I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 397 The World Trembles!

Tokyo, Japan, a quiet Go room.

Higashiyama Kaoru knelt before the chessboard, gazing at the game before him. After a moment, he shook his head, picked up two white stones, placed them on the board, and said, "I've lost."

"The ones you downloaded here are actually quite good."

Seeing Higashiyama Kaoru resign, the slightly chubby man sitting opposite Higashiyama Kaoru frowned slightly, holding a folding fan in one hand and twirling a chess piece in the other, and said, "However, you are still not decisive enough."

Higashiyama Kaoru looked somewhat dejected and said with her head down, "It's because the teacher set the score too high; I didn't get any chance."

"That's not a valid reason."

The slightly overweight man turned his gaze from the chessboard to his most prized student, a displeased look on his face, and said, "How can you blame your opponent for being too strong when you lose? You can only blame yourself for being too weak!"

"These two sentences may seem to mean the same thing at first glance, but their deeper meanings are completely different!"

"The former is escapism, the latter is a challenge!"

"How can a chess player say something like, 'My opponent was too strong, so I lost'?"

Hearing the teacher's reprimand, Higashiyama Kaoru lowered his head, not daring to utter a single word of rebuttal.

Looking at Higashiyama Kaoru pretending to be mute, the slightly chubby man frowned more and more. After a long while, he spoke again: "Higashiyama, although I have many students, among all of them, you are the one I value the most."

“I have always believed in you, believed that you can take over my position in the future, believed that you can surpass me in the future, and even believed that you can eventually replace Ahn Hiroshi and lead Japanese Go to the top.”

"The reason I value you so much is not just because of your talent, but more importantly, because you have a heartfelt love for Go and are willing to dedicate your life to it. Even when you encounter strong opponents, you will never back down."

The slightly overweight man looked at Higashiyama Kaoru and asked, "But what's wrong with you now?"

Higashiyama Kaoru lowered his head, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

"Ever since the China-Japan-Korea team tournament, you've been in a slump, and many people are disappointed in you." The slightly overweight man tapped the chessboard with his folding fan and said, "You... don't like playing chess anymore?"

"no!"

Upon hearing this, Higashiyama Kaoru immediately raised his head and vehemently denied it, saying, "I want to play Go, I want to keep playing forever! A hundred games, a thousand games, until the end of my life!"

"So, what exactly are you thinking?"

The slightly overweight man stared directly at Higashiyama Kaoru, his gaze sharp, as if trying to see right through her.

"I……"

Higashiyama Kaoru's lips moved slightly, and after a moment of silence, he finally spoke: "I once thought I was talented."

"He became a professional Go player at the age of ten and had a 23-game winning streak until he met Honinbo Shingo, at which point he suffered his first defeat."

"My goal has always been to stand at the top of the Go world, become the strongest player, and lead Japanese Go to surpass North and South Korea to become the world's number one."

“I have always been moving firmly in this direction. No matter what kind of opponent I encounter, I am not afraid, because I believe that sooner or later I will be able to surpass him.”

"I always thought that as long as I kept going downhill and moving forward, I would leave everyone behind and catch up with those in front of me."

"If I keep going like this, I will definitely get closer to this goal."

Higashiyama Kaoru lowered her gaze, her long hair obscuring her face, her clenched fists trembling slightly: "But... I've discovered that's not the case."

The slightly overweight man remained silent, staring at Higashiyama Kaoru.

Higashiyama Kaoru clenched his fist even tighter and continued, "The China-Japan-Korea team competition had a great impact on me."

"But even though I lost, I felt at the time that I could surpass myself in the future."

"But after watching the National Masters Tournament and the Grand Masters Tournament... I'm a little unsure what to do."

Higashiyama Kaoru looked somewhat lost, and said weakly, "There's really no way... I... feel for Yu Shao, for Su Yiming..."

The slightly overweight man listened quietly, without interrupting from beginning to end.

Su Yiming knew that after the China-Japan-Korea team competition ended, Su Yiming played a game of Go with Higashiyama Kaoru, and Higashiyama Kaoru lost.

The controversy surrounding the Grand Master Tournament and the National Master Tournament was so great that he had naturally watched them all. Upon hearing Higashiyama Kaoru's words, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

These two title fights were so amazing that they greatly shocked him.

