"Congratulations Lei Qi, Tianyuan has won two consecutive championships!
"Let's keep working hard in the future! "
"Thank you Mr. Shang... Chairman Shang! ”
At 5:20 in the evening on April 25, 2026, Tianyi Pavilion, Tongli Town, Suhu Province, China.
This year’s Tianyuan War award ceremony was held here as usual.
Lei Qi, who successfully defended his title of [Tian Yuan], accepted the flowers and trophy handed over by his teacher and bowed hurriedly in response.
He was not very happy at this time, and the smile he put on for the camera felt a bit superficial. But fortunately, he has seen many big scenes with his teacher since he was a child, so it's not like people can tell at a glance that he has something on his mind.
Soon, the award ceremony officially ended. But the new generation leader of China who had just defended [Tian Yuan] had no intention of savoring his victory. He came to Shang Chaotian almost immediately after the award ceremony, obviously he had something to ask:
< br>"Teacher Shang, that..."
"...I know what you want to ask."
Shang Chaotian was obviously well prepared for the students coming to his door immediately:
“Come to the competition office and let’s chat slowly.”
“Yes.”
Soon, the two of them moved to the sky In the competition office of Yuan Sai, he found a quiet corner to sit down and started to get straight to the point:
"Lei Qi, you came to me immediately after the Tian Yuan battle... because the strongest chess player in the world fought. Is it something?”
"...Hmm."
The reigning Tianyuan nodded:
"About this World Championship...did South Korea notify the association in advance?"
>"No. To be honest, it was quite sudden. I only knew about it three hours before you."
"That's it..."
Lei Qi pondered for a moment, then glanced at his teacher, and politely talked about some of his thoughts:
“Just after the game ended, I heard the news and simply used my mobile phone to go online and look up South Korea. Information about the tournament announced by the Chess Academy
"Although it is a good thing to have a new world championship with such a high prize money, after reading its entire competition system and rules, I feel..."
"Feeling...?" "
Lei Qi squinted his eyes and answered truthfully:
"...I feel the taste of the first Yingyi Cup."
"Haha, it seems that our teachers and students have a tacit understanding!"
Shang Chaotian couldn't help but pat his thigh, He said with a wry smile:
"When Mr. Ying Changqi held the first Yingyi Cup, on the one hand, he meant to promote the 'Changqi Rules' he created. But more importantly The reason is that at that time, we had just defeated Japan, which was regarded as the world's leader in Go at that time, and it seemed that the offensive and defensive momentum had been reversed
"Mr. Ying hopes to win a game with the highest gold content in the world. sex tournament, with the victory of Chinese Go players to declare to the world: Chinese Go has replaced Japan and is at the forefront of the world chess world!
"It's just that the championship fell to South Korea in the end. It was a wedding dress for others, which was beyond Mr. Ying's expectation...
"Now, South Korea has suddenly created a new game with such a high bonus. I'm afraid the World Championship also has this intention.
“What is more obvious than that of the Yingyi Cup that year is that this time’s competition system...
“It is simply tailor-made for Ryu Shixian to win the championship! "
After hearing this, Lei Qi nodded in agreement, his expression a little complicated.
This afternoon, the South Korean Chess Academy and informing advertising company not only officially announced the new world championship "World's Strongest Chess Players" and the highest prize money in the history of the world chess world, but also announced the specific competition regulations.
From the perspective of the regulations, the [World's Strongest Goss Player Battle] can be said to be an expansion and development of the South Korean domestic title battle previously sponsored by informing company - [The Strongest Goss Player Battle].
The reason why it is tentatively scheduled to be held every two years is to alternate with the competition between the strongest chess players in the country. Originally, the competition between the strongest chess players in South Korea was held every year, and since then it has become a biennial event. , the reigning strongest chess player in South Korea is directly qualified to be selected for this year’s [World’s Strongest Chess Player Competition]. In terms of time, the [World's Strongest Chess Players Battle] adopts the "initial retention time of one hour, plus thirty seconds of retention time for each move played, and a loss when the retention time runs out" that has been used in South Korea's Strongest Chess Players Battle. The extra seconds rule also has the characteristic of short domestic competition times in South Korea.
The next thing is the competition system: unlike other world championships that have a single (round) elimination system with at least 24 players, the competition system of [World's Strongest Chess Players Battle] is very special: There are only eight players in this competition, and the two with the best results in the single round-robin competition will advance to the final three games to determine the final champion and runner-up.
As for the candidates for this competition, except for the previously mentioned one who is the reigning "strongest chess player" from South Korea, the remaining seven places are allocated as follows: two from South Korea, two from China, one from Japan, one from China's Taiwan Strait Province, and the organizer's wild card one person.
However, the selection process for these seven places is not determined by the selection competition, but by the ranking of the total unlimited individual event prize money received by chess players from each country throughout 2026, which is somewhat similar to China’s Wang Zhong Wang Sai. It's just that the Chinese King of Kings tournament only looks at the prize money for the champion, while the [World's Strongest Chess Players Tournament] looks directly at the total prize money.
