Chapter 5 Section 5 Ancient Go Celebrities

With the rise and development of Weiqi, some national players with outstanding chess skills have appeared in the past dynasties, among which Wang Jixin in the Tang Dynasty, Liu Zhongfu in the Song Dynasty, Huang Longshi, Fan Xiping and Shi Xiangxia in the Qing Dynasty are the most famous.The representatives of these national Go players of all ages have enriched the treasury of Go in my country with their exquisite chess skills, and wrote a glorious chapter for the development history of Go in my country. During the Tang Dynasty, the national fortune was prosperous and prosperous. The Go level of the whole era was greatly improved compared with the two Jin Dynasties. Many Go masters emerged, such as Wang Jixin, Zheng Guanyin, Yang Jiying, Feng Wang, Wang Shuwen, Wei Yanyou, Wang Feng, Gu Shiyan , Jiaxuan, etc., among them, Wang Jixin in Tang Xuanzong's time was the most famous.

Wang Jixin was born around the time when Wu Zetian was in power. He was the son of a poor farmer. He went to the mountains to cut firewood since he was a child.Because he was very hardworking, the firewood he cut was always piled up like a mountain, so he was named "accumulated salary".Wang Jixin is quick-witted, smart and eager to learn.When he went to the mountains to cut firewood, he often watched the monks in the temples in the mountains play chess, and soon mastered the mystery of Go.The monks saw that he was very clever and strong in chess, and that he had no rivals in the mountain village, so they collected some silver taels and gave him a good horse, encouraging him to participate in the Go arena in Taiyuan Wei's mansion.

At this time, it was Feng Wang, a national player who set up a competition in Jingu Garden, the mansion of Taiyuan Wei Chen Jiuyan, whose chess skills were known as invincible in the world.At that time, famous Go players from all walks of life came to hear the news, but most of them were vulnerable. Only the young Wang Jixin stood out. He played three games with Feng Wang and won 5 to 4, and returned with great reputation.This is the famous "Jinguyuan Nine Bureau Map" in history.These nine chessboards were ups and downs, played very fiercely and wonderfully, so the late Tang Dynasty poet Han Xie (wo hold) once said in a poem, "Don't watch the nine games if you are sick."It can be seen how thrilling the two sides fought.

After Wang Jixin defeated Feng Wang, he also defeated some other national players, so he became famous and was recommended to the Imperial Academy, where he became a chess player and often played Go with Tang Xuanzong. In the 14th year of Tianbao (755 A.D.), the Anshi Rebellion broke out.The following year, Wang Jixin fled to Sichuan with Tang Xuanzong.One night, he stayed in the lonely old man's house in the mountains.In the middle of the night, I heard my mother-in-law say to her daughter-in-law: "Ye Chang can't sleep, let's play chess!" The daughter-in-law said: "Okay." Seeing that there was no light in the room, Wang Jixin thought to himself how could they play chess?So I eavesdropped on the ear door, and it turned out that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were playing blindfolded chess.They played very seriously, and calculated carefully every time they walked, until the end of the fourth watch, Dongfang's belly turned white, and they walked a total of 36 moves.At this time, the mother-in-law said: "You have lost, and I have won the nine sons." The daughter-in-law pondered for a while, and then admitted defeat.Wang Jixin memorized all the chess moves played by his mother-in-law and daughter-in-law at night. After dawn, he straightened his clothes and asked the old lady politely. ", and explained their chess game.This game of chess was later spread by Wang Jixin, and it was called "Deng Ai Kai Si".

