"What if you lose and win the world?"

Such a title, although it seems full of sentiment, but I have to admit that after the first two games of the 9th "Toyo Securities Cup" finals, this is the most appropriate sentence to describe the situation faced by Li Xiaoqiang.

Although some people defended Li Xiaoqiang, saying that Li Xiaoqiang is now a five-time champion in the world chess world. Even if Li Shifo defeats Li Xiaoqiang to win the championship this time, he only has 4 crowns in his hand, and he has one less crown than Li Xiaoqiang.

Of course, there are only a very small number of people who have this kind of thinking, and it can be said that these people basically do not know much about Go, or they are "champion-only". If someone sells this idea to a veteran chess fan, the veteran chess fan may sigh: Big brother, settling accounts is not your algorithm.

As of the second game of the final of this year's "Toyo Securities Cup", Li Xiaoqiang and Li Shifo have played a total of 17 times, and Li Xiaoqiang has 7 wins and 10 losses. In the past, the two have always been very close to each other.

But now, the two sides seem to be gradually widening the gap, and the balance of victory and defeat is obviously tilted towards Li Shifo's side!

It's 1998 now, and if you really have to calculate it strictly, Li Xiaoqiang hasn't really won Li Shifo since last year! The only game won, including a trilogy lost in the semi-finals of last year's LG Cup, was a meaningless win.

Some people say that Li Xiaoqiang now has a slight advantage over any other super chess player except Li Shifo. In fact, if you think about Li Shifo's situation, you will find that his situation is similar to Li Xiaoqiang. In addition to not having the upper hand over Li Xiaoqiang, Li Shifo also had a slight lead over other super chess players.

That's the meaning of this five-way final, or it would be called the "Battle of the Century". Whoever wins this final will be the undisputed number one player in the world chess world.

But now, the battle that everyone expects is one-sided. Li Xiaoqiang, who was favored by more people before the game, has been forced into a desperate situation by Li Shifo. Therefore, after the first two games, the whole world chess world was in an uproar, and all kinds of comments, analyses, and predictions were once again flooded with major media.

Among them, the most proud, the most optimistic about the prospects of the competition, and even the most eager to bring the crown to Lee Seok-fo in advance are naturally Koreans.

“…… Although the victory and defeat are not over yet, the results are already clear. Facts have proved that Li Shifo is the new king of the world chess arena. Korean Go is the most powerful Go country in the world......"

This is the most breathless Korean media.

“…… The game is not over yet, Li Xiaoqiang is also very strong, and he is also very good at creating miracles - such as the Zhenlu Cup more than a year ago, that is, Li Xiaoqiang created a miracle that made Korean Go painful. But let's be honest, not all games are magical. Especially this time, I can't find any reason for Li Xiaoqiang to create a miracle, because he is facing an even more terrifying Li Shifo, and Li Shifo will never give him any chance......"

This should be considered a slightly more normal South Korean media.

"What? You ask me if Li Xiaoqiang has the possibility of a big reversal? Hehe, although Li Sang is very strong, he is also one of the chess players I admire the most. But I guess there's no point in discussing it. I think that instead of discussing whether Li Xiaoqiang can be reversed, it is better to discuss the question of whether he will be kept clean by the stone Buddha. Judging from the current situation, Li Xiaoqiang was clean sheet or not clean sheet. I think that's the real five-five......."

This is a passage that South Korean king Seo Bong-so said in an interview with reporters after the game. And his remarks are considered by the South Korean media to be the most "objective" evaluation.

Let's take a look at the reports of the Chinese media, like the Korean media, after seeing Li Xiaoqiang's performance in the first two games, no one is optimistic about Li Xiaoqiang's prospects for winning the championship. Even if some people think that Li Xiaoqiang still has hope, most people choose to remain silent at this time. It's normal to think about this situation, I think that when Nie Whirlwind was 1 against 5 in the 2nd Sino-Japanese Go Tournament, he said "five five open", and he was also caught and reprimanded by the central boss for this matter. So humility is our virtue, and being high-profile has never been our style. Of course, this is limited to this era.

