I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 473 I'm not old yet!

The next day.

The Phoenix Cup venue was already bustling with noise around 7 a.m.

"I never expected this. Araki-sensei hasn't competed for ten years, yet he's still so strong. No, I should say he seems even stronger than before."

"Yeah, that game yesterday gave me goosebumps. I wonder who Araki-sensei's opponent will be today. Could it be Hiroshi Yasuhiro-sensei?"

"If that's the case, then it'll be quite interesting!"

The amateur players were incredibly excited and were still discussing yesterday's match. Unlike the professional players, they felt no pressure regarding Araki's performance in yesterday's game.

For many people, as long as the game is exciting, that's enough, especially since yesterday's game was so exciting. As for who will win the championship, they hope it will be a player from their own country, but if they don't win, there's nothing they can do.

"This doesn't feel good. I'm a fan of Su Yiming's chess. He fell into the loser's bracket in the second round. It will be very difficult for him to go on. The competition is already a high-intensity chess battle, and it's even more so in the loser's bracket..." someone said with concern.

"Su Yiming made it into the top 32 of the winners' bracket in his first appearance in the World Championship. That's quite an achievement. Even if he doesn't win the championship this year, he'll have a great chance in the future."

As everyone was discussing, some of the participating chess players also entered the competition venue one after another.

As soon as the participating chess players entered, the murmurs in the competition hall subsided considerably, and everyone couldn't help but look at them.

Honinbo Shinai!
Jiang Han'en, 10th Dan!
Congratulations to Huai'an Chess Master!
……

After so many days of continuous single-elimination and double-elimination tournaments, those who survived are undoubtedly the top players in the chess world today.

Everyone's name is familiar to anyone with even a slight understanding of Go. Even if someone has absolutely no interest in Go, they will still have some impression of these names.

Honinbo Shingo and the others who arrived at the competition venue first had heavy expressions and a hint of fatigue on their faces. After two consecutive days of intense matches, they were clearly feeling tired as well.

Although the matches are played one per day, rather than one after another, and there is a night of rest, it is still very tiring because the opponents are quite strong after the round of 64.

Even for them, defeating their opponent requires a tremendous amount of effort; such an intense match consumes energy comparable to a football game.

The audience watched as the players walked to the chessboard and sat down. Someone couldn't help but sigh, "Only five games left to decide the winner of the upper bracket. The competition has really entered a heated phase..."

As time went by, more and more participating chess players arrived at the competition venue one after another.

An Hongshi, Su Yiming, Yu Shao, Zhuang Weisheng, An De, Zhang Dongchen, Jing Zhongqin, Dongshan Xun...

When Araki arrived at the competition venue, he instantly attracted everyone's attention, and even An Hongshi couldn't help but look at Araki.

As the contestants gradually arrived, the originally noisy competition venue gradually quieted down. When all forty-eight players had arrived, the competition venue was completely silent.

The lottery is about to begin!

"Cough cough!"

Soon, not long after all the players had arrived, Zhao Zhengyang walked up to the platform, cleared his throat twice, and then announced loudly, "Enough with the small talk. Now that everyone is here, let's begin the draw!"

Upon hearing this, all the participating chess players stood up, walked onto the stage, and began to draw lots. Soon, Yu Shao also drew his lot for this round, and the lot clearly read – Number One!
Before long, all the participating chess players had drawn their own lots. Seeing this, Zhao Zhengyang began to ask each player about their drawn lot numbers.

"Please raise your hands if you drew number one."

As soon as Zhao Zhengyang finished speaking, Yu Shao raised his hand. Then, in the next moment, a young man with glasses, blond hair and blue eyes, also slowly raised his right hand.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding crowd couldn't help but stir!

"Yu Shaoguo's opponent is Ander 9-dan!"

It must be said that the titles from various countries are indeed quite valuable. Most of the players who are still playing at this stage of the world championships hold titles.

Players without titles are few and far between, and Ander is one of them.

In fact, at this point in the competition, the title is no longer a sufficient standard to measure a player's skill, since title holders such as Kong Zi and Kimura Go have all been eliminated.

Andre can be considered the most eye-catching dark horse in this World Championship, apart from Araki.

It's worth noting that prominent American players like Ma Dong and Shire have already been eliminated, while Ander has fought his way through the competition, even defeating Zhang Dongchen in previous matches!
It was only because Arakino received so much attention in these two rounds that he stole the limelight from Ander; otherwise, Ander would probably have been the center of everyone's discussion these past two days. Even so, Ander has still garnered a great deal of attention.

