I really don’t want to play Go!

Who is Yu Shao, who defeated Shen Yi in Chapter 297? (Part 2)

In a quiet chess room in North and South Korea.

A man of about thirty-five years old sat at one side of the chessboard, wearing a sharp suit, frowning as he looked at the chessboard in front of him.

After pondering for a while, the man finally shook his head with a wry smile.

"Lost."

The man took two Go stones from the box and placed them on the board. Then he looked up at An Hongshi sitting opposite him and exclaimed, "As expected of Teacher An Hongshi, what Zheng Shibin 9-dan said was indeed correct."

Hearing the man's words, An Hongshi was somewhat surprised and asked, "Jung Se-bin, 9th Dan?"

"Correct."

The man smiled and asked, "Teacher An Hongshi, do you still remember your first game with 9-dan Zheng Shibin?"

"of course I remember."

An Hongshi nodded and said, "I remember every game I've played, every move I've made. When I first played against Zheng Shibin 9-dan, he was only 6-dan, right?"

Looking at the chessboard in front of him, the man sighed, "Yes, in the blink of an eye, Zheng Shibin has already reached the ninth dan and has achieved many successes in international competitions, officially joining the ranks of the world's top chess players."

"Why are you talking about this suddenly?"

An Hongshi picked up the teacup next to the chessboard, took a small sip, and asked.

"Didn't you play a game with Zheng Shibin 9-dan yesterday, Mr. An Hongshi?"

The man also picked up his teacup, scraped the rim with the lid, and said, "So, I went to ask him about the result of your game of chess with Professor An Hongshi yesterday."

At this point, the man took a sip of tea, looked up at Master An Hong, and slowly said, "Teacher An Hongshi, do you know... what he said to me?"

How would I know?

Upon hearing this, An Hongshi couldn't help but smile and shake his head, asking, "What did he say?"

"He said that when he played his first game with you, he was only a 6-dan player, but he was at the peak of his career and had already defeated many established masters, such as Ryu Won-hang 9-dan and Lee Jung-hoon..."

As the man placed the teacup back on the chessboard, he said, "Teacher An Hongshi, you are a role model for chess players all over the world. All chess players aim to win a game against you, and Zheng Shibin was no exception back then."

"At that time, he was full of vigor and arrogance because he had defeated many top players. He thought that even if he faced Mr. An Hongshi, he could win."

"I remember when he was interviewed by reporters before the game, a reporter asked him what his chances of winning against him were, and he said fifty-fifty."

At this point, the man couldn't help but chuckle and said, "As expected, his game of chess with you ended in a crushing defeat for him."

"You didn't participate in any competitions this year, Mr. An Hongshi, but Zheng Shibin had a great year and was promoted to 9th dan."

"There's a saying that goes, 'If you haven't beaten even one game of yours, Mr. An Hongshi, you don't deserve to be called a top player.' But Zheng Shibin, a 9-dan player, has played eight games with you and hasn't won a single one."

The man paused for a moment, then said, "Therefore, upon learning that you had finally left the sanatorium, 9-dan player Zheng Shibin came to find you for a game of Go."

"Because you haven't participated in any competitions for a year, while Zheng Shibin 9-dan's chess skills have improved a lot in the past year, he thought that yesterday's game would let you see his chess skills."

"He then said, 'You've shown him that again—'"

The man's smile gradually faded, and he slowly said, "What do you mean by 'there's always someone better'?"

Hearing this, An Hongshi shook his head with a smile and said, "I only won yesterday's game by luck."

The man looked at An Hongshi quietly without refuting him.

After a moment, the man suddenly spoke up: "Professor An Hongshi, you know Higashiyama Kaoru, right?"

"Dongshan Xun?"

An Hongshi paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "I know."

The man's expression was somewhat solemn as he said, "These days, there's a constant stream of noteworthy new talents emerging in the Japanese Go world, especially Higashiyama Kaoru. There are quite a few reports in Japan saying that Higashiyama Kaoru might be the next you."

“Some Japanese media reports are even more exaggerated, saying that there are no more geniuses after Higashiyama Kaoru.”

The man hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "But it is true, his chess skills are extremely good. He has played many amazing games. In fact, I don't think I... am necessarily his match."