The slightly overweight man sighed softly, turning his gaze to the chessboard in front of him, silently thinking:

"It turns out I misunderstood."

"The reason he wasn't afraid of any strong person in the past was because he had enough confidence in his own potential."

"He has no reverence for the strong, so he is naturally not afraid of them, much less willing to run away from them."

"Now, he has lost confidence in his own potential... and has finally felt awe."

"A truly powerful chess player is not someone who has enough confidence in himself to be unafraid of strong opponents, but someone who dares to face strong opponents even if he has awe in his heart and lacks confidence."

"Only in this way can a chess player grow..."

"It is precisely these kinds of chess players who, even if they lack talent, will go further than the former."

The slightly overweight man didn't say these words aloud, nor did he intend to, because saying them would be meaningless. This journey was one that Higashiyama Kaoru had to walk alone.

He had also gone through such a period.

He was young then, achieving early success and making outstanding achievements in major tournaments in the Japanese Go world. But when he came to the world championships, he faced Hiroshi Ahn.

That was the first time he had ever felt utterly powerless.

At the time, he even felt that it was an invincible opponent, and that all his thoughts had been seen through.

He had never encountered such an opponent before. His playing style was extremely balanced. His opening, middle game, and endgame were all impeccable. He was never thin when he needed to be thick, never weak when he needed to be fierce, and never showed the slightest weakness when he needed to be solid.

He couldn't find any opportunity at all...

The memory of that game of chess was so vivid that even after more than twenty years, he still remembers it clearly.

Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the chess room, and the next moment, with a creak, the door of the chess room was pushed open by a boy of about fourteen years old.

The slightly overweight man frowned, and was about to speak when the boy shouted, "Teacher, something terrible has happened!"

"What's the big deal? Why are you making such a fuss?"

The slightly overweight man said with dissatisfaction, "Haven't I told you several times that you shouldn't disturb people when they're playing chess in the chess room?"

"But, teacher!"

The boy swallowed hard, a look of shock still lingering on his face, and immediately said, "In the Chinese chess world... they've organized a tournament called the Twin Cup for Su Yiming and Yu Shao!"

"Seven days later, in the Twin Cup, Yu Shao and Su Yiming will face off in two games, and the outcome of these two games will determine who will win the title!"

Upon hearing this, the slightly overweight man was stunned.

Across from the slightly overweight man, Higashiyama Kaoru suddenly looked up, staring at the boy in disbelief. "The Twin Cup? Su Yiming? Yu Shao?"

Higashiyama Kaoru asked blankly, "Determine... who will be assigned the title?"

……

……

Paris France.

Paris Go News, reporter's office.

"Crazy, really crazy!"

A blond, blue-eyed reporter stared at the announcement from the Chinese Chess Academy on his computer screen, his face filled with disbelief: "The Chinese Chess Academy is actually going to hold a match for the two of them to determine who will win the title!"

"Big news!"

Nearby, another reporter was also alarmed. He quickly dialed a phone number and, before the other end answered, said to his colleague, "The chess academy has never held a competition for two players separately before!"

"seriously?"

Some people simply couldn't believe it: "Was there a mistake in the announcement?"

“That’s an official announcement. Since it’s been released, it must be true!” someone immediately said.

"My God, this is outrageous!"

Another reporter picked up the phone, swiped his phone, and immediately prepared to book a flight to China, saying, "This competition, no matter the outcome, will shake the world!"

"Anthony, I've already booked the tickets. Let's head straight to the airport!"

Someone else hurriedly stood up and said to the cameraman partner on the other end of the phone, "Go get the DSLR, I'll wait for you in the parking lot, we'll head straight there today!"

"That's an exaggeration, how could such a thing happen?"

Some people said incredulously, "Although once they get the title, it belongs to them, and in principle, they are free to do what they want with it, it's a title they worked so hard to get! And the Go Association actually agreed to it, what will the other players who climbed up from the title qualifiers think?"

"It's actually not bad."

Someone shook their head and said, "The title match is over. Since you won, the title is yours for this year. Even if the title changes, other players can still challenge the new title holder in the next title match and win the title. It doesn't affect the fairness of the title match; it just means the challengers are different."

