I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 333 A Shocking Move
Soon after, all five of them had drawn lots, each clutching their lot tightly, all looking anxious and tense.

"Fan Tianhong, who did you draw?"

Feng Ruotao glanced at Fan Tianhong and couldn't help but ask.

"Su Yiming".

Fan Tianhong answered in a low voice.

Upon hearing this answer, Feng Ruotao was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh and said, "You just said that Su Yiming is nothing special, so in the match later, with a two-stone handicap, you're sure to win, right?"

Fan Tianhong's face flushed red and then turned pale. Finally, he said viciously, "You just wait and see, I'll definitely kill him without leaving a single survivor!"

"is it?"

Feng Ruotao glanced at Fan Tianhong with a look of amusement on his face and said, "Fine, I'll wait."

"So, who did you draw?"

At this moment, Fan Tianhong asked again.

Upon hearing this, Feng Ruotao immediately fell silent.

Fan Tianhong was puzzled and couldn't help but press further, "Say something! Who did you draw?"

Feng Ruotao turned his head away, seemingly unwilling to pay attention to Fan Tianhong.

Fan Tianhong was even more bewildered. Just as he was about to press for more information, he suddenly seemed to realize something, his pupils contracted, and he exclaimed, "No...no way?"

Feng Ruotao remained silent.

Seeing Feng Ruotao's appearance, Fan Tianhong became more and more convinced that his guess was true, but he couldn't help but ask, "Is it really... Yu Shao?"

Seeing that Fan Tianhong had guessed his opponent, Feng Ruotao finally nodded reluctantly.

Fan Tianhong was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Fan Tianhong laughed for a long time, then pointed at Feng Ruotao and said mockingly, "You still have the nerve to talk about me? Yu Shao will definitely kill you so badly that even your own mother wouldn't recognize you!"

Feng Ruotao remained calm, adjusted his glasses, and said lightly, "This isn't a game of equals or a handicap, but it's still a two-stone handicap. With my skill, I won't lose."

"hehe."

Fan Tianhong gave a noncommittal sneer and said, "Even if you win the championship in the dojo competition, you still can't beat Yu Shao, even if you give him a handicap."

"Facts speak louder than words. Disputes between chess players are resolved on the chessboard. Besides, it's not uncommon for a young player aiming for professional status to win against a professional player in the 'Young Tiger Tournament'."

Feng Ruotao did not refute, but calmly said, "Only someone like you, a defeated opponent of mine, would resort to verbal sparring."

"What the hell -"

Fan Tianhong's face flushed red, and he broke down, rolling up his sleeves as if to rush forward and fight Feng Ruotao.

Upon seeing this, the burly young man's expression changed, and he quickly grabbed Fan Tianhong tightly, fearing that the two of them would actually fight in front of Ma Zhengyu and so many reporters.

Fortunately, although Fan Tianhong was somewhat reckless, he was still rational. Seeing that a group of reporters were all pointing their cameras at him, although he was somewhat unwilling, he glared fiercely at Feng Ruotao and then stopped.

"Speaking of which, why are there so many reporters here today?"

The young man with thick eyebrows looked at the reporters in the game room with some confusion and asked.

The Young Tiger Tournament is held annually. Although it is the most important competition for aspiring young players aiming for professional ranks, and there are even notary publics to record the scores, making it exceptionally significant, it is not a professional competition after all.

In the past, although some reporters would come to film and report on the battle of the young tigers, there have never been so many reporters as today.

"It's because of Yu Shao and Su Yiming. They both made it into the title match main tournament and are the most dazzling new stars in the Go world right now, with an immense amount of popularity."

The burly young man took a deep breath, his expression somewhat solemn, and said, "Even a battle between two fledgling tigers can attract a lot of attention just because of the two of them."

Upon hearing this, the five of them became a little nervous.

They were all still young, having learned Go at the dojo since childhood. Although they were among the best in the dojo, they had never seen any big scenes.

The thought of how much attention today's competition was receiving, and that their opponents were all top players who had made it to the title matches, made them all a little nervous.

If this game isn't played well, we'll lose face not only nationwide but also worldwide!
All five were somewhat unsettled, and unconsciously fell silent, gazing at the door of the game room, waiting for their respective opponents to arrive.

Shortly after, when Yu Shao appeared at the door of the game room, the reporters inside immediately brightened up.

"Yu Shao, 2nd Dan, is here!"

"Quick, take a few more pictures!"