The man's expression grew increasingly serious as he spoke: "Currently, our overall chess strength is still ranked first in the world, but Japan has been coming on strong in recent years."

Upon hearing this, An Hongshi picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

After a moment, An Hongshi suddenly asked, "Among young Go players, is Japan the only one, only Higashiyama Kaoru?"

Upon hearing this, the man was stunned, as if he had thought of something, and fell silent for a moment.

"Yu Shao, and Su Yiming."

An Hongshi put down his teacup and said, "It's not just Japan, but also China. Because of these two, I pay even more attention to China than Japan."

"That's true, they're exaggerating a bit. Generally speaking, people only remember the name of the first one. For example, people remember the world's highest peak, but they don't remember the second highest."

The man shook his head, then sighed softly and said, "They even went so far as to remember the name of the second-place winner. When I looked at Su Yiming's chess records, I had a fleeting feeling that I was looking at Shen Yi's chess records, which reminded me of more than a hundred years ago."

"I feel the same way. When I look at Su Yiming's chess records and see those big moves and those close battles, I often think of Shen Yi, and that chess player who was almost unbeatable 180 years ago."

An Hongshi was also somewhat emotional for a moment: "It's a pity, after all, it's not Shen Yi. If Shen Yi were still alive, it would be great to be able to play a game of chess with him face to face."

"If such an opportunity were to arise, the game of chess would surely cause a worldwide sensation, wouldn't it?"

The man couldn't help but fantasize, saying, "It's a pity, though, that Shen Yi is already dead, and he was playing Go from over a hundred years ago. He's definitely no match for you, Professor An Hongshi."

"But don't you find Shen Yi's game records amazing? In the middle game battles, his exquisite moves can only elicit sincere praise from even the top modern players."

An Hongshi asked with a smile, "We might not be able to bring ourselves to do that."

"That's true, that's what makes Go so mysterious."

The man sighed, "Go has indeed made good progress, but the ancients were able to seize those fleeting opportunities in complex board situations, while people today may not be able to do so."

"But even so, we can't say that the ancients were better than us, can we?" the man asked with a smile.

"Then what if it were Shen Yi, who had learned Go more than a hundred years later?" An Hongshi countered, "Who do you think would win if I played against him?"

"Uh……"

The man was speechless for a moment, then thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Upon hearing this, An Hongshi couldn't help but burst out laughing and asked, "Then do you think Su Yiming is like Shen Yi who has mastered modern conventions?"

"You know what, it really does look a bit like it."

The man stroked his chin, nodded, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked with a smile, "So, here's the question, Professor An Hongshi."

"Ok?"

An Hongshi raised his head and looked at the man.

The man smiled and asked, "Assuming Su Yiming really is Shen Yi who has mastered modern techniques, then..."

The man paused halfway through his sentence, then asked in a cryptic tone, "Who is Yu Shao, who won against Shen Yi and mastered the modern formula?"

This question stumped An Hongshi. The smile on his face gradually disappeared. Looking at the intricate chessboard in front of him, he didn't know the answer for a moment and fell into deep thought.

"Hahaha, never mind, it was just a sudden thought."

The man waved his hand and laughed, "Su Yiming can't be Shen Yi, and Yu Shao can't be any other chess player."

"That's true."

An Hongshi pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "By the way, isn't the China-Japan-Korea Go Team Tournament about to begin?"

The man replied, "It will begin in a week."

"I think we were the champions in the last China-Japan-Korea team competition?" An Hong-seok recalled, somewhat uncertainly.

"Yes, we were the champions of the China-Japan-Korea team competition last year."

The man frowned slightly and said, "Last year, we won the five games against Japan with a score of 3 to 2, and ultimately won the championship. However, in the main match, Lee Jun-hyuk lost to Higashiyama Kaoru."

"All year, Lee Jun-hyuk has been working hard to hone his Go skills, all for the sake of his rematch with Higashiyama Kaoru this year."

"However, no one knew that China, which had not performed well in team competitions for five consecutive years, would suddenly produce Yu Shao and Su Yiming this year."

The man looked worried and said, "I don't know if we can successfully defend our title this year."

"Isn't that interesting?"

An Hongshi smiled and said, "I expect this team competition to be very exciting. Although they are young, their chess skills are all top-notch. I can't help but look forward to it."

