I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 341 Changes in Perception (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
One week later, Donghai City.

Inside the hotel, Yu Shao stared intently at the chessboard in front of him. After a moment, he finally reached into the chess box, picked up a chess piece, and gently placed it on the chessboard.

He was reviewing the game he had played against Li Congyou earlier. Even though this game might not have been as good as the others he had played before, it was the first game in which he had completely lost control.

"There are still some shortcomings..."

Yu Shao gazed at the chessboard, lost in thought.

"In the past, the flowing water did not compete for the lead, but for the endless flow. But in this life, things have changed. Everyone is striving to be the first. However, after gaining an advantage, one still subconsciously wants to control the situation."

"If we stick to it here, the situation will change drastically. White pieces will definitely have ways to retaliate, and they might fight me to the death."

"It was precisely because of this consideration that I didn't stick it on top, but on the bottom."

"But because we didn't connect on the top, we overlooked White's counterattack and failed to see the tesuji (tactical move) that allowed White's bishop to take root on the board, which is why we completely lost control of the board..."

Yu Shao frowned slightly, reflecting on his shortcomings.

"However, this is finally starting to get interesting."

Yu Shao stared at the chessboard in front of him and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

He had indeed been winning the previous games, but he actually found them somewhat... boring.

Because even if not every move in those games was exactly as he predicted, he could still anticipate the general direction and grasp the overall flow of the game.

Even if he wins such a match, he doesn't really feel it's very meaningful.

The charm of Go lies in the fact that there are countless possibilities under the complex board. If you could completely master the game and not even find an opponent, then Go would really be meaningless.

While some people may not yet realize it, the way Go is played has actually undergone a dramatic transformation in a subtle way.

And it's not just that the way Go is played has changed; in this world, besides Su Yiming, there are also genius Go players like Li Congyou.

Although this game made him see his shortcomings, it was only in this way that he had the opportunity to improve his chess skills.

"It is said that Shen Yi, more than a hundred years ago, had no opponents after mastering his chess skills, and ultimately died in despair..."

Yu Shao suddenly remembered Shen Yi's story, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face: "So, Shen Yi and I are actually a bit alike?"

Upon closer reflection, there is indeed a bit of that.

The difference is that in his previous life, he had only been at the pinnacle of the Go world for a few years when Go AI suddenly appeared and crushed the Go world.

He was depressed for a long time. Later, he finally shook off his despondency and started to learn Go again. When he once again reached the top five in the world, he traveled to this world.

Today, the understanding of Go among players in the world has finally begun to change. Moreover, because Go is so popular in the world, there are more than just one or two skilled players.

"The National Masters Tournament is a double-elimination tournament. Players who make it to the main tournament fight their way to the end, and the winners of the winners' bracket and the losers' bracket compete for the qualification for the title challenge match."

"If you make it into the title challenge, then you will enter a best-of-seven match. Some titles are best-of-seven matches, and some are even best-of-ten matches, but the National Masters Tournament is a best-of-three match."

"If you can win two games in this best-of-three match, you will win the national champion title..."

Yu Shao thought for a moment, then finally turned his gaze away from the chessboard, stood up, went to the computer, turned it on, and quickly logged into the chess academy's official website.

The entire title match was played at a very slow pace, and the main tournament was no exception. Only one game was scheduled each day, and they were not played simultaneously. Each game was also spaced several days apart.

Today is the last game of the first round of the title match, between Zhuang Weisheng (Tengen) and Feng He (9-dan). Once this game is finished, the first round of the main tournament will be over.

Judging by the time, Zhuang Weisheng and Feng He should have finished their game of chess by now.

Just as Yu Shao had predicted, he had only logged onto the chess academy's official website when he saw the announcement that the academy had published more than twenty minutes earlier—

[The first round of the National Players Tournament has concluded!]

Yu Shao swiped the mouse, clicked the announcement link, and was quickly redirected to the announcement page, where he then opened the list of first-round results.

"Winners' Bracket: Yu Shao, Chen Shan, Zhuang Weisheng, Zhu Xinyuan, Le Yankun..."

"Losers' Bracket: Li Congyou, Feng He..."

Upon seeing the name "Zhuang Weisheng" in the winners' bracket, Yu Shao seemed to be deep in thought.

"Did Zhuang Weisheng win this game of chess today?"

He didn't watch the live broadcast of Zhuang Weisheng's game against Feng He today, since he didn't wake up until almost noon, so he waited for the game to end to review the game record.

Since his defeat in the 10-dan tournament, Zhuang Weisheng's tournament results have been less than ideal. This time, Zhuang Weisheng faced Feng He 9-dan in the first round, and many people thought Feng He 9-dan had a better chance of winning before the match.

