I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 443 Dream of Divine Insight
On the other side, Yu Shao and his group also arrived at the hall where the Phoenix Cup opening ceremony was being held. At this moment, the hall was packed with countless chess players.

"We've arrived at the Central Division."

Zhuang Weisheng spotted Zhu Huai'an and his group in the hall at a glance and said, "Let's go over there."

Soon, Yu Shao and his group of chess players from the southern region gathered together with Zhu Huai'an and his group.

"Professor Zhuang Weisheng, it's been a long time."

When Zhu Huai'an saw Zhuang Weisheng arrive, he immediately greeted him.

"Long time no see. Haven't the other three competition zones arrived yet?" Zhuang Weisheng nodded and asked.

"Not yet. I just messaged them to ask, it should be arriving soon."

Zhu Huai'an smiled, then looked at Yu Shao and Su Yiming, thought for a moment, and said with a smile: "Master Yu Shao and great chess player Su Yiming, I have always wanted to play against you, but we are not in the same region and have never met in a competition. I hope that I will have the opportunity to play against you in this World Championship."

"Me too."

Yu Shao smiled and replied, "It's a great pity that I've never had the chance to play chess with Chess Master Zhu Huai'an."

The competition in the Go world of China, Japan, and South Korea is particularly fierce, so it is rare for a player to hold multiple titles at the same time.

Previously, the only Chinese player to hold multiple titles was Zhuang Weisheng, who held both the 10-dan and Tianyuan titles. After Zhuang Weisheng lost his titles to Zhu Huai'an, Zhu Huai'an became the only Chinese player to hold multiple titles.

However, neither Yu Shao nor Su Yiming has ever played a single game of chess with Zhu Huai'an.

After exchanging pleasantries for a short while, everyone noticed that the players from the Northern Division, the Western Division, and the Eastern Division were walking over together, which surprised them somewhat.

"Teacher Kong Zi and the others all arrived together."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao turned his head and immediately saw several familiar faces.

Although Kong Zi was wearing a black suit, he still had his usual unshaven beard and burly build, looking incredibly rugged. He strode at the front, with Li Congyou, Qin Lang, and others following behind him.

Of course, in addition to Kong Zi, Zhang Dongchen, Li Congyou, and Fu Shunan from the Western Division, as well as Jiang Changdong, Chang Yan, and Chu Jingfeng from the Eastern Division, also arrived together.

It can be said that, with the exception of a few players who did not register for this world championship for various reasons, almost all of China's top chess players have come to this hall.

"You're here quite early."

Kong Zi quickly joined Yu Shao and his group, glanced at Zhuang Weisheng, and spoke.

"You're late. Did you arrange to arrive together?" Zhuang Weisheng asked.

"No, we just happened to arrive one after the other, so we came together," Kong Zi said, shaking her head.

The arrival of Kong Zi and his team also attracted the attention of others in the hall. Many people couldn't help but whisper among themselves, frequently glancing in the direction of the Chinese team, their expressions extremely solemn, and their eyes filled with apprehension.

And within this fear... there was even a hint of awe!
With the current lineup of the Chinese team, the pressure on most professional chess players from other countries can be described as overwhelming.

Although some players, like Zheng Qin, are not well-known internationally and not many people recognize them, the mere mention of the Chinese team is enough to make them regard them as formidable enemies, and even make them want to retreat involuntarily!
After all, while both involve entering the main tournament of a title match, the main tournament of a title match in some countries and the main tournament of a title match in some small countries are essentially not the same thing, and the same goes for titles!

This is the true value of being ranked among the top three in the world in terms of overall chess strength!
"Zhuang Weisheng, Kong Zi, Jiang Changdong, Zhu Huai'an..."

Inside the hall, a young man with chestnut curly hair looked in the direction of the Chinese team, seemingly feeling immense pressure: "Of course, there are also Yu Shao and Su Yiming, who have risen to fame this year."

Just then, another group of players entered the hall and headed straight for the Japanese players who had arrived earlier.

Upon seeing this group arrive, the chestnut-haired youth became even more somber, taking deep breaths as if trying to alleviate his inner tension and pressure.

These chess players may not seem particularly remarkable at first glance, but a sharp edge subtly emanates from their brows, as if they possess an inexplicable aura that puts immense pressure on others.