"But what's even more outrageous is that both of them actually agreed. That's playing too far. Who wouldn't want to hold onto the title for as long as possible?"

Someone gasped, "The title is easier to obtain. Usually, you have to wait a year for the next challenger to appear. That means even if you play terribly during that year, you're still the title holder. But here..."

"No wonder everyone says Su Yiming looks like Shen Yi!"

Some people nodded in agreement, shocked, saying, "The last time I heard of something so outrageous was when I read in a book that Shen Yi said he would give away all his wealth to anyone who could beat him in order to find an opponent."

"Since they're willing, there's nothing more to say. Anyway, it's time to get busy and start writing." Someone else shook their head and said, "Time to work overtime!"

"Pierre, let's go, hurry up!"

"immediately!"

"Did you bring your DSLR? And lenses! Bring a spare lens!"

Because of this announcement from the Go Academy, the entire Paris Go Daily office was bustling with activity. People came and went in a hurry, and the phone rang incessantly, creating a noisy atmosphere.

……

……

California, USA.

"Deciding on who gets the title?"

Ma Dong stared at the computer screen for a long time before slowly saying, "How willful..."

"Master Ma Dong, who do you think will win?"

Beside him, a young man in his early twenties with slightly curly chestnut hair stared intently at the announcement on the television screen and couldn't help but ask.

"It doesn't matter who wins or loses."

Ma Dong shook his head and said, "It's summer, and the world championships will start one after another. No matter who wins or loses, it won't change the fact that they will all be our biggest enemies."

"Too."

The young man took a deep breath and said, "We lost both of our previous chess matches, so we have to prove ourselves in the World Championship no matter what!"

“China has Yu Shao and Su Yiming; Japan has Iwakami Shunichi; and there are also players from North and South Korea, Europe… New talents are emerging from all over the world. This year’s World Championship will probably not be peaceful.”

Ma Dong took out a cigarette case from his pocket, lit one, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled: "It's really a turbulent time; I feel like the landscape of the chess world is about to change."

"Where can we go in this new era?"

……

……

"Seven days later!"

"The Twin Cup!"

"Yu Shao and Su Yiming will face off in a duel, and the outcome of these two games will determine who will win the title!"

The news spread like wildfire around the world, causing a huge uproar everywhere!

The internet exploded, and the phrase "Twin Cup" instantly became a trending topic, garnering over 100 million views in less than half a day!
Even official news outlets in many countries have reported on this competition!
Organizing a special competition for a duel between two chess players is unprecedented and has set a precedent. Moreover, the outcome of this competition will affect the title holder, which is already big news that is enough to shake the world!

Moreover, the controversy surrounding the National Masters Tournament and the Grand Masters Tournament has not yet subsided, given that Yu Shao and Su Yiming previously made stunning victories over Jiang Changdong and Fu Shunan respectively.

The Twin Cup is back, and it's undoubtedly generating a lot of buzz!
Two distinct groups of people have emerged online: one group believes Yu Shao will win, while the other believes Su Yiming will win, and the two groups are arguing fiercely.

As the days went by, the popularity of the Gemini Cup continued to rise.

Although it is just a domestic competition, its popularity is terrifying, comparable to a world championship. The topic of discussion on the Internet in all countries around the world is focused on the three words "Gemini Cup".

This is the case both abroad and in China. The Chinese internet is almost entirely flooded with posts about "Yu Su". On Go forums, there are even some childish comments calling the "Twin Cup" the "Fairy and Demon Cup".

Because Yu Shao's chess moves are unpredictable, he often makes unexpected moves that exceed everyone's imagination. He is also good at using his godlike calculations to defeat his opponents in complex battles, making him fierce and unparalleled, and he seems to have a demonic aura.

Su Yiming's chess moves are unrestrained and elegant, adept at fighting facing the central sky, displaying strategy with peace, devoid of both cunning and murderous intent, and with a righteous army and the Broken Immortal Formation, they appear ethereal and otherworldly.

One is a demon, the other a fairy, and the two are irreconcilable enemies, which shows how much netizens are looking forward to this confrontation!

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)