I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 353 The opponent is... Zhuang Weisheng
"town?"

Upon seeing this move, everyone watching the game was slightly taken aback.

"To keep this place under control?"

The referee, watching the chessboard intently, said, "This move was unexpected, and it seems to have resonated with the whole game. The situation on the board has suddenly become quite subtle."

"However, it seems that Black has an easier time playing."

Chen Shan looked at the chessboard in front of him, frowned slightly, and after thinking for a moment, finally picked up a chess piece again and quickly placed it down.

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Both sides made rapid moves, the sound of pieces being placed echoing frequently.

On the chessboard, black and white pieces kept falling, their pieces intertwined tightly, making the board increasingly complex and the battle even more intense!
However, as the game progressed, the expressions of everyone watching the game began to change!

"The situation for the white pieces looks bad, but..."

The notary gazed at the chessboard not far away, feeling the thrilling clash unfolding on it, and couldn't help but swallow hard.

"However, the black pieces have no way to deal with the white pieces for the time being!"

At this moment, Yu Shao picked up another chess piece and slowly placed it on the chessboard.

Hey!
Fourteen columns and eleven rows, fly!
Chen Shan's face had turned pale at some point, and fine beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead and temples, wetting his hair.

"Click."

After thinking for a while, Chen Shancai picked up another chess piece and quickly placed it on the board!

Fourteen columns, ten rows, bang!
"At first glance, White's moves don't seem difficult; in fact, there appear to be many options, the situation is lively, and no group of stones is in mortal danger. However, upon closer examination—"

The notary looked at the chessboard with a shocked expression: "Black doesn't have enough pieces to give seven and a half points!"
"If Black makes a 7.5-point handicap in the end, Black will even be half a point behind White!"

"Black's pieces are indeed easy to place, and there are many attacks, but they are still half a point behind!"

"Kuroko needs to find a way to use this offensive to catch up by half a point. With such a strong offensive, half a point... shouldn't be a problem, right?"

The notary stared at the chessboard, lost in thought.

This question, which should have been answered definitively, now left her uncertain!
Keep in mind that Black was only half a point behind 20 moves ago, but even now, despite Black's numerous attacks, Black is still only half a point behind!

Soon, Yu Shao picked up another chess piece and slowly placed it down.

Upon seeing this move, Chen Shan did not immediately place his piece. Instead, he stared intently at the board, lost in a long period of contemplation.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Finally, Chen Shan's eyes hardened, and he picked up another chess piece and quickly placed it down.

Seven columns and thirteen rows, enter!

With this move, the situation in the entire game suddenly became extremely tense!

"Black has already invested everything, making a huge sacrifice and aggressively invading White's territory, aiming to kill White!"

The notarizer and the two judges were stunned by this move!
In an attempt to forcefully kill White, Black brazenly sacrificed a large group of stones on the upper side, making a huge sacrifice to forcefully kill White!

"What incredible courage!"

Yu Shao gazed quietly at the chessboard, then quickly picked up another piece and calmly placed it down.

……

……

Inside a luxury apartment in Donghai.

"A difference of half a point, and we're completely controlled."

Jiang Changdong stared at the computer screen. Because the room was dark and the curtains were drawn, the dim blue light from the screen reflected on his face, making his expression appear somewhat sinister.

On the computer chessboard, chess pieces are placed one by one.

"In this game, Chen Shan 9-dan played exceptionally well... He relentlessly pursued and attacked White throughout the entire game, but no matter how Black tried to catch up, the half-point difference remained unbridgeable!"

Jiang Changdong stared at the computer screen, at the chessboard, and fell into a long silence.

In this game, Black displayed a head-on approach from the start, launching high-level attacks with the intention of conquering the central plains. White responded in kind.

From the moment White made that big knight move in the opening, both sides found themselves in a difficult position, creating a situation where a decisive battle was about to take place in the center.

Faced with White's strong stance, Black was not to be outdone and went along with the situation White wanted to see. Then, Black suddenly revealed its true intentions, and the situation changed, with White seemingly falling into a disadvantageous position.

