Go: Is the portable old man the nine-time champion?

Chapter 322 AlphaGo's Only Designated Genius
[East China Go News: Yi Zheng, 8-dan, the East China regional champion, defeated AlphaGo in two consecutive games yesterday, one with a two-stone handicap and the other with a one-stone handicap. He became the first player to defeat AlphaGo, creating a miracle!]

[China Chess News: Chinese Go player Yi Zheng, 8-dan, had a 2-1 record against AlphaGo, but ultimately lost to AlphaGo in the third game, leaving a regretful defeat.]

[American Chess News: Chinese player Yi Zheng suffers a crushing defeat against AlphaGo; his handicap victory sparks controversy, with suspicions of underhanded tactics!]

[Eastern Go News: The first player to defeat AlphaGo with a handicap has emerged; the game's content has sparked controversy, with veteran players urging attention to its underlying meaning!]

[Silla Go News: AlphaGo suffers its first defeat, the reason being its constant avoidance of matches against Silla players; otherwise, it would have already fallen from its pedestal!]

Basically, the reports from different countries are biased. For example, the regional reports in East China simply glossed over Yi Zheng's loss in the last game, while the national reports focused on the victory and then commented that the defeat was not shameful.

Alika not only ignored the victories in the first two sets and focused directly on the loss in the third set, but also used extremely ambiguous language regarding the victory in the second set.

"In an exceptionally complex mid-to-late game transition, Yi Zheng achieved a stunning comeback... Given the potential lack of transparency in certain technical aspects of online Go, AlphaGo's unusual performance has aroused great interest among some professionals, who are calling on the World Go Federation to investigate potential 'non-technical' interference."

Basically, it means that although I have no evidence, I directly question whether there are problems with the competition. As for the questioning, everyone who understands knows what I mean.

The old guard still holds most of the power in Japan, and many people cannot accept Go, which is completely incomprehensible to them, and are criticizing it extensively!

Silla... No translation needed, you can almost taste that familiar kimchi flavor even through the screen.

The headline boldly proclaims "The Altar Has Collapsed!" The core logic within the text is intricately linked, leaving one in awe: First, AlphaGo lost; second, AlphaGo has never played against any other Silla Go players except for Lee Jun-hyuk; third, the conclusion is: AlphaGo fears our top Silla Go players! If it dared to play, it would have been defeated countless times already!
The article also seriously named several Silla "Heavenly Kings," claiming that if AlphaGo dared to accept the challenge, "the myth would be shattered instantly."

The comments section was a veritable "Origin of the Universe" debate: "Agreed! Park Jung-hyun is the true world number one, AlphaGo only dares to pick on the weak!" "We strongly demand that the organizers arrange for AlphaGo to play against our players, to give the world of Go the truth!" "Yi Zheng? He was just lucky, if it were our players, they would have won 3-0 already!"

Looking at all sorts of news reports, people below have already torn each other apart and are even arguing fiercely.

Most people wouldn't question AlphaGo, after all, AlphaGo's strength is simply too great to question, except for the Silla people, who actually dared to say that AlphaGo didn't play against them because it was afraid of their players.

The main point of contention is Yi Zheng's current status. Some people say that Yi Zheng is the only one who defeated AlphaGo by a concede, so he is now definitely the number one human!
Many people think he just got lucky, that his score was so low and he still dared to call himself number one in the world! Do you even have any achievements to show for it?!

This issue alone has already sparked a fierce online debate, with various "power rankings," "status rating posts," and "heroic lists of humans fighting against AlphaGo" springing up like mushrooms after rain, generating massive traffic and escalating the flame war.

Yi Zheng's name once again became the center of a storm in the global Go community overnight, a crown of glory as well as a throne of thorns.

Of course, there are some rational and objective people who offer objective analyses, but these people have basically been refuted.

On the internet, you have to choose sides. The online world doesn't accept rational and objective opinions. If you don't take sides, you'll be attacked by both sides.

The core logic on the internet is to abandon thinking, and in this mode of abandoning thinking, the diode is the most universal template.

Netizens mainly focused on the rankings and other heated arguments, and didn't pay much attention to the content of the game itself, because many explanations were actually not very good.

However, Yi Zheng received a call right after finishing his game, saying that Mu Yehu wanted Yi Zheng to provide three self-commentaries for the three game records, and that he would receive a considerable amount of royalties.

Yi Zheng naturally didn't refuse. After all, he also needed to do his own review, and writing this would help him organize his thoughts and earn some extra money.

The article's publication was like a spiritual atomic bomb detonating within the elite circles of Chinese chess. Various chess players' groups and the national team's training rooms erupted in excitement.

Because many top chess players felt that their ideas were completely opposite after seeing it.

