Which champion defeated the Chinese chess god?

He was Mac Dinh Chi (1272-1346), from Lung Dong village, Chi Linh district, Hai Dong (present-day Hai Duong province).

Mac Dinh Chi was born with an ugly appearance, but in return he was very intelligent and quick-witted. Because his family was poor, Dinh Chi could not go to class with his friends, so he had to stand outside the classroom and listen to the teacher lecture. At night, there was no light, so the boy had to catch fireflies and put them in eggshells to have light to study.

According to Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, in 1304 during the reign of King Tran Anh Tong, the royal court opened an examination, accepting 44 people to pass the Thai Hoc Sinh (doctorate) exam. Mac Dinh Chi passed first, taking the title of first place winner. At this time, he was just over 20 years old.

According to legend, when he appeared at the court, the king saw that his face and body were ugly and did not want him to pass the imperial examination. He immediately composed the poem “Ngoc Tinh Lien” (Lotus in the Jade Well) to express his noble character and presented it to the king. The king saw his talent and character, so he was impressed and passed the imperial examination.

Mac Dinh Chi was trusted by the king and sent to be an envoy to the Yuan Dynasty twice. On each trip, he excelled in overcoming all challenges, making the Yuan Dynasty king and mandarins respect him and award him the title of the top scholar in both countries.

Mac Dinh Chi was admired and praised by the Yuan emperor as the top scholar in two countries. (Illustration photo)

During a diplomatic mission, Mac Dinh Chi rode his horse past a house with a sign saying “Chinese chess champion”. Being a chess enthusiast, Mac Dinh Chi immediately entered the house and said he was a passerby and asked for a drink. He casually asked the host, causing the conversation to turn to chess.

The landlord was a doctor of the Song Dynasty. When the Yuan army destroyed the Song Dynasty, he did not want to become an official but just sat at home writing poetry and playing chess. At this time, Mac Dinh Chi expressed his desire to play a game of chess.

The host knew that the guest wanted to test his skills, so he brought out a set of horn chess pieces to entertain him. But the guest wanted a set of ivory chess pieces. The host then said: “The ivory chess pieces are only for entertaining kings. Besides, I only entertain people who are better at chess than me. If I bring them out to play, what if you lose to me?”

Mac Dinh Chi then said with interest: "If I lose, I will return your head, but if I win, I will only ask you for the plaque with the title of "Tran Trang" and this ivory army."

The two played chess together, but because their skills were so excellent, the game lasted for 3 days. On the evening of the 3rd day, Mac Dinh Chi saw that his chess was losing ground, and it was time to rest, so he asked to stop the game and continue the next morning.

That night, Mac Dinh Chi was lost in thought, trying to find a way out of the dilemma. He reconstructed the chessboard in his mind and finally discovered a move. The next morning, he made the decisive move, causing the host to exclaim: “What a divine move, I admit defeat to you.”

The host took the ivory chess set and the “Chinese chess champion” plaque and gave them back to Mac Dinh Chi, but he refused to accept them, and only advised the host to put away the chess champion plaque from now on. This story was recorded in the Mac family genealogy and circulated among the people.

Kim Nha

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/vi-trang-nguyen-nao-danh-bai-than-co-trung-hoa-ar905382.html