However, after White's decisive move, Black's offensive was as fierce as a storm, yet it was completely unable to shake White's position in the slightest!
Even though Black had previously played the most aggressive invasion and pursued White across the board, even now, despite Black's best efforts, Black still couldn't gain any points!
From every move Black made, Jiang Changdong could feel the intense unwillingness and indomitable fighting spirit, but even more so, the sense of helplessness that prevented them from turning the tide!

Black launched a series of attacks, but White, seemingly on the verge of collapse, remained steadfast.

Black fought with all its might, relentlessly pursuing and killing Black, making every move with the utmost offensive skill, yet this insignificant gap remained. How bitter must that be?

Soon after, after another thirty or so moves, the two sides entered the endgame battle!
"The endgame is the most delicate, requiring meticulous attention to every detail and no room for compromise. In this game, the difference between the two sides is only half a point."

"Will this be Black's last chance?"

……

……

Inside the game room, the sound of pieces being placed continued to echo.

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Chen Shan gritted his teeth slightly, staring unwillingly at the chessboard in front of him, trying to find every point he could gain.

but……

The referee and the scorekeeper looked rather somber; even they could see the outcome of this final endgame battle!
"In the endgame, White made almost no mistakes; every detail was perfect!"

Soon, the female recorder saw Yu Shao place another piece, take a deep breath, and then slide the mouse to record the move on the chess notation.

"White has smoothly concluded the endgame."

"Black was given no chance whatsoever..."

Seeing Yu Shao's move, Chen Shan stopped making any more moves. His face was pale as he stared at the chessboard. After a long while, he lowered his head slightly and quietly loosened his clenched fist.

"I lost……"

Upon hearing this, the game room fell silent.

The music notator and the two judges standing to the side looked at Chen Shan, and a wave of sadness welled up in their hearts.

In this game, Chen Shan relentlessly pursued the white pieces from beginning to end, giving it his all. This inspired both players to hope that Black's efforts would be rewarded.

However, even though Black used all its strength, and even went so far as to sacrifice a large piece to kill White, it still could not shake the half-point difference!
After the points are given, Black is at a half-point disadvantage!
"Thanks for the advice."

Yu Shao lowered his head slightly towards Chen Shan and began to speak.

Chen Shan remained silent for a moment before returning the greeting and saying, "Thank you for your guidance."

After bowing, Yu Shao reached out and began to tidy up the chess pieces.

"He has won three games in a row."

One of the referees looked at Yu Shao with an inscrutable expression.

"A total of four games will determine the winner of the winners' bracket. The fifth game will be a showdown between the winners' bracket champion and the losers' bracket champion, and this game will determine who is eligible to challenge for the title."

"Those who qualify for the title challenge will eventually face the title holder in a best-of-five match. The winner of the best-of-five match will claim the title..."

"The title of seventeen years old."

"Perhaps, he really can."

……

……

the other side.

"It's over."

Even after the game ended, Jiang Changdong remained silent, staring at the computer screen and quietly observing the game record.

After a long while, Jiang Changdong finally reached out, picked up the phone on the computer desk, scrolled through the contacts, and found Chu Jingfeng's name.

Jiang Changdong looked at his phone, hesitated for a moment, and finally dialed Chu Jingfeng's number.

The call was answered shortly afterward.

"Hello? Professor Jiang Changdong?"

On the other end of the phone, Chu Jingfeng's voice came through: "What's up?"

"Did you watch the game between Chen Shan and Yu Shao just now?" Jiang Changdong asked after a long silence.

"Yeah, I just finished watching it."

Chu Jingfeng asked, somewhat confused, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Changdong fell silent again.

Seeing that Jiang Changdong had called but remained silent for a long time, Chu Jingfeng was clearly more confused and asked, "Hello? Teacher Jiang Changdong, are you still there? Is the signal bad?"

Jiang Changdong stared at the computer screen, took a deep breath, and after a long while, finally spoke, "Didn't you say before that you wanted to review and analyze Yu Shao's game records with me?"

This time, Chu Jingfeng remained silent. "I've changed my mind."

Jiang Changdong said, "There are still two matches left in the National Player Challenge to determine the challenger qualification. Each match is half a month apart. In other words, if he really can qualify for the National Player Challenge, we have one month left."

Jiang Changdong's gaze suddenly sharpened as he stared at the chess score on the computer screen.

"One month should be enough!"

