I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 449 The Battle for the Championship
Da da da……

The sounds of pieces being placed still echoed throughout the competition venue.

Yu Shao and Zheng Qin had somehow returned to the competition venue and stood behind Su Yiming, watching the chess game.

After struggling for a long time, the Dutch chess player sitting opposite Su Yiming finally lowered his head in dejection and said, "I lost."

"Thanks for the advice."

Su Yiming remained calm and bowed to his opponent.

"Thanks for the advice."

The Dutch chess player opposite Su Yiming had a very bitter expression. After exchanging greetings with Su, he put away his chess pieces.

Then, he stared blankly at the chessboard in front of him, now completely empty, as if the game was still right before his eyes, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Just then, a pair of hands landed on his shoulders. He was slightly startled, turned his head, and saw a blond man in his forties standing behind him.

"It's already fallen quite well."

The blond man smiled faintly and said, "Although you lost, it's just because your opponent was too strong. You really did your best, and I saw that."

"We must admit that there is indeed a gap between us and Chinese chess players. You should be proud of how well you played."

Upon hearing this, the Dutch chess player was deeply moved. Despite losing the game, he didn't react much and was even prepared to be criticized.

However, upon hearing these words, which contained not a trace of criticism, his emotions surged instantly, and he almost burst into tears.

This was his first time stepping onto the world stage. He had dedicated almost his entire life to this day, constantly honing his skills, but he was easily defeated by his opponent in the first round!
It's as if all the efforts of the first half of my life have been negated; the feeling is indescribable to outsiders.

The others watching this scene also had mixed feelings.

This Dutch player is not the first, nor is he destined to be the second, to be like this. Only now do they finally understand how heavy the weight of Zhao Zhengyang's words before the game were: "It's not that hard work guarantees good results."

Su Yiming watched this scene quietly. Although, in his opinion, his opponent's chess skills were not strong, and this game was not a particularly difficult battle for him.

But every move his opponent made contained his passion for Go, and hidden beneath each move was an indomitable will and an unyielding fighting spirit, which moved him deeply.

Even if the opponent is not strong, they should still be respected.

He even saw his own reflection in him, and wasn't the same true between him and Yu Shao?
In the China-Japan-Korea Go League, he tried his best but couldn't find any opportunities. Later, he kept studying the game records and learning modern joseki, but he still suffered defeat!

To date, he has never won a single game against Yu Shao in an official competition. Even the draw in the Twin Cup was achieved with tremendous effort.

"I will go on in your place in this competition..."

Su Yiming thought silently, then lowered his eyes to look at the empty chessboard between the two of them. On the chessboard, every game he and Yu Shao had played in the past seemed to appear.

"I will definitely beat Yu Shao."

"All the efforts you've made for the World Championship, just like mine, will definitely not be in vain!"

Finally, after a moment, Su Yiming slowly stood up and saw Yu Shao and Zheng Qin behind him.

Su Yiming was not surprised by this. He gave Yu Shao a deep look, then looked away and said, "Teacher Zhuang Weisheng is still here. Let's go see him."

Although Yu Shao vaguely sensed a different emotion in Su Yiming's gaze, he didn't think much of it, nodded, and said, "Let's go."

……

……

Time keeps passing.

Throughout the competition venue, a heavy and anxious atmosphere pervaded the air. All the players were giving their all within their limited space, trying to prove themselves to the world on this highest stage of Go.

Da da da……

More and more games of chess have come to a conclusion, with winners and losers emerging one after another.

Honinbo trusts and advances!

Ahn Hong-seok, you've qualified!

Zhuang Weisheng has qualified!

Wishing Huai'an good luck in advancing!

……

For every player who advances, someone else is eliminated. The players who advance do so at the cost of shattering their opponents' dreams, a scene that can only be described as cruel.

Some players who qualified for the next round felt an immediate sense of relief, but after a brief period of joy, their expressions gradually turned somber again.

Because this is only the first step forward, and there is still a long way to go.

Some chess players hung their heads, their faces filled with sorrow; some remained silent after the game ended; and some even burst into tears on the spot…

Human joys and sorrows are not shared.

After the game ended, most of the players did not leave the venue, but stayed to watch other games.

Eliminated players try to pin their hopes of continuing in the world championships on friends or acquaintances, while those who qualify are assessing the strength of their potential future opponents.

