I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 417 The Future of Go

"If possible, I hope to have a place in next year's World Championship."

"This is what Xu Zijin said with a faint smile."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao looked at Xu Zijin with some surprise.

In his memory, Xu Zijin was someone who would keep her feelings to herself. It was not quite like Xu Zijin to openly express her desires in public like this.

Not only that, but Xu Zijin's ability to say such vicious things to tease Zheng Qin was also completely unexpected by Yu Shao.

During this period, Xu Zijin seemed to have quietly changed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Xu Zijing glanced at Yu Shao and said, "Who doesn't want to make it to the World Championship and become the protagonist in the story?"

"story?"

Yu Shao was taken aback, somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, so many stories have happened throughout the history of the World Championships."

With a hint of nostalgia in her eyes, Xu Zijin said, "A long time ago, most people believed that it was impossible for women to become top chess players."

"Until the emergence of Japanese female Go player Tatsuko Konishi 9-dan, who was invincible in world championships and defeated countless male Go players, including former Japanese Go Saint, Kazuki Seto, she shocked the world."

"However, facing the then-dominant Zhao Zhengyang and Sun Shangxun, Lizi was never able to win the world championship."

"Until one year, Teacher Li Zi, with an undefeated record, actually defeated Teacher Zhao Zhengyang and Teacher Sun Shangxun one after another, and made it all the way to the finals."

"Everyone thought that Teacher Lizi would finally get her wish in this world championship."

"In the finals, Ms. Li Zi encountered Mr. An Hongshi, who was just starting out at the time."

"The two sides fought fiercely for five games. The first four games were decided by half a point. In the fifth game, Li Zi's large group of stones was brutally slaughtered, and he once again missed the world championship. Li Zi shed tears on the field."

"After that, Ms. Li Zi never achieved such remarkable results again. She passed away due to illness in the third year. Before she died, she said that with Mr. An Hongshi around, she was destined to never win a world championship."

Hearing this, Le Haoqiang couldn't help but sigh and said with feeling, "When Teacher Lizi said those words back then, there was some resentment in her voice, but compared to resentment, she probably felt more regret."

When this story was told, everyone couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Even Yu Shao couldn't help but feel a little emotional upon hearing this story of a chess player unique to this world.

Go is cruel; skill is paramount, and the fittest survive. Even if you give your all, you're not guaranteed a satisfactory reward.

"And then there was Kimura Go, who used three godlike moves to achieve an amazing comeback and defeat Lee Taehyung, which was incredibly shocking and unforgettable!"

"Park Jae-han's cosmic style, with its sweeping and powerful attacks, and its incredibly fierce spirit, swept through the world championships, which is equally amazing!"

"There was also the epic battle between Mr. Zhuang Weisheng and Mr. An Hongshi, a ten-game match that brought tears to my eyes in every single game!"

Everyone started talking at once, discussing the world championships that they still remember vividly.

Listening to the crowd's discussion, Yu Shao glanced at Xu Zijing without leaving a trace.

So many noteworthy stories unfolded at the World Championships, but Xu Zijing only mentioned this particular incident involving Konishi Ritsuko, which reveals what Xu Zijing is truly thinking.

The first female Go world champion.

This is no ordinary difficulty.

"In short, there are countless love and hate entanglements on the world stage. Almost every world championship leaves a deep impression. Some stories are exciting, and some are touching and bring tears to our eyes."

Zheng Qin smiled, overwhelmed with emotion, and said, "China is not small, but when you look at the whole world, it seems small. The world championship stage is the real arena for chess players. The world championship has never disappointed!"

"Depend on!"

Le Haoqiang couldn't help but curse, "The more you talk, the more sour I feel."

Immediately afterwards, Le Haoqiang put his hands together in a praying gesture and said, "May Buddha bless me, may God bless me, may Guanyin Bodhisattva bless me! Let me participate in the next World Championship!"

"I really want to participate in the world championship and compete against players from all over the world!"

Hearing this, Zheng Qin couldn't help but feel a little smug and said, "So what if we're just going through the motions? Some people can't even go through the motions!"

"What's there to be so smug about?"

Upon hearing this, Le Haoqiang couldn't help but roll his eyes: "I'm just accumulating experience and then unleashing it. Once I make it into the World Championship, I'm aiming for the top 16!"

The group walked and talked.

Soon everyone arrived at a beautifully decorated hot pot restaurant, where they took their seats and excitedly ordered their food.

"correct."

Just after ordering, Zheng Qin suddenly remembered something, turned to look at Yu Shao, and said mysteriously, "Yu Shao, do you know that the Go ranking competition recently ended? There were some people you know in it."

Yu Shao was taken aback. He hadn't really paid much attention to the Go ranking tournament, and didn't even know when it started or ended.

As for acquaintances...