Compared with the Chinese and South Korean media, on the contrary, it is the Japanese media that has nothing to do with themselves, and they have more articles discussing the possibility of Li Xiaoqiang's reversal.

Of course, there is a reason why the Japanese do this. The first point is to watch the lively mentality, from the perspective of watching the lively, a big reversal drama is of course better than any other plot.

The second reason is said to be because Li Xiaoqiang has more fans in Japan than Li Shifo, and his influence on Japanese Go is also greater. The Japanese are accustomed to worshipping the strong, but now that they see that the strong man in their minds is in trouble, of course they have to jump out and give advice.

The third reason is that Japan has a very good tradition of playing Go, and their country has a long history of news chess battles. In the decades of title battle history, there have been too many classic reversal dramas. Not to mention such a five-game chess, the reversal record of the five-game chess is too lazy for the Japanese to count. The seven-game reversal, which is more classic and more difficult to reverse, has been staged seven or eight times in Japan.

With these 3 reasons, it is simply normal for the Japanese to jump out and discuss whether Li Xiaoqiang has the possibility of a big reversal. However, it is a pity that although there are more articles discussing the reversal in Japan, the vast majority of people think that Li Xiaoqiang may be more auspicious this time.

Time goes by bit by bit. Between the second and third rounds, there are about 2 months in between. In the past 2 months, it can be said that Li Xiaoqiang has been under tremendous pressure and has tasted the warmth and coldness of the world.

In the past 2 months, Li Xiaoqiang has also participated in many competitions. In the first game after returning from South Korea in March, Li Xiaoqiang accepted the challenge of Ma Xiaofei, and finally Li Xiaoqiang defeated Ma Xiaofei with a score of 3-1, while defending the title of "Tianyuan", he also further consolidated his position as the first person in the domestic chess world.

The "Tian Yuan War" was followed by the "Top Ten Battle". Li Xiaoqiang, who performed well throughout '97, was once again voted No. 1 by chess fans, and he lived up to expectations in this competition, once again winning this year's "Top 10 Battle" championship.

Immediately after the "Top 10 Battle" will be the 11th Fujitsu Cup. Li Xiaoqiang played normally and successfully advanced to the top 8......

But these results don't seem to have any effect at all. These victories still can't dispel the gloom in Li Xiaoqiang's heart. The 0-2 match between the "Toyo Securities Cup" and Li Shifo was like a boulder pressing on Li Xiaoqiang's heart, which kept him awake at night and made him unable to move. Li Xiaoqiang, who is usually taciturn, has become even more dull in the past two months. Especially when others asked about the final of the "Toyo Securities Cup", Li Xiaoqiang chose not to say a word.

Therefore, for the next 3 sets, no one knows what Li Xiaoqiang thinks.

Of course, there may be one exception, and that person is reporter Zhang Da.

During the International Labor Day in 98, it was very close to Li Xiaoqiang going to South Korea again to play the final with Li Shifo. Shencheng, China, Editorial Department of "Shencheng Evening News". The editor-in-chief called reporter Zhang Da to his office again:

"Xiao Zhang, you are now an old comrade of the newspaper, and you also know the tradition of our newspaper, that is, never to be unconventional. Do you see if your article is ...... Change? ”

"The suspense of the battle of the century is still there, and the two Li are not scored. I said, Editor-in-Chief, I am telling the truth in every word, why has it become unconventional in your eyes? ”

The editor-in-chief smiled bitterly: "I also know that you are telling the truth, and your entire article is even telling the truth." But the central meaning of your whole article is that it is very likely that Li Xiaoqiang will complete a big reversal. Do you even think that even until now, the probability of the two winning the championship is still five to five. This one...... I'm afraid it's a bit unusual. If you want me to say, Xiao Zhang, do you simply modify it, lower the tune, lower it slightly? ”

