I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 457 The Last Sixty-Four
(P.S.: Yesterday I wrote about the last two rounds, and after thinking about it, even for a world-class competition, six rounds of single-elimination tournaments would have too many participants, so I changed it to five rounds. Also, regarding the nationality of the opponent in the fourth round, I initially wrote "England" because it's just a minor match and I hadn't thought of a name yet. Later, I forgot and wrote "France." I've changed it... Oh well.)
Soon, the match schedule for the final round of the single-elimination tournament was also projected onto the big screen.

Only then did the audience regain their composure, look up, and search the match schedule for the games and opponents of the players they were interested in.

When everyone saw Yu Shao's name and his opponent on the match list, they were slightly taken aback.

Table 5: Yu Shao (China, Rank: 9-dan), and Lu Xiu (France, Rank: 9-dan).
The most unexpected result of today's matches was undoubtedly the upset victory of Lu Xiu 9-dan, who emerged as a dark horse and defeated the previously highly anticipated Shiri 9-dan.

Lu Xiu's previous three-game winning streak didn't attract much attention until he defeated Xi Rui 9-dan. However, unexpectedly, in the final round of the single-elimination tournament, Lu Xiu ran into Yu Shao again.

Finally, after reviewing the match schedule for the final round of the single-elimination tournament, the players who had qualified turned away in silence, their expressions somber.

Tomorrow is the final round of the single-elimination tournament. As long as we can survive tomorrow and enter the top 64, we will enter the double-elimination tournament. Even though the competition will be more intense, we will have an extra option and no longer have no room for error.

Of course, all of this is on the premise that we can make it through tomorrow.

With the single-elimination tournament nearing its end, no one wants to falter on this final stretch!

……

……

The next day.

The final round of the Phoenix Cup single-elimination tournament has finally begun!
The huge competition venue was completely empty, a stark contrast to the first day of the competition.

However, most of the eliminated players did not leave, but stayed at the competition venue, ready to witness the end of this world championship that they both longed for and wept over.

Once the competition began, the eliminated players, along with the amateur players invited to watch the world championship, were very evenly distributed around the various chess tables.

At this stage of the competition, there's no longer any game worth watching, or any game that's not worth watching. Those who remain at this stage are absolutely the strongest of the strong.

Luck can certainly help someone go a certain distance, but in a single-elimination tournament, luck alone is absolutely not enough to complete the entire course!
Just like mass extinctions, under the survival of the fittest, even if a species survives the first or second mass extinction, it will still perish in the third mass extinction if it cannot adapt to the environment!

The final sixty-four players to advance to the double-elimination tournament will be determined today!

That's why every match in this round is definitely worth watching.

"Time is up!"

Seeing that it was nine o'clock, Zhao Zhengyang checked the time with his wristwatch to make sure it was accurate. After looking around the packed competition hall, he said in a deep voice, "Contestants, please begin guessing who goes first!"

Click click click!

As Zhao Zhengyang's voice fell, the competition venue was filled with the sounds of players drawing pieces and guessing who would go first. Soon, when the first "click" of a piece was placed, the competition officially began.

"I'll play black."

After guessing who would go first, Lu Xiu, sitting opposite Yu Shao, stared at the empty chessboard in front of him and did not make a move immediately, his expression extremely heavy.

"Of all the French chess players, I'm the only one left now, but..."

Lu Xiu raised his head, glanced at Yu Shao opposite him, and his expression became even more serious.

"And then, I ran into him..."

There was a long silence.

A moment later, Lu Xiu's eyes changed slightly, becoming more resolute!
"I want to win this game no matter what."

"In terms of understanding Go, I am inferior to him; in terms of calculation in complex situations, I have no advantage; and in terms of close battles in tight situations, I have no chance of winning."

Having studied Yu Shao's game records extensively, Lu Xiu was very clear about the gap between the two and could accept it calmly!
"But even so, I want to win."

He was the only French player left, and he knew very well what expectations were placed on his shoulders.

"Of course I know how difficult it is to win under these circumstances."

"With normal moves, there's no chance of winning..."

"To win, because of the difference in skill level, we can't drag out the battle for too long. We must lure him into a complex situation, start the battle as soon as possible, and finish it quickly!"

