I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 442 That game of chess was like a guiding game.
"My name is Yuki Mita, and Gosei Sato is my senior."

At this moment, the girl next to Sato Ken looked intently at Yu Shao, extended her hand to him, and said, "Please take care of me."

Since the young man who played chess with him at the chess hall the day before yesterday was Takeru Satoh, then the identity of this girl is self-evident.

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao extended his hand, shook hands with Mita Yuki, and greeted her, "Hello."

After greeting Yu Shao, Takeru Satoh and Yuki Mita finally turned around and headed towards the hotel.

The group of Japanese Go players glanced at Yu Shao a few more times before finally taking another step and heading towards the hotel entrance.

After the entire Japanese team entered the hotel, Zheng Qin couldn't help but ask, "Yu Shao, did you play Go with Sato Takeshi the day before yesterday?"

Everyone else, including Su Yiming, looked at Yu Shao upon hearing this. Although they guessed from the conversation between Yu Shao and Sato Takeru that the two had played a game of chess and that Yu Shao had won in the end, it was still just a guess.

"Yes, it's already rained."

Yu Shao did not deny it, and answered.

Zheng Qin asked again, "You won?"

"Ah."

Yu Shao nodded frankly and said, "It was played at the Go club, but I didn't know at the time that he was the current Go master of Japan, Takeru Satoh."

Upon receiving Yu Shao's affirmative answer, everyone's expressions changed, and the atmosphere suddenly became strange.

Although Yu Shao's chess skills have been proven in many domestic chess tournaments, he has never actually played against top international players.

Although Takeru Satoh is a rising star, he has held the Go Sei title for two years and is by no means an ordinary person. He is definitely a formidable opponent that everyone should be wary of!
Although they are all players from the Chinese team, in the world championships, everyone fights only for themselves, and in fact, they are also enemies to each other.

"Alright, let's go in too. We still need to meet up with players from other regions. They might have already arrived, so let's not keep them waiting too long."

Just then, Zhuang Weisheng suddenly spoke, interrupting everyone's chaotic thoughts.

This group consists of players from the Southern Division. Players from each division start separately and then gather at the competition venue.

With their own thoughts on their minds, everyone finally took a step and walked into the hotel lobby.

……

……

Meanwhile, similar conversations were taking place on the Japanese team's side.

"Sato, you've fought Yu Shao before?"

A man around thirty-five years old, with messy hair like a bird's nest and wearing glasses, glanced at Takeru Satoh, his eyes flashing, and finally asked.

The man looked unkempt, but anyone with even a slight understanding of the Go world would be very familiar with his name!

Jingzhong Qin currently holds both the Tengen and Meijin titles, but most people refer to him as Jingzhong Tengen because he has not lost a single game in the Tengen tournament since winning the title four years ago, earning him the title of the undefeated Tengen!
In the last world championship, Inoue Sera defeated numerous strong opponents and shone brightly. Unfortunately, he was defeated in the final internal battle by Honinbo Shingo, which left many Japanese Go fans feeling extremely disappointed.

Unlike China, although Japan also has divisions, namely the Tokyo Division and the Kanto Division, because Japan's land area is not large, even though this group of people are only players from the Tokyo Division, each of them can be considered a heavyweight player.

"Ah."

Sato Takeru, with a calm expression, said, "That day, Yuki pulled me along, saying she wanted to go to the Go Association, so I went with her, and that's when I met Yu Shao."

Upon hearing this, Norio Ishida, who had been silent until now, spoke up in a deep and powerful voice, asking, "He recognized you, so he invited you to play another game?"

"No, it's not."

Takeru Satoh shook his head and explained, "We were all wearing masks, so he probably didn't recognize me. It was one of the Go players who was with him who invited Yuki to play Go, and Yuki agreed."

"Yuki played two games of chess with that girl, and Yuki won both times. Then another young man who was with Yu Shao came on stage. Although he was stronger, Yuki still won."

"In the end, Yuki probably felt that the opponent's strength was not that great, so he decided to have the last person go on stage. Yuki played a game with him and lost, so I went on stage."

