I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 446 No matter who the opponent is, I will not lose.
Everyone looked at the match schedule, searching for the players they were interested in, whispering among themselves, creating a noisy atmosphere.

After a while, and after repeatedly looking at the match schedule, the arena finally quieted down, and a solemn and oppressive atmosphere gradually filled the air.

A moment later, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhao Zhengyang walked back onto the stage and slowly said, "The opening ceremony and the lottery ceremony are now concluded."

"Dear participants, the Phoenix Cup World Championship will officially begin tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. We look forward to your amazing performances on the world stage!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression turned serious. Each with their own thoughts, they silently turned and left the hall.

The World Championship starts tomorrow!

However, for half of the players, tomorrow's start is the end. In just the first round of elimination matches, half of the players will be eliminated and unable to continue!

"Let's go."

Zhuang Weisheng spoke a few words, then turned around and walked out of the hall. The group of Chinese chess players, all deep in thought, followed Zhuang Weisheng and left the hall together.

Yu Shao followed the others out of the hall. They hadn't gone far when a voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Yu Shao".

Hearing someone call his name, Yu Shao stopped and turned around in confusion, only to see Su Yiming behind him.

"In this competition, the earlier rounds are all single-elimination matches. If you lose even once, you're out of the running."

Su Yiming took a big step forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Yu Shao, then calmly asked, "You shouldn't be eliminated, right?"

Upon hearing this question, Yu Shao was taken aback.

Will it be eliminated?

He hadn't even considered the possibility of being eliminated in the single-elimination tournament, but Su Yiming's question stumped him.

To say that he was 100% certain he wouldn't be eliminated would be highly unlikely. The opponents in the world championships are destined to be formidable, and in Go, even the slightest mistake can lead to utter ruin.

No one can guarantee they won't make a mistake. As long as you're human, you're bound to have weaknesses. Even if your opponent isn't very skilled, if they make a mistake, they'll still lose.

Not only him, but even if An Hongshi were to answer this question, he probably wouldn't be able to give a definite answer.

Therefore, the very act of asking this question is strange.

"What about you?"

Yu Shao thought for a moment and then asked in return, "Do you think you will be eliminated in the single-elimination tournament?"

"I won't."

As a result, Su Yiming's answer in the next second was beyond Yu Shao's expectations.

"you will not?"

Yu Shao was somewhat taken aback, completely unexpected that Su Yiming would give this answer.

"I won't, as long as you haven't been eliminated, before I meet you—"

Su Yiming stopped, turned his head, stared intently at Yu Shao, and spoke again: "I definitely won't!"

Upon hearing this answer, Yu Shao was stunned.

After a moment of silence, Yu Shao finally took another step forward, saying as he walked, "Me too. As long as you haven't been eliminated yet, then..."

"No matter who the opponent is."

A hint of coldness crept into Yu Shao's eyes: "I will definitely win."

"That would be best."

Su Yiming said no more and started walking towards the exit of the hall.

……

……

That night, with the first round of the upcoming World Championship approaching, many people were destined to toss and turn, unable to fall asleep. On the internet in various countries, the popularity of the Phoenix Cup World Championship continued to rise at an astonishing speed.

Time flies by.

The next day, before eight o'clock in the morning, some of the contestants began to enter the competition venue one after another.

They each found their own seats and sat down, then waited quietly for the other contestants to arrive.

As time went by, more and more chess players arrived at the competition venue.

Not long after, Yu Shao also arrived at the competition venue alone.

Yesterday's opening ceremony was held with all the players from the Southern Division coming together, but once the competition started, everyone went to their own competition venue.

This time, Yu Shao's arrival did not attract the attention of any of the contestants. Many people only glanced at Yu Shao briefly before immediately looking away.

In the first round of the world championship, half of the participants were eliminated. Now, all the participants are only concerned about their opponents. Apart from them, everyone else is irrelevant to them at least today, not even Yu Shao.

However, in addition to the contestants, there were also many referees, notaries, and some well-known amateur chess players who were invited to watch the game.

Upon seeing Yu Shao arrive, they all turned to look at him and began to whisper among themselves.

"Isn't this Yu Shaoguo's first time participating in a world championship? I wonder how he did in the end. Do you think he has a chance to win the championship?"

