I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 335 Yu Shao, second dan; yes, Li Congyou, eighth dan.
The battle of the young tigers has come to an end.

Because both Yu Shao and Su Yiming were making their first appearance in the title match main tournament, they were already attracting a lot of attention. Even the Young Tigers tournament drew attention from many netizens because of their participation.

Therefore, as soon as the Young Tigers Tournament ended, the game records of the Young Tigers Tournament immediately spread online, and then caused a huge uproar in the blink of an eye!

After all, Yu Shao's game record was so amazing that everyone who saw it was immediately shocked!

Keep in mind, this is a handicap game!

Even if the opponent is not a master, they are still among the best of the young players aiming for higher ranks.

Even with a two-stone handicap, it would be a tough battle for even the top players.

but!

Yu Shao's game almost completely defied the principles of chess. His unusual jumps and leaps on the fifth line and above at the start of the game completely overwhelmed Black, leaving him with no chance to fight back!
Throughout history, countless games have been played with handicap pieces, and even some famous games have been played with handicap pieces. But never has a game of handicap pieces been so chilling!

It seems that Yu Shao's Go is on a completely different level from everyone else's.

It wasn't just Yu Shao; Su Yiming's game of giving away pieces also attracted a lot of attention.

In this game, it's clear that Su Yiming didn't deliberately try to build a large territory, but he unknowingly and effortlessly created an astonishingly large one.

This shows that Su Yiming's understanding of the big picture has reached a state of perfection, and he has perfectly embodied the four words "the superior is in the belly"!
Everyone began to have even higher expectations for Yu Shao and Su Yiming's performance after they made it to the title matches.

In the words of fantasy novels, before the title battle main tournament, the two were merely walking on the path of geniuses, but entering the title battle main tournament was a battle for the throne!
The players who make it into the main tournament of the title match are all the best of the best. Even a player with exceptional talent may not be able to make it into the main tournament of the title match after enduring hardship, suffering, and painstaking training.

Who are the players in the main tournament of the title match?
Zhuang Weisheng, who has held the 10th Dan title for 20 years and is known as the "Ironclad 10th Dan"!
Five years ago, Li Congyou was considered one of the two rising stars in the Go world, alongside Zhu Huai'an, and was invincible in the Japan-Korea Go Tournament!
Chen Shan, a 9-dan player, won the title of celebrity at the age of 30 and is now looking to make a comeback and win the title again!
The previous holder of the Go Saint title, Chang Yan, a 9-dan player, defeated countless opponents despite being a woman!
Feng He, a 9-dan player, is over 50 years old but still possesses undiminished skill. He is known as an elegant Go player for his delicate and restrained play.
……

There are just too many, too many chess players with countless honors, all standing tall in the hall of fame of the title tournament, each and every one of them a household name!
Every time a new player enters the title match main event, it attracts everyone's attention!
Because the title match format is truly a battle of many strong contenders!
No matter how good your previous professional match results were, it doesn't matter, because only by making it into the title match main tournament can you be called a hero!
However, even with fierce competition, only one person can ultimately secure a spot in the title challenge and launch an attack on the title match.

Only by defeating the title holder in a best-of-three match can one ultimately win the title!
Now, Yu Shao and Su Yiming have finally embarked on this path!
Half a month after the Young Tigers Tournament ends, the first match of the National Team Tournament will be held.

Because the main tournaments of the major title matches attract a lot of attention, the Go Association releases the match schedule in advance before each main tournament to generate buzz. Many netizens are curious and discussing who Yu Shao's opponent will be.

And so, another week passed, and amidst the heated discussions across the internet, the time and opponent for Yu Shaoguo's first round of the national champion tournament were finally set!

The questions that all netizens were curious about have finally been answered.

Seven days later.

Yu Shao, 2nd dan; yes, Li Congyou, 8th dan!

The news that Yu Shaoguo's first opponent in the main tournament was Li Congyu, an 8-dan player, caused a sensation across the internet once again!
The name Li Congyou is familiar to everyone who follows Go.

Although Li Congyou has never won any title and his rank is only 8-dan, no one would really regard him as an ordinary 8-dan player!

A few years ago, Li Congyou was a prodigy on par with Zhu Huai'an. The two played against each other several times, with each winning and losing. However, Zhu Huai'an eventually won the title of Chess Saint, while Li Congyou always fell just short.

