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

Chapter 387 Gap
"That was absolutely beautiful! Yi Zheng pushed Ethan down with a flat push."

This exclamation, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly created ripples in the hotel lobby, and everyone couldn't help but marvel.

"Use the most beautiful shape, seize the most ruthless opportunities, and show off the most handsome dragon!"

"Black's overall position is now well-organized and balanced, making it extremely efficient!"

In comparison, White (Ethan) is like dough being kneaded by an invisible giant hand, appearing awkward and powerless in every way.

Of course, no one made that assessment, since interpersonal relationships and social niceties exist all over the world.

In particular, if you criticize a player who is better than you for playing poorly, you are likely to be retaliated against if you meet them again in the future.

As the saying goes, "Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future."

Listening to the discussions around him, Kuroki Teruto couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that Yi Zheng wasn't incapable of playing such a clever move; the Asian Cup final was intentional.

Yi Zheng used this near-perfect game to slap everyone in the face, proving that he wasn't incapable of "beauty," but simply chose the most "efficient" way to win at the time.

If Yi Zheng had played like this in the Asian Cup, Takeuchi-senpai probably wouldn't have dared to utter a single word.

It even dragged me down with it...

Conspiracy theories have now emerged claiming that Kuroki and Takenouchi are "of the same ilk," both being "old-school conservatives" who reject newcomers like Yi Zheng who "don't follow the rules."

Kuroki Teruto doesn't even know where to cry out for justice.

Ethan, who was on the field, was completely drenched in sweat and didn't know how he had ended up like this.

It feels like there's absolutely no chance in the whole game right now. Yi Zheng's performance in this game can even be described as a textbook example of a four-corner attack followed by a cleanup!

"How could the gap be so big? It's impossible!"

Ethan clearly felt that Yi Zheng's game was about the same last month, and even if he had improved this month, it would only mean that he was in better form. How could he be this strong?
Outrageous!

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Am I dreaming?!
Wake up! Wake up!

Ethan kept slapping his face, seemingly trying to wake himself from the nightmare.

But he himself knew it was impossible. If this game of chess were a dream, Ethan would have been scared awake countless times by now.

Ethan's heavy breathing was clearly audible even to Yi Zheng, who was sitting opposite him. He knew that they were now in a desperate situation and that they could not win unless they killed Yi Zheng!

Of course, this refers to killing Yi Zheng's pieces on the chessboard, not actually killing Yi Zheng.

"Probably not."

When Yi Zheng met Ethan's gaze just now, he felt a little uneasy, because that fierce look made Yi Zheng feel that Ethan might turn into Emperor Jing of Han at any moment.

Thinking about this, Yi Zheng silently considered whether he should wear a helmet next time he played chess.
If Old Ke knew what Yi Zheng was thinking, he would definitely say, "That's for sure! Who plays chess without a helmet? You must wear a helmet when playing chess to be wary of your chess partners."

Yi Zheng suddenly remembered the strange rules of Go that Master Ke had mentioned: you have to play against a wall, you have to wear a helmet, and the Go board has to be fixed to the table. However, if this were in a foreign country, there would probably be a few more rules to add. Next time, you definitely have to wear a bulletproof vest, but it seems that bulletproof vests are controlled items abroad.

If you have valid identification, it seems easy to buy a gun, but buying a bulletproof vest is much more difficult.

It's quite abstract, really. You can legally smoke marijuana on the street, but drinking alcohol on the street is illegal.

"This is the last chance!"

Ethan looked at Yi Zheng's jacquard move and quickly chose to move forward on the 158th move. His innate and keen chess sense told him that this was the last chance to win!
Ethan believes that if Yi Zheng sticks to him now, he can directly turn around and move down, which might cause Yi Zheng's team to be inactive and create problems later on.

By capturing three stones and threatening Yi Zheng's entire dragon, they can gain an advantage no matter what, and may even be able to reverse the entire situation!
Thinking about this, Ethan felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest!
He had been defeated by Yi Zheng twice before! Now the tide has turned, is it his turn to turn the tables?
Is this God's blessing?

Looking at the changes on the chessboard, Yi Zheng couldn't help but admire Ethan's tenacity and impressive fighting ability.

No wonder I was able to make Shen Guhong and the others a little mentally broken before, but unfortunately, I was still a little short.

Yi Zheng felt that his judgment was too clear. You want to eat my three seeds, right? Then I'll give them to you.

Yi Zheng simply suggested making a move to fill the gap, and Ethan naturally didn't hesitate and immediately cut in, seemingly reaping a huge reward.

Unfortunately, Ethan's final attempt to make a profit did not change the overall situation at all.

"That's what a strategic perspective is all about. It's not about getting caught up in the gains and losses of a single city or place, but about looking at the big picture."

Looking at Yi Zheng on the big screen, Ke Lao couldn't help but admire him. In just over a month, Yi Zheng seemed to have undergone a complete transformation since winning the Chess Saint title.

Even the well-informed Professor Ke found this rate of progress absurd; it seemed like progress was happening even while sleeping, and theoretically, it shouldn't be possible to achieve such a speed.

It can only be said that Yi Zheng had accumulated enough power before, and after breaking through the bottleneck, he exchanged all of his previous accumulation at once, which is why he reached such a terrifying level.

But this theory sounds so familiar. Isn't this some kind of master's theory? That you can accumulate experience even if you don't get a spirit ring?
Holy crap! I've become Yu Xiaogang?! Could Yi Zheng be entangled in blue silver?!
In the game, Yi Zheng simply sacrificed the center, thus gaining the upper right and lower right corners to solidify his position. So far, Black still leads by about twenty points on the board.

Ethan's previous tenacious efforts had actually yielded no results. Yi Zheng was now like driving an old car, slowly making his way to the finish line.

Ethan felt like he was driving the best race car ever, but he couldn't catch up with anyone behind him, and he couldn't even get a whiff of the exhaust fumes.

He could only watch as Yi Zheng drew ever closer to the finish line, completely helpless.

Seeing that there was no chance left in the end, Ethan just stared blankly at the chessboard.

Ethan always attributed his previous two defeats to Yi Zheng's carelessness in turning the tables on him, and his belief that he was stronger than Yi Zheng.

But this time, it was a complete and utter defeat, with absolutely no chance whatsoever.

This also seems to signify that Yi Zheng has completely distanced himself from everyone else.

A gap as wide as a chasm.

(End of this chapter)