Just Learning, Can't Play

Zheng Qin returned to his rented room. He went to the bathroom first, turned on the faucet, and splashed some water on his face. Then, he looked up at his reflection in the mirror.

"Three consecutive wins in the preliminaries. I just need to keep this momentum and win straight through!"

Zheng Qin let out a long exhale, then left the bathroom. He made a bowl of instant noodles and, holding the bowl, went to his bedroom and turned on the computer.

As usual, he logged into his "Shoutan Chunqiu" account.

Shoutan Chunqiu was the hottest online Go platform. Most amateur enthusiasts chose this platform to find opponents and hone their skills. Even professional players occasionally played there.

In addition, Shoutan Chunqiu also featured a lot of the latest news from the Go world.

[The Ten Dan Championship has concluded. Ten Dan Zhuang Weisheng defeated Nine Dan Li Junxian, successfully defending his Ten Dan title! Who can break Ten Dan Zhuang's undefeated myth?]

[The New First Dan Championship is imminent. The battle for the strongest First Dan is on, and the young wave is already surging!]

[Congratulations to amateur player Han Fang for winning the second Amateur Open Championship and successfully advancing to Amateur Eight Dan! From auto mechanic to Amateur Eight Dan, Han Fang's legendary journey!]

[The annual Go Professional Qualification Tournament preliminaries have begun. In this competition, known as the "Gaokao" of Go, who will secure the professional player spots this year?]

Zheng Qin ate his instant noodles while reading the latest Go news.

Soon, after finishing his noodles, Zheng Qin stretched, slid his mouse, and gently clicked to match an opponent.

"It's been a while since I played online. Since I've won three in a row, I'll reward myself with a game."

Zheng Qin had played a few games online before, but he found the opponents he encountered online to be too weak. They would often sacrifice stones – entire large groups – so he gradually played online less and less.

Although the opponents he matched with would be stronger once his online rank increased, the process of leveling up took a considerable amount of time, and Zheng Qin was too lazy to do it.

Therefore, he had only played twenty-four games online in total, maintaining a perfect win record.

Not long after, Zheng Qin was matched with an opponent.

"The ID is 'Just Learning, Can't Play'?"

Zheng Qin glanced at the opponent's ID and found it somewhat amusing.

However, when Zheng Qin clicked on the opponent's detailed profile, he couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

"Played thirty-eight games, win rate... one hundred percent?"

"And they call themselves 'Just Learning, Can't Play'?"

Zheng Qin wasn't overly surprised.

After all, there were all sorts of people online. Those who clearly knew how to play Go but claimed they didn't were very common.

It was like encountering Gold or Platinum players in a Bronze-tier game. As for higher ranks, it was much rarer for them to go to lower-tier games to stomp on weaker players.

This was the saying: "A full jug doesn't slosh, but a half-full one does."

"However, running into me means your luck is bad."

A slight curve formed on Zheng Qin's lips. He was randomly assigned Black, so he slid his mouse, right-clicked, and first placed a stone at the Star Point in the upper left corner.

The opponent, "Just Learning, Can't Play," quickly placed a White stone.

On the 17th column, 16th row, a Mokuhou.

Both players placed stones rapidly, and soon they had played over twenty moves.

"They play... surprisingly well!"

Zheng Qin looked at the computer screen, his expression somewhat surprised.

Based on these twenty-odd moves, each move by "Just Learning, Can't Play" was well-played, with no significant flaws.

"If I had to say anything, it's that... their choice of variations is a bit slow. They're using very old-fashioned responses, and not many people play like that anymore."

"Because, as long as Black plays precisely enough, White will be at a slight disadvantage in the opening."

Zheng Qin pondered for a moment, then slid his mouse and gently clicked the left button, placing a stone.

Just as Zheng Qin had predicted, because White's responses were somewhat slow, Black quickly gained a slight advantage in the opening, and the game began to transition into the mid-game.

Zheng Qin's expression, which had initially been dismissive, gradually became serious.

Although he had gained a considerable advantage in the opening, after moving away from the initial setup, White played several clever moves, some even exceeding his expectations.

Therefore, he couldn't quickly expand his advantage. While Black still held a stable lead, White still had a fighting chance and couldn't be underestimated. Ultimately, the outcome would be decided in the mid-game!

At this moment, on the computer screen, White placed a stone.

On the 17th column, 7th row, a Hane!

"White... is attacking!"

Seeing this move, Zheng Qin's expression changed slightly.

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Qin finally slid his mouse and clicked the left button, placing a Black stone.

Unknowingly, Zheng Qin, who had initially just intended to play a casual game as a reward, had become completely engrossed in this online match.

Time ticked by, and the only sound in the room was the constant clicking of the mouse.

Finally, twenty minutes later.

Zheng Qin slumped back into his computer chair, as if his body had gone limp. Unbeknownst to him, his face was already covered in a cold sweat.

"I lost..."

He gazed blankly at the computer screen, his throat feeling dry as he looked at the board, now densely packed with stones.

"I didn't think that move to cut would be so severe, but after he cut and played out that reading variation, I was just... I was just..."

Indeed, he had held an advantage in the opening phase.

However, once the game reached the middlegame and both players completely deviated from established patterns, engaging in a fierce battle, the game's development slipped entirely from his control!

Even with his opening advantage, he was left with almost no ability to retaliate during the middlegame's fighting and killing!

The white stones had forcefully pierced through his formations with an almost overwhelming momentum!

He was utterly... powerless to resist!

This feeling reminded him once again of the second game he played against Yu Shao at the Shanhai Chess Hall that afternoon.

After he played that reverse move, the situation didn't improve at all; instead, it took a sharp downturn, and he was completely crushed by his opponent!

The powerlessness he felt then was almost identical to the powerlessness he felt now.

A long while later, as time was running out and the countdown began, Zheng Qin finally snapped back to attention.

He immediately slid the mouse, clicked to resign, right-clicked on his opponent's avatar to send a friend request, and then posted a message in the public chat.

[Heaven rewards the diligent: Are you a professional player?]

The other side didn't reply.

Soon, Zheng Qin noticed the opponent's avatar turn gray; they had already gone offline.

Zheng Qin then opened his friend list, but the "Just Learning, Can't Play" contact wasn't there. Clearly, the friend request hadn't even been accepted.

"Who... who was it?"

Zheng Qin stared at the completed game on the computer screen, his eyes lost.

A boy, about sixteen or seventeen, looking like a high school student, was reviewing the game he had just played on his computer.

"The opponent played really well. Even I felt the pressure. It's been a long time since I've felt like this."

The boy's eyes were filled with admiration.

"The reason I won this game was entirely due to calculation and overall vision, winning through combat in the middlegame."

"But if it were an opponent close to my skill level, uh... if it were someone not much weaker than me, like Fang Xin, playing the middlegame, I might not win!"

"After more than a hundred years of development, Go has seen so many new joseki and new ways of playing. Komi has also become a rule. There's still so much for me to learn..."

"In today's Go world, I might be able to play very happily!"

Just then, an impatient middle-aged woman's voice echoed from the living room.

"Su Yiming, it's this late, and you're still on the computer? Aren't you going to school tomorrow? Go wash up and go to bed quickly!"

Su Yiming immediately shut down the computer and replied, "Coming right away!"

Please support with follows and reads. I humbly ask for your consideration.