Chapter 502 Losers' Bracket Final
The next morning, Yu Shao came to the World Championship review room again, pushed open the door and went in.
Inside the debriefing room, Wu Zhixuan, Xu Zijin, Le Haoqiang, and the others were already there, chatting together. When someone pushed open the door, they all turned to look towards the entrance.
"Yu Shao, over here, over here."
Upon seeing that Yu Shao had arrived, Wu Zhixuan quickly waved to him. There was an empty seat next to her, which was obviously reserved for Yu Shao.
Upon seeing this, Yu Shao walked straight to Wu Zhixuan's side, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"morning."
As Yu Shao sat down, several Chinese chess players greeted him.
Yu Shao replied, "Good morning."
"The loser's bracket final is coming up soon, and I'm a little nervous for Su Yiming," Le Haoqiang said, letting out a soft breath.
"It's hard not to be nervous, after all, if Su Yiming wins this game, we will be the champions of this world championship."
The others also looked worried, nervous, and slightly expectant. Before Yu Shao arrived, they had been discussing the match that was about to begin.
Not only the Chinese players, but also the Japanese players on the sidelines looked equally nervous and uneasy. On the contrary, the North and South Korean players were just like the players from other countries, with calm and composed expressions.
After all, today's match has no bearing on their interests anymore, so it doesn't really matter who wins or loses. However, they are still very curious about how this game will turn out.
Yu Shao looked at the TV screen, which displayed a countdown to the match. There were only three minutes left before the match started.
Since it's already the loser's bracket final, this round doesn't have a draw like the previous rounds. Instead, the match starts immediately when the time is up. That's why he arrived late today, arriving right on time.
Regarding today's match, he said yesterday that he didn't know who would win, and that's true.
He really didn't know.
After all, Go matches depend heavily on form and even involve an element of luck. When both sides are strong, the side with better form and luck will definitely have a greater chance of winning.
Therefore, to be frank, just like yesterday, Yu Shao still felt that Su Yiming was extremely difficult to beat.
Firstly, Arakino had been playing in the winners' bracket and was in good form. Secondly, Arakino himself is a very strong player.
Previously, when Araki and Su Yiming were in almost the same condition, Araki won, while Su Yiming fell into the loser's bracket.
However, after watching the match between Su Yiming and An Hongshi yesterday, Yu Shao did not think that Su Yiming would definitely lose under these circumstances.
Therefore, the outcome of the match between the two can only be determined by today's game.
With only three minutes left before the start of the match, those three minutes felt incredibly long. As the match drew to a close, the debriefing room gradually fell silent.
With only one minute left before the start of the match, the review room was completely silent. Everyone subconsciously held their breath, watching the countdown numbers on the TV screen keep jumping.
60.
30.
10.
"here we go!"
Finally, as the countdown on the TV screen reached zero and the chessboard appeared, someone couldn't help but exclaim, "They're already guessing who goes first!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately turned their gaze to the television screen, their expressions becoming more serious, and many even subconsciously took a deep breath.
Yu Shao also stared at the TV screen, watching Araki and Su Yiming guess first.
The results of the guessing game were quickly announced.
"Is Araki-sensei playing black and Su Yi-ming playing white?"
Looking at the result of the coin toss, Le Haoqiang couldn't help but mutter, "It's not good news. I feel that Su Yiming is actually better at playing black."
Upon hearing Le Haoqiang's words, Yu Shao glanced at Le Haoqiang with some surprise.
Su Yiming's playing style is more proactive, and his choice of moves has a classical and profound meaning. Therefore, compared to White playing as the second player, Su Yiming is indeed more adept at playing Black, even if Black has a large komi of seven and a half points.
However, since Su Yiming is actually quite good at playing white, it is difficult to detect that Su Yiming is better at playing black. Yu Shao was somewhat surprised that Le Haoqiang actually sensed it.
Soon, under everyone's watchful eyes, Araki made his first move on the chessboard.
clatter!
Sixteen columns, four rows, stars!
Seeing this, Yu Shao composed himself, took out a black piece from the chess box, and followed Araki's example, placing the piece in the upper right corner of the star position.
Immediately afterwards, Su Yiming also placed a white piece.
Four columns and sixteen rows, a star!