Especially at the start of the third game, Yi Zheng stated that AlphaGo had an advantage in the opening, and that he himself was already at a significant disadvantage from the start.

"This completely defies common sense, but it's the content of a private message that AlphaGo sent to Yi Zheng, so it shouldn't be fake."

Damn, I'm so jealous! When we played against AlphaGo before, it didn't say a word. We thought it couldn't type! It was a network mute!

After playing with Yi Zheng, I even sent him a private message to give him feedback and review! What does that mean?! That's so mean! Is he treating me differently?! Is he jealous that I'm handsome?!

Jiang Mobai felt his sourness was about to overflow; this was such a double standard!
Is Yi Zheng really that much more talented than us? You're giving him pointers but not us!

Many top experts are extremely envious, just like in martial arts novels where the number one expert in the world guides one of a group of challengers. How could the others not be jealous?

Where am I inferior to him? Top players are never willing to admit defeat to each other. Even though Lee Jun-hyuk's dominance was terrifying in the past, he is now considered average by many people.

Not to mention Yi Zheng, this greenhorn. Why should you get special treatment? What makes me worse than you?
I am not satisfied!
Other top experts also felt a mix of emotions, and the screenshot of the private message sent by AlphaGo that was included in the article was particularly jarring.

Lee Jun-hyuk, a 9-dan professional Go player, watched silently, his fingers tapping the Go board unconsciously. Several rising stars from around the world were whispering among themselves in a small group chat.

"Why him?"

"I don't accept it, I really don't accept it."

"Could it be that he has some unique playing style that attracted AlphaGo's 'learning interest'?"

"Could it be that AlphaGo detected his 'protagonist halo'?"

A current of shock, envy, jealousy, and a strong sense of indomitable spirit began to surge among the world's top chess players.

Prove yourself? Is there a more direct and resounding way than to defeat Yi Zheng, who is currently the most popular and sought-after figure in the spotlight? An invisible challenge has already been quietly issued on a spiritual level.

Therefore, many people want to beat Yi Zheng in an official match, as this would prove that they are better than Yi Zheng.

Yi Zheng defeated AlphaGo, and I defeated Yi Zheng, therefore I defeated AlphaGo!

While theoretically this is a way to achieve a mental victory, because if we follow this theory, even a second-tier rider could surpass the world's number one.

However, everyone needs some consolation, especially when defeating the most popular player, which can also increase one's commercial value.

Moreover, it didn't take long at all; many people had already seized this opportunity.

In the World Go Tournament's Unrestricted Group, Yi Zheng, as the vanguard of the Chinese team this year, was the first to challenge.

However, Yi Zheng will not be able to achieve a ten-game winning streak in this competition because the Asian team, as last year's champion, is the last of the three teams to appear. Therefore, the first game will be decided between Europe and America to determine the winner and defend the title, and then the Asian team's vanguard will take the stage to challenge.

"Then it has to be nine consecutive wins. The last game was really painful for my OCD."

Seeing Yi Zheng start to show off, the others couldn't help but turn their heads away.

Leaving aside the few people in the youth group, the name Yi Zheng carries far more weight in Chinese Go than it used to.

In another corner of the plane, Miao Jun, Qi Ling, and several other young professional Go players exchanged complex glances.

Just a year ago, they and Yi Zheng were fighting side by side in the youth group, joking and teasing each other.

Today, Yi Zheng's name is followed by "Unlimited Group Asian Team Pioneer", but they are still fighting in the junior group, seemingly still a long way from the threshold that symbolizes the highest level of competition.

Miao Jun lowered his head, his fingers twisting the cloud-patterned pendant he was wearing, the sense of loss and pressure welling up in his heart felt incredibly real.

Yi Zheng's rise was as swift as lightning, illuminating the path ahead but also casting a long, suffocating shadow—the "other people's child" had evolved into the "other people's big devil."

Comparing people is a recipe for disaster, comparing goods is a recipe for disaster; it's truly unpleasant.

Meanwhile, the other members of the team in the unlimited group—Jiang Mobai, Li Junhe, and other top players—had even deeper and sharper eyes.

They looked at Yi Zheng with an undisguised fighting spirit in their eyes. Who wouldn't want to personally dismantle this rising star who had just created the "anti-AlphaGo myth" under the spotlight?

However, these things can't be rushed; there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Not to mention the World Go League, Jiang Mobai could run into Yi Zheng in any other world-class competition. He will almost certainly face Yi Zheng in the Go Saint Tournament. If he wins, Yi Zheng will also face Kuroki Teruto in the China-Japan match.

The world's top chess players are never short of matches to play; it's just a matter of when they have the opportunity to meet.

(End of this chapter)