I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 477 Honinbo, yes, the national champion!

Almost at the same time that Zhuang Weisheng and An Hongshi finished their game of chess, a commotion broke out on Su Yiming's side as well.

Yu Shao's thoughts were interrupted, and he turned to look at Su Yiming. He saw Su Yiming slowly stand up and look at the second table. Their eyes met.

Across from Su Yiming, Higashiyama Kaoru covered her face with one hand, her expression somber.

The outcome of this game is already clear.

Su Yiming won.

Higashiyama Kaoru has already lost one match, and in this round she lost to Su Yiming, which means that after today, Higashiyama Kaoru will leave the world stage in disappointment.

However, Higashiyama Kaoru is only eighteen years old. It is already a remarkable achievement that he has made it to the World Championship for the first time and has persevered until now. Everyone believes that Higashiyama Kaoru has a bright future.

"Very good."

A familiar voice suddenly rang in Dongshan Xun's ears.

Higashiyama Kaoru was stunned for a moment, and when he looked up, he saw Kimura Go beside him.

"You are already a mature professional Go player. This is only your first time participating in a world championship. You will definitely have a place in the future of Go."

Kimura Go smiled and said, "You make me proud of you."

Hearing Kimura Go's words, Higashiyama Kaoru still looked gloomy, staring at the chessboard in front of him, and said in a weak voice, "But... Kimura Go-sensei... I feel that I still have... a distance between myself and Su Yiming, and Yu Shao."

In this game, with no room for error, he naturally used every trick in the book, ultimately resulting in a thrilling and intense battle of over a hundred points.

But in the end, it all fell short.

This feeling inevitably makes one feel powerless and in pain.

"Isn't that great? On a stage like the World Championships, it's not shameful to lose to anyone. Anyone who can pull it off is a genius, and you're still young."

Kimura Go laughed and said, "If you lose this time, you can play again next time. If you lose next time, you can play the one after that. Go is a long road with no end, isn't it?"

Higashiyama Kaoru's expression shifted, her previously dimmed gaze regaining its resolve. Finally, she nodded firmly and said, "I understand, teacher."

After saying that, Higashiyama Kaoru composed herself, took a deep breath, stood up, and walked towards a table where the chess game was still going on.

Although he has been eliminated, he still plans to stay here until the Phoenix Cup ends.

He wanted to see the final result of the match.

To see who has reached the finish line he has always dreamed of.

Not long after, all the games in today's competition had been decided.

The winners' bracket now has only eight players left.

Sixteen players were eliminated from the losers' bracket, and with the eight players who fell from the winners' bracket to the losers' bracket today, a total of twenty-four players remain in the losers' bracket.

The competition, which originally had more than 2,000 participants, has now dwindled to just over 30 people across the winners' and losers' brackets combined, a truly brutal situation.

With very few players remaining, the game is nearing its end, and the final outcome will soon be revealed!

"After this round of matches, the players who will advance from the winners' bracket are: Honinbo Shingo, Araki, Ahn Hiroshi, Yu Shao, Kang Han-eun, Lee Ji-gu, Martin, and Cho Chan-yeol!"

Soon, Zhao Zhengyang came to the stage and announced the names of the last eight players in the winners' bracket, causing a stir among the crowd.

The final eight-team bracket for this World Championship was somewhat surprising.

The three Go players, Lee Ji-gu from North and South Korea, Martin from the UK, and Cho Chan-yeol from South Korea, are all well-known veterans who have reached the top ranks of world championships, but not many times.

In contrast, Kimura Go, Kong Zi, Han Si, and others who were originally more popular and were generally considered to be more likely to enter the top eight were eliminated in the single-elimination round.

Su Yiming, Jing Zhongqin, Zhu Huai'an, and others also fell into the loser's bracket in the double-elimination round.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the fact that they are still standing on the winners' bracket stage at this point in the competition is already a testament to their strength.

"Next up are the players who will advance from the losers' bracket."

After the murmurs from the crowd subsided slightly, Zhao Zhengyang continued, "Su Yiming, Jing Zhongqin, Zhang Dongchen, Zheng Cui..."

Soon, Zhao Zhengyang announced all the players who would advance from the losers' bracket. Those who were not mentioned were naturally the players who had already been eliminated.

It's worth mentioning that Zhu Huai'an's opponent in today's match is Zheng Cui, the North Korean player who lost to Zhuang Weisheng in the first round of the double-elimination tournament.

In the end, Zhu Huai'an lost this game and had to leave the world championship stage in disappointment.

