded the time limit three times, the game would be automatically forfeited.
Due to the large number of preliminary matches, judges were mobile, with over twenty referees moving between games.
If a player had any issues, they could immediately signal a referee.
With the sound of a bell ringing in the gymnasium, the competition officially began.
Red side's Luo Zhengyi adopted the common "Central Cannon" opening.
Shen Qiushan didn't use the conventional defensive tactics, instead choosing to sacrifice his central pawn...
This opening move with the central pawn was something Luo Zhengyi had encountered before; there were several so-called "dead-end" strategies in chess that started this way.
Therefore, he was quite cautious.
Yet, even so, ten minutes later, he found himself a chariot and a horse down compared to Shen Qiushan, and was at a comprehensive disadvantage.
After struggling for another five minutes, Luo Zhengyi lost the first game!
1-0!
Shen Qiushan was leading.
In a best-of-three match, Shen Qiushan only needed to win one more game to advance to the next round.
Although he lost the first game,
Luo Zhengyi was not convinced: "I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to have some real skills."
"You'll definitely lose in the second game!"
In the first game, Luo Zhengyi hadn't taken Shen Qiushan seriously and was a bit complacent.
By the time he realized, Shen Qiushan was already in a dominant position, making it difficult to turn the tables.
So, at the start of the second game, Luo Zhengyi used his best strategies.
He planned to win at least one game to level the score and then, in the tiebreaker, give it his all to defeat Shen Qiushan.
However, Luo Zhengyi clearly overestimated himself. Even though he employed his best strategies, after several rounds of struggle, he was still utterly crushed.
2-0!
Shen Qiushan won and advanced!
The two games took less than half an hour.
"Thank you for letting me win."
"Uncle Luo, you should head back to the hospital with your granddaughter early!"
Shen Qiushan said with a grin, cupping his hands in salute.
"Whether I go back to the hospital or not is none of your business!"
Luo Zhengyi rolled his eyes. Despite losing two games in a row, he still wasn't convinced.
Just now, he quietly reviewed the games in his mind, realizing he lost the first game due to underestimating his opponent and the second game due to being overly cautious.
Playing too cautiously, he couldn't unleash his bold and unrestrained style.
"Would you dare to come back to the hospital with me and continue playing?"
Luo Zhengyi asked, looking disgruntled.
"Uncle Luo, I'm here to compete."
"And you've already been eliminated by me."
Shen Qiushan shrugged with a smile: "If you want revenge, you'll have to wait for another chance."
"If fate allows, maybe we'll meet in future competitions."