Chapter 35 The first arena

The Sino-Japanese Challenge Tournament was first proposed by the Japanese Ki Academy to the Chinese Go Association.We have never played this kind of game before, and we have no experience.We have two opinions on whether to agree to hold the group arena, and we hesitated a lot.Judging from the situation at the time, China was sure to lose. Our main fear was not to let them wipe us out alone. I was really a little afraid. I was a representative of Chinese chess players at that time, and I won the most chess games in China, but I lost all nine games against Japanese super-class chess players, and I didn't win a game.Even so, I had a chance to win the two sets I lost to Zhao Zhixun in the last Sino-Japanese match, unlike the previous ones where I didn't even know how I lost.Therefore, I strongly advocate it, which can be regarded as paying tuition fees.But at that time I was still a member of the Go team, unlike the head coach now, my words didn't carry much weight.

Hao Keqiang, editor-in-chief of "New Sports" magazine, played a big role in facilitating the holding of the group arena.Speaking of Hao Keqiang, I would like to add one more point. In 1979, he initiated the Go "New Sports Cup", which was the first of all sports cups in China.It is not surprising that there are so many cups and cups now, but at that time the "New Sports Cup" was a big deal, it was "unprecedented", and it played the role of the first domino card in the sports world.He has the courage and insight, and he has made great contributions to the development of Chinese Go.

The Japanese team was the first to find him in this group arena. He is an extremely optimistic person. Under the circumstances at that time, he thought that we might win.Although I advocate, I am a pessimist. I think I will lose, but I am not afraid of losing. Just pay the tuition, otherwise, what will happen in the future!Some people are afraid of losing too badly and have concerns.It was under such circumstances that the China-Japan Go Challenge Tournament started. Before the game, the relevant leaders put forward a specific indicator: invite the super-class chess player Kobayashi Koichi to be regarded as a basic pass, defeating Kobayashi Koichi is a victory, defeating Kato Masao is a big victory, and if the main player Fujisawa Hideyuki can be defeated in the end, it will be a historic breakthrough.

On the evening of October 5, 1984, as the main player of the Chinese team, I participated in the opening ceremony held in front of the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo.There were more than 70 people present at the opening ceremony, including Shizuo Asada, chairman of the International Go Federation and former president of Japan Airlines, Eiko Sakata, chairman of NEC, Tadahiro Sekimoto, president of NEC Japan Electric Corporation, master Wu Qingyuan and his wife, and people from the Japanese Go industry.Song Zhiguang, Chinese ambassador to Japan, also came here to congratulate Japan at the invitation of the Japanese side.He had followed Vice Premier Chen Yi for many years and was very enthusiastic about the Go exchanges between China and Japan.

In his speech, the chairman of Nippon Chess Institute, Sakata Rongo, said that they only need three people to end the battle, and they are extremely arrogant.I was very upset when I heard that. Of course, I don't believe that three of them can wipe us out, but even if five of them end the battle, it would be very embarrassing for us. As the main general, I should try to avoid this. situation happened. The first game played in Japan was Yoda Kiki. He was 18 years old at the time, only 5th dan, but he was the champion of the "Rookie King Battle" in which Japanese players below 6th dan participated, and he had won many high-level players in Japan.Mr. Fujisawa Hideyuki boasted that he has the strength of nine dans. Although it is inevitable that he is a bit partial, his chess strength is indeed not low.We played Wang Jianhong 6th dan, and the atmosphere was very tense at the beginning. In the middle of the game, Wang Jianhong was in a bad situation. Under the tension, nosebleeds spewed out all of a sudden, and it was everywhere. It was a bit thrilling.When I walked into the game room, he was wiping the blood with a handkerchief, his mouth was grinning, and he looked anxious.I knew at a glance that chess must be impossible, but I was still very moved by his desperate spirit.In the past, in Japanese chess games, Kigu vomited blood, but as far as I know, this is the first time in China.

The second set was moved to Beijing, with Jiang Zhujiu attacking Yoda Kiki.In terms of chess strength, I think Jiang Zhujiu is still stronger, but there are much more chances of accidents in the next game.I hope Jiang Zhujiu can defeat him, otherwise we will be beaten by a vanguard, how ugly! The arena is located in the West Hall on the South First Floor of the Beijing Gymnasium, and the viewing room is located in the East Hall.Although the East Hall was not big, nobody seemed to care about the group arena at that time. There were very few reporters who came to interview, and there were not many people watching the game. In such a small East Hall, except for us chess players, even the reporters and Japanese friends could all play. .Mr. Fujisawa Hideyuki and Luo Xihe, who was just seven years old, occupied a coffee table and played guiding chess.

