“The freeloading son-in-law, if you don’t know how to play chess, just leave. Don’t waste everyone’s precious time here,” the mocking voices of the onlookers were grating.
August, as the host, had to intervene, and he sternly said, “Everyone, quiet down. It’s the mark of a true gentleman to watch a game in silence.”
Hearing August’s words, the crowd slowly hushed.
Watching Colin across the board, who was still yelling and cursing, Leo taunted, “There’s no rule in Go that says I can’t make these moves. If you’re afraid of losing, you can surrender right now.”
Leo’s words left the onlookers dumbfounded, as if they had suddenly bitten into a sour lemon. How could this seemingly clueless newbie say such things? The only explanation, aside from a serious psychological problem, was that he had no clue about Go.
Colin was seething but had to admit that Leo’s words made sense. There was indeed no rule against Leo’s moves. At this point, Colin felt a mix of anger and a deep sense of boredom. It was like a professional fighter taking on a helpless infant; there was no challenge whatsoever.
Despite the prevailing sense of tedium, the game had to continue. Colin suppressed his frustration and placed the third black piece.
As expected, Leo’s third move was equally random, devoid of any discernible strategy.
Colin proceeded to place the fourth black piece, wanting to conclude the most tedious game of his life as quickly as possible.
Leo, true to form, carelessly placed the fourth white piece. It looked like a series of thoughtless moves.
As the monotonous game continued, some spectators couldn’t help but yawn. They were experiencing an unforeseen side effect of watching this Go match – it was sleep-inducing.
A few individuals found the situation unbearable and resorted to checking their social media feeds on their phones. They were simply waiting for the game to end so they could leave this dull place.
As time passed, only a few, including August, began to realize a peculiar problem: why hadn’t Leo lost yet? Logically, with Leo’s inexperience, he shouldn’t have lasted more than twenty minutes against a master like Colin. But half an hour had already passed, and Leo was still placing white pieces.
This was far from normal.
Unbeknownst to them, Colin had shifted his focus and was now playing with a purpose. Each move he made was carefully calculated, aiming to trap and eliminate Leo.
On the other hand, Leo continued to place his white pieces seemingly at random, but he managed to escape from Colin’s attempts to corner and kill him every time.
“What the heck, it’s been so long, and they haven’t finished yet. Is this boring game even worth it?” someone said, yawning.
“This is incredibly tedious. Colin, stop playing around and finish off this freeloading son-in-law,” urged another.
“Shut up, all of you!” Colin roared after placing a black piece. “If you don’t want to watch, you can leave. Stop blabbering here!”
Colin’s angry outburst left the onlookers stunned. Many of them redirected their attention back to the game board.
What they saw there startled them.
The onlookers couldn’t help but stir with surprise as they witnessed an incredible turn of events on the chessboard. What had initially seemed like a haphazard move by Leo, placing the white pieces at random, had transformed into a strategic masterpiece. Now, even a novice in the game of Go could see that every move made by Colin led him further into a trap Leo had set.
People couldn’t fathom how this had happened. The most nervous person in the room was Colin himself. He felt like a general trapped in a corner, with every move he made seemingly scrutinized by his opponent.
Colin, holding the black pieces, hesitated, for every move he considered would result in Leo’s white pieces closing in for the kill. The tension in the room was palpable.
Master Spencer, who had initially displayed a contemptuous expression, now had a serious look on his face. His experienced eyes were fixed on the chessboard, and his brow furrowed deeply. He could tell that Colin was in dire straits, and his struggling seemed futile.
Leo, who had previously appeared casual and indifferent, had crafted a mind-boggling chess position. Even with decades of experience in the world of chess, Master Spencer had never witnessed such skill and tactics. Leo could have swiftly ended Colin’s misery, but instead, he intentionally left him with a glimmer of hope, planning to tighten the noose later.
The fact was crystal clear: Leo was toying with Colin, making him look like a fool.
As Master Spencer tried to recall if there was any chess player named Leo Bloomer in the community, he came up empty-handed. Leo’s level of skill, as displayed here, should not have gone unnoticed in the chess world.
Was this situation merely a coincidence? Highly unlikely, considering that with Colin in this, such a coincidence was nearly impossible. The only explanation was that Leo’s apparent carelessness in his moves concealed a well-thought-out plan to bait Colin. It was the age-old principle: an arrogant army is doomed to defeat.
Noticing that Colin was already sweating, August, Jack, and others were shocked and for a moment just opened their mouths wide and looked at Leo in disbelief.
A newbie in their hearts before immediately became the strongest king.
Leo yawned wildly and then gave a long stretch.
Colin reached out his left hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead, then shook his right hand and slowly drops the spot.
“Ta” With the fall of the
Black piece, Colin felt like his whole body was drained of energy and suddenly went limp on the chair, his face was extremely ugly.
Leo casually picked up a white piece and dropped it.
At this point, the game is over.
“Unbelievable, the man who lives off his wife has beaten Master Spencer’s disciple Colin, I must have seen a miracle today.”
“It’s just incredible, how can a live-in son-in-law be Colin’s rival, he’s so lucky.”