“You… you have no martial virtue! You completely blocked my chess path, not giving me any chance to play.”
Liu Cheng retorted, “Third Uncle, isn't that how chess is played? Are you saying I should move all my pieces aside and let you directly checkmate me? I might as well just surrender then. Aren't you the one without martial virtue?”
The people around couldn't stand it and kept shaking their heads.
“Exactly, Lao Yan, what nonsense are you spouting? You're the one being a sore loser.”
“If you can't beat him, you can't beat him. Why blame him for blocking your attack route? What kind of logic is that?”
“Hahaha, I think this young man is a master. If you want to win against him, you might as well ask him to give you a rook, a knight, and a cannon.”
“For a teacher, how can you be so unreasonable?”
“Oh, so you can only win and not lose, right? If you lose, you flip the table. Don't you have any shame?”
“You're an adult, why are you talking nonsense like a child?”
Among them were people from other Siheyuan (Courtyards). They all knew Yan Bugui's character and had long been fed up with his calculating and stingy nature, so they took this opportunity to ridicule him.
Faced with everyone's scolding, Yan Bugui knew he was in the wrong and his face turned red with shame.
The reason he got so agitated was because of money.
Another loss meant he had to pay out another 10 yuan.
This was like digging out a piece of his heart.
When he made the bet, he never considered that he would lose.
That feeling was like Third Uncle being roasted over a fire.
However, the words had already been spoken, and he couldn't go back on his word. Otherwise, if word got out, his reputation would be ruined, and no one would ever play chess with him again.
Yan Bugui reluctantly pulled out 10 yuan, his heart aching.
As he handed it over, his hand trembled uncontrollably, like someone with Parkinson's disease.
He couldn't understand why Liu Cheng, whom he used to easily manipulate, suddenly had such high chess skills.
What exactly happened?
Luck.
It must be luck.
This kid is an imbecile, he's been manipulated by him hundreds of times, always losing.
Yes, this time he just got incredibly lucky.
At this moment, Old Jia was also a bit stunned.
He hadn't paid much attention to losing the first game.
He thought Yan Bugui was playing a long game to catch a big fish.
This is a common tactic in gambling, letting you taste a little sweetness first, only to lose much more in the end.
However, as soon as the second game started, he realized something was wrong.
Liu Cheng's chess skills seemed to be not so simple!
But to make him believe that Liu Cheng was a master, that was impossible.
He hadn't forgotten the times Yan Bugui had conned Liu Cheng out of peanuts.
They had played hundreds of games of chess, and Liu Cheng had never won once.
He understood.
This kid himself said he went to Shichahai to watch experts play chess.
He lost to Lao Yan every time, so he probably felt resentful and specifically learned a few moves from an expert.
Perhaps the moves he learned were specifically designed to counter Lao Yan.
If he used an unfamiliar style, Lao Yan would be stumped.
Thinking of this, Old Jia said, “Lao Yan, don't be depressed, let me play.”
Yan Bugui said, somewhat unconvinced, “Your chess skills are not as good as mine. It will be the same if you play.”
Old Jia whispered in his ear, “Liu Cheng said from the beginning that he went to Shichahai to learn from someone. He probably specifically studied tactics against you. Plus, you two have played hundreds of times, even an idiot would have memorized your routines. If I play, the effect will definitely be better.”
Yan Bugui thought that made sense.
He then got up and gave up his seat.
Old Jia sat down, and soon the two set up their pieces.
Just as Yan Bugui had said, his chess skills were not as good as Lao Yan's. Liu Cheng quickly set up a double cannon, directly checkmating Old Jia.
Old Jia was not convinced.
He slammed 10 yuan heavily onto the table for Liu Cheng.
“Again.”
The chess game was set up again.
This time, Liu Cheng's style changed abruptly, starting with a Three-Step Tiger.
Moving the chariot within three steps, like a tiger's claw gripping the ground, hence the name Three-Step Tiger.
It is said that if you don't move your chariot within three steps, you will surely lose, which shows the fierce power of the Three-Step Tiger opening.
In less than two minutes, Old Jia had lost a cannon, a knight, and a pawn. As expected, Old Jia was quickly checkmated again.
The players didn't notice, but the spectators couldn't help but cheer.
“What a brilliant Three-Step Tiger! When Liu Cheng's chariot crossed the river, it meant Old Jia's situation was already hopeless.”
“I've been playing chess for so long, and I've never seen such a fierce chess path.”
“When this young man was defending earlier, I already felt he was at ease, but I didn't expect his offense to be so decisive and ruthless.”
“His chess skills, I'm not exaggerating, must be professional level.”
“Yes, ten moves in one step, everything is under his control.”
“A chess genius, absolutely a chess genius.”
“I didn't realize that our Naluo Drum Lane actually produced a Xiangqi master.”
“I heard this child is a bit… you know?” someone whispered, then pointed to their head, implying he had a mental problem.
“Then you wouldn't know, many geniuses are often different from ordinary people. Their minds are focused, and they are often better than ordinary people in certain aspects.”
“Oh, I understand, like Blind Ah Bing, he was blind, but his erhu playing was excellent.”
“There are also some children with mental problems abroad who can conduct large concerts.”
“I heard a saying from abroad, something like, 'When God closes a door, he opens a window for you.'”
“It seems Liu Cheng is such a person.”
Hearing the discussions around them, Old Jia and Yan Bugui felt as stifled as if they had eaten excrement.
A genius?
They were not convinced.
Moreover, they had already lost 40 yuan. Even if they split it, each person lost 20 yuan. This was Yan Bugui's two months' salary, which made his heart ache immensely.
The money had to be won back.
He didn't believe Liu Cheng was some kind of genius.
It was just that they had played against each other so many times that he had become familiar with their moves.
As for Old Jia, although he played chess less frequently with Liu Cheng, he had still played against him.
And normally when they played chess, Liu Cheng would also come to join the fun and observe them.
It was confirmed, this kid was just too familiar with their chess paths, and perhaps he suddenly had an epiphany, which is why he could defeat them both.
To turn the tables, it was actually very easy: completely change their strategy.
However, this was also a bit troublesome, as a person's habits of several decades cannot be changed just like that.
Just then, Yan Bugui suddenly remembered something.
A few days ago, he had found an ancient chess manual in the antique market.
It contained many ancient endgames.
Those endgames were very exquisite, unsolvable by anyone short of a Xiangqi master.
Thinking of this, Yan Bugui already had an idea.
Of course, this time it was a partnership with Old Jia, so he quietly told Old Jia his idea.
In fact, Old Jia, like his wife Jia Zhangshi, was the type of person who would only take advantage and never suffer a loss. Losing four games in a row had made him furious.
He was just looking for an opportunity to turn the situation around, and after hearing Old Jia's words, he became extremely excited.
Chinese chess is profound and extensive, and Xiangqi endgames are one of the most exciting ways to play Xiangqi.
Let alone Liu Cheng, an imbecile, even a master who had immersed himself in chess for many years might not be able to solve some ancient endgames.
This required extensive study of ancient texts to break the game.
Liu Cheng was a young kid who barely knew a few characters and couldn't even read a chess manual. Dealing with him using endgames would be as easy as crushing an ant, wouldn't it?
Thinking of this, Yan Bugui cleared his throat.
“Liu Cheng, next, let's try a different way of playing.”