……

……

Time flies by.

Seven days later.

After seven days of fierce competition, the third round of the National Players Tournament has finally come to an end!
Ultimately, after three rounds of competition, only two players remained in the winners' bracket: Yu Shao, and—

Zhuang Weisheng.

All other players fell into the losers' bracket, and only one person was able to climb out of it.

As the main tournament of the National Players Tournament is nearing its end, it is attracting more and more attention, since the winner of the main tournament will be eligible to challenge for the title.

A player who earns the right to challenge for a title has essentially taken a step closer to the title; if they can defeat the current title holder, they will receive the highest honor in the world of Go.

title!

Go Saint, Tengen, National Master, 10-dan, Go Saint, Great Go Player, Celebrity!
This is the goal that all chess players dream of, and it is also the highest honor for chess players. Although there are many chess players, only seven people from each country can win the title every year!
That's why each title challenge match attracts attention not only domestically, but also worldwide.

Moreover, the fact that the next national team tournament's championship match will be between Yu Shao and Zhuang Weisheng has aroused much anticipation and discussion.

Zhuang Weisheng has always been one of the most watched Go players in China, while Yu Shao has been a constant topic of discussion since becoming a professional Go player, and can be considered the hottest new star in the Go world this year.

This was the first time the two had faced off on the field, naturally drawing widespread attention. Some media outlets online were even hyping it up, calling it a "battle of generational change" or a "clash of titans," sparking countless speculations.

"Xiao Shao, is your next opponent really Zhuang Weisheng, a 10-dan player?"

Cai Xiaomei's voice came through the phone, and it sounded noticeably shocked.

"Yes, only Mr. Zhuang Weisheng and I are left in the winners' bracket. If nothing unexpected happens, my opponent in the next round will be Mr. Zhuang Weisheng."

Yu Shao corrected, "It's not the tenth dan, it's Zhuang Weisheng's Tianyuan now."

"My god, Zhuang Weisheng really is a tenth-dan!"

Cai Xiaomei's tone was somewhat excited, and she didn't even hear what Yu Shao was saying: "Even though I don't know anything about Go, I've heard of Zhuang Weisheng. He's an incredibly important person!"

After that, Cai Xiaomei's voice came from the other end of the phone again: "Old Yu, come quick, come quick, don't just stand there washing vegetables, our son is really going to fight Zhuang Weisheng, a 10th dan! Zhuang Weisheng, that's someone!"

Not long after, Yu Dongming's voice came from the other end of the phone again: "Xiao Shao, Zhuang Weisheng's reputation is great, but don't be intimidated. Don't be nervous, just relax!"

Hearing this, Yu Shao smiled and said, "I beat Teacher Zhu Xinyuan and Teacher Chen Shan before, what's there to be nervous about?"

"That's completely different. That's Zhuang Weisheng! Titles come and go, but his 10-dan ranking remains constant. With the overall decline of Chinese Go, he has almost single-handedly carried the team. He's the number one Go player in China! He's not on the same level as other players!"

Yu Dongming immediately warned, "You must not get carried away just because you have defeated strong opponents one after another. Teacher Zhuang Weisheng is among the top five chess players in the world!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao couldn't help but smile slightly.

For people like Yu Dongming and Cai Xiaomei who know absolutely nothing about Go, Go has a clear ranking system. The first-ranked player cannot possibly lose to the second-ranked player, let alone the third or fourth-ranked player.

The name Zhuang Weisheng is almost like a mountain, enough to make all chess players breathless and only able to look up in awe. It is the goal that all chess players strive to reach in their lifetime.

Therefore, in their understanding, Zhuang Weisheng should be invincible in chess, and if he loses, he can only lose to foreign players from Japan and South Korea. He should have no rivals in China.

But that's not actually the case. Even a 9-dan player who sweeps world champions can lose to a 2-dan female player.

In Go, the strong are not necessarily the winners; both wins and losses are common. The strength of a player can only be judged by their overall win rate.

For example, if you can win nine out of ten games of chess, then you are naturally stronger than your opponent. But no one can guarantee that if they are stronger than their opponent, they will definitely win all ten games.

Of course, Go AI is an exception.