Yu Shao quickly realized what was happening and asked, "Zhuang Fei?"

"Haha, yes."

Zheng Qin smiled and nodded, teasingly saying, "Teacher Zhuang Weisheng's son actually failed to qualify for the top rank last year, all thanks to you."

"Don't wrong me."

Yu Shao shook his head and said righteously, "After he fell into the loser's bracket, he had a chance to climb back up. His failure to qualify for the next professional rank last year should be blamed on Fang Haoxin!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhixuan suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Speaking of Fang Haoxin, his recent record is excellent! He's on a winning streak in the Qisheng Tournament, only losing two games!"

"Zhuang Fei achieved a perfect record in professional ranking this year."

Zheng Qin stroked his chin and said, "Moreover, it is said that he is extremely strong in chess, winning every game in the middle game. He has no rivals at all. After becoming a professional chess player, he will probably seek revenge on Fang Haoxin."

After saying that, Zheng Qin looked up at Le Haoqiang and said solemnly, "How are you feeling the pressure, Xiao Le?"

Le Haoqiang, who had been silent all along, was suddenly called out by Zheng Qin and was completely stunned.

Realizing what was happening, Le Haoqiang's eyes widened instantly, and he angrily exclaimed, "Damn it, Zheng Qin, what do you mean?! You think I'd be caught by those two?!"

"I didn't say that."

Zheng Qin put on an innocent expression and immediately shook his head: "You said it yourself."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh when they heard this.

"Speaking of which, now that the ranking tournament is over, shouldn't the torch relay begin?"

Wu Zhixuan blinked, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She looked at Yu Shao and asked, "Yu Shao, if you accept the Torch War, is it possible that Zhuang Fei's opponent's partner will be you?"

Yu Shao was stumped by the question, and everyone present was also taken aback.

Could Zhuang Fei's opponent's partner be Yu Shao?
They hadn't originally thought of it that way, but after Wu Zhixuan brought it up, they thought about it carefully...

It's really possible!
Zhuang Fei's partner will most likely be Zhuang Weisheng, after all, like father, like son. And if Yu Shao agrees to participate in the Fire of Life, he might actually become Zhuang Fei's partner!

"I rely on?"

Le Haoqiang's expression turned somewhat strange: "A year ago, we were rivals, and now you're sitting across from me again, and... in this kind of capacity?"

"Yu Shao!"

Wu Zhixuan suddenly slammed her hand on the table, looking like she was enjoying a good show, and said excitedly, "You absolutely have to participate in the Torch Relay, you absolutely have to! Tell Chairman Ma that you're applying to be Zhuang Fei's partner!"

"Yeah!"

The others were equally excited, all becoming incredibly enthusiastic: "We absolutely have to participate in the Torch Relay. If you get the title in a year and don't participate in the Torch Relay, wouldn't that title be a waste?"

"You think I can just get this title for nothing if I don't participate in the Torch Relay?" Yu Shao looked bewildered, finding it a bit outrageous. He shook his head and refused, saying, "Never mind, I—"

"It seems we can't let it go."

Zheng Qin thought for a moment and said with a serious expression, "I seem to have heard that if a player wins a title for the first time, in order to encourage new players, the title holder must participate in this year's Torch Relay if he has no matches recently."

"what?"

Yu Shao was completely dumbfounded.

Why is there such a rule?

"Once you have obtained the title, you must bear the heavy burden that comes with it. As the saying goes, if you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight."

Zheng Qin patted Yu Shao on the shoulder and said solemnly, "Yu Shao, although you are only seventeen years old, you are already the one who needs to pass on the torch of Go to the next generation of players!"

……

……

Meanwhile, in California, USA.

"They should see how Su Yiming and I played the game."

A handsome blond man in his mid-twenties, wearing round-framed glasses and with a slender build, read a media report on his computer. A slight smile appeared on his face as he said, "I feel offended."

“He has the right to say that.”

A voice sounded beside the man.

The speaker was none other than Ma Dong, the Go player who led the team to China in the past, and also a master of one of the seven major Go titles in the United States, and the current title holder.

"Ma Dong, I didn't say there wasn't. I was watching how he and Su Yiming played their cards."

The blond man shook his head and said with a smile, "If anyone else had said that, I would have thought he was arrogant, but after seeing these two games in the Twin Cup, I just think, well, I do need to watch more."

"More and more outstanding young chess players are emerging in China."

Ma Dong frowned and said, "If it were just Yu Shao and Su Yiming, it would be fine, but there are also Zheng Qin, Qin Lang, Le Haoqiang, Che Wenyu and the others, each of whom has a limitless future."

"Moreover, I've heard that there are quite a few geniuses among the newly professional Go players in China this year, such as Zhuang Weisheng's son Zhuang Fei, as well as Yuan Jing and He Yu."