A group of reporters immediately pointed their cameras at Yu Shao and started snapping photos like crazy.

Without exception, all five aspiring prodigies raised their heads and looked at Yu Shao, their expressions revealing curiosity mixed with a hint of nervousness, and a touch of... awe.

“Yu Shao…”

Feng Ruotao subconsciously pursed his lips, clenched his fist, and stared intently at Yu Shao, thinking to himself, "In a little while, I'll be playing chess with him..."

"I'm going to see how you beat Yu Shao later. Good luck!"

Just then, Fan Tianhong glanced at Feng Ruotao and said to him in a sarcastic tone.

Feng Ruotao didn't speak, but glanced at Fan Tianhong with a somewhat cold expression.

Yu Shao had just entered the game room when Su Yiming followed closely behind. A group of reporters, as if they had been injected with adrenaline, pointed their DSLR cameras at the door and kept pressing the shutter.

Seeing Su Yiming enter the game room, Feng Ruotao whispered to Fan Tianhong, "Su Yiming is here. I want to see how you beat him later."

Upon hearing this, Fan Tianhong's expression changed. Finally, he crossed his arms, snorted coldly, and whispered, "Then you'll see."

After Su Yiming entered the game room, another middle-aged man in a suit and tie with a dignified expression walked in. Upon seeing this middle-aged man, the young man with thick eyebrows slightly changed his expression.

"Chen Shan, 9th Dan..."

Soon after Chen Shan, another bald, burly man in his thirties entered the game room, followed by a tall man in his thirties.

"Lu Bo 9-dan, Hong Leju 9-dan..."

Of the five players present, apart from Yu Shao and Su Yiming, the other three are all renowned top players with impressive records of winning titles, and they are all making another attempt to win a title!

The thought of competing against such a high-level player filled all five of them with genuine pressure.

The title match main tournament is the stage for top players. Those who can stand in the title match main tournament are all the strongest of the strong. Any one of them would be a prominent figure in the world of chess!
Chen Shan, a ninth-dan player, and his two companions showed little interest in the five aspiring prodigies, merely glancing at them casually before looking away.

Their attention was more focused on Yu Shao and Su Yiming, who had entered the game room with them.

Both players made it to the main tournament of the National Masters Tournament, but Chen Shan paid more attention to Yu Shao than Su Yiming.

“A year ago, he could only be considered one of these five aspiring professional players. Incredibly, he can now walk into this game room with me.”

Chen Shan silently looked at Yu Shao, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

After a moment, Chen Shan finally turned his gaze away from Yu Shao, and his mood suddenly became somewhat heavy.

"He and I are destined to meet in the national championship... as opponents!"

A little while later, the five notators arrived at the game room and took their seats at the five chess tables. Then, Ma Zhengyu, the referee, cleared his throat and said, "Time's almost up!"

Ma Zhengyu looked around and slowly said, "Now, please take your seats in order—"

"Table One, Su Yiming vs. Fan Tianhong!" Upon hearing this, Fan Tianhong took a deep breath and finally strode towards Table One. Su Yiming also left the crowd and headed towards Table One.

The two arrived at table number one almost simultaneously, pulled out chairs, and sat facing each other.

"Table number two, Yu Shao versus Feng Ruotao!"

Upon hearing his name called, Yu Shao finally got up and headed to table number two, where he and Feng Ruotao soon sat down together.

Although Feng Ruotao tried his best to remain calm, the moment Yu Shao sat down opposite him, his face finally betrayed his nervousness.

"Table number three, Chen Shan versus Mei Shaohua!"

"Table number four..."

"Table number five..."

Before long, the ten people sat down in their respective places. The five young men who were aiming for the next level all sat upright with their backs straight. They were nervous and uneasy, but their eyes also revealed a stubbornness and fighting spirit.

After all ten people were seated, Ma Zhengyu spoke again: "In order to make this competition more competitive, the black pieces will be given a two-piece handicap in this match!"

"Now, the five players playing black, please place your two black stones in the upper right and lower left corners of the board!"

Click!

Click!

As soon as Ma Zhengyu finished speaking, the five aspiring professional players reached into the Go box, picked out black stones, and placed them on the upper right and lower left star positions on the Go board.

After all five aspiring professional players had made their moves, Ma Zhengyu finally announced, "The match begins!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao and his four companions bowed to their respective opponents, and Fan Tianhong and his four companions returned the bow.

The game has begun!