Yu Shao also placed a white piece, which landed in the lower left corner star position.
Tap, tap, tap...
During the opening phase, both sides moved their pieces rapidly, making several moves in quick succession almost without taking a breath.
"Both sides opened with two-star moves against each other. Araki-sensei took the initiative to approach the upper right corner star point, while Su Yiming ignored it and played the black stone at the lower right corner 3-3. Then black blocked, and white extended..."
Wu Zhixuan stared at the chessboard, then suddenly widened her eyes in surprise and said, "Teacher Araki has grown up, and didn't play the small knight's move? Really?"
"Professor Araki wins by calculating the path. Regardless of whether Su Yiming accepts it or not, he should give it a try and make the 'Heavy Rain' pattern, right?"
Everyone is familiar with the variations of the 3-3 move. After blocking the long move, the next move is a small fly, which is to invite the opponent to use the big rain pattern. If the opponent does not accept, so be it.
Once the opponent accepts, it will initiate the most complex large-scale joseki variation in the history of Go. The slightest mistake will lead to total defeat, and the two sides will fight endlessly until death!
Upon hearing this, Wu Shuheng, who was standing next to Wu Zhixuan, rolled his eyes and said, "Are you an idiot?"
Who are you insulting?
Wu Zhixuan suddenly got angry and bared her teeth at her older brother.
"Teacher Arakino is indeed skilled at fighting with strength. If he were facing someone else, I guess Teacher Arakino would most likely unleash a torrential downpour. But the problem is, the torrential downpour pattern was first introduced by Su Yiming, wasn't it?"
Wu Shuheng said helplessly, "Heavy rainstorms are too complicated. No matter how strong Professor Araki is, he can't possibly calculate all the variations of heavy rainstorms. Su Yiming must have studied these variations in great depth."
"In this situation, using this move against Su Yiming is like using Su Yiming's sword to kill Su Yiming, isn't it? If Su Yiming not only responds but also launches new variations of the 'Rainstorm' pattern, wouldn't that be like shooting yourself in the foot?"
Hearing this, Wu Zhixuan blinked, then belatedly realized something and said somewhat awkwardly, "That's right, I almost forgot, it was Su Yiming who first set the pattern for a heavy rainstorm."
Wu Shuheng was speechless for a moment and could only shake his head.
"This shows that Professor Arakino is quite cautious and very serious."
Le Haoqiang said with a serious expression, "Actually, it's not impossible for Araki-sensei to try his luck with the heavy rain. After all, Su Yiming has played so many rounds in the loser's bracket, and the complicated situation is advantageous to Araki-sensei."
"But Arakino-sensei still didn't choose that option, instead prolonging the battle."
Upon hearing this, the other Chinese chess players nodded in agreement, their expressions becoming more serious as they continued to watch the television screen.
After Black chose to extend, White could only choose to move with a small knight's move. The changes in the lower right corner suddenly became very simple. Then Black ignored the move and surprisingly played White's third position in the lower left corner.
Interestingly, facing Black's 3-3 point, White did not launch a major attack. Instead, White played a similar move of extending the lead, and Black had to make the exact same small knight's move. No fierce battle broke out in the lower left corner.
At this point, the board is almost symmetrical, except for the upper left corner, where Black played an extra move to approach the corner. If White were to approach the upper right corner as well, it could be considered a mimicry game.
However, White will obviously not simply play a copy game.
soon--
clatter!
Eleven columns and seventeen rows, dismantle!
"Their bets were surprisingly steady," Wu Shuheng couldn't help but remark.
“Indeed, if one were to pursue dramatic changes, Su Yiming’s move could have launched an attack on the black stones in the upper left corner, but it only resulted in extending the side.” Le Haoqiang nodded in agreement.
Yu Shao gazed thoughtfully at the chessboard, not joining in the discussion.
Indeed, at this point, the board hasn't seen any dramatic changes. There were two opportunities to create a major storm, but both sides gave them up. White's move to extend the side was also quite prudent.
However, this does not mean that the game will continue to be so stable. On the contrary, everything now seems to be gathering momentum, with both sides holding back their attacks, more like the calm before the storm.