Wherever they went, everyone couldn't help but turn their heads. Even when they passed by, some chess players who were relatively close to them, who were not blocking their way, couldn't help but take a step back to make way for them.

"The entire Japanese team has arrived."

Zhuang Weisheng looked at the reunited Japanese team, frowned slightly, and spoke.

"Tch, I thought some new talents would emerge and I could challenge some new people, but it turns out they are almost all familiar faces."

Kong Zi scoffed and said, "It seems that apart from that kid Higashiyama Kaoru, there are no other noteworthy rising stars in the Japanese Go world."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao glanced at Kong Zi, only to find that while Kong Zi said this, she had her arms crossed and was subconsciously on guard.

Or rather, it wasn't just Kong Zi; once the entire Japanese team arrived, the atmosphere in the hall became heavier, and everyone became wary, their faces showing deep apprehension.

"Looks like they're mostly old friends?"

Just then, a male voice suddenly rang out from the entrance of the hall, and everyone in the room couldn't help but look towards the entrance.

Immediately afterwards, a group of Korean and North Korean Go players walked into the hall together, and the one who had spoken earlier was a tall, slender, and smiling young man from the crowd.

He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, which was considered young among the many chess players in the hall. However, no one dared to underestimate him because of this; on the contrary, they all treated him as if he were a formidable enemy.

Everyone recognized the young man's identity—

Jiang Han'en!
In the previous two years, he created a myth of being undefeated in international competitions and was known as the "Tiger of North and South Korea". Compared with Ahn Hong-seok, Kang Han-eun's undefeated record in international competitions for two years is actually more daunting.

The young man's gaze swept across the hall, passing over countless people, before finally settling on the direction of the Japanese team. After a moment, his gaze swept over the others, finally turning to the Chinese team before finally looking away.

"Teacher Zhuang Weisheng, Teacher Honinbo Shingo, it's been a long time."

The young man smiled and waved to the two of them, saying, "The two games we played together before left a deep impression on me. Perhaps we'll have another chance to play against each other this time."

Many people noticed the young man's gaze and, upon hearing his words, their expressions immediately turned ugly.

"He's so arrogant, he doesn't even care about us."

Someone whispered in dissatisfaction, "Does he only care about China and Japan? Does he even care about the United States?" "In the United States, although there are many outstanding new talents in recent years, there is indeed a gap between the top players and those of China and Japan. This can be seen from the first game. Even without Yu Shao, they would not have won the second game."

Upon hearing this, the person next to him said in a deep voice, "Moreover, his words are also a warning to both China and Japan. Zhuang Weisheng and Honinbo Shingo both lost their games against him before."

"Back then, Jiang Han'en hadn't even won a title yet; he was only a 9-dan. Now, he has finally won the 10-dan title."

"Of course, it's also true that he doesn't respect us, because he thinks we don't even need to be intimidated."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Let's see who's the best on the chessboard. If I meet him, I'll fight tooth and nail to win. I'll use complex opening moves like 'Heavy Rain' against him. If I lose, I won't lose; if I win, I'll make a killing."

There were quite a few people in the audience who shared the same thoughts as him, but Jiang Han'en seemed completely unaware of how many enemies he had made with his words, or perhaps he was well aware of it but simply didn't care.

"Yes, I'm also looking forward to playing another game with you, Jiang Han'en 10-dan. I hope that Jiang Han'en 10-dan won't be eliminated in the internal competition before meeting me, otherwise I'll be disappointed."

Upon hearing Jiang Han'en's words, Honinbo Shinko responded with a forced smile.

Zhuang Weisheng glanced at Honinbo Shingo with some surprise, because he had just wanted to say the same thing, but Honinbo Shingo spoke first, leaving him without any lines.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han'en's smile froze. In the previous two world championships, he was indeed undefeated in international matches, defeating even the strongest opponents, which can be said to have shocked the chess world.

However, if someone is undefeated in international battles but ultimately fails to win the championship, then they must have lost in domestic battles.

"Don't start off with such a hostile tone."

Just then, An Hongshi, who was standing behind Jiang Han'en, smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "It's been two years since I've had a competition. I'm very happy to finally have the opportunity to compete with everyone again."

As soon as An Hongshi spoke, everyone's eyes immediately turned to him, even Yu Shao was no exception.

In this world, anyone who pays attention to Go will inevitably encounter the name Ahn Hong-seok.