"However, because of the difference in skill level, I may not necessarily gain the upper hand in the battle, therefore—"

"We must, we absolutely must, deliberately create a flaw to lure him into the trap!"

"When he enters the game and launches an attack, that's when Black's chance of survival becomes clear!"

Lucius's gaze sharpened.

"How long can I hold on?"

Click!

Lu Xiu finally reached his right hand into the chess box, picked out a black piece amidst the clatter of the pieces, and made his first move!

Hey!
Sixteen columns, four rows, stars!
Yu Shao watched quietly as Lu Xiu pondered for a full two minutes before making his first move. After a moment, he finally responded by playing a white piece.

Hey!
Three columns and sixteen rows, small eyes!

Both sides moved their pieces swiftly, the crisp "clatter" of each piece hitting the ground echoing continuously.

I don’t know how long it took.

"He doesn't play by the rules at all."

Lucius looked at the increasingly complicated situation and his expression turned grim.

"My board position should look so that it would easily inspire people to launch an attack."

"But he hesitated to make a move, instead putting constant pressure on the black pieces and observing my actions."

"How could they detect danger from this?"

Lu Xiu found it hard to believe. Although he did have the idea of ​​creating a trap to lure White into the game and had left some options in the center, even he himself was not sure how Black would react after White invaded.

Because the trap needs to be well hidden, even he himself is not sure whether the move he left behind will actually come in handy. If White really invades, it is not impossible for Black to collapse directly.

But this was the best desperate move he could think of!

Even so, White did not even enter the game, seemingly sensing the danger and simply observing the situation.

Soon, after another ten or so moves, Lu Xiu took a deep breath, finally made up his mind, reached into the chess box with a fierce look in his eyes, picked out a chess piece, and quickly placed it down!
"Then, we have no choice but to fight it out and leave the rest to fate!"

Hey!
Twelve columns and fourteen rows, break through!
"Black piece—"

"The first attack has found a weak point for White!"

Upon seeing this move, the surrounding spectators were immediately invigorated, sensing its forceful nature. It precisely grasped the key points of the board, and when it did make a move, it aimed to break through a large area of ​​White's territory!

Yu Shao gazed at the chessboard, pondered for a moment, and then quickly placed another piece.

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Time ticked by with each move.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Yiming's team had already won. He finished tidying up the chess pieces, stood up, turned to look at Yu Shao's table, and seeing that the game was not yet over, quickly walked over.

Soon after, several other tables finished their matches. Seeing that Yu Shao's match was still going on, they were slightly surprised and then all went to Yu Shao's table.

Finally, another ten minutes or so passed.

Lu Xiu stared intently at the chessboard in front of him, gritting his teeth, his face full of resentment, still trying to find a point on the board that could allow the black pieces to revive.

But... after a moment, Lucius finally lowered his head in despair and said with great bitterness, "I lost."

The game is over.

Everyone gazed at the chessboard, deeply moved, but this emotion did not stem from Yu Shao, but from Lu Xiu.

They seemed to finally understand why Lucius was able to beat Xi Rui yesterday; this game was the best proof!

From the moment Black made that cut-off move, every subsequent move by Black was strong and accurate. Of course, White did not sit idly by and, through skillful exchanges and invasions, managed to suppress Black's influence on the outside of White's territory.

I thought the game was decided at this point, but I never expected that Black would use all its dead pieces to start a riot in White's home territory!

Even so, Black's desperate counterattack was ultimately suppressed by White, leaving Black in a desperate situation. However, Black stubbornly held on to the gap and persevered until the endgame, leaving everyone speechless.

Although after White accurately completed several major endgame moves, the gap on the board became irrecoverable, and Black ultimately lost.

Throughout the game, Black's performance can only be described as... brilliant, stunning, and unbelievable.

The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit.

Maybe not necessarily.

Lucius did lose, but in this game, he might not necessarily be the loser.

Upon hearing Lu Xiu resign, Yu Shao finally turned his gaze away from the chessboard.

The way the game turned out was completely beyond his expectations.

Yu Shao looked at Lu Xiu opposite him, bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your guidance."

"Thanks for the advice."