"It was exciting, but with more formidable opponents, victory isn't guaranteed," the man said with a wry smile.

"As long as the game is exciting, winning or losing doesn't matter."

An Hongshi smiled faintly and said, "I think there are some things in Go that are more important than winning or losing. It's not that I don't want to win, but I'd rather lose spectacularly than win easily."

An Hongshi gazed at the chessboard, then suddenly reached into the chess box of the man opposite him, picked out a white piece, and gently placed it down.

"Being too competitive means you're destined to never find the answer in Go."

As An Hongshi spoke, he placed a chess piece.

Hey.

Fourteen columns and twelve rows, dig!

"dig?"

Upon seeing An Hongshi's move, the man was taken aback, staring intently at the chessboard as his expression gradually changed.

"This is……"

He thought the game was over and the gap on the board was irrecoverable, so he had no choice but to resign.

But after An Hongshi made that digging move, the board situation subtly changed. Although his white pieces were still at a disadvantage, this move perfectly utilized the dead pieces—

White pieces still have room to maneuver against Black pieces!
Although judging from the situation, White is likely to lose, it is no longer a losing proposition. If White can play this digging move, White can actually make another move!
If Black doesn't respond properly, White still has a chance to turn the tide!
…………

the other side.

Gangneung, Nambu Go Academy, post-game review room.

Yu Shao looked at the chessboard, pondered for two seconds, and finally shook his head. He picked up two chess pieces, placed them on the board, and chose to resign.

"You've been a bit too forceful on this side."

Su Yiming looked at the chessboard, pondered for a moment, then pointed at the board and said, "Moreover, it might be better if the 'ban' and 'zhan' here were replaced with 'jia'."

"If you hit me here, I'll jump, you'll extend, I'll stab again, you'll use a tiger attack, I'll fly, you'll turn... Instead of flying, am I supposed to use a tiger attack?"

Yu Shao nodded thoughtfully and said, "I didn't see it just now."

"You've already won two rounds in a row in 10-second blitz chess. What more do you want?"

At this moment, Gu Chuan rolled up his sleeves, nudged Yu Shao, and said excitedly, "Okay, now it's my turn again." Yu Shao had no choice but to get up from his seat and stand aside to watch Su Yiming and Gu Chuan play chess.

After the captain was selected, Yu Shao, at the request of the chess academy, trained with Su Yiming and Qin Lang in the review room on the third day.

Because the pace of individual chess games is relatively slow, more emphasis is placed on studying the opponent's game records. However, team competitions are fast-paced, so training focuses more on actual games.

This kind of ultra-fast chess game, where each move takes only ten seconds, can hone a player's sense of life and death in a split second.

To make the tedious training more interesting, a tournament system was adopted, where the winner would defend their title and play consecutive matches, while the loser would be eliminated. He had just won two rounds, but then lost to Su Yiming in this round.

Da da da……

As soon as the game began, Su Yiming and Gu Chuan made their moves with lightning speed.

Inside the review room, the sounds of pieces being placed and timers being pressed could be heard continuously.

"Xiao Fei..."

Yu Shao watched from the sidelines and saw that after Su Yiming played a 3-3, Gu Chuan immediately played a small flying move and then played "Storm".

The so-called "storm" refers to the complex joseki he played at point 3-3 in the game he played against Su Yiming the day before yesterday.

Because it was raining heavily when they played this game the day before yesterday, Gu Chuan and the others named the complex 3-3 opening move "dot 3" as such, which also fits the complexity and intensity of the opening move.

Seeing Gu Chuan play a small move, Su Yiming immediately picked up a piece and placed it down.

Fourteen columns, two rows, please!
At the very beginning of the game, Black and White engaged in a fierce battle in the upper right corner, with pieces constantly being placed and spreading across the entire board at an astonishing speed.

Soon, Yu Shao saw Gu Chuan make a mistake and be immediately caught by Su Yiming. Although Su Yiming also had to slow down a bit, Gu Chuan's disadvantage was getting bigger and bigger.

"Lost."

Soon after, Gu Chuan threw in the pot, but there was no sign of disappointment on his face; he appeared quite composed.

"You focused too much on the corner, which resulted in you gaining control of the corner, but after being cut off by the white pieces, you couldn't defend both ends."

Yu Shao thought for a moment, pointed to the chessboard, and said, "It would be better to use a sharp move here."