Ma Dong looked somewhat worried, sighed, and said, "Looking at the young players who have achieved professional status this year, we haven't seen any particularly promising talents. Although Zeng Jun has talent, he is far, far behind Yu Su."

"It's okay, I'm here."

The blond man shrugged and smiled easily, "The overall level of Go is meaningful, but not much. Go only needs to be judged by the strongest player in a country."

Ma Dong disagreed with this statement, but did not refute it. After thinking for a moment, he asked with some disbelief, "So, you're confident you can beat Yu Shao and Su Yiming?"

"No."

The blond man said it with a calm expression.

Upon hearing this answer, Ma Dong was speechless for a moment and couldn't utter a word for a long time.

"But didn't he say that we should see how he and Su Yiming play their cards?"

The blond man looked at the computer screen and smiled, "I think it makes a lot of sense. I've benefited a lot from just one look, so I really plan to take another look."

"Ugh……"

Ma Dong couldn't help but sigh; he was somewhat helpless against the blond man.

"Ander, you have indeed made great strides this year. I want to beat you, but even if I try my best, it will be extremely difficult. But it's no use if only you are strong. Someone has to be able to keep up with you."

Ma Dong thought for a moment and said, "It seems that no one can keep up with you right now, not even Zeng Jun. Those first-dan players are the future of Go."

"The future of Go?"

Ander smiled, looked at the computer screen in front of him, slowly stood up, patted the computer, his smile gradually faded, and said in a mysterious tone, "I think the future of Go should be here."

Upon hearing this, Ma Dong was stunned.

"Go is too complex. Human effort has its limits, and one could never find the answer to Go even if one spent a lifetime on it."

Ander pushed up his glasses and said, "Then, we can only rely on data and code."

"Ander, are you crazy?"

Ma Dong shook his head and said, "There are about 10^170 to 10^808 possible variations in Go. The total number of observable atoms in the universe is about 10^80."

"In other words, the possibilities in Go far exceed the total number of observable atoms in the universe!"

"Computers can never calculate all the variations in Go. Technology companies have made Go software before, but computers are not even a match for an amateur player, let alone a professional player."

Upon hearing this, Ander shook his head and said, "It's not necessarily necessary to exhaustively search for all possibilities."

"Not exhaustive search?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Dong found it absurd and calmly analyzed, "You need to understand that Go has a concept of strategic thinking, while computers are destined to lack strategic thinking. Without strategic thinking, they must resort to exhaustive search, but exhaustive search is obviously impossible."

"Computers have cracked countless board games, but Go is different. Go has been passed down for four thousand years, and even now, humans still cannot understand the black and white."

"This is also the charm of Go."

Ander did not deny Ma Dong's words, and smiled and said, "Master Ma Dong, you are right."

"However, could we create a neural network to give Go software a feel for the game, and then input all the past game records of humans, so that the software can see a whole tree and calculate the probability distribution of moves from the branches of the trunk?"

"Then, software might have a broader perspective."

Upon hearing this, Ma Dong frowned even more deeply, shook his head, and said, "I still think it's not feasible. Chess sense is unique to humans, and strategic vision is something that is strongly influenced by emotions."

"If a computer has a strategic vision, wouldn't that be the same as a computer having emotions? How is that possible? Moreover, inputting all past game records and calculating the probability of making moves is an extremely large undertaking."

Ander stretched and said, "Master Ma Dong, actually, it's a bit absurd that I gave the computer a strategic view and a feel for the game."

"Maybe it really won't work, but you should always try, shouldn't you?"

"Anyway, there won't be much loss if we fail, and if we succeed, there will be huge benefits."

Anderson stroked his chin and continued, "I have accepted Apollo Technologies' invitation to serve as their Go consultant."

"The project has started, although it is progressing very slowly and has encountered various difficulties. Even if it succeeds, it will probably take a long time. But... I think it is worth a try."

"Because of the previous defeat in the competition, the government has injected a lot of funds into this project and holds a significant stake. It can be considered a national-level project."

"Therefore, Apollo Technologies agreed that if the project is successful, it will not be used for commercial purposes immediately, but will be used by our professional chess players for training first."

"If the project succeeds in the future, then it may become the strongest Go player in our country, and we will hold the key to the hall of fame of Go."

"Only we can decide who gets in."

"That's why I say that in Go, you only need to look at the strongest player in a country, and that's enough."

"Let's not talk about this for now."

"What if, I mean, what if... the answer to Go really lies within it?"

Anyway, give it a try.

Ander let out a soft breath, turned to look at Ma Dong, and asked, "Master Ma Dong, as a Go player, don't you want to know the answer to Go?"

"That mystery hidden on the chessboard, which has perplexed the world for four thousand years, haunting hundreds of millions and leaving millions to sit in vain before it—"

Ander's eyes sharpened, he paused, and then said softly:
"The answer to Go."

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)