Soon, more and more players got their answers in the first round of the single-elimination tournament of the World Championship. The sounds of chess pieces being placed in the competition venue, which were originally rising and falling one after another, became sparse and no longer so dense.

After some time, almost all the players had finished their games, and now only the last table remained.

At this last table, one side was Zeng Jun, an acquaintance of Yu Shao, and the other side was a 9-dan Go player from Russia. Although he was not very famous, his performance in this game was extremely impressive.

The two sides fought fiercely until the endgame, but the situation remained evenly matched. Even now, it is impossible to clearly determine the winner. It is likely that the outcome will only be clear after all the minor endgame moves have been completed.

Because this was the last table left, everyone was focused on this game of chess.

However, the two players were completely absorbed in the game, oblivious to the fact that they were constantly placing their pieces, racing against time to win every last move in this endgame battle.

Finally, after a while, when Zeng Jun, covered in sweat, placed his white piece again, the Russian player opposite him did not place any more pieces. He just breathed slightly and looked at the chessboard.

"The endgame is over, and the game is now complete..."

Everyone realized that with this game entering its final stage, the first round of the World Championship had finally come to an end!

Soon, after the referee finished counting the points, he gave the answer to the winner of the final game.

"After the komi was completed, Zeng Jun, playing white, won by half a point!"

Upon receiving this answer, Zeng Jun finally felt relieved, as if all his strength had been drained away. He slumped back in his chair, panting heavily.

"We won, we won..."

Zeng Jun kept muttering to himself, his body trembling slightly. Although he had won the game and successfully advanced, he felt no joy, only relief at surviving a close call. Zeng Jun's opponent gritted his teeth, then turned his head away, seemingly unwilling to watch the game anymore, unwilling to face this reality.

"it's over!"

When the game finally ended, the once quiet competition venue instantly erupted into a cacophony of noise.

"Wonderful! That last game was played exceptionally well!"

"It's such a pity. Vladimir 9-dan made several brilliant moves, but he still lost. However, Zeng Jun's performance deserved this victory!"

"As expected of a world championship, the level of competition is incredibly high. In every game, there was almost no dull moment. Everyone displayed exceptional skill, and the matches were intense until the very end!"

At this moment, the amateur chess players no longer needed to worry about the rules of the competition and could freely exchange ideas, with crowds constantly discussing the game.

The results of today's competition have shocked many people, completely exceeding their expectations.

"Zhu Huai'an won a very impressive victory against Shang Tian 9-dan. Now Zhu Huai'an holds two major titles at the same time, and it seems that his rise is truly unstoppable."

"It was completely unexpected that Mr. Arakino, who hadn't played a match in ten years, would win his first game back. It seems that Mr. Arakino is still as sharp as ever. It's a pity I didn't watch that game."

"What surprised me the most was Higashiyama Kaoru. I never expected that Higashiyama Kaoru would actually beat Kimura Go-sensei. How did she do it?"

Many people were deeply moved when talking about the day's events.

However, the excitement only belonged to the amateur chess players who were invited to watch the game.

Professional players, whether they successfully advanced or were eliminated, were not in the mood for chatting. Their expressions were rather somber, and they hardly spoke.

Several familiar amateur chess players gathered together, and the discussion was equally heated.

"Speaking of which, who do you think will win the championship in this competition?" someone suddenly asked.

"How can you say? There are quite a few players who could win the championship, such as Honinbo Shingo and Hans... They both played very well today."

Someone pondered, "Especially Mr. An Hongshi, I don't know why, but this time he gave me a very different feeling compared to before, although he won just as beautifully."

"I watched Jiang Han'en's game, and I have to say, Jiang Han'en's skill has reached a new level. His dominance is extremely strong, and his past performance is also worth noting. Perhaps he really has a chance this year..."

"Where's Teacher Kong Zi? Teacher Kong Zi hasn't won a world championship yet, right? Teacher Kong Zi has been holding back a lot of energy, and it feels like she's going to unleash her full potential this year."

The group discussed the favorites to win the tournament, each with their own opinions.

"If I had to say, I think it's... Yu Shao." Just then, someone thought for a moment and suddenly spoke up.

Hearing this, everyone else was stunned.