"What if we jump from here?"

At this moment, Le Haoqiang asked.

"Jumping isn't impossible, but a sharp point is 100 points, while a jump might only be 99 points?"

Yu Shao pondered for a moment and said, "The jumping shape is a bit thin and may leave hidden dangers that can be taken advantage of by the white pieces. Although the speed of the sharp move is a bit slower, it has the advantage of being solid."

After everyone briefly reviewed the situation, Gu Chuan stood up and looked at Le Haoqiang: "Brother Qiang, it's your turn."

"You lost a bit too quickly."

Le Haoqiang glanced at Gu Chuan, made a comment, and then quickly sat down opposite Su Yiming. After exchanging greetings, they began playing chess.

In this game, both sides opened with a two-star point versus a small-eye point. Le Haoqiang then played the first move, a 3-3 point. However, when Su Yiming played a small knight's move, Le Haoqiang no longer chose to push, but instead—

Fifteen columns in three rows, perfect!
"We avoided it."

Yu Shao couldn't help but glance at Le Haoqiang again.

The storm can be avoided. If we directly confront it, it will become a normal change after point 33. Moreover, it can be said that Le Haoqiang is afraid. Since there is no loss in confronting it, why can't we confront it?

For a storm to break out, both sides must be willing to engage. Since Le Haoqiang doesn't have much in-depth knowledge of this kind of change, avoiding its sharp edge is a wise choice.

However, the subsequent developments of this game were somewhat beyond Yu Shao's expectations.

Under the pressure of a ten-second rapid chess game, in the mid-game battle, Su Yiming made the first mistake, and Le Haoqiang immediately seized on this weakness and launched a fierce attack.

Le Haoqiang then unleashed over a dozen powerful and precise moves, putting Su Yiming at a disadvantage.

"Is Le Haoqiang going to win?"

Gu Chuan, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but widen his eyes, and Qin Lang also subconsciously narrowed his long, narrow eyes.

Le Haoqiang clearly realized that the situation was in his favor, and his eyes became extremely focused, doing his best to make every move.

Amidst the frequent sounds of pieces being placed, time ticked by.

Le Haoqiang's face turned extremely ugly, while Gu Chuan and Qin Lang were somewhat stunned.

"Le Haoqiang clearly had the advantage in the middle game, but now..."

Because Gu Chuan subconsciously put himself in Le Haoqiang's shoes and saw the current situation, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, feeling an unparalleled pressure.

"This mid-to-late game ability..."

Gu Chuan stared at the chessboard in disbelief.

He had watched many of Su Yiming's games, and in the games between Su Yiming and Yu Shao, he didn't know why, but he had never felt that Su Yiming's mid-to-late game ability was so terrifying!
In Su Yiming's other games, he often gains an advantage as soon as the game enters the middle and late stages, making it difficult to see his ability in the middle and late stages.

Gu Chuan couldn't help but steal a glance at Yu Shao beside him, somewhat alarmed: "How exactly did Yu Shao manage to play the second half of the game against him?"

A short while later, Le Haoqiang let out a long breath and bowed his head to Su Yiming: "I lost."

After Le Haoqiang and Su Yiming finished their brief review, it was Qin Lang and Su Yiming's turn to play.

The game was quite simple. Su Yiming played a three-star formation, while Qin Lang played a two-star formation. Su Yiming first tried to gain territory and then tried to cleanse the area. However, Qin Lang's attempt to break through the territory failed, and he was defeated by the large black formation in the middle game.

"It's lunchtime, let's go eat."

Seeing that Qin Lang had finished his game, Gu Chuan waved his hand, stopping the rapid chess match, and asked, "Aren't you hungry?"

Yu Shao rubbed his stomach, feeling a bit hungry himself, and nodded, saying, "Okay, I am a little hungry."

"Let's skip the cafeteria today and go to a Sichuan restaurant instead."

Gu Chuan raised an eyebrow and said smugly, "After staying in Jiangling for so many days, I've finally found an authentic Sichuan restaurant that I guarantee will satisfy you."

"your treat?"

Upon hearing this, Le Haoqiang couldn't help but glance at Gu Chuan and ask.

"I'll treat!"