......Of course, reporter Zhang Da was unwilling to revise his article, so he said nonsense:

"Editor-in-chief, you may not know, but I didn't mean this article. Let me be honest with you, this is actually Li Xiaoqiang's own meaning, and Xiaoqiang himself thinks that he still has a fifty percent chance to win the championship. ”

"Oh?" The editor-in-chief's eyes lit up: "Li Xiaoqiang really said that?" ”

To say that although the editor-in-chief pursues peace and stability, he is also Chinese, and he certainly longs for Li Xiaoqiang to win chess in his heart. If this is really what Li Xiaoqiang said, then of course there is no problem with this article at all.

"What did Xiaoqiang say exactly?" The editor-in-chief asked again.

"Xiaoqiang told me like this: Li Shifo hasn't won yet."

"Oh? That's the truth. Hearing such a bland sentence, the editor-in-chief seemed a little disappointed. Seeing this, reporter Zhang Da hurriedly continued to agitate:

"I said editor-in-chief, you don't know anything about Li Xiaoqiang. It is said that Li Shifo never said big things, but in fact, Li Xiaoqiang never said big things. Editor-in-chief, please recall carefully, does Li Xiaoqiang's words sound a little familiar? ”

"How is a vernacular familiar to you?" The editor-in-chief apparently did not react.

Li Xiaoqiang has only said similar things once before, and this is the second time. The last time Li Xiaoqiang said this, it was in the Three Kingdoms Tournament the year before last, when Li Xiaoqiang told me before the game that the Koreans had not won yet! ”

"The Koreans haven't won yet! Li Shifo hasn't won yet! At this time, even the dullest people reacted. The editor-in-chief's voice was full of surprise: "Xiaoqiang really said this to you? ”

However, the editor-in-chief expressed his doubts again: "But after Xiaoqiang finished saying this to you last time, everyone in our newspaper quickly knew." But this time, I didn't hear a little wind. It seems that Xiao Zhang's growth is very large, at least his mouth is much tighter than before. ”

Reporter Zhang Da's old face was red, to say that although his skin was thick, he was not thick enough after all:

"This, in fact, was not said by Xiaoqiang himself, but I saw it......"

"See?" The editor-in-chief laughed dumbly.

Reporter Zhang Da suddenly became extremely serious, and he looked at the editor-in-chief with a gaze that he thought was the most sincere:

"Editor-in-chief, you must believe me, with my friendship with Li Xiaoqiang for so many years, and with my understanding of him, I can indeed see from his eyes that Li Xiaoqiang thinks that Li Shifo has not won yet!"

The editor-in-chief did not continue to speak.

After a while, reporter Zhang Da cautiously asked: "...... you read this article?"

"Hair, hair."

On the second day of the successful publication of the article, reporter Zhang Da and Li Xiaoqiang converged. Everyone will go to Seoul, South Korea again, and Li Xiaoqiang will start a final duel with Li Shifo.

Before the start of the third game, as usual, reporter Zhang Da accompanied Li Xiaoqiang to the arena.

"Xiaoqiang, you look good today."

Li Xiaoqiang smiled slightly: "Since I have received the support of reporter Zhang Da, of course my complexion will be a little better." ”

Seeing Li Xiaoqiang's mood seemed to be good, reporter Zhang Da immediately hit the snake and went to the stick:

"Xiaoqiang, you tell me the truth, do you have confidence in the next game?"

Li Xiaoqiang stood in place for a long time without speaking, and after a while, he continued to smile at reporter Zhang:

"Then you look good today, and after watching today's game, you will know if I have confidence or not. And I'm not afraid to tell you yo, I'll give him a ...... today I prepared something special. ”

The third game of chess is Li Xiaoqiang's black, and there are two months of preparation, so Zhang Da reporter fully believes that Li Xiaoqiang can prepare something "special".

"What the hell is this?"

Reporter Zhang Da suddenly looked forward to the next game. (To be continued.) )