"To launch an attack, one must accumulate strength. An attack without sufficient strength will only end in failure. The fact that they all succinctly completed the changes at the edges only means—"
"They all want to fight in the central sky!"
...
...
Inside the reporter's office at the Southern Chess Academy.
A group of Go reporters gathered around a computer, watching today's loser's bracket final. Their expressions were somewhat somber as they looked at the board.
"As expected, I was hoping that Su Yiming could beat Araki-sensei again in this round. But I was overthinking it. It was already incredible that he could beat An Hiroshi-sensei in the last round."
A middle-aged man with a full beard shook his head and sighed, "Araki-sensei's calculations are indeed amazing, but now we can only fight head-on. If we continue to play this cautiously, Araki-sensei will have the advantage."
"really."
The other reporters nodded in agreement, all expressing their concern for Su Yiming.
Although they are not professional Go players, they have been Go journalists for many years. They may not be good at playing Go themselves, but they are quite capable of analyzing the board and summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of each player.
Sometimes their analysis even surpasses that of professional chess players who are actually in the game, demonstrating a kind of clear-headedness from the sidelines.
Araki is a typical player who wins by force, but to beat Araki, it is difficult to achieve a balanced and stable overall strategy. To deal with Araki, you must completely disrupt the situation.
Only when the situation becomes so complex that even Araki can't figure it out, is it possible to win amidst the chaos. But if you play so steadily, the changes are easy to predict, making Araki even more difficult to deal with.
"You're all just talking without understanding the situation."
Among the crowd, Ding Huan shook his head and said, "Su Yiming fell into the loser's bracket in the second round and has been going on until now. If the situation really becomes extremely complicated, he might not only be unable to win in the chaos against Araki-sensei, but he might also suffer a quick defeat. Observing the situation now is not a bad idea."
Upon hearing Ding Huan's words, everyone froze, unable to refute him for a moment.
"Besides, even if Su Yiming loses, it's already quite remarkable."
Ding Huan took it in stride, laughing, "After all, he fell into the loser's bracket in the second round, fought his way to the loser's bracket final, and even defeated Honinbo Shingo and An Hiroshi. That's already an amazing feat. Besides, it's only the beginning, and the outcome is far from decided. You guys are being a bit too pessimistic."
"That's true."
The group of Go reporters nodded. Upon reflection, they realized that they hadn't actually thought Su Yiming could win yesterday, but Su Yiming won beautifully, which led to their high expectations for today's match.
However, Su Yiming's ability to reach the loser's bracket final was already beyond their expectations. In this round, facing Araki, it was actually normal for him to be at a disadvantage and even lose.
Just then, a black piece gently fell onto the chessboard on the computer screen.
clatter!
Nine columns and seventeen rows, a pincer attack!
"They're launching a pincer attack on the white stones that are trying to break through the edge!"
Upon seeing Arakino's move, the expressions of the Go reporters changed, and they all gasped.
This move, though described as a pincer attack, seems more like an invasion!
Although the black stones in the lower right corner are connected in a line, forming an impenetrable wall, and it seems that the black stones have formed a pincer movement with the black wall in the lower right corner, on the other hand, the white stones in the lower left corner are also connected in a line!
Therefore, this move can also be seen as Black's isolated advance into White's territory!
Both of these perspectives are valid. White can treat this black stone as a pincer attack or as an invasion. Regardless of the perspective, whether it is a pincer attack or an invasion, it is a very fierce and aggressive attack!
Before long, a white chess piece gently landed on the chessboard on the computer screen.
clatter!
Ten columns and fifteen rows, Xiao Fei!
"Once the pincer attack is dealt with... how can the white pieces escape the edge-breaking position?"
Seeing Su Yiming's nimble move, Ding Huan seemed to be deep in thought. Suddenly, his expression changed slightly, and he exclaimed in surprise, "No, Su Yiming's move, while supposedly aimed at escaping the white pieces on the edge, seems more like an attempt to expand his influence into the center!"
The other reporters were stunned for a moment, but they quickly realized the significance of this move, and their eyes lit up.
"Black's move can be seen as an invasion or a pincer attack, while White's move can be seen as an escape to protect its own group or an expansion to open up territory on the outside!"
"White is taking advantage of Black's attack to seize control of the center first!"
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(End of this chapter)
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