"Sigh... It's such a pity about Zhu Huai'an."

Someone in the audience couldn't help but sigh: "In the game where he lost to Su Yiming, he didn't play to his full potential. In the game where he lost to Teacher Zheng Cui, he had a big advantage, but he made a miscalculation in the complex battle and lost in the end."

"Yes, I watched that game. It's such a pity about Zhu Huai'an."

Someone next to him smacked their lips and shook their head with a regretful look: "Let's forget about the first game, but the second game... I feel like the tension and pressure after falling into the loser's bracket ultimately led to a miscalculation?"

"In this game, Zhu Huai'an had the upper hand in the middle game, but he was ultimately defeated in the endgame..."

Someone else sighed, "However, that's normal. Go is like that, full of uncertainty. One wrong move and you lose the whole game. The losers' bracket is too difficult."

"Among the eight players in the winners' bracket, three are Japanese, two are from North and South Korea, and Zhuang Weisheng lost to An Hongshi today. Now, only Yu Shao remains as the sole Chinese player."

"Is Coach Zhao Canlie of Japanese-Korean descent? You could say there are three North and South Korean players."

"Teacher Zhuang Weisheng's game today was... well... a little short, but he still lost to Teacher An Hongshi. It's a pity, but Teacher An Hongshi is indeed too strong. I have to admit defeat."

"Yu Shao's game today was quite impressive, but with An Hongshi ahead and Araki behind, even Yu Shao will probably have a tough fight. It's going to be difficult."

"Can't you have some ambition? I believe Yu Shao can win!"

"Let's see how the competition goes tomorrow. The top four in the winners' bracket will be decided tomorrow. Based on past experience, the champion usually comes from the top four in the winners' bracket, and even if they lose later, it's relatively easy for them to climb out of the losers' bracket."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, everyone's feelings were a mix of complex emotions and reflections, as they chatted and walked out of the competition venue.

On the other side, Zhuang Weisheng and Honinbo Shinho left the competition venue side by side.

"Teacher Zhuang Weisheng, I didn't expect you to fall into the loser's bracket before me. I thought you would replicate the scene of defeating An Hongshi back then, but you still lost."

Honinbo Shingo said with a half-smile, "How are you feeling?"

Honinbo Shingo and Shō Misō are among the top players today, and also among the few players who have competed against Ahn Hiroshi in best-of-three matches in the past decade. Naturally, they are old acquaintances.

As for our relationship, we're rivals, but also friends, though not particularly close.

Honinbo Shingo could win against An Hongshi, but he won very few times. However, he won more often than he lost against Zhuang Weisheng.

However, Zhuang Weisheng also has the highest winning percentage against An Hongshi.

When three people compete on the same stage, it is usually in the world championships. Therefore, Zhuang Weisheng usually performs better in the world championships. Since most people judge success or failure based on the results of the world championships, many people think that Zhuang Weisheng is better than Honinbo Shinho.

Honinbo Shingo had been dissatisfied with this for a long time, and had complained to Sho Misaki more than once. Even Sho Misaki himself admitted that he was indeed quite difficult to beat Honinbo Shingo.

However, the fact is that even if Honinbo Shinga beat Sho Misei, he would most likely resign when facing Ankoshi. Therefore, seeing Sho Misei lose to Ankoshi this time was somewhat gloating.

Especially during the Red Sun Cup World Championship that year, he lost to An Hongshi, while Zhuang Weisheng and An Hongshi both made it to the finals. He was invited to be a commentator and even contributed some classic meme-worthy expressions.

"No, no, Zhuang Weisheng is definitely going to lose, there's no hope! His formation is about to be broken by the white pieces, even a god couldn't save him!" And then...

In that game, Zhuang Weisheng used a clever strategy to achieve a double kill, ultimately defeating An Hongshi and winning the championship.

That was after his expression in the studio was captured by netizens and has been widely circulated ever since. Whenever a similar situation arises, a lot of people send him his memes.

Therefore, he did not hide his schadenfreude. Although the two were not very close, they had been friends for many years.

"Falling into the loser's bracket is definitely not a good thing."

Zhuang Weisheng shook his head and said, "During this time, I have been working on improving my chess skills. I thought I could win, but it turned out that Teacher An Hongshi also lost."

Upon hearing this, Honinbo Shingo's expression became more serious. He nodded and said, "I feel the same way."

"However, what surprised me the most was Arakino-sensei."

Zhuang Weisheng turned to Honinbo Shingo and asked, "Shingo-sensei, what exactly happened with Araki-sensei?"