"Where's number two?"

Zhao Zhengyang then inquired.

The next moment, Zhuang Weisheng and An Hongshi raised their hands almost simultaneously in the crowd.

Upon seeing their opponent, both men were momentarily stunned and exchanged a glance.

Seeing this, Yu Shao was somewhat surprised, the surrounding crowd instantly erupted in chaos, and the viewers in the live broadcast room were also in an uproar!
"Holy crap! Isn't this the finals lineup?! I'd believe it if you told me it was a pre-finals!"

"Zhuang Weisheng and Professor An Hongshi clashed in the third round? That's too fast!"

"It's actually quite normal. After all, there are only sixteen people left in the winners' bracket, so the chances of them running into each other are very high!"

"These are truly old rivals. Over the past ten years, Teacher An Hongshi and Teacher Zhuang Weisheng have faced off countless times, and it's hard to say who will emerge victorious now!"

"I still remember the Red Sun Cup World Championship back then, when Mr. Zhuang Weisheng and Mr. An Hongshi had a best-of-three match. In the last game, Mr. An Hongshi deliberately made a mistake and set up a brilliant trap. Even Mr. Honinbo Shingo, who was in charge of the commentary at the time, did not see it and thought that Mr. Zhuang Weisheng was bound to lose."

"As a result, Master Zhuang Weisheng used the opportunity to achieve a double victory, successfully winning the world championship. Master Honinbo Shinhe was stunned. Even now, thinking about it still makes me feel excited!"

The live stream was buzzing with discussion, with comments flying everywhere.

Before long, Zhao Zhengyang finalized the participants for all eight games in the winners' bracket. Every match was sure to be a spectacle, making everyone eagerly anticipate it.

It is worth mentioning that Araki's opponent in this round is Shin Ji-woong, a 9-dan player from North and South Korea. He is also a veteran who has reached the world championship finals twice and is just one step away from winning the world championship.

In the past, most people might have favored Shin Ji-woong, but now, after watching the game between Araki and Su Yi-ming yesterday, almost everyone online believes that Shin Ji-woong's chances of winning are slim.

After finalizing the schedule for the eight games in the winners' bracket, Zhao Zhengyang then began to determine the schedule for the losers' bracket.

After yesterday's matches, sixteen players were eliminated, but another sixteen from the winners' bracket fell into the losers' bracket, meaning there are now thirty-two players in the losers' bracket, with a total of sixteen games. Zhao Zhengyang had already secured fifteen matches, leaving only one remaining.

Although Zhao Zhengyang hadn't asked yet, since the opponents of the other players had already been determined, the names of the two players facing off at the last table were naturally obvious.

"The last table, Su Yiming, yes, Dongshan Xun."

Zhao Zhengyang looked at Su Yiming and Dongshan Xun in the crowd and asked, "Is that right?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yiming nodded slightly, while Dongshan Xun glanced at Su Yiming, took a deep breath, and her expression became extremely solemn, clearly indicating her agreement.

"In that case, all contestants, please prepare yourselves. The competition will begin promptly at nine o'clock!"

After finalizing the match schedule for both the winners' and losers' brackets, Zhao Zhengyang said, "I hope everyone can continue to perform well in today's matches!"

After saying that, Zhao Zhengyang turned around and walked off the stage.

Upon hearing this, most of the participating chess players went straight to their assigned seats. A small number of players left the competition venue, some to use the restroom, some to smoke, and some to wash their faces.

Yu Shao did not leave the competition venue, but went directly to table number one. He pulled out a chair and sat down, and then Ander also came to table number one and pulled out a chair.

"Master Yu Shaoguo, is this our first time facing off?"

As Ander sat down, he smiled and said in English, "Although I've never played chess with you before, I've heard your name countless times, especially your rivalry with us, which made us lose face."

Ander's smile gradually faded. Looking at Yu Shao, he said, "From the 33 point to the three most difficult fixed patterns, and then to the shoulder strike and the pinnacle, you are truly remarkable."

"I've always wanted to spar with you, and now I finally have the chance."

Yu Shao was slightly taken aback, and not knowing what to say, he simply nodded.