I sat in the viewing room for almost a whole day, and I was relieved until five o'clock in the afternoon. I felt that by this time, Jiang Zhujiu's advantage on the board would no longer be lost.At this time, I opened the new issue of the magazine "Go Club" brought by my Japanese friend. I saw three large photos of Yoda Kiki on the first page, the second page and the third page. star".It seems that they hope that Yoda Kiki will defeat Jiang Zhujiu. Then, Jiang Zhujiu defeated Kobayashi Jue in Japan, which was not surprising to us, but then he defeated Awaji Shu 39 Dan, which really caught us by surprise.Awaji Shuzo's chess career was different from others. He was an ordinary seventh-dan player at the age of thirty, and there was nothing particularly eye-catching.If it were in our country, at this point, it is likely to retreat.However, the main source of income for Japanese professional chess players is game fees. Even if they do not have good results, they should try their best to participate in various competitions.Of course, we have to strive for good results, because the quality of the results is directly proportional to the level of the game fee.As a result, many chess players have achieved results after the age of thirty.

Awaji Shuzo is such a chess player, he was promoted to 8th dan at the age of thirty-two, and only to the ninth dan at the age of thirty-five. Since he was promoted to the eighth dan, he has been a figure in the circle of the third largest chess game in Japan, "Honinbo War".Being able to enter the cycle of the competition, and being able to stay for three consecutive times, this shows that his chess skills are indeed first-class. During this same period, Awaji Shuzo also won the right to challenge three of the seven major tournaments in Japan - "Honinbo", "Tengen" and "Little Chess Master".It's a pity that in these challenges, he failed to win a crown, otherwise, he would never be ranked third in the group arena.

From here, it is not difficult for us to understand why Chairman Eiio Sakata proposed that he hoped that the battle would be over by Shuzo Awaji.It's not that Awaji Xiu Sanjiudan doesn't have this strength.However, as a leader, it is okay to think this way, but on such occasions, the effect may not be good.It stimulates the fighting spirit of the opponent, and may also cause the relaxation of fighting spirit on one's own side. The match between Jiang Zhujiu and Kobayashi Jue was arranged in Hakone, and the rented hotel was only prepared for one match.After Jiang Zhujiu won, he had no choice but to rush back to Tokyo the next day, and met Awaji Shuzo's attack in a temporarily rented hotel.

It seems that Shuzo Awaji did rush into battle.At that time, Jiang Zhujiu was in a very unfavorable situation. First, after the first battle, he didn't have a good rest; second, he didn't have much research on Awaji Shuzo's chess. Because his task was to win Xiao Linjue first. At that time, the Chinese team was like stepping on stones to cross the river. They were very careful in every battle, and they never dared to be careless. Because Awaji Shuzo was not fully prepared, he didn't pay much attention to Jiang Zhujiu before the battle.Jiang Zhujiu had used up the three hours and 20 minutes at his disposal, and entered the countdown, while Awaji Shuzo only used one hour and fifty minutes. It can be seen that he made moves very quickly at that time, while Jiang Zhujiu was very careful and worked hard. thinking.Perhaps because of this carelessness, Shuzo Awaji had several chances to win on the board, but he didn't seize them.But after seeing Jiang Zhujiu fighting tenaciously and gaining an advantage amidst the countdown, he lost his composure and showed quite agitation.

