I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 60: It's Not That You're Too Weak, But That He's Too Strong

After Yu Shao left, the boy sitting opposite him slumped into his chair, utterly drained. He stared at the Go board in front of him, his face ashen.

On the board, the formation of the white stones was utterly shattered, as though black had unleashed a brutal onslaught, leaving no chance for recovery.

Behind him, the Go coach stood in silence for a moment before speaking softly, "Yang Shu."

The boy trembled all over and turned to look at his teacher with dazed eyes, his voice trembling. "Teacher, I..."

"You played very well."

The teacher's voice was gentle. "Though your attack was a bit too hasty, your later moves were excellent. That jump after black’s shoulder hit was very sharp."

"I'm sorry..."

Hearing his teacher's comforting words, the boy felt even more ashamed. "I..."

He lowered his head deeply, the words stuck in his throat.

Finally, with a weak voice, he muttered, "I'm too weak."

The teacher paused, then said, "No, you're not weak."

The boy blinked, raising his head to look at his teacher once more.

"You may think I'm just trying to comfort you," the teacher said, gazing at the board. "But I have no intention of comforting you—I'm merely stating the truth."

"But in this game—" the boy began hesitantly.

"Instead of saying you're weak..."

The teacher interrupted him, looking in the direction Yu Shao had gone. "It’s more accurate to say... your opponent was too strong."

The spectators standing around were silent, watching the scene unfold.

Zheng Qin’s expression remained calm. He wasn’t at all surprised that the game ended with black thoroughly crushing white, leaving no room for recovery. In fact, he had expected it.

Seeing that Yu Shao’s game had concluded, Zheng Qin finally turned his head to look toward his alma mater, South China Affiliated High.

Then, when he spotted He Yu, who was standing near the South China group and also looking in his direction, Zheng Qin froze. His eyes widened in shock.

"He... He Yu, 5th Dan?"

"What’s he doing here?!"

Zheng Qin was stunned, unable to comprehend why a professional Go player like He Yu, 5th Dan, would show up at such a seemingly insignificant high school Go league event.

After a moment's thought, he immediately started walking toward the South China group.

However, the two university students who had come with Zheng Qin didn’t follow. They remained standing near the board, staring in disbelief at the remnants of the game.

"That Yu Shao..."

One of the university students couldn’t help swallowing nervously, his eyes filled with awe.

"So... so strong!"

By this time, news of the game’s conclusion had already spread, causing a stir among the crowd. Many began whispering in hushed tones.

"A game’s already finished? That quickly?!"

"Jiangling High won? Really? I thought South China Third High would be the first to finish."

"Yeah, even if South China wasn’t the first, Jiangling High winning this fast is unbelievable!"

"Exactly. Way too fast. Was the opponent that bad?"

"Last year’s captain for Jianghai Affiliated High was that kid, right? He wasn’t bad. Did he slip up and let the other side capitalize on it?"

"I remember Jiangling High hasn’t done well in recent years. They only made it to the second round a couple of years ago, and they were eliminated in the first round last year."

"True, but this year, they do have home-field advantage. Still, even with that, it doesn’t explain such a quick win. Their captain this year must be something else. We’d better watch out."

The crowd directed their gaze toward Jiangling High, whispering amongst themselves.

Though the captain’s victory didn’t mean Jiangling High had won the match, under the two-out-of-three format, the vice captain or third player also needed to secure a win for the team to advance.

Still, with the captain securing the first win, it undoubtedly gave a significant morale boost to the vice captain and third player. Conversely, the opposing team’s vice captain and third player would face far more pressure, making it easier for them to falter—or, alternatively, push themselves to perform at their peak under stress.

This dynamic was one of the most fascinating aspects of a team Go tournament: an individual’s win didn’t guarantee the overall match outcome.

Finally snapping out of their daze, the two university students who had come with Zheng Qin looked around in confusion.

"Where’s Brother Zheng?"

"He was just here—how did he disappear?"

Looking around frantically, they quickly spotted Zheng Qin near South China’s board.

When they noticed the expression on his face, both were momentarily stunned.

Zheng Qin was staring intently at a game, his expression unusually focused.

The two exchanged glances before hurrying over.

The moment they saw the game, both couldn’t help but feel a jolt of shock.

This board...

"Why Does This Look So Familiar?"

One side was utterly crushing the other, creating an avalanche-like dominance that shattered the opponent’s formation, leaving them almost no chance to counterattack.

The difference was, in the earlier game, black had crushed white, but in this one—

white was decimating black!

Not long after, Yu Shao returned from the restroom and re-entered the competition venue.

He headed straight toward Jiangling High's section, quickly arriving behind Xu Zijin. Glancing at the board, he immediately assessed the situation.

“It should be over soon,” he remarked.

In Yu Shao's eyes, white held a significant advantage. As for black, they were struggling to make any meaningful progress. While they could continue playing, as long as white didn’t make a critical mistake, it wouldn’t be long before black was completely cornered.

The boy sitting across from Xu Zijin clearly realized this as well. His face was grim as he clenched his jaw and stared intently at the board, as if searching desperately for a way out for black.

After observing a couple more moves, Yu Shao moved behind Zhong Yufei and looked at his game.

“Huh, an advantage here too?”

Yu Shao was slightly surprised. In this game, Zhong Yufei's black stones had launched a strong offensive, creating a solid and thick formation. The upper side had been turned into a large territory.

Although white’s resilience was commendable, with counterattacks available in the lower right corner, black still maintained a noticeable advantage overall.

At that moment, Zhong Yufei played his next move.

Click.

14th column, 7th row—Extend!

Yu Shao frowned slightly.

“That extension... feels slow. If white plays a probing move next, black would have to respond with a hane, allowing white to follow up with an atari. Black might then have to connect to save their dragon, significantly reducing the advantage.”

The boy across from Zhong Yufei, his expression tense, placed a white stone with great focus.

Click.

14th column, 6th row—Cut!

“Well...” Yu Shao twitched the corner of his mouth.

White hadn’t chosen the probing move at all and instead opted for a cut. While the move adhered to Go principles, it was far too inefficient—a choice Yu Shao had dismissed at first glance.

Just then, another commotion rippled through the crowd.

"Another game is over!"

“Another one finished already? That was fast! How are these games ending so quickly? The match just started!”

“Yeah, and the second game to end wasn’t South China Third High either?”