"I don't know that either."

Honinbo Shingo shook his head and frowned, saying, "Araki-sensei hasn't competed in ten years. His sudden comeback really startled me."

“I’m not surprised that his chess skills haven’t fallen behind, because I’ve always heard that he has been studying chess records for the past ten years and occasionally playing against professional players, keeping up with the development of Go.”

"But I also find it incredible that he and Su Yiming could play such a game of chess."

With that, Honinbo Shingo smiled and said, "But it's good. Back then, Araki-sensei was at the height of his fame, and I had just begun to show my talent. I had never fought against Araki-sensei before, and I had been looking forward to it for a long time."

"I'm also looking forward to sparring with Araki-sensei, but it seems that I can only meet him in the loser's bracket after you defeat him," Zhuang Weisheng said with a smile.

"Hahaha."

Honinbo Shingo chuckled twice and said, "It seems you're quite accepting of falling into the loser's bracket?"

"It's not about opening or not, it's just that there's not much pressure."

Zhuang Weisheng shook his head, looked at Honinbo Shingo, and said, "After all, I'm not alone now."

“Yu Shao…”

Honinbo Shingo was taken aback.

"Besides, my loss to Teacher An Hongshi shouldn't be good news for you, right? After all, it was much harder for you to beat Teacher An Hongshi than to beat me," Zhuang Weisheng said with a smile.

There is an old Chinese saying: "A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation."

Honinbo Shingo came to his senses and said, "I'll send him to the loser's bracket to keep you company right away."

"Then it's a deal."

Zhuang Weisheng clearly didn't believe it.

……

……

The next day.

When Yu Shao returned to the Phoenix Cup competition venue, only a dozen or so chess tables remained, standing out conspicuously in the center of the large venue.

Not long after, Honinbo Shinho, Kang Han-eun, Ahn Hong-seok, and others entered the competition venue one after another. By around 8:15, all the contestants had arrived.

soon--

"Everyone has arrived, so let's begin the lottery."

Zhao Zhengyang took the lottery box, walked onto the stage, and scanned the remaining thirty-odd chess players with his eyes. He said, "The winners will draw first."

Upon hearing this, Honinbo Shinho took the lead and went up on stage to draw a fortune slip from the fortune box.

Next up were Araki, Ahn Hong-seok, and Kang Han-eun...

Soon, Yu Shao also went up on stage, took out his own fortune slip from the fortune box, and glanced at it.

Number four.

Soon, Lee Ji-gu, Martin, and Cho Chan-yeol all drew their own lots.

"Raise your hand if you drew number one."

As soon as Zhao Zhengyang finished speaking, Martin and Jiang Han'en were the first to raise their hands.

"No. 2..."

"Number three..."

Soon, the competition for the first three tables was arranged, and now only the last table remains.

All eyes immediately turned to the remaining Yu Shao and Honinbo Shingo.

The two players facing off at the fourth table are about to be revealed.

Zhao Zhengyang said, "Number four."

Honinbo Shingo glanced at Yu Shao, and Yu Shao also glanced at Honinbo Shingo. Then the two of them raised their hands together.

At the table, there was Jiang Han'en, and yes, Martin!

Table Two, Araki No, yes, Zhao Canlie!

Three tables, Ahn Hong-seok, yes, Lee Ji-gu!

Four tables, Honinbo Shinhe, yes, Yu Shao!
The winners' bracket has now been decided for all four games!
The crowd in the competition hall immediately stirred up a buzz of discussion.

"Honinbo Shinhe-sensei's opponent is Yu Shaoguo!"

"Hiss, Honinbo Shingo is probably the strongest Go player in Japan in recent years, right?"

"I heard that Honinbo Shingo is in good form recently and is aiming for the Kisei title. It will probably be a tough battle."

Among the crowd, Higashiyama Kaoru couldn't help but look at Yu Shao and Honinbo Shingo.

Shortly before the World Championship, he had played against Honinbo Shingo in a domestic tournament, and he lost that game. Honinbo Shingo's dominance was as strong as ever, and he had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

However, as for Yu Shao... apart from the previous China-Japan-Korea league, he had never played against Yu Shao again. He originally thought he would have a chance in the world championship, but he still didn't meet him.

And this game was played by Honinbo Shinho, yes, Yu Shao!

Honinbo, yes, a national champion!

…………

P.S.: Double monthly votes! I'm begging for monthly votes! Please, I'm begging you!

(End of this chapter)