Lucius returned the greeting with a somber expression, his mind still preoccupied with the game of chess. He thought about how he had used all his skills but was ultimately defeated. Besides the pain, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

At this moment, a voice sounded.

"It fell beautifully."

Lu Xiu paused slightly, raised his head, and looked at Yu Shao opposite him.

Looking at the board, Yu Shao thought for a moment, then pointed to the black stones in the upper left corner and said in English, "The turn here is a problem move. You are too concerned about the territory in the upper part and have neglected the development of influence in the center."

"Also, your moves here are probably meant to lure me into attacking, right? The intention isn't actually that obvious, but you're being a bit too hasty, constantly reinforcing your pieces, as if you're extremely afraid of my attack, which makes it seem rather strange."

"The move to push forward here was brilliant, but the thought process was not very coherent. If White had not 'sharp' here, but 'dig' instead, White would have been in a very difficult position."

Lu Xiu listened to the words of the boy who was five or six years younger than him, staring blankly at the chessboard.

At this moment, Yu Shao raised his head, looked at Lu Xiu, and said with a smile, "France's overall chess strength is not ranked high internationally. I didn't expect France to have a player like you. I look forward to playing against you again next time."

"Thank you."

Lu Xiu finally turned his gaze away from the chessboard, looked at Yu Shao, took a deep breath, his eyes firm, and nodded: "I will."

“Look forward to that day.”

Yu Shao smiled, finally reaching out to begin tidying up the chess pieces.

Soon, after tidying up the chess pieces, Yu Shao had just stood up when he saw Su Yiming in the crowd.

"Finished downloading?"

Yu Shao asked.

"It's finished downloading."

Su Yiming then turned his gaze away from the chessboard and answered.

Yu Shao didn't ask Su Yiming whether he had won or not. Judging from Su Yiming's expression, he must have won. He turned his head and looked around. Seeing that Zhuang Weisheng, who was closest to him, was still playing, he thought for a moment and then asked, "Take a look at Teacher Zhuang Weisheng's game?"

"Row."

Since the game was already over, Su Yiming had no objections and nodded slightly.

Soon the two arrived at Zhuang Weisheng's table, stood among the crowd, and began watching the game.

Zhuang Weisheng's game is nearing its end. He has a huge advantage and should win soon.

……

……

the other side.

Li Congyou lowered his head so much that his expression was not visible.

After a long while, his weak and slightly hoarse voice finally rang out: "...I lost."

Araki remained calm, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you for your guidance."

Li Congyou did not reply, as if saying "I lost" had exhausted all his strength.

The area around the chessboard was completely silent.

Many of the people in the crowd had seen Araki's previous matches, so they were not surprised by what was happening, but they all fell silent.

"Arakino-sensei, this is just too scary..."

Hans was also standing in the crowd. Even he was deeply shocked after watching the game.

The silence was finally broken when Araki finished tidying up the chess pieces and stood up, and the crowd began to stir.

Yu Shao was unaware of what everyone was thinking. Upon hearing the commotion from not far away, he turned his gaze away from the chessboard and looked toward the source of the disturbance.

Although Yu Shao had only seen Arakino's game record from the second round, he wasn't too surprised to see that Arakino had defeated Li Congyou and advanced to the top 64. He quickly looked away and turned his attention back to Zhuang Weisheng's game.

Not long after, Zhuang Weisheng's game of chess ended without much suspense.

Zhuang Weisheng, playing black, won by a large margin of four and a half points!

In Go, winning by half a point is luck, winning by one point is territorial, winning by one and a half points is heaven, and winning by four and a half points can be considered a great victory.

Shortly after Zhuang Weisheng's game ended, Dongshan Xun's game also came to a conclusion, with Dongshan Xun successfully advancing to the round of 64.

"Higashiyama Kaoru has qualified?"

Yu Shao was genuinely surprised to see Higashiyama Kaoru advance all the way to the top 64. He had never imagined that Higashiyama Kaoru could defeat Kimura Go and Fu Shunan in succession. He was also very surprised when he found out yesterday.

However, Yu Shao didn't think too much about it and quickly continued watching Zhang Dongchen's game.

About half an hour later, all the games finally came to an end!

This also means that

The sixty-four players who will advance to the double-elimination tournament have been finalized!

(End of this chapter)