Cao Yanzi praised Li Xiaoqiang when commenting on the final of the "Toyo Securities Cup". However, this did not help Li Xiaoqiang in any way. Soon after Cao Yanzi said that, he even slapped himself in the face himself.

Ma Xiaofei and Li Shifo's "Toyo Securities Cup" final ended at the end of May, and the next world competition, of course, is the "Fujitsu Cup" top 8 fixed in early June every year.

In this year's "Fujitsu Cup", Li Xiaoqiang did not have a "round tour" like the "Oriental Securities Cup". As a seed, he won a game in the round of 16 and progressed to the round of eight in early June.

But in the top 8, Li Xiaoqiang lost again. And the one who defeated him happened to be Cao Yanzi, who had just praised him.

Losing in the World Series in a row disappointed those who cared about Li Xiaoqiang. For a while, Li Xiaoqiang's downturn seemed to have no end in sight. "What the hell happened to him?" The discussion is also endless.

Strictly speaking, Li Xiaoqiang's results are good after entering 96. At least in terms of winning rate, Li Xiaoqiang's winning rate so far this year is quite high. But now Li Xiaoqiang, as Mr. Fujisawa Hideyuki expected, for ordinary first-class chess players, Li Xiaoqiang can basically win very steadily now. But against super chess players, Li Xiaoqiang seems to lack the deterrent and impact of the past.

Looking at the chess that Li Xiaoqiang is playing now, it is becoming more and more stable, so when he wins chess, he is indeed a master, giving people a very profound appearance. But on the other hand, Li Xiaoqiang's whimsical ideas in the past are eye-catching moves. Now it's getting harder and harder to see in his game.

Is Li Xiaoqiang's change good or bad? Is he continuing to improve? Or is it a gradual slide into mediocrity? No one is really clear about this question. Among them is Li Xiaoqiang, Li Xiaoqiang himself can't say clearly. Strengthen your shortcomings and make your chess skills more comprehensive and mature. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with maintaining one's strengths. But this is not necessarily the case.

For example, Li Xiaoqiang is playing chess now, and when he encounters a certain situation that is more difficult to solve. If it is replaced by Li Xiaoqiang a few years earlier. There's nothing to say, he will only pick the most complex changes, how complicated they are, how chaotic they come. And in such a situation, everyone can often see Li Xiaoqiang's shining performance.

But the current Li Xiaoqiang is different, probably because of the improvement of Li Xiaoqiang's skills. His deepened understanding of the game of Go allowed Li Xiaoqiang to often see the path to an advantage. Therefore, looking at Li Xiaoqiang's current chess, there are fewer of his whimsical and profound moves, replaced by some concise and bright moves, "general proportion" moves.

The inertia of human thinking is very terrible, although Li Xiaoqiang is unwilling to lose his specialty, and no chess player is willing to lose his specialty. But when you're used to a "simple" way to win, you're probably not going to think about another "complicated" way to win in a tournament.

So long and so on. Will your sharpest weapon, your original specialty, disappear before you know it? Li Xiaoqiang didn't know if he would. But in real life, there are many such negative examples. For example, Mr. Masao Kato, who was compared with Li Xiaoqiang, seems to be a typical example. When "Heavenly Evil Star Kato" became "Official Kato", although this allowed Mr. Kato to win a lot of chess, it did not seem to make Mr. Kato stronger. Because the chess that Mr. Kato won more often was obtained from ordinary chess players. However, against other top players, Mr. Kato's winning rate decreased.

For example, he continued to insist on his own style of Zhao Zhixun. Zhao Zhixun should be hanged, and Kato continued to hang.

"I don't think this path to all-round development really works? But what other path do I have to choose from? ”

June 1996. Li Xiaoqiang, who lost the "Fujitsu Cup" top 8, continued to struggle in confusion, but precisely because Li Xiaoqiang could not find another path, he could only continue to persist in confusion.

It was August 1996. This year is the Olympic year, and the Atlanta Olympics are in full swing. Most sports fans' eyes are drawn to the Olympics. But in the world of Go, in the minds of many veteran Go enthusiasts, there is one more important tournament than the Olympics. That is the annual "Fujitsu Cup" final.

The top 4 of this year's "Fujitsu Cup" are Ma Xiaofei, Li Shifo, Cao Yanzi and Kobayashi Koji. As a result, in the semifinals in July, Ma Xiaofei defeated Cao Yanzi. Li Shifo defeated Kobayashi Koji.

The two continued the "Toyo Securities Cup" and teamed up to reach the finals again!

It can be said that this alone determines the level of attention of this game.

This is Ma Xiaofei's fourth consecutive World Series final. In the last two years of the World Series, Ma Xiaofei has been able to reach the finals. It can be said that with this alone, Ma Xiaofei's strength and status are beyond doubt.

This is also the fourth time that Li Shifo has reached the World Series finals. In the first three times, Li Shifo appeared in the "Toyo Securities Cup", and his record in the previous "Fujitsu Cup" was not good, and this year is even the first time he has entered the top 4 of the "Fujitsu Cup". Therefore, there has always been a rumor in the Go world that Li Shifo is not good at playing abroad.