Everyone knows that Li Congyou is holding his breath and is now launching his strongest attack on the title. He is also one of the most promising players to win the title this year!

The thought of Yu Shao facing off against Li Congyou filled everyone with anticipation.

……

……

The main tournament of this year's National Chess Championship was not held in the Southern Division, but at the Eastern Chess Academy.

Unlike the title match qualifiers, where players only encounter players from their current region, the title match main tournament pits all players from different regions against each other.

Therefore, the main tournament of each title match is held in a different location, and any of the five major regions could be the host city. For example, this year's main tournament of the Grand Masters Tournament was held at the Southern Chess Academy.

Yu Shao rested at home for a few days, and then took a plane to Donghai City, where the Eastern Chess Academy is located, and stayed at a hotel near the Eastern Chess Academy.

Two days later, the main tournament of the National Team Title Match finally began.

Early that morning, Yu Shao left the hotel and went to the Eastern Chess Academy, heading towards the chess room.

Now that they've made it to the title match main event, the main event venue is no longer the qualifying match room, but has returned to the long-lost hand chat room.

Not long after, Yu Shao arrived at the door of the game room, pushed it open, and went inside.

Inside the game room, the referee and the music notator were already seated at one side of a long table, while several cameramen were adjusting their cameras. Upon Yu Shao's arrival, they all turned their gazes toward him.

However, to Yu Shao's surprise, the person in charge of notating the music today was a boy of about thirteen years old.

"Good morning, Yu Shao, 2nd Dan."

The boy in charge of notating the music hesitated for a moment when he saw Yu Shao, but still took the initiative to greet him, saying nervously, "I'm your fan, and I'm currently a junior at the Yan Hai Dojo aiming for a higher rank!"

"Good morning."

Yu Shao smiled and nodded, then quickly walked to the chess table in the center of the game room, pulled out a chair and sat down.

"After Yu Shao finishes this game today, he'll have enough games to complete his responsibilities. Win or lose, he'll be promoted to 3rd dan, right?" The referee suddenly asked as soon as Yu Shao sat down.

Yu Shao paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "It seems so."

It's been a while since he was promoted to second dan, and he's played quite a few games during that time. He already had enough points to be promoted to third dan, but he hadn't reached that number of games yet.

If you do the math, it seems that after this game, regardless of the outcome, he will have advanced to the third dan.

"You've already made it into the title match main tournament with just three dan..."

The referee glanced at Yu Shao with a complicated expression, thought for a moment, and then said, "I hope to see a brilliant performance from you, Yu Shao, 2nd Dan, today."

"Thank you."

Yu Shao politely thanked him and then waited silently for Li Congyou to arrive.

The referee and cameraman on the sidelines were both in a state of confusion, and they would occasionally steal glances at Yu Shao.

"I can't believe that Yu Shao, who just became a professional Go player last year, has already made it into the title tournament this year... and he hasn't even lost a single game in official matches yet..."

"The title match main tournament is the stage for the top players to compete against each other."

"His opponent today is even Li Congyou, an 8-dan player, who is already one of the strongest players in the country."

Thinking about this, they couldn't help but feel a huge sense of disappointment.

Because the sense of disparity was so great, they didn't even realize that they had unconsciously developed a certain longing for Yu Shao.

Finally, after a while, a figure appeared at the door of the game room, immediately attracting everyone's attention again. Even Yu Shao couldn't help but look up at the figure at the door.

He was a young man wearing a black jacket, with a youthful appearance and slightly curly blond hair. Although his expression was calm, his eyes were unusually sharp.

He stood at the door of the game room, casting his gaze at Yu Shao without speaking or making any move, simply staring at Yu Shao in silence.

"Good morning, Li Congyu, 8th Dan." After a moment, the referee finally broke the deadlock and greeted Li Congyu.

"..."

Li Congyou finally withdrew his gaze from Yu Shao and walked towards the empty chair opposite Yu Shao, replying as he went, "Good morning."

Soon, Li Congyou arrived opposite Yu Shao. After glancing at Yu Shao, he pulled out a chair and sat down, saying, "You're really something."

Yu Shao looked up at Li Congyou but did not speak.

After Li Congyou sat down, he also raised his head and looked at Yu Shao opposite him. He said calmly, "I never thought that a young player like you would emerge, let alone make it all the way to the title match main tournament in just one year."