Gu Chuan patted his chest with pride and said, "This year's China-Japan-Korea team competition is being held in North and South Korea. We'll be flying to Seoul to compete in three days, so let's eat more Chinese food these next few days!"

Upon hearing that Gu Chuan was going to treat everyone, Le Haoqiang's eyes lit up, and he immediately called out, "Godfather!"

"Are you going to North and South Korea this time?"

At this moment, Su Yiming seemed to have thought of something, and asked in a somewhat complicated tone, "Wasn't Korea called Goryeo in ancient times?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Yu Shao looked at Su Yiming and jokingly asked, "Do you also feel that going to North and South Korea is unlucky?"

Yu Shao's words stunned everyone.

"Is it unlucky to go to North and South Korea?"

Gu Chuan was somewhat puzzled and asked, "What's the explanation?"

"Someone asked the general, 'How should we play this game?' The general replied, 'Go south.'"

Yu Shao smiled and said, "Otherwise, why would it be North and South Korea?"

An eerie silence fell over the entire room.

What are you talking about?

A moment later, Gu Chuan looked at Yu Shao with a blank expression, and couldn't help but blurt out in Sichuan and Chongqing dialect.

"Uh……"

Yu Shao touched his nose somewhat awkwardly, only then realizing that no one in the world understood his joke.

This parallel world has similarities to my previous life, but also many differences. For example, in this world, North and South Korea are one country.

Every time Yu Shao sees the words "Pyongyang Chess Academy," he finds it funny and subconsciously thinks of this meme, but unfortunately, no one in the world can understand it.

It's so embarrassing.

"nothing."

Adhering to the principle that "if I'm not embarrassed, it's others who are," Yu Shao shook his head calmly, looked at Su Yiming, changed the subject, and asked, "Why did you ask if North and South Korea were called Goryeo before?"

"I've never been abroad, and I always feel that our place is big enough."

Su Yiming also shook his head and said with a smile, "I heard that the Korean Go world is currently the strongest, so I was quite curious and went online to learn more about it."

"Then you can take a good look around while you're at the North Korea-South Korea match."

Gu Chuan thought for a moment and said, "To be fair, the barbecue there is indeed delicious. It's a pity, I've been to North and South Korea before, so it doesn't appeal to me much anymore!"

Gu Chuan smacked his lips and said, "I wish this competition were in Japan. I've never had authentic Japanese ramen before."

"All you think about all day is food, right? Have you never thought about playing chess well? Look at Teacher Xinhe, why don't you learn from Teacher Xinhe?" Le Haoqiang complained.

"Teacher from the credit union?"

Su Yiming looked at Le Haoqiang with some curiosity and asked, "The Honinbo Shingo?"

Yu Shao also glanced at Le Haoqiang. He had heard of the name Honinbo Shinho before, and he remembered that he had watched a live broadcast of Honinbo Shinho's matches.

This world also has the title of Honinbo, but the successive heads of the Honinbo family in the previous life are completely different, and the games they play are naturally different as well.

"That's right, haven't you heard about the deeds of Teacher Xinhe?"

Le Haoqiang explained, "It is said that when Mr. Xinhe was nine years old, he was playing chess one day when an earthquake suddenly occurred. Although it was not a major earthquake, there was still a noticeable tremor."

"But at that time, Teacher Xinhe's mind was completely focused on the game of chess, like an old monk in deep meditation, completely unaware of what was happening outside the chessboard, and oblivious to all the noise and commotion."

"It wasn't until after the stone was placed that Mr. Shinwa finally realized that an earthquake had occurred, and his opponent, who was the same age as him, had already disappeared without a trace. Only then did he hurriedly run away."

Le Haoqiang couldn't help but gasp: "After this incident, Shinwa's Go teacher said that Shinwa would definitely become one of the world's top Go players in the future, and later it turned out to be true."

"That's it?"

Hearing this, Gu Chuan said with a look of disdain, "What's so special about that? When people see an earthquake, they don't even run away. They still have hot pot and barbecue as usual."

"So, if I specifically choose days with earthquakes to play chess from now on, and I don't run away, wouldn't I be even more awesome? Wouldn't I definitely become the best in the world in the future?"

Le Haoqiang choked up and was unable to refute for a moment.

Yu Shao glanced at Gu Chuan and nodded in complete agreement: "That makes sense."

…………

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(End of this chapter)