Ahn Hong-seok, more than twenty world champions—that's all there is to it. Beyond that, there's no need for any further elaboration on Ahn Hong-seok.

Two years ago, despite his illness, An Hongshi still swept the Go world and won two world championships that year. Later, due to health reasons, he was silent in the Go world for two years. Now he has finally made a comeback.

In fact, many people have doubts about whether Ahn Hong-seok, who has been silent for two years, can regain his former glory and whether he still has the same domineering and controlling power as he did two years ago.

And this Phoenix Cup World Championship may be An Hongshi's answer.

"Humph."

Jiang Han'en snorted coldly, perhaps out of respect for An Hong-seok, and did not retaliate against Honinbo Shin-ho. He followed the other North and South Korean Go players to the reserved seats for them in the hall to wait for the opening ceremony.

As the opening ceremony drew closer, groups of chess players entered the hall one after another.

Germany, Hans...

Team USA, Ma Dong, Shire...

Among almost every group of chess players who come to the hall, there are always one or two whose names are so well-known that they instantly attract the attention of the entire audience and cause quite a stir.

Perhaps some countries are not strong in chess overall, but their strongest players are qualified to compete for the championship with top-level players, which is already a legend in itself!
One, two, three...

Finally, once all the participating players had arrived and no more players entered the hall, the previously noisy hall inexplicably fell silent.

Some chess players from smaller countries, looking at the countless top-tier players standing densely packed in the hall, felt a profound sense of insignificance.

Here, you can almost pick up a player whose name has appeared in introductory Go books such as "Eighteen Lectures on Go".

The best-selling Go book in recent years is "Dream of Divine Strategy," which records famous games from modern times that have captivated Go players worldwide. Each game is ingenious, full of brilliant tactical moves and dazzling skill, as if carved by a divine axe.

Therefore, the book is titled "Dreaming of Divine Strategies," because only in dreams can one dream of chess scores so vividly filled with divine strategies.

However, in eight out of ten of the famous games described in the book, the winners and losers can all be found in this hall!
"Zhuang Weisheng, An Hongshi, Honinbo Shinho, Han Si, Xi Rui..."

Seeing one chess player after another, each name representing a legend, appear before them all at once, they couldn't help but have similar thoughts to Zheng Qin!

There are countless immortals!
This put them under immense pressure, while their ambitions secretly grew wildly!
A battle of titans—this is the pinnacle of the chess world!
Seeing one brilliant name after another, they naturally felt an unprecedented sense of pressure, but this was also their chance to stand out and rise from humble beginnings!

In many small countries, even if they win a title, no one cares. The world championship is their chance to loudly announce their name to the world through the game of chess!
Time passes minute by minute.

The hall grew increasingly quiet, and everyone looked preoccupied.

Facing the world championship, the highest stage, even many title holders couldn't hide the tension on their faces.

Finally, after about ten minutes, an elderly man in his seventies, with gray hair and a sturdy build, slowly walked up to the large platform at the front of the hall, under everyone's gaze.

Although this was the first time Yu Shao had met the old man, he had seen him countless times in news reports and recognized him at a glance.

Ma Zhengyu's superior is Zhao Zhengyang, the president of the five major chess academies in China and the chairman of the Northern Chess Academy. More than forty years ago, he was a chess player who simultaneously held the titles of Chess Saint, Tianyuan, and National Master.

Xu Zijin once mentioned the story of Japanese female Go player Tatsuko Konishi 9-dan competing for the first women's world championship. Konishi was a woman who was not inferior to men, sweeping away countless top male Go players.

At that time, two obstacles stood firmly in front of Xiaoxi Lizi, one of whom was the old man in front of her, Zhao Zhengyang.

Another obstacle is Son Sang-hoon, a Go player from North and South Korea.

At that time, Zhao Zhengyang and Sun Shangxun were said to have a fierce rivalry, and there were even rumors that they fought after finishing their game of chess, but it is unknown whether this is true or not.

Of course, these are things from many, many years ago. As far as Yu Shao knows, Zhao Zhengyang now is probably no match for Zheng Qin.

Zhao Zhengyang looked around the hall, his gaze lingering for a moment in the direction of the Chinese team before finally turning his attention away. He said in a deep voice, "My name is Zhao Zhengyang, and I believe everyone knows me."

"Welcome everyone to Phoenix Ancient Town for this year's Phoenix Cup World Championship!"

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)