Opposite Yu Shao, Feng Ruotao stared nervously at the chessboard in front of him, waiting for Yu Shao to make his move.

"If it were a game where we both move first, I would naturally be no match for him, but this is a handicap game!"

As Feng Ruotao recalled the chess records Yu Shao had played in the past, his eyes gradually hardened.

“He has just joined the ranks of top players and has little experience playing handicap games, so I definitely have a chance to win!”

"His chess skills are superior to mine, therefore I must do my best to avoid creating overly aggressive variations and not give him any chance!"

"We cannot be careless in the slightest, nor can we afford the slightest negligence!"

Feng Ruotao clenched his fist tightly!
"Then, win this game beautifully! Win it for everyone to see!"

Across from him, Yu Shao stared at the chessboard where two black pieces had already been placed, lost in thought.

In his previous life, he had also played many handicap games.

However, compared to playing handicap games, he actually mostly plays as the one receiving the handicap...

That's right.

When playing against AI, human players are usually given a two-stone handicap. Giving a three-stone handicap is too much. Even for Go AI, it is difficult to win with a three-stone handicap against top players.

Of course, even with a two-stone handicap, few players can win against Go AI, and he is one of the very few players who can beat AI every now and then when given a two-stone handicap.

Therefore, he is actually very familiar with handicap games.

In fact, in a sense, playing against Go AI with a handicap might be even more difficult than playing without one.

There is no other reason.

Because it is a handicap game, the gap between the black and white sides is very large from the beginning. Bearing such a heavy burden, the side that is giving the handicap will often change its playing style.

For example, in ancient times when there was no komi (komi) rule, a small eye that was hit by a corner was considered an unbeatable good move.

Later, with the introduction of the rule of "sticking to the target," this technique was deemed too slow and was abandoned—although AI has proven that this technique is not slow even when sticking to the target.

Even komi (komi) can change the way Go is played, let alone handicap?

Therefore, when playing handicap games, in order to turn the tide and prevent the collapse of the game, Go AI often adopts some ruthless moves that completely subvert human values, are beyond human imagination, and can be described as celestial beings descending from heaven!

Therefore, from this perspective, playing against Go AI with a handicap is more difficult than playing without one.

"So, in this game, should we play normally, wait for him to make a mistake, win the game, and then appease him, or..."

"Or……"

Yu Shao couldn't help but look up at Feng Ruotao across from him. After noticing Feng Ruotao's unwavering gaze, he finally made up his mind.

Click!

Yu Shao reached into the chess box, picked out a chess piece, and quickly placed it down.

"Since we are confident of winning, then—"

Hey!
Sixteen columns, seventeen rows, small eyes!
"bring it on!"

Seeing Yu Shao place his piece, Feng Ruotao's expression changed, and he immediately picked up his own piece and quickly placed it down as well.

Hey!
Four columns and four rows, stars!

At this point in the game, the initial situation regarding the struggle for the four corners on the board has been established!

Because it's a handicap game, Black occupies the top left, top right, and bottom left corners, while White only occupies the bottom right corner. If White wants to compete with Black in this corner, it's tantamount to launching a northern expedition!

Yu Shao picked up another chess piece and quickly placed it down.

Six columns and seventeen rows, a small flying bird hanging at the corner!

"If you attack my lower left corner, and then extend along the side to force White's small knight's move, that would undoubtedly be the strongest move, but it would be too aggressive."

Feng Ruotao calmly examined the board and quickly made a decision, reaching into the chess box.

"Therefore, it's still the safest option to use Xiao Fei as the first choice!"

Hey!
Black moves!

Three columns and fourteen rows, Little Fly!

Seeing Feng Ruotao place the chess piece, Yu Shao's expression remained unchanged, as if he had expected it. He immediately picked up a chess piece and quickly placed it down.

Hey!
Six columns and fifteen rows, jump!
At this moment, Feng Ruotao had already reached into the chess box again, about to pick out a chess piece and place it.

But when Feng Ruotao saw where Yu Shao had placed his piece, he was completely stunned. His mind went blank, and he stared at the chessboard in disbelief.

His right hand also froze in the chess box, unable to pick out a chess piece!

Nearby, the notary had just noted down Feng Ruotao's small knight's move. Looking up at the chessboard, his eyes widened as he saw Yu Shao's move!

"That move..."

"Jump?!"

At this point in the game, White has only made three moves, but that third move has already been earth-shattering!

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)