"I have studied many of your game records, and I must say, you have completely exceeded my expectations. To be honest, I am not confident that I can beat you."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the game room was stunned and turned to look at Li Congyou.

"But Zhu Huai'an has already won two titles, while I haven't won a single one yet."

Li Congyou's gaze sharpened as he looked at Yu Shao, and he continued, "I am determined to win the national champion title, and I will never allow myself to lose."

Yu Shao silently gazed at Li Congyou, and could see a chilling intent in Li Congyou's eyes.

The referee in the first game was quite alarmed when he heard Li Congyou's words.

"How could Li Congyou, an eighth-dan player, say such a thing?"

He stared at Li Congyou in disbelief, sensing a hidden meaning in Li Congyou's tone.

"Li Congyou, 8th dan, is definitely not praising his junior. He is... putting pressure on Yu Shao, 2nd dan."

"He tried to use his status as a well-known Go player to put pressure on Yu Shao, a 2-dan player!"

As Li Congyou finished speaking, the atmosphere in the game room suddenly became heavy!

The air seemed to be filled with a tense and confrontational atmosphere!

Finally, after a few more moments, the cameraman finished adjusting the camera and then hurriedly left the game room.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Five minutes later, the referee glanced at his watch and then looked at Yu Shao and Li Congyou, who were sitting opposite each other.

He took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and finally spoke: "According to the rules of the National Players Tournament, both sides have three hours of playing time, with one and a half minutes left in the countdown. Now, we can start guessing who goes first!"

Click!

As soon as the referee's voice fell, Li Congyou reached into the chess box, grabbed a handful of white pieces, and held them in his palm. Yu Shao also immediately took out chess pieces and placed them on the chessboard.

Li Congyou, five, an odd number.

Yu Shao, one, an odd number.

In this game, Yu Shao will play black and Li Congyou will play white.

Beneath the calligraphy scroll inscribed with "Sitting and Discussing the Way," the two put their chess pieces back into their boxes and bowed to each other.

Under the watchful eyes of the world—

The first round of the National Players Tournament!
Yu Shao, 2nd dan; yes, Li Congyou, 8th dan!

Start!
Yu Shao looked at the chessboard, pondered for two seconds, then took a chess piece from the chess box and made his first move.

Hey!
Sixteen columns, four rows, stars!
Li Congyou quietly looked at the chessboard, and soon picked up a piece, placing it right after the black piece.

Four columns and four rows, stars!

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

Seventeen columns and sixteen rows, small columns!
Li Congyou, as if racing against time, picked up a chess piece and placed it down again.

Four columns and seventeen rows, small eyes!

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

Hey!
Fourteen columns and seventeen rows, with Big Fly guarding the corner!
"As expected, they deployed a large flying mount to defend the corner."

Li Congyou calmly looked at the chessboard. Although the small star point and large knight's move to defend the corner was relatively rare, he had previously studied many of Yu Shao's chess records.

Seeing Yu Shaoyi make this big move, he wasn't surprised at all.

Soon, Li Congyou reached into the chess box again, picked out a chess piece, and quickly placed it down.

Seventeen columns and six rows, a small flying hanger!
"His chess cannot be viewed in the conventional way. He often has amazing moves. Although I have studied many of his chess records, I still cannot fully understand his chess style."

Under Li Congyou's watchful eye, Yu Shao quickly picked up another chess piece and placed it down.

Fourteen columns, three rows, Little Fly!

Seeing Yu Shao make his move, Li Congyou reached into the chess box again and slowly picked out a piece.

"But I can feel it."

"The more you study his game records, the more you can feel that obvious sense of incongruity."

"Although he has profound calculation skills and often defeats his opponents with his deep calculations in complex board situations, seemingly a strong and aggressive player, this is only the surface!"

"He has never had the ruthlessness to go all in and risk everything in a complex situation!"

"His seemingly aggressive moves are actually rational results of careful consideration, based on his judgment, understanding of the game, and deep thought!"

"He lacks the essential qualities of an aggressive chess player!"

"If the board position at this point becomes the key to determining the outcome of the game, then the winner is—"

It must be me!

Click!

Li Congyou picked up a chess piece and quickly placed it down.

Seventeen columns and ten rows, split into three!

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)