After all, Feng He 9-dan is a veteran who has been through many battles. He is now over fifty years old and has more seniority than Zhuang Weisheng. He can be considered Zhuang Weisheng's senior.

Although Feng He 9-dan is old, his playing style is inherently subtle and deliberate, with no obvious weaknesses, so his skill level has not declined.

Even due to his advanced age, Feng He 9-dan's thinking became more meticulous. In the endgame, he showed an unyielding spirit in fighting for small points with his opponent, and his endgame skills were unmatched.

Therefore, many people even believe that Feng He seems to have become stronger now than he was at his peak at forty. However, to everyone's surprise, Feng He 9-dan lost to Zhuang Weisheng, who seems to be in poor form recently, in today's game.

After pondering for a moment, Yu Shao quickly found the game record of the game between Zhuang Weisheng and Feng He today, and then studied it attentively.

"Wrong small eye, right star small eye..."

"Then, Zhuang Weisheng jumped down and defended the corner?"

Yu Shao was slightly surprised to see Zhuang Weisheng make a mistake by jumping to the corner instead of using a small eye.

Although he has played this opening before, he hasn't played it too many times yet. Although his games have been analyzed and dissected by countless players, and many of his moves have attracted the attention of many players.

For example, the number of people guarding the corners has gradually increased because of him.

However, almost no one has ever played a move like the small eye jump to defend the corner. After all, this move looks very strange no matter how you look at it. It's not bad, but it doesn't feel like a good move.

When facing a small eye, Go AI recommends three ways to defend the corner: a large jump, a single pass, and a large knight's move. Among these three methods, Yu Shao prefers the large knight's move to defend the corner.

Previously, the "worry-free corner" that was highly regarded by human players when facing the small eye was completely rejected by AI.

The reason is simple: AI has completely overturned the overall strategy and efficiency. The traditional view that "defending the corner is winning" has been overturned by AI, which believes that external influence and speed are more important in the opening stage.

Although the Worry-Free Corner is solid, it is considered slightly unfavorable by AI due to its lack of external potential and future development.

However, the "no-worry corner" strategy has not been dismissed; it remains a viable move, given that it only results in a one-point loss in win rate, a difference that human players cannot perceive.

Yu Shao also never thought that Wuyoujiao was off-limits; he himself would occasionally play Wuyoujiao.

Ultimately, even a Go AI as powerful as it is cannot prove that it is always right. Perhaps with further iterations and developments in Go, the Wuyou Corner will regain its vitality.

Therefore, when facing a small-eyed corner guard, Yu Shao only played variations such as a large jump, a large leap, and a single pass to show others that this was a possible move.

However, when facing a small corner, most players still prefer to choose a safe corner rather than a large jump, single pass, or large knight's move.

Since most Go players in the world still prefer to play the "no-worry corner" move, Yu Shao has no intention of correcting it. After all, even Go AI cannot convince him that the "no-worry corner" move is wrong.

However, in such a crucial match as the National Team Tournament, Zhuang Weisheng played a small-eye-large-jump defense to the corner.

Yu Shao's expression became more serious as he continued reading.

Time passed by minute by minute.

After a short while, Yu Shao finally finished reading the entire game.

"This game of chess..."

Yu Shao stared at the intricate chess score on the computer screen, his expression growing more serious, but ultimately he mentally gave his assessment: "Brilliant!"

Even he had to offer his sincere praise for this game of chess.

Zhuang Weisheng made almost no mistakes throughout the game and played many moves that impressed even him. More importantly, his moves in this game were completely different from before.

This difference is not in playing style.

Zhuang Weisheng's chess style is almost the same as before, with solid moves and a grand and majestic style, especially known for his overall strategy and solidity.

Not only can they rationally grasp the balance of territory and momentum, but they can also use harmonious methods to keep their opponents in check. They are skilled in protracted warfare, have keen senses, and are good at sacrificing pieces and making the most of their strength and attack efficiency to win through strategic thinking.

However, my perception has changed.

In this game, Zhuang Weisheng's understanding of the game was clearly different from before.

This shift in perception meant that even though Zhuang Weisheng's playing style remained unchanged, the games he played seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, making him completely different from before.

Seeing Zhuang Weisheng's transformation even made Yu Shao feel a deep sense of urgency!
After reviewing the game from beginning to end, Yu Shao finally closed the game record, moved the mouse, and searched for his match schedule for the second round of his next title match.

The first round of the title match has concluded, so the schedule for the second round should be out by now.

Soon, Yu Shao found out his opponent for the next round.

[Yu Shao, 3rd dan; yes, Zhu Xinyuan, 9th dan!]

"Zhu Xinyuan, 9th Dan?"

Upon seeing this familiar name, Yu Shao was slightly taken aback.

"My next opponent in the national team tournament is... Jiang Xiaohua's mentor."

……

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(End of this chapter)