However, soon I discovered that the style of this new game she had started was clearly different from before. She actually mimicked my previous moves, playing cautiously step by step, but taking advantage whenever possible and capturing pieces whenever she could. From an outsider's perspective, this style was quite naive, typical of a beginner.
Bingbing had been using a chess software, following Sima Xingkong's game. With each move, the software would give a score, like "Red has a huge advantage, leading by over 8000 points."
Sima Xingkong, playing black, seized the initiative, setting traps everywhere, deliberately exposing weaknesses to lure me into a deep penetration, and then encircling and eliminating my pieces. She quickly destroyed my set of rooks, knights, and cannons, while only losing one rook and one pawn. "I" was forced to switch to a defensive posture.
The software showed that "I" was now doomed to lose.
However, at this point, she stopped using my idiotic playstyle and switched back to her high-level approach. Relying on her strong defensive skills, she managed to draw against another "herself." She avoided exchanges and attacks, seized opportunities, and advanced two pawns across the river, combining them into a rook, which neutralized the advantage of "her own" two major pieces.
It was still a draw.
"Amazing!" Bingbing exclaimed, "Her play in the latter half was even more impressive than the software! It's almost inhuman!"
"I didn't expect demon intelligence to surpass humans," I mused, arms crossed and brow furrowed. I could understand it to some extent. The demon race's greatest advantage was their long lifespan, and unlike humans, their physical strength and energy didn't rapidly decline with age.
In all chess-like games, skill naturally improves with age. However, in high-level matches, extensive calculation is required, and factors like stamina, mental energy, and vigor become crucial. Older individuals are at a disadvantage, which is why it's classified as a "competitive" activity.
Video games are similar. Factors like stamina, energy, and mental acuity can influence the game even more than skill. This is why the prime age for professional esports players is generally within their late twenties, and men inevitably decline beyond that age.
Sima Xingkong likely leveraged this advantage of the demon race, dedicating hundreds of years to mastering chess. I even suspect that her blue aura isn't a reflection of her martial arts prowess but rather her chess skills. How else could a powerful demon with a blue aura arrive on a bicycle for an appointment?
"She's starting again!" Bingbing reminded me.
I lit a cigarette, turned a chair over, and straddled it, watching the game intently. This time, I hoped to keep up a little.
It was clear that in this third game, she was employing a "combat chess" strategy, where the piece values would differ.
"We must ensure this game is fully recorded," I instructed Bingbing after watching a few moves. "It's highly possible that she has already formed a conclusion about the deployment of forces for the Shanhai demon faction. Their strength will be reflected in this game!"
"Understood!" Bingbing replied.
The game played out with exquisite moves and a brutal exchange of pieces, but the outcome was unexpected: we had a narrow victory?
Perhaps she underestimated the strength of the Shanhai demons, or overestimated ours. Many of our pieces were left on the board in past encounters.
Seeing that her black side was reduced to just a king, Bingbing let out a sigh, thinking it was over. However, three of the red pieces that approached to attack were captured by the black king. This left the black side with only one pawn, which hadn't crossed the river yet. Sima Xingkong, not wanting to waste moves, skipped over a dozen steps and brought the black pawn into the nine-square palace, only to have it eaten by the king.
A draw!
But the red side had a full advisor and elephant, while the black side only had a king.
"This king must be their most formidable character, right?" Bingbing guessed.
"Likely. I wonder if it's Long Yue, or that legendary King of Miao, or perhaps another master?" I said.
"Hey, hey, look! What is she doing?"
I peered closely. With the game seemingly a draw, Sima Xingkong retrieved a pawn that had been captured at the very beginning and placed it back on the board. Step by step, it advanced towards the red palace. It was an unkillable character, breaking through the double advisors and elephants, and finally landing on top of the red marshal.
"Black wins?" Bingbing asked in surprise.
I wasn't sure. In this situation, it was impossible to determine the winner. I didn't know if this black pawn could defeat the red marshal...