I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 388 The Horn of War Again

Is there a match between Yu Shao and Su Yiming?

It seems there is none.

However, this question was immediately and unanimously forgotten by all the reporters!

Yu Shao has just won the national champion title, which is bound to be a hot topic. Moreover, his performance in these three games has been so amazing that this topic will surely remain popular for a long time!
At this crucial juncture, with Yu Shao having just won the national champion title, Su Yiming's words... were tantamount to handing over a challenge in front of everyone!
Furthermore, Su Yiming even declared that he would definitely win the Grand Chess Player title, which, if reported, would be a huge sensation in itself!

Moreover, Su Yiming said that he would play chess with Yu Shao after winning the title, which sounded like a declaration of war to the reporters!

Because this is equivalent to saying... winning the national Go title, one of the seven major honors in China, at the age of seventeen is indeed amazing, but I can do it too!

If I can do what you have done, then it's time for us to compete again!

"Big news!"

A group of reporters, their faces flushed with excitement, immediately raised their cameras, aimed them at Yu Shao and Su Yiming, and frantically pressed the shutter.

Many reporters had a feeling that if this matter were reported, the attention and buzz it would generate would probably be no less than that of Yu Shao winning the national team title!

Immediately, the clicking of camera shutters echoed continuously along the corridors of the chess academy.

"They say the light of fireflies can never rival the brilliance of the sun and moon!"

A reporter, peering through the viewfinder of his DSLR camera at Yu Shao and Su Yiming, who appeared to be locked in a standoff, seemed to sense a profound sense of destiny, and couldn't help but think—

"However, if they both win the title, then without a doubt, if the two were to have another battle, it would be a contest between the sun and the moon!"

"One expert after another fell to their hands."

"And they will eventually meet at the summit!"

"Sun and moon, victory and defeat, light and darkness... just like the black and white of Go!"

He couldn't help but exhale a long breath, his eyes brightening.

"Over the years, Chinese players have not had a bad record in international competitions, but it is not satisfactory either. Most of the top players in the Go world are still Japanese and Korean players."

"However, now, a new wave is coming!"

"Yu Shao and Su Yiming!"

"Yu Shao has already won the national champion title and joined the ranks of top-tier players, while Su Yiming is only one step away from doing so!"

His heart was filled with anticipation, and his mind was racing with a myriad of thoughts, making it difficult for him to calm down.

At this moment, Yu Shao looked at Su Yiming opposite him, his expression gradually becoming solemn. He stared intently at Su Yiming and finally spoke, "I am also waiting for the day when we fight again!"

……

……

The national team tournament has come to a complete end.

Even though the last game of the National Masters Tournament has been over for a long time, the online buzz surrounding the tournament seems to have only just begun, and it's only getting higher and higher, even surpassing the initial buzz when the final match started.

Especially after the national team match ended, the conversation between Yu Shao and Su Yiming was reported by reporters from various media outlets, which undoubtedly added fuel to the fire that was already burning even brighter!
"Why was Yu born if Ming was already here? After the National Players Tournament, Su Yiming declared war on Yu Shao!"

"Su Yiming has declared that he will definitely win the Grand Chess Master title. Could it be that another seventeen-year-old title holder is about to emerge?"

"Exclusive interview with Grandmaster Fu Shunan! Grandmaster Fu Shunan smiled faintly at Su Yiming's bold statement, saying he'd wait and see!"

"Was Su Yiming truly confident, or was he simply being arrogant?"

"A new landscape may be emerging in the Chinese Go world! Zhang Dongchen, Zhu Huai'an, and Yu Shao, all under the age of thirty, have already won all four major titles. If Su Yiming can win the Grand Master title, then the vast majority of the seven major titles will be held by young players! Is a new era truly dawning?"

"In an interview with Japanese media this afternoon, renowned Japanese Go player Masahiko Tsuchiya said that although Yu Shao is young, he is already a Go player who can be described as great. He watched all three games of the National Go Championship Challenge and was deeply moved. He looks forward to playing against Yu Shao in the future!"

"European chess player Ander admitted in an interview with European media that Yu Shao will be the biggest enemy of all players in future world championships."