"Master Yu Shaoguo, you seem to have misunderstood. I'm not saying this to express admiration for my idol as a fan, but rather to say—"

Ander took off his glasses. His gaze was slightly unfocused due to wearing glasses for a long time, but it was extremely sharp. He looked at Yu Shao and said again, "Even so, I still think I can win."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao looked at Ander across from him, frowned slightly, and his tone turned colder as he said, "Then let's give it a try."

"What a coincidence."

Ander wiped his glasses with a tissue, then put them back on and said, "That's what I think too."

the other side.

Zhuang Weisheng and An Hongshi returned to the competition venue together and walked side by side toward their assigned chess table, number two.

"Professor Zhuang Weisheng, I heard that your son has also become a professional Go player, and his record is quite impressive."

As An Hongshi walked, he chatted with Zhuang Weisheng about everyday things.

"Currently, we are on a 21-game winning streak."

Zhuang Weisheng shook his head and said, "However, that kid hasn't met a real strong opponent yet. There's not much to talk about with this winning streak. It's just barely passable."

"A 21-game winning streak is barely acceptable? That's asking too much."

An Hongshi couldn't help but smile, and said with some emotion, "I always feel that the Chinese chess world is full of talented people nowadays. Rising stars like Yu Shao, Su Yiming, and Zhu Huai'an have all made a name for themselves in world competitions."

“Rising stars such as Fang Haoxin, Zhuang Fei, Zheng Qin, Le Haoqiang, Qin Lang, and Che Wenyu have also begun to show their talents.”

"Even a veteran like you, Mr. Zhuang Weisheng, has played some very beautiful games recently. I feel like you have changed and are much stronger than before. Even when I look at the game records, I can feel a strong pressure."

"And then there's Kong Ziming. Although I won our game in the end, to be honest, he gave me quite a shock."

Zhuang Weisheng smiled faintly and said, "It's a bit unexpected. Teacher An Hongshi, you know so much about the players in the Chinese chess world. You even know Qin Lang and Che Wenyu."

"The same is true in the Japanese Go world. Higashiyama Kaoru's performance in this world championship has completely exceeded my expectations. Of course, what surprised me the most was Araki-sensei," Yasuhiro continued.

Upon hearing the name Araki, Zhuang Weisheng's expression turned serious, and he said, "Teacher Araki, indeed... I never expected this either."

"It's really unexpected. Even though he's been in contact with Go and kept up with the development of Go because he's a Go teacher, he hasn't had a competition in ten years."

An Hongshi frowned slightly and said, "But what surprised me the most was not his chess skills, but the fighting spirit of determination to win hidden beneath every move he made."

"How to say?"

Zhuang Weisheng was somewhat puzzled.

"Generally speaking, after such a long period without competition, one's fighting spirit will inevitably wane, especially as one gets older. This is why most chess players, even if their calculation ability hasn't declined, tend to have a more stable playing style and their fighting ability become far less than before around the age of fifty."

An Hongshi said, "For example, more than a hundred years ago, in Shen Yi's era, there was a Chinese chess player named Fang Xin. In his youth, he was known for his aggressive and murderous style, but in his later years, his style became more gentle. He would often fight tooth and nail in the endgame and eventually win by half a point. Therefore, in his old age, he was known as Fang Xin, the Half-Point Fang Xin."

There is a Chinese idiom, "old and cunning," which means that as people get older, they become good at scheming rather than confronting others directly. In fact, it is not that old people are good at scheming, but that they have lost the fighting spirit they had when they were young.

"However, when I watch Araki-sensei's games, I feel that his fighting spirit is even stronger than it was ten years ago. I have never seen this kind of fighting spirit in any other player, and it even makes me feel a strong sense of pressure."

"He is determined to win, and he's going all in."

At this point, An Hongshi shook his head and said, "Perhaps I'm overthinking it. In any case, both China and Japan are catching up quickly. On the contrary, apart from Jiang Han'en, we don't seem to have any outstanding players in recent years."

"Although Li Junhe is also very talented, he is clearly not as good as Dongshan Xun, and he is not comparable to Yu Shao and Su Yiming."

As they chatted, they soon arrived at table number two. An Hong-seok pulled out a chair and continued, "I'm saying this because I want to say that the Go world of North and South Korea is facing great challenges right now, and I sense a crisis."

"but……"

An Hongshi sat in his chair, looking at Professor Zhuang Weisheng opposite him, and said, "Although the challenge is great, but—"

"Professor Zhuang Weisheng, I'm not old yet!"

(End of this chapter)