In addition to "Nine Game Maps of Jingu Garden", Wang Jixin also wrote "Chess Situation Map", "Fengchi Map", "Chess Jue", etc. Most of these chess records have been lost, and only "one son solves two signs" The two games of "Fengchi Tu" and "Fengchi Tu" were adopted by various Go records in Song and Ming Dynasties, and they still exist today. Liu Zhongfu was the number one national player in the Song Dynasty.He has been good at chess in the Northern Song Dynasty for more than 20 years, and no one can beat him. Liu Zhongfu loved Go since he was a child.Because he studied chess hard, and was able to innovate without imitating his predecessors, his chess skills improved rapidly, and he already ruled Qiantang when he was young.In the Song Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty, the chess style was very popular, and the Imperial Academy often recruited for examinations and waited for an edict.This year, Kaifeng, the capital of the capital, is going to recruit for the chess exam again.Some chess friends advised Liu Zhongfu to take the exam.He was young and aggressive, and couldn't stand the encouragement of his friends, so he decided to give it a try.Qiantang, which is now Hangzhou, has been prosperous since ancient times. There are many people who love to play Go. The downtown area is full of masters, and hundreds of schools rule the roost.Liu Zhongfu wanted to test his chess skills before going to Kaifeng to take the chess exam, so he went to the downtown area every day to look for opponents.In order to attract local Go masters to play against him, a banner was hung up with 13 characters "Jiangnan Chess Player Liu Zhongfu Bong Rao World Chess First", and a silver basin wine vessel worth 300 taels of silver was used as a Gambling.As the news spread, there was a crowd of spectators, and everyone wanted to witness this big talker in the chess world with their own eyes.The next day, the local chess masters really gathered in Zixiao Palace in the north of the city, and selected a chess player with the highest level to play against Liu Zhongfu with a bet of 300 taels of silver.Liu Zhongfu holds the white piece and leaves.When more than 50 pieces have been played, White's situation seems to be relatively passive, and when more than 100 pieces are played, White's situation seems to be even more passive.At this time, Liu's opponent couldn't restrain his inner excitement, he was complacent, and boasted: "The situation has been judged, and the black will win!" However, Liu Zhongfu said with confidence: "Not necessarily!" , Liu Zhongfu suddenly swept the pieces on the chessboard aside.When everyone saw it, they immediately asked him: "Why, do you play tricks when you are about to lose?" But Liu Zhongfu said: "Qiantang is such a big place, there must be many Go masters, so I come here first before I go to the Imperial Academy to take the chess exam and wait for the imperial edict. Learn a few tricks here and improve your chess skills. However, I have not met a master in half a month, so I am not arrogant when I hang up this flag." More than a dozen games of chess were laid out one after another, pointing out that his opponents all made mistakes at critical moments and thus lost.Then, he repeated the game of chess he played against his opponent just now, and said: "You think that black will win this game, but in my opinion, as long as white makes a good move, it can win." He beat black with more than 10 pieces. I will not talk about this good move, please think about it carefully. If I think of this move, I will immediately admit defeat and go home, and I will never set foot in the chess world again." Hearing what Liu Zhongfu said, everyone used it. I tried my best, but I didn't come up with the result.At this time, Liu Zhongfu made a move where everyone didn't pay attention, and said: "This move will work after 20 moves." At first, everyone didn't believe it, but after the two sides continued to play for more than 20 moves, This piece really played a role, and when the game was closed, Bai won 13 pieces.People watching chess admire Liu Zhongfu's Go skills.Everyone not only gave him a bet worth 300 taels of silver, but also warmly entertained him for more than ten days.Before he went to the Hanlin Academy to take the exam, he was given a generous gift.As expected, Liu Zhongfu lived up to everyone's expectations. After arriving in Kaifeng, he was admitted to the Imperial Academy with his superb chess skills, and became a chess waiter.Later, Liu Zhongfu wrote "Chess Jue" and other classic works, which made a comprehensive theoretical discussion on Go from the four aspects of layout, aggression, combat, and trade-offs, raising the theory of Go to a new level.

Huang Longshi during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty was the most respected Chinese Go player in the Japanese chess world, and he was called the highest Chinese (Qing Dynasty) player. Huang Longshi, named Qiu, named Yuetian, was born in 1651 or 1654 in Taixian County, Jiangsu Province.He is talented and intelligent, and he learned to play Go from his neighbors since he was a child. He was invincible in the village when he was a teenager, and he defeated all the masters who came to him when he was fifteen or sixteen.At that time, there was an old national player named Zhou Donghou in Yangzhou, who liked to make friends with chess.When I was young, I once held a "ten-game competition" with Zhou Lanyu, another senior national player.The result was defeated by Zhou Lanyu.After Zhou Lanyu's death, Zhou Donghou became one of the "Top Ten National Players" at that time.He heard that there was a young chess player named Huang Longshi with superb chess skills and unstoppable skills, so he intended to play against Huang Longshi and agreed to a seven-game tournament.This confrontation between old and young national players attracted a large number of onlookers. Huang Longshi was not afraid of tigers as a newborn calf, and his moves were precise, compact and aggressive, almost overwhelming Zhou Donghou from the beginning to the end, making him passive and restrained everywhere.As a result, Huanglongshi won seven out of seven battles.From then on, Huang Longshi became famous.Some masters from all over the world came here to play chess, but they all fell down one after another.After Zhou Lanyu, Zhou Donghou, and Wang Hannian, Huang Longshi has played chess for more than 20 years, and only the rising star Xu Xingyou can compete with him.

The reason why Huang Longshi is able to dominate the chess world and is respected by the domestic and foreign chess circles is inseparable from the fact that he does not stick to ancient methods and dares to introduce new ones when playing chess. "The Unofficial History of the Qing Dynasty" said: "Huang was known as the first-class chess player in the Qing Dynasty. Although the previous generation of chess players gradually changed the way of the Ming Dynasty, they were eventually trapped by the game, and the habit could not be completely eliminated. As for Huang Shi, he changed the old method and came up with new ideas. , The extreme changes, opened the first voice of the players of the later countries." Because Huang Longshi enjoyed a high reputation in the chess world at that time, people at that time called him "the chess player" together with famous scholars such as Huang Zongxi and Gu Yanwu "Fourteen Saints", he was promoted as a chess master, which shows his great influence.