But now, Li Shifo finally sat on the final seat of the "Fujitsu Cup", and his opponent is still Ma Xiaofei, which naturally makes this final attract much attention.

In the "Toyo Securities Cup" tiebreaker, Li Shifo won the half of Ma Xiaofei. Is that half a eye of luck? Or is it the half-eye that really reflects Li Shifo's strength? It can be said that this game will give the answer.

During the finals, Li Xiaoqiang still stayed in Shencheng, and he watched the game with reporter Zhang Da, Liu Da and Liu Er.

The final was not spectacular, and the game was one-sided early on. As for the ending, it can only be said that Ma Xiaofei's performance was disappointing again.

"It is said that Ma Xiaofei's chess is light and elegant, but his small kung fu seems to be really bad in front of this Li Shifo, and he is always held by people for seven inches ......"

After watching the whole game, reporter Zhang sighed. After listening to reporter Zhang Da's words, Li Xiaoqiang and Liu Da and Liu Er were also silent. Indeed, the words of reporter Zhang Da. In fact, it is a true portrayal of this game.

The final result of this game of chess was that Li Shifo won by slaying the dragon, and on the surface Ma Xiaofei was killed and defeated. But the deep-seated reason is that Ma Xiaofei didn't deal with a few small places in the first half of the game. As Zhang Da reporter described, he was "caught seven inches" by Li Shifo. After he controlled the situation, Li Shifo's "control flow" made Ma Xiaofei helpless, and the more he struggled, the bigger the gap became. In the end, the great dragon was slaughtered. It is not so much that Ma Xiaofei is making a desperate bet, it is better to say that he is looking for a pitch.

"Now that Koreans have to blow it, it's unpleasant to think about it. Now let's connect to the game scene, it is estimated that Li Shifo is now being interviewed, now see what they say after the game. ”

The final was attended by Chinese chess players, so the Imperial Court Sports Channel also sent photojournalists to Japan. Although reporter Zhang Da did not go to Japan in person this time, in order to write the post-match report, he greeted his colleagues early.

The video came in, and now it is Li Shifo being interviewed. Wait until you see the footage. Reporter Zhang Da and Liu Da and Liu Er all glanced at Li Xiaoqiang.

Because in the video screen, everyone saw Yukari Umezawa. Now a South Korean reporter is asking questions, but Yukari Umezawa is also holding a microphone next to Li Shifo.

Li Shifo has always been taciturn, and when he answers reporters' questions, he often only speaks a few words. However, today, especially in the second half of answering reporters' questions, Li Shifo seems to have said a lot more than usual.

“…… This year, he won two world championships in a row and maintained absolute dominance in the domestic chess world. Is it possible to say now. Are you now the de facto No. 1 player in the world of Go? ”

"No, you can't say that. There are many great chess players in the world, especially him, if I can't beat him myself, I will never be the best player in the world. ’

Who is "he" you mean? …… Be...... Is it Li Xiaoqiang in China? ”

"That's right, it's China's Li Xiaoqiang! In my mind, he has always been a target for me to catch up. He's probably the best chess player in the world. It's great to win this title today because it means...... After a long chase, I have now finally caught up with him. ”

"You're being too modest, aren't you? You are in full swing now, but now Li Xiaoqiang is ......"

"No, in China's armor. Li Xiaoqiang and I are still teammates. We hadn't played each other in a long time, but no one knew him better than me. Occasionally, we would play chess together, and some of the pieces he played, he showed his thoughts on Go. I think his understanding of Go is above mine, that's what I really think. ”

"But he's ...... now"

"I believe his current situation is only temporary. As you know, Li Xiaoqiang's style is very unique, and he seems to be undergoing a change in chess style now. I think the reason why he is in a slump now is because of his unique style of chess, which takes a longer time to integrate and precipitate. Therefore, it is easy to understand the ups and downs of his record at this stage of fusion. ”

"Then when do you think Li Xiaoqiang will be able to complete this transformation?"

Hearing this question, even Li Shifo, who has always had a poker face, showed a smile:

"I don't know about this, because Go is really broad and profound......

Speaking of this, the smile on Li Shifo's face quickly retracted: "...... I don't know when he'll be able to complete his transformation, the only thing I know is that whether he completes his transformation or not, he's the target I have to defeat......"

After watching the TV interview, reporter Zhang Da said to Li Xiaoqiang:

"Tsk, people are hot now, and they still put their bodies so low. I said Xiaoqiang, you'd better not disappoint people. Of course, it's best not to let us people down......"

"As soon as Cao Yanzi praised me, he immediately cut me a plate. Now Li Shifo also praises me, isn't he going to learn from his master and cut me right away, right? Now I just don't know when the next game between me and him is. ”

"Hahaha."

Reporter Zhang Da and Liu Da and Liu Er all laughed. Next, everyone is thinking about what game Li Xiaoqiang and Li Shifo may meet.

"Ying's Cup! The most promising is the Ying Cup, don't forget that this is the Olympic year, and I have been confirmed that the 3rd Ying Cup will not be suspended. It will open in Shanghai at the end of the year. (To be continued.) )