The so-called thirty years of Hedong, thirty years of Hexi. Thirty years ago, the world's Go empire was none other than Japan. However, with the passage of time, the glory of the former empire is no longer there, and it is difficult for Japanese Go to be as long as China and South Korea.
It has been said that a Japanese celebrity is the first person in the world. However, since this century, the number of times Japanese chess players have attended the world series final stage is countless, literally translated literally. Zhao Zhixun of the 2003 Samsung Cup and Zhang Xu of the 2005 LG Cup have become the only sunsets in the former Go kingdom this century.
Once upon a time, Zhang Xu was also surrounded by glory. Celebrity Ben Yinfang double crown, with the power of the throne, NEC, NHK Cup, 3-1 Yu Bin to the top of the world. The first person in Japan, li shiqi and Gu Li, who are also post-80s, have a troika potential. However, after reaching the top, Zhang Xu did not break out of the cocoon and was fascinated by the ups and downs of domestic competitions. Time has worn away the youthful vitality, like the declining Japanese Go.
After winning the LG Cup, Zhang Xu repeatedly lost in domestic chess battles. The so-called Sai weng lost his horse, and it was not a blessing to know it. In 2006, Zhang Xu, who only had the crown of Qisheng (Note: commonly known as "Xiaoqisheng" in China), ushered in a heavenly opportunity in the Toyota Cup held in china. The Toyota Cup schedule is unique, requiring chess players to complete the four rounds of the round of 32 to the semi-finals in a week's time, which can be said to be a very intense game at that time. Zhang Xu used his unique strange strength to defeat Zhou Heyang, Zhao Hancheng, Kong Jie, and Park Yongxun, four chess players with close chess styles, and entered the final after a year.
This time, the opponent is the defending champion Li Shiqian. At that time, Li Shiqi had already added 6 crowns to his body, and Yin Yin had already taken over the authority of Li Changhao and ruled the world.
On January 6, 2007, in Tokyo, Japan, the two sides began the first innings. This year's competition, the Japanese side attaches great importance to it, and even said before the game: "As long as Zhang Xu wins the championship, the Toyota Cup will be changed to an annual session." "The progress of the first game also greatly encouraged the confidence of Japanese Go. Under the slight disadvantage, Zhang Xu was tenacious and unyielding, and never gave Li Shiqi the opportunity to open his position. Li Shiqian's continuous small mistakes in the official stage finally made Zhang Xu's half-eyes reverse.
Japan has waited too long for this victory.
But this victory turned out to be a farewell.
Li Shiqian, who fought again the next day, did not give Zhang Xu any chance, and a wonderful victory kept the suspense until the final decisive battle. In the prologue, Li Shiqi played the problem hand early, and the bottom left hand was already a difficult game after the hard work. However, Zhang Xu's next move lost its sharpness in the past, holding a heavy and slow move, in a vain attempt to win the victory by sticking to it.
Zhang Xu (black) vs Li Shiqian
Zhang Xu obviously underestimated Li Shiqian's combat effectiveness at his peak. As if possessed by AlphaGo-Zero, Li Shiqian was a clip on the second road, and 111 was on the left side of the shoulder. Not only did it magically break the big empty space under the black chess piece, but it even ate the thickness of the black chess layer that looked like it had 4 eyes.
After this battle, Zhang Xu's energy was more focused on the domestic title battle, and once equaled the record of Zhao Zhixun's five crowns. However, the better the domestic record, the more dismal the international results, and it is ultimately difficult to find. The Toyota Cup, which failed to usher in the Japanese chess player's victory, was re-held for another session, and finally announced its suspension. In the 5th 10 years, I have not been able to see a single domestic chess player climb to the top. Two years later, the Fujitsu Cup, which bore the glory of the World Championship of Go in Japan, also came to an end, and there was no japanese organizer in the World Series. Zhang Xu, on the other hand, also lost many battles in the struggle with Yuta Iyama, and gradually lost all the cities.
It can be said that Zhang Xu's experience is the epitome of the decline of Japanese Go, and it is also the last bright color before the withering of Japanese Go. In the 10 years since Zhang Xu won the runner-up, no Japanese chess player has reached the final of the World Series. In the dark ages of Japanese Go, I am afraid that only those who have experienced the Korean Wave can taste the bitterness and bitterness of it.
(Poisonous mushroom)