"With Yu Shao's strength, it's definitely possible. He's a favorite to win the championship online. However, it's his first time participating in a world championship, so he lacks experience. That's what I'm worried about."

Who was Yu Shaoguo's opponent in the first round?

"Donghe Ninth Dan".

"Dong He, 9th Dan? His luck is so-so. Dong He, 9th Dan, is a veteran who has been through many battles. He is not an ordinary person."

They watched Yu Shao walk into the competition venue and whispered among themselves.

Although Yu Shao guessed that they were probably talking about him, he didn't know exactly what they were talking about, but he didn't care.

After looking around the competition venue, Yu Shao quickly found his seat, pulled out a chair, and sat down, waiting like everyone else.

Soon, as the time drew closer to nine o'clock, more and more chess players arrived at the competition venue.

However, although the number of people at the competition venue was increasing, the venue was surprisingly not very noisy. Only from the non-participants could one occasionally hear whispers.

Almost all the contestants were silent, and they all looked preoccupied.

After sitting down, some people touched their heart and began to take deep breaths repeatedly; some leaned back in their chairs and closed their eyes to doze off; and some seemed restless, pacing back and forth in the competition venue.

Some people, even though they had arrived at the competition venue, did not go inside. Instead, they stood outside the venue, smoking one cigarette after another, trying to relieve their inner pressure and tension with nicotine.

"Everything is the same as before..."

Yu Shao watched this scene silently, feeling as if he had seen it all before.

Although this world is very different from the previous one, the scenes of the World Championship are exactly the same as in the previous life. The biggest difference may only be that there are far more chess players than in the previous life.

As the atmosphere in the competition venue grew increasingly tense and oppressive, even the non-participants seemed to be affected by it, lowering their voices when chatting.

Soon after, highly anticipated players such as Su Yiming, Zhuang Weisheng, and An Hongshi arrived at the competition venue and took their seats, which also sparked considerable discussion among the non-participants. As for the participating players, even An Hongshi was only glanced at once upon entering the venue, and then not given a second look.

A little while later, another young figure appeared at the entrance of the competition venue.

The moment the figure appeared, the discussions among the non-competitors noticeably increased, and even the contestants, despite the newcomer being no match for them, couldn't help but glance at the entrance a few more times.

Even Yu Shao was no exception, glancing towards the figure at the door.

The newcomer was dressed in a black suit, had long hair, and a somewhat somber expression on his handsome face. It was none other than Higashiyama Kaoru.

After the draw results for the first match were announced, the person who attracted the most attention was not Yu Shao, not An Hongshi, and not Su Yiming, but Higashiyama Kaoru.

Because in the first round of the World Championship, Higashiyama Kaoru faced off against his teacher, Kimura Go, a 10-dan player. Today, one of Higashiyama Kaoru and Kimura Go will inevitably be eliminated.

Higashiyama Kaoru took a deep breath, met the gazes of everyone present, and quickly walked to the chessboard where he would be playing today.

Kimura Go had arrived at the competition venue before Higashiyama Kaoru. When he saw Higashiyama Kaoru walk to the opposite side, he looked up at Higashiyama Kaoru.

Higashiyama Kaoru remained silent, quietly pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite her teacher.

Seeing this, many amateur Go players who were invited to watch the game exchanged glances and understood each other's meaning. They quickly headed towards the table where Higashiyama Kaoru and Kimura Go were playing.

"Let's take a look?"

"Let's go, let's go, this is a good show to watch."

"It's really unfortunate that Higashiyama Kaoru encountered his own teacher in the first round. Kimura Go-sensei had no choice but to put aside his own family for the greater good."

Before long, Higashiyama Kaoru and Kimura Go's table was completely surrounded by people.

Seeing that Higashiyama Kaoru and Kimura Go had been surrounded, Yu Shao finally turned his gaze away from Higashiyama Kaoru and continued to wait.

Finally, after a short while, a slightly chubby young man with chestnut curly hair, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, arrived opposite Yu Shao.

Donghe, you've reached 9-dan.

Dong He gave Yu Shao a deep look, then pulled out his chair and sat down.

Time ticked by, and by around 8:50, the entire competition venue was packed. The players who had been smoking outside the venue returned and took their seats.

With all the participating players in place, the atmosphere in the entire competition venue suddenly became solemn.

Just then, a young chess player stood up and, to everyone's astonishment, walked out of the competition venue without looking back.

