Chapter 301: Chess Skills Equal Calculation Skills
"A child?"
Ye Fan's attention was on the first half of the sentence, completely ignoring the second half.
He knew Ning Xi's personality very well. This girl was just saying things casually, there was no way she would really go complain to her future father-in-law.
After saying those three words, he quietly glanced at the girl's chest, couldn't help but shake his head, and corrected her:
"Xiao Xi, you're not small, not at all."
Ning Xi blinked her eyes, completely missing the hidden meaning in Ye Fan's words, and stubbornly said:
"I still have over a month before I become an adult, so I'm still a child."
Ye Fan raised his eyebrows,
"Xiao Xi, don't you know that adults are just expired little kids? Strictly speaking, I'm also a little kid. It's totally normal for little kids to bicker a bit."
"Hehe—"
Ning Xi wrinkled her delicate nose, eyes filled with bitterness.
She couldn't win the argument…
If hard tactics don't work, then it's time for soft ones!
With that in mind, she wrapped her arms around Ye Fan and said in a sweet, clingy voice:
"Gege~ Just say yes, okay? Think of it as giving me a bit of time to adjust, alright?"
"What did you call me?"
"Gege~"
"What?"
"Gege~"
"Oh, continue."
"..."
She really wanted to bite him!
Seeing the girl looking utterly exasperated, Ye Fan decisively backed off.
Oh… no, he backed off verbally!
If he pushed this girl too far, he'd be the one to suffer.
Ye Fan rubbed Ning Xi's head, grinning as he said:
"Alright, I was just teasing you. From now on, I'll be more mindful about that kind of thing."
Hearing a satisfactory answer, Ning Xi snorted a couple of times but didn't say anything more.
"Teach me Go now. Stop teasing me."
"No problem."
Ye Fan opened the two Go boxes, a gentle smile on his face.
Both his hands moved quickly, placing the stones on the board, and he explained as he did so.
"Xiao Xi, now that you already have a foundation in Go, if you want to improve quickly, the first step is to accumulate experience through matches. Then, you have to focus on improving your calculation ability."
There was a quiet confidence about Ye Fan. Seeing the girl listening so intently, the corners of his lips curled up slightly as he spoke calmly:
"In a sense, Go strength equals calculation power. If you can't calculate clearly or thoroughly, trying to improve your skill is just a pipe dream."
"Really?"
Ning Xi nodded, half understanding. She knew calculation was important in Go, but she didn't expect it to be this important.
Go strength equals calculation power?
But how do you improve calculation?
Seeing Ning Xi frown slightly, Ye Fan smiled and continued:
"Exactly. Even if you have a good overall sense of the board, strong mental composure, and take every match seriously, if you can't calculate clearly when the time comes, the chances of beating your opponent are almost zero."
"You have to understand. In the future, your opponents will all be professional players. And to become a professional player, every one of them has serious calculation skills. Imagine this—if your opponent can always see through your intentions, predict your next move—under those circumstances, do you think you could win?"
"There's no way… I'd win."
Ning Xi blinked, her rosy lips pouting.
Ye Fan nodded,
"Right. You'd almost never win!"
"So, your top priority right now is to improve your calculation ability. Once you start applying it in real matches, your Go strength will naturally improve as well."
"Improving Go strength is essentially a process based on calculation: constantly rejecting the bad, absorbing the good, and over time, progress will come naturally."
Ning Xi's little face was filled with confusion. She asked timidly:
"So… how do I improve my calculation ability?"
Ye Fan replied without hesitation:
"The most effective method is to practice life-and-death problems."
"Life-and-death problems?"
Ning Xi's clear eyes lit up.
When she heard those three words, she seemed to understand something, yet also felt a bit unsure.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she lowered her head and admitted sheepishly:
"Gege… I've heard of life-and-death problems before, and I've tried them too. But they feel so hard. Even basic ones can take me hours, and I don't feel like they help much."
"That's because I wasn't there."
Ye Fan's eyes softened. As he spoke, he had already set up a life-and-death problem on the board.
"Xiao Xi, even doing life-and-death problems takes some technique. Some people with weak fundamentals go straight to the hard ones, and either can't solve them or spend way too long on them. That doesn't really help improve their Go strength."
"Based on your current level, I recommend starting with tesuji. Tesuji is the soul of Go. No exaggeration— from the opening to the endgame, tesuji is everywhere. Only after mastering the basic tesuji and using them proficiently will the intermediate life-and-death problems no longer feel so difficult. There aren't that many tesuji moves, but they're applied widely. You can't skip them."
"And practicing basic life-and-death problems is the best way to train your tesuji skills."
Ye Fan said all that in one breath. Seeing Ning Xi's adorably confused look, he couldn't help but laugh softly:
"It's okay if you don't fully get it yet. Just do what I tell you. When the time comes, even if I don't explain, you'll naturally understand."
"Now try to solve the life-and-death problem on the board. I'll give you one hour. Good luck!"
"Mm!"
Ning Xi nodded seriously, without a shred of doubt in Ye Fan's words.
In her eyes, Ye Fan would never lie to her. All she had to do was follow his instructions. That's also the main reason why she had come to depend on him.
Trust!!!
The gentle flow of time, the beauty of midsummer.
Being alone.
Especially being alone with the girl you love, time always seems to pass too quickly.
As Ning Xi focused intently on solving the life-and-death problem, Ye Fan gazed at her stunning profile. As if possessed, he reached out and placed his hand gently on her soft, slender waist.
Feeling Ye Fan's bold move, Ning Xi wanted to say something, but when the words reached her lips, she found it too embarrassing to speak.
Moreover, deep down, she didn't really want to reject him. She just felt incredibly shy.
After a bit of chaotic thinking, she said nothing and forced herself to refocus on the board.
Time flowed slowly. In the light, pleasant atmosphere, in the blink of an eye, it was already past four in the afternoon.
Lan Xi walked into the living room carrying lots of bags. The moment she saw the two of them on the sofa—especially when she noticed Ye Fan's hand around her daughter's waist—her elegant face revealed a strange look, and she couldn't help but cough.
Hearing the sound, both Ye Fan and Ning Xi looked up, reacting in different ways.
Ye Fan smiled faintly, quietly withdrew his hand, and said calmly:
"Sister Lan, did you go shopping?"
Ning Xi, on the other hand, blushed deeply and lowered her head guiltily.
"Yes, I bought some clothes for Xiao Xi."
Lan Xi smiled and walked to the sofa, sitting across from them. She pointed at the pile of shopping bags beside her.
"Didn't Xiao Xi say she's going to Linhai with you? I figured I'd get her some clothes to wear for the trip. After all, she's going to be staying at your house for a while, and she should leave a good impression on your parents."
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