Chapter 14: Waiting for the Winning Tile

“You scored an 81 and you still come here to wait for my approval? How many tiles are you waiting on? Calling for an extra bonus? Want me to discard the tile you need to win? I just want to see how high you can go! You don’t bring your textbook to class, and I’m teaching new material today—what are you looking at? I say, ‘Class, let’s open our books to page sixteen,’ and you’re there setting up a double kong with a concealed bonus, waiting for sixteen points, is that it?”

“Teacher, a double kong with a concealed bonus is five points. Five points means thirty-two times the base score. If it were sixteen times, a single kong would be enough.”

Ms. Zhu was so furious her words stumbled. “You’re quick enough with useless things—your little brain spins fast enough for games, but when it comes to studying, you’re hopeless. What’s there to be proud of with an 81? Are you here for class or for mahjong? If you want to play, go home and do it. No need for you to stay here! Out!”

Going home to play mahjong actually sounded like a solid suggestion.

“Don’t be upset, Teacher. I’ll get lost right away!” Wen Xiaocheng replied with a cheerful grin, turning to leave. For a moment, Ms. Zhu, who had been scolding non-stop, was stunned. According to the usual script, the student being scolded should be hanging his head in silence by now—why was this guy playing by his own rules?

A little more sincerity, a little less pretense. Wen Xiaocheng’s smile was genuine.

The rest of the class couldn’t help but wonder—Wen Xiaocheng had come to school so early, and less than twenty minutes into class, he was already heading home. Did he come just to beat up Zhang Peiyue and issue a challenge?

Only Yang Liushan seemed to know the inside story. This time, she didn’t try to stop Wen Xiaocheng. The terms that the teachers and students didn’t understand, she did. To be “waiting” meant he had already mastered all the semester’s content—the only thing left was to play the winning hand, that is, get a good grade on the exam. Taking it a step further, she suspected he had memorized the entire textbook, word for word. With an IQ over 300, such a person couldn’t be measured by ordinary standards.

Ms. Zhu cooperated quite well. In fact, even without this episode, Wen Xiaocheng had planned to find an opportunity to get himself kicked out. Otherwise, if Zhang Peiyue and his gang blocked him in the classroom, things would have gotten ugly.

Strolling out of the teaching building, Wen Xiaodao appeared at his side. The two of them shared an unspoken understanding—no explanation necessary. When they reached the school gate, the security guard from yesterday spotted him from afar and recognized him as he approached.

“What’s this? Skipping school again today?” he asked.

Wen Xiaocheng laughed. “Teacher told me to get out, so the further I go, the better!”

The security guard’s main job was to keep outsiders and troublemakers away from the school, not to police student attendance. He simply gave a token warning, but seeing Wen Xiaocheng determined to leave, he didn’t insist.

There was no need to waste life in a dull classroom. Wen Xiaocheng felt utterly at ease, like a bird released from its cage. He jogged along the sidewalk, and before long, he reached the riverside. Under the willow trees, the same chess stall from yesterday was still there. A few elderly men out for their morning walk had gathered around. The two shills were still hard at work, luring the old men to try their luck. The bespectacled old man who’d been duped yesterday was also among them.

It wasn’t even nine o’clock, so the con artists had only just set up. The seniors were still analyzing the chessboard; no one had started playing yet. Wen Xiaocheng took a glance. Today’s puzzle was different—a much tougher endgame than yesterday’s. But for Wen Xiaocheng, it wasn’t much of a problem. Since no one was playing, he didn’t bother being polite and sat right down across from the stall owner.

“Same rules as before? Ten yuan to challenge, a hundred if I win. Red goes first, black follows. I get to choose my side. If it’s a win or a draw, I win, right?”

The stall owner frowned when he saw Wen Xiaocheng. Yesterday, he’d lost fifty yuan to him. After a whole day’s work, the group hadn’t made much money—seemed like they’d been working for this kid. Though the owner was annoyed, his face showed nothing. “You pick first, so a draw counts as my win. Yesterday you were just a kid, so I went easy on you and still lost fifty. Today, I won’t make it so easy.”

Wen Xiaocheng was in no hurry, speaking slowly and clearly. “Boss, that doesn’t make sense. There’s always a solution to a chess puzzle. What if this one is destined to be a draw? No matter how good we are, neither of us could win.”

He hit the nail on the head. Chess isn’t just about winning or losing; sometimes, a draw is the outcome. If this puzzle was designed to end in a draw, then the challenger would never have a chance. In fact, draws aren’t uncommon in famous endgames; it’s just that casual challengers rarely analyze all the possibilities and usually fall into a trap in the first few moves, so they rarely consider this.

“Kid, you already won fifty from me yesterday, and that other fellow did too! Chess is played by people, and with such a difference in pieces, how could a draw be so easy to achieve?”

Wen Xiaocheng snorted. “If that’s how you see it, let’s swap. Red goes first, black follows. You pick your color. If it’s a draw, I win. How about that?”

The stall owner’s expression changed, but with so many watching, he couldn’t back down from a child’s challenge. Luckily, today’s puzzle was even more complex than yesterday’s. Even though the official solution was a draw, actually playing it out was another matter. After yesterday’s loss, the boss had brought out his best. This endgame was called “The Great West Campaign,” renowned as the top of the Eight Legendary Street Chess Endgames! While there was no complete solution, no one had ever analyzed all the possible variations in detail. Each branch of this puzzle could spawn an entirely new endgame. Someone once wrote a dissertation of over a hundred thousand words on its solutions. The puzzle changed endlessly—you couldn’t crack it just by memorizing patterns.

He made his living off this puzzle. He’d studied it for half his life. How could he possibly lose to a kid?

“All right! Put your money down! I’ll take red and go first. A draw counts as your win. Let’s go!”

A hundred and ten yuan was placed under the board. A challenger daring to face the boss drew interest from the onlookers. The bespectacled old man, who’d noticed Wen Xiaocheng yesterday, watched eagerly to see if the boy could solve this puzzle.

Red moved first. The board seemed filled with fierce attacks, but most were strategic traps. That was the beauty of this endgame: a killing move could be neutralized, and even after several waves of attack, black remained unscathed—only then would the losing position become clear, but by then it was too late, and the first misstep had already been made. The stall owner, familiar with the puzzle, didn’t rush to checkmate, instead maintaining a constant threat. Black responded calmly, and the seemingly odd moves were actually the correct ones according to the solution.

After more than a dozen moves, the boy made no mistakes, his demeanor calm and unhurried, barely needing to think. The Great West Campaign was endlessly complex, and there were many traps for black, but Wen Xiaocheng was unshakable, defending his position like an iron fortress. At first, the old men watching could see the brilliance in his responses, but soon the moves came so fast that they couldn’t keep up with the pace.

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Note: In mahjong, a concealed bonus means all melds are triplets, which is three points, plus two kongs makes five points. Thanks to veteran player Li Songyan for the correction. The mahjong terms and plot here aren’t critical—if you don’t understand them, it won’t affect the story.

By now, most readers have probably guessed why Xiaocheng was so aggressive this time, instead of playing it safe. New book period—please send your recommendations!