"..."

The online discussion is heated, with countless posts about the "National Masters Tournament" popping up almost every moment. Even topics about the "Grand Masters Tournament" are mentioned together with the National Masters Tournament.

At this moment, in an ordinary residential house in Jiangling.

Su Yiming sat at a four-legged chess table, staring intently at the chessboard in front of him, on which lay the final game between Yu Shao and Jiang Changdong.

After thinking for a moment, Su Yiming stretched out his hand and made another gesture. As he was gesturing, his hand suddenly stopped and his brows furrowed slightly.

"No, even if White captures here, Black can turn around. Unless White rushes in to fight back and can really defeat Black in one fell swoop, Black will completely cut off White's escape route."

Su Yiming silently watched the game of chess. When the game reached the middle stage, he finally understood Yu Shao's intentions, and even he was shocked like never before.

This method of subduing the enemy without fighting conceals its strength and feigns simplicity, achieving great skill without being overly elaborate. Each move is not particularly powerful, but the artistic conception of each move is profound and far-reaching, exceeding his imagination.

The first time he watched a game of chess, he felt an immense gap between them, a gap that seemed to transcend their levels of understanding, leaving him feeling powerless.

"Throughout this game, he observed quietly and then made his move, using tactics of encroachment and transformation to surround the enemy's territory invisibly."

"His strategic vision, combined with this method of planning before acting, ultimately led to the success of this game..."

"This kind of overall strategy is not limited to a single point or a single move, nor is it focused on local wins or losses. It's as if from the very first move, it's setting up a trap for the whole game."

Su Yiming stared at the chessboard, slightly lost in thought: "How can someone see so far ahead? How can someone be so indifferent to temporary gains and losses..."

From a rational perspective, it is right not to be concerned about temporary gains and losses. However, people are ultimately just people, and it is impossible for them to truly consider the big picture or completely ignore immediate gains and losses.

Just like in many chess games, there are ways to sacrifice a piece, and after such a sacrifice, it is obvious that a move can be made. However, because of the risks involved, many people dare not make that move.

Therefore, prioritizing the overall situation often means not focusing on local gains or losses. However, people will always worry that if the other party gains an advantage here, it will affect the development of the situation later, thus leading to a struggle with the other party.

Therefore, Su Yiming did not believe that anyone could truly take a holistic view.

However, this game of chess...

He saw it.

There are indeed some players who can see the whole picture, possess a terrifying strategic vision, and combine it with a meticulous and subtle playing style, constantly going with the flow, and ultimately winning the game without a fight.

A sword without bloodshed.

This could be the sharpest blade of blood.

After a moment, Su Yiming calmed himself down and looked at the chessboard again, his expression focused and serious.

"However, this approach and this overall perspective are not without flaws."

"Because they focus too much on the big picture, they often overlook the brilliant moves in the ambiguous parts of the game." "Perhaps it was because he understood this that Yu Shao played this game exceptionally simply and plainly, with no part of the game unclear and he controlled the game until the endgame."

"Because this approach is based on a profound strategic vision, first making oneself invincible, then waiting for the enemy to become vulnerable, and finally overwhelming the opponent with sheer force, like a giant python coiling around one's body, to end the game."

"However, no matter how simple the calculation is, it is still impossible to calculate everything. Not only can humans not do it, but even gods cannot."

"There will always be parts of the chart that make things unclear. If you can find the only move amidst that unclear chart at that moment—"

"We can win."

Go is like that, full of dialectics. Being too strong is bad, being too weak is bad; being too thick is bad, being too thin is bad; being too fast is bad, being too slow is bad...

For every gain, there is a loss; and for every loss, there is a gain.

In Go, there are many examples where you initially think you've made a bad move, but unknowingly, that bad move inexplicably becomes the key to victory.

This is Go. In Go, there is never an absolute good or bad move. You can only make the move that you think is relatively better based on your own value judgment.

Many people say that Go is like life, and that one can gain a lot of philosophical insights about life from Go.

Thinking of this, Su Yiming suddenly recalled the second game of chess between Yu Shao and Jiang Changdong.