It must be said that this method can be said to be the best way to screen out the best chess players in each country and region in the past year - many times the media in the circle are selecting who is a certain player. When the "first person" of the year is chosen, the total prize money of the event in the year is often compared. After all, the standards are highly unified.
After understanding the rules of [World's Strongest Chess Players Battle], those who have a little knowledge of the game will understand why Shang Chaotian lamented that this new world championship "is simply for Liu Shixian to win the championship" Customized."
First of all, the current South Korean ruler and the only holder of the title of "Strongest Chess Player" since the seventh edition of the tournament is Ryu Se-hyun, the world's number one player!
Secondly, in previous world championships, Ryu Shixian maintained a very high winning rate in Fanqi, and after 2024, Fanqi is undefeated to this day!
If you want to prevent him from winning the world championship, you have to rely on China's amazing thickness to continuously consume the world's number one player. Finally, before the event enters the chess stage, you can defeat Master Liu with a single victory or loss. Cold elimination - last year's Spring Orchid Cup and Tongge Cup were all like this.
But the current method of deciding the top two in a single round to advance to the third round of chess finals has almost completely eliminated the possibility of a single defeat and upset. It can be said that Master Liu is recommended to enter the finals of chess!
In this case, the "additional seconds" rule that is most familiar to South Korean chess players but unfamiliar to chess players from other regions will undoubtedly further increase the possibility of the first person in the world to win the championship.
It is even said that the intention of "using the highest prize money event in history to finally crown the first person in the world the best in history" is already obvious!
However, there is no room for criticism on the Chinese side for South Korea's conspiracy.
Although the competition system is said to be extremely favorable to Ryu Shixian, except for the quota allocation and time rules that favor the host players, the other rules are essentially to minimize accidents and determine the real winner. The "strongest chess player in the world" who has returned has no doubts about it.
But if we really want to talk about "the strongest chess player in the world" right now, it is indeed Ryu Se-hyun who is at his peak!
The only thing that makes people nitpick is that there are only eight players in this tournament, and the time rules have a lot of blitz chess implications. They are basically not much slower than the Nongshim Cup. It seems to be called a "World Series" "It doesn't mean that much.
But... it is naturally impossible for the Chinese Chess Association not to recognize that this is a world championship.
The highest prize in history of more than 4 million yuan, the quota is selected based on the total prize money of unlimited individual events throughout the year, and the top two will be determined in a round-robin circle of eight for three rounds of chess showdowns... Except for the number of participants, all aspects are full of gold. It can be said that the standards of world competitions are the highest.
If this is not called the "World Series", how can it make other world championships so embarrassing?
Moreover, South Korea is hosting the world championship with the highest prize money in the world with such "hemorrhage". As a powerful country, China will not respond actively and is still nagging and picky behind the scenes. That will not work. "South Korea is actually me"? !
After a moment of silence, Lei Qi nodded:
"...Indeed, no matter how you look at this competition, the plan is to take advantage of Ryu Shixian's condition at the peak of his career. Give him a title that will finally crown him the best heavyweight champion in history
"It's just...aren't the top three in history all South Koreans?
" Are they so eager to bring out another GOAT? "
"Also...I can understand it! "
Shang Chaotian sighed softly and said:
"Lei Qi, you should also know that the development of Go in South Korea has not been smooth in recent years. There has not been a decent Go player since Master Liu. The successor is almost entirely supported by excellent results in international competitions.
"But the dynasty cannot last forever.
"Ryu Shixian, who is currently at his peak, can still suppress you who are still young, but I am afraid that the offensive and defensive momentum will be exchanged within two years.
“And after that...the future of South Korean Go without outstanding successors can be said to be dark.
“The management of informing company has been very dedicated to the cause of South Korean Go, which is equivalent to Our spring orchids and dream lilies.
“The reason why they spent so much money to hold the new World Championship with such a high prize money is probably because they plan to take advantage of Ryu Se-hyun’s peak period to create a last wave of popularity and boost the influence of the project, hoping to bring Ryu Se-hyun’s Yu Ze waited until the next talented boy arrived
"To be honest, although the overall impression of South Koreans on me is indeed not good, and even the South Korean Chess Academy has made many small moves, but for South Korean Go players... I do admire them overall.
" In Bing Although they receive little attention from the government, with a population and talent pool equivalent to only one province in our country, they have been able to hold on to our country in the international arena for nearly forty years, and even have the upper hand most of the time! This is indeed awe-inspiring! "
Speaking of this, Shang Chaotian looked into the eyes of his most proud student and said seriously:
"...So, Lei Qi. If you can...
"I hope you can win this most important championship in the [World's Strongest Chess Players Battle]! Don't let them succeed!" (End of Chapter)