Yu Shao is indeed one of the favorites to win the championship. Based on Yu Shao's previous record and the game records he has presented to the world, no one can deny the possibility of Yu Shao winning the championship.

However, Yu Shao had never participated in a world championship. Although he had an excellent domestic record, he had little experience playing against top international players. Therefore, they were somewhat surprised by his answer.

"I watched the game between Yu Shao and Dong He, a 9-dan professional Go player."

The man who had just spoken said with a solemn expression, “That game of chess was completely beyond my expectations. White was almost completely captured by Black in a crushing manner.”

Upon hearing this, a look of astonishment appeared on everyone's faces.

Although they hadn't seen Yu Shao's game, hearing him use the phrase "utterly devastating" made them feel the immense shock that game had brought him.

Just then, Han Xiu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Where's Dongshan Xun?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned and looked at Han Xiu with disbelief, as if he were joking.

"Sichuan Higashiyama defeated Kimura Go, a 10th dan player. Everyone agreed that Kimura Go had a chance to win the championship. Now that Sichuan Higashiyama defeated Kimura Go, don't you think Sichuan Higashiyama has a chance to win the championship?" Han Xiu asked.

"This one……"

Everyone looked at each other for a moment.

“You might think that Higashiyama Kaoru was lucky to beat Kimura Go-sensei, or that Kimura Go-sensei was not in good form, or even suspect that Kimura Go-sensei held back.”

Han Xiu took a deep breath and said, "But I must say, no."

“I watched that game from beginning to end. In that game, Kimura Go-sensei didn’t hold back at all. The reason Higashiyama Kaoru was able to win was simply because he was superior to Kimura Go-sensei in that game!”

Upon hearing this, everyone was speechless for a moment, staring at Han Xiu in disbelief, as if trying to find any trace of a joke on his face.

However, they couldn't find it, and Han Xiu's feedback to them was simply that he was extremely serious.

"My thoughts are a little different..."

Just then, the young man, who had been pondering something the whole time, slowly spoke up: "Perhaps it will be Araki-sensei."

Upon hearing this, everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the young man, including Han Xiu.

Araki No's name certainly carries weight, but that was ten years ago. Now, ten years have passed, and Araki No has not competed for ten years. He has long since faded from the Go world and cannot be compared to what he once was.

Compared to Araki winning the championship, they even felt that Han Xiu's earlier statement that Higashiyama Kaoru had a chance to win the championship was more plausible.

"Didn't you guys watch the game between Araki-sensei and Zheng Qin?"

The young man slowly began to speak: "The former Araki-sensei was a thoroughly aggressive Go player, known for his strength. His playing style was fierce and unparalleled, and he fought hard to win. He was known as the 'ultimate master of victory'."

"Back then, Go emphasized 'global coordination.' It can be said that it was the appearance of Araki-sensei that propelled Go into an era of competition based on 'strength and calculation'!"

"Araki-sensei is good at initiating complex battles. He often makes seemingly unreasonable but deadly moves during the game, forcing his opponents into long periods of thought or even collapse. Even An Hiroshi-sensei did not dare to fight Araki-sensei head-on back then."

"It can be said that when it comes to attacking and killing, Araki-sensei is a player that cannot be ignored. Nowadays, players who like to attack and kill, such as Kong Ziming and Kang Han-eun of North and South Korea, can actually see Araki-sensei's style to some extent."

"That's why Araki-sensei has always had the nickname 'Demon Wolf' in Japan. Of course, that was in the past, and it's hard to say what it is now."

The young man's expression turned serious as he continued, "However, after watching today's game of chess, my feeling is... that wolf has completely gone mad."

"In the entire battle, Zheng Qin had no chance to fight back and was completely crushed and defeated..."

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent for a long time once again.

After a moment, someone twitched their lips and said, "Is it really that exaggerated? Ten years ago, Araki-sensei was no match for Yasuhiro-sensei. Are you saying that after ten years without a match, Araki-sensei is actually better than Yasuhiro-sensei?"

Upon hearing this, the young man did not refute it, but simply fell silent.

Seeing that the young man did not refute at all, the crowd was at a loss for words.

They all silently memorized the names "Higashiyama Kaoru" and "Araki No," preparing to watch their game in the next round.

……

P.S.: Please vote for me next month! Please, please, please!
　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)