That game was a chaotic battle on a blurred board. Yu Shao no longer had the concerns and hesitations he had shown in previous game records. Every move he made was decisive and resolute, crushing Jiang Changdong with overwhelming force.

"He... has become stronger."

Su Yiming looked down at the chessboard in front of him.

"Although he still cannot combine his overall strategic vision with the attack and kill under the ambiguous situation, he no longer has the flaws he had before, and there are no flaws that can be exploited to directly defeat him."

"In other words, if you want to beat him again, you can only rely on pure chess skill and judgment to determine the winner. The only thing that decides the outcome of the game is the level of chess skill, nothing else matters!"

"If I make no progress at all during this period."

"I'm sure I'll lose."

Just then, a woman's voice suddenly rang out from outside the bedroom: "Yiming, come out for dinner!"

"coming."

Su Yiming finally snapped out of his daze, quickly responded, looked away, and got up to walk out of the bedroom.

In the living room, Su's mother, wearing an apron, carried a plate of food to the dining table and put it down, complaining, "You child, all you do all day is play chess."

"Playing chess is a lot of fun."

Su Yiming smiled faintly, walked to the dining table, pulled out a chair and sat down, then picked up a rice spoon and served himself rice.

"Anyway, I don't really understand it."

Su's mother reached out her chopsticks and, while putting food on Su Yiming's plate, said, "I saw on the news that you're going to play chess with that kid named Yu Shao again?"

"……Um."

Upon hearing this, Su Yiming nodded truthfully.

"Sigh, really, you've never beaten him before, have you?"

Slightly indignant, Su's mother placed a piece of braised pork into Su Yiming's bowl and said, "If only we didn't have that child, with your current achievements, you would definitely be the most dazzling new star in the Go world!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yiming was slightly taken aback, then shook his head and said, "Mom, no."

"Ok?"

Su's mother looked at her son with some confusion and asked, "What's wrong?"

"On the contrary, I think it's my good fortune to have met a chess player like Yu Shao."

Su Yiming said with a smile, "Otherwise, wouldn't it be a bit boring?"

"See what you can do."

Su's mother couldn't help but roll her eyes, and asked with some concern, "Then are you confident about fighting that child again?"

"Frankly, not now."

Su Yiming shook his head and answered truthfully.

"Not now?"

Upon hearing this answer, Su's mother was somewhat puzzled.

"Ah."

Su Yiming put down his chopsticks, nodded, and continued, "I've also encountered many masters. Sometimes I lacked confidence, but I kept moving forward, and eventually I defeated them!"

Su Yiming's eyes sharpened, and he continued, "For this rematch, I will do my utmost, keep moving forward, until I finally win!"

Seeing Su Yiming's appearance, Su's mother was stunned.

After a long while, Su's mother chuckled and said, "What are you saying, child? Apart from that kid named Yu Shao, you don't seem to have ever lost in an official competition, have you?"

Su Yiming was taken aback upon hearing this, but in the end he could only smile and said nothing.

"I believe you will definitely win in the end."

After thinking for a moment, Su's mother asked again, "However, the most urgent matter is the upcoming Grand Chess Tournament. Grand Chess Master Fu Shunan is a very formidable player."

"You're too young. How could you say you'd definitely get the title in front of so many reporters? What if you don't get it in the end?"

With a worried expression, Su's mother continued, "Everyone knows what kind of people reporters are. If you hadn't won the Grand Chess Master title, all sorts of rumors would have started circulating. You were too impulsive..."

Just then, Su Yiming interrupted his mother and said confidently, "Mom, I will definitely win the Grand Chess Tournament."

"That's not what I meant. Mom knows you're really good and doesn't think you can't win the title. It's just that you can't be too careful. Title holders are different; they're the top players right now."

Su's mother still looked worried: "Besides, I checked and found that Grandmaster Fu Shunan is in very good form recently. Even when facing other title holders, he wins more often than he loses."

Su Yiming was silent for a moment before finally speaking: "Yu Shao has won the national team title."

"Now that Yu Shao has won the national team title, then—"

"I absolutely must win the Grand Chess Master title!"

"must!"

(End of this chapter)