About a minute or two later, the player who had just left rushed back. Unlike before he left, his face was still wet with water, obviously because he had gone out to wash his face with cold water.

Everyone was left with mixed feelings upon witnessing this scene.

at last.

As the clock on the wall struck nine, Zhao Zhengyang, the chief referee, stood up from the referee's bench and announced, "The match is over!"

"In this match, each side has two hours, with one minute of overtime. The black komi is 7.5 points. The match is a single-elimination tournament, with the winner advancing and the loser being eliminated!"

"Now, the competition begins. Players, please start guessing who goes first!"

Upon hearing Zhao Zhengyang finish speaking, Yu Shao immediately reached into the chess box, grabbed a handful of chess pieces, and held them in his palm.

Seeing this, Dong He's expression became somewhat complicated.

In Go, the player with the higher rank takes the white stones, and the player with the lower rank takes the black stones to determine whether the game is odd or even. If the ranks are the same, the older player takes the white stones, and the younger player takes the black stones to determine whether the game is odd or even.

He was only twenty-seven years old, which is quite young for a high-ranking player. Moreover, he was a ninth-dan player. Having played Go for so long, he usually picked off opponents who were older than him when he was playing black stones.

When facing opponents younger than oneself, the number of times one needs to guess the odd or even numbers by identifying black pieces is extremely limited.

Although strictly speaking, Yu Shao's level is actually lower than his, Yu Shao has a title while he doesn't, so naturally he's the one catching the haters.

Dong He took a deep breath, calmed his chaotic thoughts, glanced at Yu Shao, and then reached into the chess box, took out a chess piece, and placed it on the chessboard.

Yu Shao released his grip, and the chess piece fell onto the chessboard.

"Two, four, six, eight."

After counting the pieces, Yu Shao looked up at his opponent and said, "Eight pieces."

Dong He looked at a black piece on the chessboard and said, "I guessed wrong. You play black."

After saying that, Dong He put the black pieces back in the chess box and then exchanged chess boxes with Yu Shao.

"Please give me more advice."

Yu Shao bowed slightly to Dong He opposite him and greeted him.

Dong He, on the other side, immediately returned the greeting, saying, "Please give me your guidance."

Phoenix Cup World Championship, Round 1!
The game begins!
Yu Shao calmly gazed at the chessboard, reached into the chess box with his right hand, and slowly picked out a chess piece.

Feeling the tense atmosphere permeating the air around him, Yu Shao felt as if he had returned to his past life, to the battlefield he knew best!
Yesterday, after the opening ceremony, Su Yiming's words to him seemed to echo in his ears again!

Yu Shao's eyes were extremely calm. Finally, he picked up the chess piece and quickly placed it down!
Hey!
Seventeen columns, four rows, small eyes!

The chess piece lands on the board with a crisp, clear sound!
Seeing Yu Shao place the chess piece, Dong He was stunned for a moment before he finally came to his senses.

"This boy."

The next moment, Dong He subconsciously clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and felt a surge of shame and anger welling up inside him. He immediately reached into the chess box, picked out a chess piece, and placed it on the chessboard.

Four columns and four rows, stars!

Yu Shao quickly placed his piece again.

Sixteen columns, seventeen rows, small eyes!
Not to be outdone, Dong He also placed a chess piece.

Four columns and sixteen rows, a star!
Both sides continued to place their pieces, and after forming a small-point opening against a two-star formation, they quickly completed another twenty or so moves.

"Should this move be to extend the range, or to play a more aggressive, pressing move?"

Dong He stared intently at the chessboard, lost in thought.

After a few more seconds, Dong He finally made a decision!

Dong He glanced at Yu Shao, reached into the chess box, picked out a chess piece, and then, a fierce look appeared in his eyes as he slammed the piece onto the chessboard!

"Then, come on!"

Hey!
Eighteen columns and twelve rows, flying pressure!
White's flying press is the most offensive move!
After placing the piece, it has to both restrict the black stones' external influence and attack the black stones' side territory. It can be said that it has directly exposed its sharpest fangs. It seems that black will have a very difficult time no matter what it does next!

The next moment, Yu Shao quietly looked at the chessboard, then picked up a chess piece and placed it down with lightning speed!

Hey!
19th column, fourth row, pounce!

…………

P.S.: Please vote for me next month, it's almost the end of the month!
　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)