Upon hearing this, Norio Ishida frowned slightly. Although Takeru Satoh did not say who "he" was, based on the previous words, "he" was undoubtedly Yu Shao.

Norio Ishida asked, "You saw Yuki lose, so you went to bet? Knowing you as I do, even if Yuki lost, you probably wouldn't have made a move, right?"

Upon hearing this, Yuki Mida fell silent, as did the young man.

Norio Ishida's words had a very clear subtext: although Yuki Mida did make it into the title match main tournament and qualified for the world championship, Yuki Mida is different from Kaoru Higashiyama.

Yuki Mita may be able to defeat many 9-dan players, but she is still far from being a true top-tier player.

Although Higashiyama Kaoru would struggle against top-tier players, he definitely had a chance of winning. Therefore, even top-tier players had to go all out when facing Higashiyama Kaoru and dared not underestimate him in the slightest. But even so, it was not guaranteed that he would win.

Therefore, he did not think that Yu Shao and Mita Yuki would play chess with such seriousness that their features would be so obvious that Sato Takeru would be able to recognize that the person playing chess with Mita Yuki was Yu Shao.

In most cases, when playing chess outside of competitions, if the stronger player knows that there is a significant gap between them and their opponent, they will not play too aggressively or ruthlessly.

Only after knowing the identity of his opponent, and based on his understanding of Sato Takeru, would Sato Takeru volunteer for the fight.

“Normally speaking, that is indeed the case. After that game, I did not acknowledge that my opponent was Yu Shao.”

Sato Takeru understood the subtext in Ishida Norio's words. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up: "Although Yuki lost, in most cases, I don't think it's necessary for me to intervene. After all, although Yuki is not weak, there are quite a few players who can beat her."

"Then why do you plan to take action?"

At this moment, Higashiyama Kaoru finally couldn't help but ask, "Even when he wasn't playing particularly hard, Yuki still lost very badly?"

"Do not."

After a moment of silence, Takeru Satoh denied Kaoru Higashiyama's guess and replied, "Actually, it's not so bad. Although Yuki lost, that game was not a complete rout. The two sides were evenly matched at one point."

"Why then?"

At this moment, Honinbo Shingo also became curious and asked a question.

“…Because.” Takeru Satoh paused for a moment before finally speaking, “That game was like a demonstration game.”

Upon hearing this, the group of people who had been walking stopped instantly, and even Honinbo Shingo's face showed a deep look of astonishment.

Everyone seemed to be frozen in place, and the entire place fell silent.

Only Mita Yuki's expression remained unchanged; she kept her head down and remained silent.

"guide……"

Higashiyama Kaoru seemed to be greatly shocked, his eyes widened, and he exclaimed in astonishment, "Guidance on Go?"

It should be noted that although Yuki Mita's skill level is far from that of a top-tier player, she has nonetheless made it to the main tournament of a title match and secured a ticket to the world championship!
At this level, facing a top-tier player is difficult, but there is definitely no hope of winning. Yet, it is now being associated with being given instruction in a game, which feels absurd like never before!
"That might not be entirely accurate."

Takeru Satoh took a deep breath before continuing, his tone resolute: "That game may not have been about guiding the opponent to the correct position, but it was, from beginning to end, a test of Yuki's skill level!"

Upon hearing Sato Takeru's explanation, the entire room immediately became even quieter.

What seemed utterly impossible just moments ago now appears somewhat plausible after this explanation.

What the hell is reasonable!
Yuki Mita is indeed far from being a top-tier player. For most people present, beating her wouldn't be difficult. However, accurately judging the opponent's skill level after winning is a completely different matter!

To assess an opponent's skill level, one needs to remain still and observe, or rather, wait and see what happens.

This observation is not difficult when facing an opponent whose skill level is much lower than your own, because if the skill level is too low, you will often reveal your weaknesses as you play. Even if you don't reveal your weaknesses, you can still find a way to observe them.

The best approach is to create opportunities for the other party to choose. For example, give them several paths: they can go left or right, and if other paths are blocked, going left is better. See which path they choose.