Jiang Zhujiu's victory over Shuzo Awaji was a bit of a surprise for us. He broke Sakata's prophecy by himself, so exciting!To this end, "New Sports" magazine held a small tea party to celebrate his victory.Jin Ming, Liao Jingdan and other old comrades who have always cared about the Go cause came. They were very happy with his achievements and encouraged everyone to build up their confidence in defeating Japan.The old comrades were very excited to speak.When Comrade Jin Ming mentioned that Boss Chen is as knowledgeable as Jiuquan, and would be happy for today's achievements, he was so excited that he burst into tears.I was also very excited at the time, thinking that as long as there are one or two more chess players who can give full play like Jiang Zhujiu, it is not impossible to defeat Japan. In February 1985, Jiang Zhujiu set up a ring to face Kataoka Satoshi seventh dan in Shanghai.Not long before, Kataoka Satoshi had just lost the "Tianyuan" championship, but he was still an extraordinary opponent. In the field of winning and losing, it is difficult for people to be satisfied, and my determination to win and lose is even stronger.As soon as I sit in front of the chessboard, I have only one thought: win, and all other thoughts will leave me.In fact, it's not just me. All chess players have a strong sense of victory and defeat, but the degree and form of expression are different. Jiang Zhujiu has already won three games, but whether he is himself or a member of our Go team, we still hope that he will continue to win.At that time, the Go Elite Invitational Tournament was held in Shanghai, and all the players participating in the group arena were in Shanghai.On the day of the game, we all sat in the viewing room. At the beginning, Jiang Zhu didn't go well for a long time, and he was stuck in a passive situation until noon.On the lower right, Satoshi Kataoka surrounded an open space as big as a palm, and Jiang Zhujiu's space was obviously not enough.When I saw the situation, I was so anxious that I didn't even eat well.After dinner, everyone went to rest, some went to play billiards, some read books, but my heart could not be separated from that game of chess. At this time, it seemed that this game of chess was not played by Jiang Zhujiu, but by me.More than half an hour before the game, I sat in front of the chessboard and began to study.I have always played chess like this, never admitting defeat, and I don't believe that I can't find a way out. In the end, Jiang Zhujiu really won.On this day, the Shanghai Chess Club publicly presented the big game in the Yangtze River Theater not far from the arena.This is the first time since the start of the group arena to give a market commentary.The presentation starts at 7:00 p.m. It was mid-winter at the beginning of February, and the north wind was blowing that day, and the weather was cold, but more than 1,000 tickets were sold out in two hours. Many chess fans braved the cold wind and lingered at the entrance of the theater, hoping to get a refund. Some people refunded their tickets and could not wait or leave, because they wanted to know the result of the game earlier. After the game, the two players went to meet the audience.Kataoka Satoshi smiled and looked like a general.When Jiang Zhujiu left the stage, the audience forcefully surrounded him at the entrance, and handed over notebooks one by one, asking him to sign.Later, more and more people crowded around, and the notebook was pushed up to the tip of Jiang Zhujiu's nose, so crowded that he couldn't even lift his arms.Seeing this scene, Shanghai Chess Club hurriedly dragged Jiang Zhujiu back onto the stage and escorted him out of the theater through the back door.At this time, the audience at the front door was still waiting there, refusing to leave for a long time. This is the first time in my life that I have seen people love and admire Go players so much. The scene is really touching! After the start of the group arena, the "New Sports" magazine, which hosted the competition, organized a prize guessing activity. The deadline for guessing prizes was the end of January 1985. Among the prize winners, only 7,000 people won by guessing correctly.In Japan's "Go Club" magazine, 3,000 readers participated in the magazine's prize guessing, and only 266 people won the game.It is said that many of these people are Chinese students studying abroad, and they may not think that we can win in their hearts, maybe they just want to anger the Japanese. Now, Jiang Zhujiu has won four consecutive victories, so everyone started talking about the victory of the Chinese team. Yes, we still have seven people, and the Japanese side has only four people left!No wonder some people even felt that I might not be necessary to play. Some subtle changes have also taken place in Japanese public opinion.The reigning chess master Zhao Zhixun said: "It is not impossible for Japan to lose the battle, because in terms of technical level, there is no big gap between the two countries." The honorary chess master Fujisawa Hideyuki said: "I have said long ago, The Chinese army has come to our city, but few believe it. Now we are in trouble." At that time, the Sino-Japanese Go Challenge has become a major event of great concern to both countries. On February 17th, New Sports Magazine held a tea party at the Jingxi Hotel to celebrate the launch of "Go World". Fang Yi, Zhang Jinfu and other leading comrades came, as well as some veterans Song Jiwen, Liao Jingdan, Zeng Tao who cared about the cause of Go also came.This is not only because the publication of "Go World" means that the Go career has begun to take off, but also because Jiang Zhujiu's four consecutive victories have made these leading comrades happy.At that time, Comrade Zhang Jinfu said: "If you defeat Japan in the Go arena, I think the meaning is similar to the victory of the women's volleyball team." I was very excited when I heard that.It is not too much to say that the national pride aroused by the women's volleyball victory in the hearts of the Chinese people is a spiritual atomic bomb.If our Weiqi can also make such a contribution to the country, it would be so inspiring! It was in this atmosphere that Jiang Zhujiu traveled east to Japan for the second time to meet Ishida Shokudan's attack. The original arrangement of the group arena is: arrival on the first day, competition on the second day, rest on the third day, and the second match on the fourth day.Considering the exhaustion of the journey on the first day, Jiang Zhujiu rested on the second day and played chess again on the third day.In this way, you can ensure that you will be energetic and perform well in the first game.Of course, if you win the first game, it will be disadvantageous to play the second game.But Jiang Zhujiu has won four consecutive victories, and if he wins Akira Ishida again, it will be a great achievement.And behind Akira Ishida is Kobayashi Koichi's "tenth dan", which is a "super class" that no Chinese player has ever won, and it would be too much for him to win again.So Jiang Zhujiu's request was right, and he should focus on ensuring the victory of the first battle.There are still six behind us, and he only leaves us with three opponents, and we should thank him. Jiang Zhujiu really defeated Akira Ishida, but he couldn't beat Kobayashi Koichi the next day. He didn't start very well in the first five games, but in the middle of the game, he showed his strength and made it difficult for his opponent to parry.Only Koichi Kobayashi had an advantage at the beginning of the game, but shortly after the game resumed in the afternoon, he misread a move and the situation was close.Later, Kobayashi Koichi went more and more smoothly, and finally won the round. All of this was expected. At that time, everyone was still intoxicated by Jiang Zhujiu's five consecutive victories, and there was no sense of urgency, because there were still six of us behind, and no one thought that "the wolf is coming"!