Chapter 517 The Echo of the Move

Inside the competition venue.

"I lost."

Su Yiming gazed at the chessboard and slowly closed his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao simply stared quietly at the chessboard in front of him.

Throughout the entire game, although Black and White fought fiercely from beginning to end, there was no earth-shattering reversal for either side, nor was there any move that could turn the tide or save the day from collapse.

This does not mean that neither side played well in this game; on the contrary, it shows that both sides have played to their best!

Because neither side has ever put themselves in a desperate situation due to any bad move, they no longer need to rely on so-called "brilliant moves" to save the game from certain death!

Because in this game, neither side will give the other any so-called "miraculous move" to influence the score by ten or twenty points and thus save the game!

To outsiders, this game might seem like a stalemate for both sides, with the entire game full of ups and downs.

However, in both sides' eyes, they were never in a dead end. They could always find a way out. The gap between them was always very close!

Whenever one side makes a move, the other side will inevitably have a response.

As soon as one side makes a move, the other side will surely respond!

This game of chess certainly has brilliant moves, one could even say it's full of them.

However, those skillful strategists were no longer the sole determinants of victory. These so-called masterminds, these fierce clashes, were actually the result of a series of battles from beginning to end—

It's all just to chase after a tiny difference of one or two goals!

Just like the most crucial battle in this game, the life and death of the white stone at the top of the board involved a series of complex offensive and defensive moves, such as the center point, the three-three block, the dragon-slaying, and the exchange!

All of this is simply to gain a three- or four-point lead and to do everything in our power to maintain that three- or four-point advantage!

Yu Shao had only ever seen similar chess games in Go AI's self-play games in his past and present lives, but this time... it was born in a game played by two humans!

On the other side, Zhao Zhengyang looked at the two people sitting opposite each other not far away, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

Many years ago, he personally participated in the World Championship and even won the championship. He also witnessed countless World Championships and the ultimate showdown between two of the top chess players on the final stage.

However, this World Championship is one he will never forget.

Countless established top players were defeated in the single-elimination tournament of this year's Era Tournament, while some new generation players began to emerge and show their potential.

Araki, who had been away from the professional Go world for ten years, made a comeback and displayed astonishing skill, aiming for the world championship. However, he unfortunately fell short in the final stages of the competition.

The people who stopped him were no longer An Hongshi, but Yu Shao and Su Yiming.

Su Yiming fell into the loser's bracket in the second round of the double-elimination tournament, but in the end, he fought his way through the competition and made a stunning breakthrough to reach the end of the world championship!

The two ultimately played a game under the watchful eyes of the world, a game that is enough to move the world and become a legend!

There were no major turning points in the entire game, but precisely because of this, the most amazing thing about this game is that, without any exaggerated reversals, the outcome was decided by only one and a half points in the endgame.

This only shows that every move made by both sides is worth careful consideration by all players.

"Unfortunately, Su Yiming lost in the end."

"Su Yiming has come all the way from the loser's bracket, breaking down countless thick walls, but Yu Shao's wall is just too thick..."

"From before becoming a professional Go player, to the world championship finals... how many games have there been? He's already reached this level, and he still can't win. What a blow this must be for Su Yiming..."

Zhao Zhengyang sighed inwardly, turned to look at Su Yiming, and was shocked.

He originally thought that Su Yiming must be feeling extremely down right now, and might even be crying. It's not uncommon for someone to shed tears in the World Championship finals; it's all too common.

It's not just the losing side; there have been many instances in the past where the winning side cried.

On Su Yiming's face, although there was obvious disappointment, fatigue, unwillingness, and regret, there was no fear, but rather a strong determination!

"Does he still have the will to fight?"

Zhao Zhengyang's breath hitched; he could hardly believe it.

Professional chess players are all proud, especially the stronger ones. You should know that even the professional chess player with the worst record today was once a genius who swept through domestic competitions!

This is why professional chess players are often quite vulnerable. They can accept defeats, but if they lose to the same player repeatedly, they can easily become discouraged and even retire in disappointment.

Araki Nobuo from back then is the best example.

However, Zhao Zhengyang's impression of Su Yiming was—

He wanted to continue.

One plate, two plates, three plates... a hundred plates!

He wanted to keep playing, no matter how many games he lost, until the day he finally won. Zhao Zhengyang even felt that Su Yiming's loss was more of an exhilaration than a regret!

Or rather, on the one hand, Su Yiming wanted to win and was doing his best to win, but on the other hand, he did not want to win and hoped that his opponent would defeat him!

"Why?"

At this moment, Zhao Zhengyang was completely moved. He couldn't understand Su Yiming's gaze at all, and even felt a chill because of it.

Yu Shao then raised his head and looked at Su Yiming opposite him. Su Yiming seemed to have noticed as well, and turned his gaze away from the chessboard, also looking up at Yu Shao opposite him.

Looking into Su Yiming's eyes, Yu Shao, like Zhao Zhengyang, saw an unprecedented determination within them.

Yu Shao immediately understood Su Yiming's gaze—

He still has the will to fight.

He will continue to chase his own progress until he completely surpasses himself!

Today's game was arguably the closest the two had ever been, with the outcome hanging in the balance by just a few points. He couldn't find any way to defeat Black throughout the entire game.

Back in the high school league, the gap between Su Yiming and him was obvious to the naked eye; it was a gap that Su Yiming couldn't find any opportunity to exploit even if he tried his best.

Although Su Yiming also displayed amazing chess skills at that time, for him, Su Yiming was just an opponent who made him happy to play against!

Then came the ranking tournament, where the gap between the two narrowed somewhat, but it was still an insurmountable barrier. For Yu Shao, none of those games were ones that he could truly enjoy!

However, when they went to the Yingjiao Cup, although the gap between the two was still very large, Su Yiming was able to make him play to his heart's content, allowing him to feel the thrill of competition for the first time in this world, just like in his previous life!

Then came the captain selection tournament, the Twin Cup... Su Yiming's chess skills continued to improve, which made him feel threatened.

Finally, it's time for this World Championship final!

…………

P.S.: This chapter is already 2k words long. There will be another chapter tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)