As the opponent's skill level increases, this opportunity becomes harder to find, because the stronger the opponent, the fewer options they have. In order not to lose, the stronger side is often forced to use a killing move.

This is why a beginner-level player often doesn't get too badly defeated when facing a professional, while a sixth or seventh-dan professional player often gets completely wiped out when facing a strong opponent!
This is not because professional players of the sixth or seventh dan level are weaker than those of the first dan level. On the contrary, it is precisely because they are stronger than the first dan level that their opponents can no longer hold back and cannot take the safest approach to win. Therefore, they have no choice but to go all out and use their full strength!
Yuki Mita is a typical aggressive player who fights hard. To accurately judge her strength, you must make probing moves while ensuring you have a way out. In other words, you must never make a fatal move!
No matter what, Yuki Mita is a player who has made it to the main tournament of the title match. She is known for her aggressive style. Under Yuki Mita's offensive, how could anyone possibly be able to handle her with ease and test her strength?

After a moment, Kimura Go finally spoke, breaking the silence, and asked, "So, you played a game of chess with him, and you lost in the end?"

"Ah."

Takeru Satoh nodded.

"So, after fighting him, what is your opinion of Yu Shao?" Kimura Go asked, staring intently at Sato Takeru.

"I think……"

Takeru Satoh took a deep breath and said, "Perhaps he's right."

"That's right?"

Kimura Go frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.

"We should all take a good look at how he and Su Yiming played their game of chess!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

Sato Takeru's expression turned serious as he continued, "Before playing against him, my understanding of him was entirely based on the game records, so I didn't really take his words seriously."

"I'm not trying to make amends for my loss to him; I'm just expressing my true feelings."

"After I actually played against him face to face, I had a different feeling when I looked at his and Su Yiming's game records."

"If I have the chance, I hope to face him again on the world stage!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment.

They could hardly believe that these words actually came from Takeru Satoh's mouth.

Of all the people present, only Araki's expression remained relatively calm. He raised his head, glanced at Yu Shao and his group who were entering the hotel not far away, and then turned around first, saying, "Alright, let's go."

Upon hearing this, everyone snapped out of their daze and followed Araki, each lost in their own thoughts.

After a moment, Higashiyama Kaoru looked at Araki Nobuo walking ahead, hesitated for a moment, and asked his master beside him in a low voice, "Master, speaking of which, why did you suddenly come back to compete, Araki-sensei?"

Araki Nobuo, who had been out of the public eye for ten years, suddenly returned to the scene after transitioning to a behind-the-scenes role as a Go instructor. This sudden comeback left not only Go players from other countries, but also almost all Japanese Go players completely bewildered.

"I do not know either."

Kimura Go shook his head and said, "It must really be what he said, that he couldn't stand being alone and wanted to play Go, right?"

"But hasn't Araki-sensei not competed for ten years? Can he adapt?" Higashiyama Kaoru asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's true that I haven't had a competition in ten years, but haven't I been working as a Go teacher all along? It's not like I haven't played Go in ten years. On the contrary, I play every day. Besides, I heard Kato 9-dan say that Araki-sensei is still very strong."

Kimura Go pondered for a moment and said, "In short, if we face Araki-sensei in the match, we must not underestimate him just because he hasn't competed in ten years."

"I know."

Higashiyama Kaoru nodded, clenched his fist, and said, "No matter who I meet, I will give it my all."

"It would be the same even if you met me."

Kimura Go noticed that Higashiyama Kaoru was somewhat unsettled and said, "You are already very strong, but you may still encounter opponents stronger than yourself."

"But you must remember that no matter when or who you are facing, at least until the game is over, you must play with the mindset that you can definitely win! This applies whether your opponent is Yu Shao, me, or An Hongshi."

Higashiyama Kaoru nodded, her eyes hardening, and her fists clenched tighter.

Although he is a seasoned player with countless battles under his belt, he still couldn't help but feel a little shaken and nervous when he was in the world championship, standing on the highest stage representing the honor of all players!

At this moment, heroes vie for supremacy in the wilderness!
　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)