Xu Xingyou, who is about 10 years older than Huang Longshi, is also a Go prodigy.He also became famous at a young age, but compared with Huang Longshi, his level has always been one or two sons behind. Even in Xu's heyday, he can only be said to be as famous as Huang Longshi. The Yongzheng and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty were the heyday of ancient Chinese Go.In the hands of many countries, Fan Xiping and Shi Xiangxia are the most famous.Especially Fan Xiping, who was famous all over the world as the first national player at the age of 13. Fan Xiping, a native of Haining (ie Haichang), Zhejiang, was born in a family of Go in the forty-eighth year of Kangxi (AD 1709).When he was three years old, he saw his father playing chess with others, and he pointed and drew it dumbly.When he was seven or eight years old, he was able to play against local masters first.After becoming an adult and dominating the chess world for decades, Shi Xiangxia is the only one whose chess skills are almost the same as his, and the other masters are far from his opponents.He plays chess with many changes and unpredictable.He can also rejuvenate and turn danger into safety.Once, when he was playing chess with his opponent, he was completely passive, and those who watched the game thought it was impossible to save.However, Fan Xiping suddenly competed with his opponent for a catastrophe, and in the end the whole situation was revived, and he still won in the end.

Fan Xiping's chess style is bold and unrestrained, and he does not follow the ancient methods, so he has the reputation of "playing Lin Li Bai".The 10 games he played against Shi Xiangxia in Pinghu, Zhejiang, later known as "Danghu Ten Games", is their painstaking Go masterpiece, and is considered to be the only masterpiece in ancient times. This is what he and Shi Xiangxia gave to the Go world Valuable property left behind. Fan Xiping's dominance in the chess world is inseparable from his deliberate pursuit of innovation, and his study and study of other masters' skills.He is well aware of the technical characteristics and styles of other masters, so that he knows himself and the enemy.

Fan Xiping is an elderly chess player with a long career in Go, leaving hundreds of exquisite chess games for future generations.He also taught his disciples and trained young chess players.In his later years, he compiled and published the famous Go manual "Peach Blossom Spring".After the book came out, it caused a sensation in the chess world all over the country, and publishers from all over the country rushed to engrave it. Luoyang paper was expensive for a while.In addition, he also handed down "Self-drawn Two Sons" and "Self-drawn Four Sons". Shi Xiangxia, also known as Shi Ding'an, is from Haining, Zhejiang Province, like Fan Xiping, so he has the reputation of "Two Wonders of Haichang".Shi Xiangxia is one year younger than Fan Xiping, and after middle age, his chess skills are comparable to Fan Xiping's, but the style and style of chess are completely different.He was born in a scholarly family from generation to generation. His father was good at poetry, calligraphy, and painting bamboo orchids.At home in his later years, he often burns incense and plays the piano, playing Go with guests.It was in such a good art family that Shi Xiangxia was influenced by piano, chess, calligraphy and painting and studied chess.He is knowledgeable, quick-witted, and able to master the true meaning of various arts of piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, broaden his mind, and build a strategic plan, gradually deepening the foundation of his chess attainments.He and Fan Xiping have their own strengths and weaknesses in chess.Fan Xiping's moves are quick, his moves are wonderful and far-reaching, like a dragon changing, unpredictable from head to tail; while Shi Xiangxia's conception is meticulous and rigorous, like an old steed galloping without losing his steps, his moves are like a giant dip in the sea, with deep reservations.Some people say that Fan Xiping's chess playing style is like Li Bai among poets, and Shi Xiangxia's chess playing style is like Du Fu among poets.Therefore, they are called "Yi Lin Li Bai" and "Yi Lin Du Fu" respectively.

"Ten Games of Danghu" is a representative work of Shi Xiangxia and Fan Xiping showing their respective chess skills.As a result of the game, the two sides were evenly divided, and the chess skills were evenly matched. It is said that Shi and Fan finished the Danghu 10 rounds, and when people gathered around the arena and talked about the wonderful scenes of each round with great interest, someone wrote a doggerel in large characters on red paper and pasted it at the gate of the arena.The poem says: Talking about the ancient art is brilliant, the two wonderful chess are the best in the north and the south, and the dragon and the tiger compete for power-it is hard to distinguish. When everyone was discussing after reading this poem, another doggerel was posted at the door, which said: Li Bai and Du Fu are equally famous in the poetry world, and Xiping Ding'an in the chess world is equally famous.Who is the most famous - Fan Xiping!It seems that this is posted by the Baofan faction.How could the Baoshi school tolerate it? Someone wanted to tear up the poem at that time, but the Baofan school naturally refused to let it go, and the two sides quarreled fiercely.Fortunately, the chess game hosts Liang Weijin, Cheng Lanru and other chess seniors came out to dissuade them, so that an impending scuffle was avoided.But at this time, another poem was posted at the door, and the verse reads: In the past, there were poet saints and poet immortals, but now there are chess saints and chess immortals.Who is the true immortal—Shi Ding'an!Apparently this was the work of the Pontists.In the end, it was Liang Cheng and the two Go seniors who participated in the intervention, mobilized the supporters of both sides to put unity and friendship first, and tore off the two poems containing prejudice. field disturbance. This post-match episode just shows that Shi Fan's chess skills are indeed different from each other, and it is difficult to distinguish between them. Shi Xiangxia wrote many Go writings, the more famous ones are "Yi Li Zhi Gui", "Self-drawn Er Zi Pu" and "Yuyao Zong Jue Four Zi Zong Zhi" Attack Angle Zong Zhi", etc. Read the name spectrum.