Chen Zude (1944--2012), Chinese Go player, professional jiudan, was the first Chinese chess player to defeat the Japanese nine-dan chess player, successively served as the director of the chess and card sports management center of the State General Administration of Sports, the president of the Chinese Chess Academy, and the chairman of the Chinese Weiqi Association.
Chen Zude is the first generation of Go players trained in New China, and has written countless legends inside and outside the chess world. He worked with his teammates to study and for the first time in the official competition under the long-lasting "Chinese flow" layout; He was the first person in China to defeat the Japanese professional nine-dan chess player, breaking the myth of "nine-dan invincible".
He was the first president of the Chinese Chess Academy, wrote a large number of books on Go, pioneered the Chinese Go grading system, founded the Chinese Go League, cooperated with Chunlan Group to create the first world professional competition Chunlan Cup hosted by the Chinese mainland, and was the pioneer of the new Chinese Go cause, dedicating his life's energy to the cause of Go. Chen Zude's life has also suffered many hardships, personally experienced the "Cultural Revolution", for seven years there was no chess to play, middle-aged cancer, had to quit the chess world, suffered a huge blow. But all these difficulties could not defeat his tenacious spirit, because his life's credo was to surpass himself.
Transcending himself is not only the title of Chen Zude's autobiography, but also the true meaning of life that he has understood. No matter what kind of environment and what kind of situation you face, only by surpassing it can you achieve final success. Walking on the street must also walk in the front, even if you are driven to move bricks, you must be the first in the brick mover, and you are brave enough to pursue anything you encounter, Chen Zude's character is like this forever moving forward.
In 1980, Chen Zude, who was in the golden age of chess, was diagnosed with cancer and faced major surgery to remove one-third of his stomach and a section of the esophagus, and under the shadow of the god of death, he lay on his hospital bed and completed his autobiography "Beyond Himself". This is a history of the development of New Chinese Go, and it is also the struggle of a fighter. The famous writer Mr. Yan Wenjing wrote in the preface to the book:
The work contains many landmark chapters and is a unique monument that Zudd built specifically for some historical figures. Their images were reproduced by Zude, whether it was a portrait of a craftsman or a rough silhouette, it seemed to be alive, still like what Zude had seen in the past. Zudd thanked them for letting them live forever in his own book.
What is even more valuable is that this book publishes the heart of a Go master. This heart is full of joy and has also experienced a lot of bitterness. Zude's thoughts continued to sublimate in the continuous battle, and finally realized the true meaning of life.
"Transcending the self" is a high spiritual realm that can only be touched by tireless pursuit, and it is also a difficult process with almost no end. Endless contradictions contain the contradictions of the self, but they can still have the end of life, with contradictions, and rush forward to meet contradictions. This is the true meaning of life that real people get. After reading Zud's book, I seem to have some reflection, but for many processes I still have to be like him, on the road. Continue to explore and think.
"Beyond Self" won the People's Literature Award, which aroused great repercussions in the society, and what moved us even more was that Chen Zude overcame the disease and returned to the Go field. In 1997, he also competed in the Samsung Cup World Go Open and defeated South Korea's nine-dan player Choi Gyu-byeong. In 2002, he defeated Japanese kudan player Toshihya Goto at the inaugural Toyota Cup World Go throne. For Chen Zude, this requires a lot of perseverance.
On November 1, 2012, Chen Zude died of pancreatic cancer, and before he died, he was still racing against the god of death, and the morning before his death, he was so weak that he could not even speak clearly, he was still revising and completing the last remaining chess score in the "Ancient Chinese Go Score Interpretation Series".
Beyond himself, Chen Zude has done it, and his spirit will also inspire future generations to constantly surpass.