Go AI never gets tired, calculates flawlessly, and its calculation speed is far beyond the reach of human players. More importantly, Go AI completely abandons emotions, and every move is precise and cold.

Completely abandoning emotions and relying solely on data analysis may be the greatest advantage of Go AI, but it may also be its greatest disadvantage...

However, Yu Shao naturally wouldn't explain these things to his parents, and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll do my best."

"You must stay calm, don't feel pressured, play each move calmly, and perform to your full potential!"

Thinking that Yu Shao's opponent was Zhuang Weisheng, Yu Dongming's tone became serious.

Although he had confidence in his son, ... that was no ordinary person after all, that was Zhuang Weisheng!

"understood."

Yu Shao smiled, chatted with his parents for a few more minutes on the phone, and then finally hung up.

Yu Shao put down his phone and looked at the intricate chessboard in front of him.

This is a game played a few days ago between Zhuang Weisheng and Fan Shengjie, a 9-dan professional, in the main tournament of the National Masters Tournament. In the end, Zhuang Weisheng won by killing the dragon in the middle game, winning a resounding victory.

In this game, Zhuang Weisheng displayed astonishing calculation ability, forcibly sacrificing key pieces and ultimately using half of the dead stones to deliver a decisive blow to his opponent, swallowing up his opponent's large group of stones—a truly brilliant move.

Yu Shao stared at the chessboard. After a moment, he reached into the chess box and was about to take out a chess piece when his phone suddenly rang again.

Yu Shao frowned slightly, withdrew his hand from the chess box, picked up his phone, paused slightly when he saw the caller's name, and quickly answered the phone: "Hello? Xu Zijin?"

"it's me."

On the other end of the phone came Xu Zijing's clear and pleasant voice.

"what happened?"

Yu Shao, still gazing at the chessboard in front of him, asked a question.

After a moment of silence, Xu Zijin said, "Your opponent in the next round of the national tournament is Coach Zhuang Weisheng."

"Ah."

Yu Shao was somewhat surprised and said, "Yes."

Xu Zijing was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I will keep an eye on it."

"Row."

Yu Shao smiled and said, "I hope the rainfall will be better then, so as not to disappoint you."

“You have never disappointed me,” Xu Zijin said calmly.

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao was momentarily stunned.

"I'm really looking forward to your game of chess with Professor Zhuang Weisheng."

Xu Zijin said, "It's not just me, almost everyone is paying attention... Keep it up."

After I finished speaking, a busy tone came from the other end of the phone.

Yu Shao didn't find it too strange. He put down his phone, looked at the chessboard in front of him again, and finally picked up a chess piece and slowly placed it down.

Hey!
Eight columns and eleven rows, stop eating!

The chess pieces landed on the board with a crisp sound.

"I've heard of Zhuang Weisheng's name since I first came into this world."

Yu Shao stared at the chessboard, the game reflected in his eyes, recalling the past.

At that time, he participated in the high school Go league. In order to train, he borrowed Zhou De's Go book and followed the book to study the game records. There were many of Zhuang Weisheng's game records in the book.

Although in his view, Zhuang Weisheng's understanding of Go was not deep enough because he had not experienced the AI ​​era, those games still greatly impressed him.

Although he had never experienced the AI ​​era, Zhuang Weisheng's every move was profound, often leaving Zhuang Weisheng in awe.

At that time, looking at Zhuang Weisheng's chess scores, he often couldn't help but feel the urge to play a game of chess with Zhuang Weisheng.

He and Zhuang Weisheng had actually played two games of chess before: one was a game played in the "Torch Relay" tournament after he successfully achieved professional status, and the other was a private, fast-paced game.

However, strictly speaking, neither of these two games can be considered a real match; one was an entertainment game, and the other was a regular game.

Entertainment matches go without saying, but the difference between playing chess in a regular game and playing chess in a competition is also quite significant.

Therefore, in a sense, he has never truly fought against Zhuang Weisheng.

"My wish from a year ago will come true in a few days..."

"This should also be the first time I've faced a current title holder on the field."

"The Zhuang Weisheng of today is only stronger than the Zhuang Weisheng I saw in the chess records a year ago."

Yu Shao took another chess piece from the chess box and slowly placed it on the chessboard.

"What kind of game will Zhuang Weisheng play this time?"

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)