There are too many money-making talents 068
……
The eyes track the Go board.
Tap.
Black plays.
At the instant the stone lands, my eyes and mind never rest.
'Five stones to finish the endgame.'
Shape evaluation.
So far, black has 38 stones. Add five more.
I shift my gaze.
To the endgame spot I was watching.
'……The jilt is four stones to finish. I have to play the lower side first.'
No time to breathe.
I don't let go of the thread of thought or the line of sight.
A small gap.
Two stones, one stone, and half a stone.
I calculate the imperceptibly small difference with tireless persistence.
Tap.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan's move continues.
I glance at the clock.
'Eight minutes.'
Remaining time.
Not generous, but considering the board's margin, it's not insufficient.
Once more, I track the board.
I incorporate the accumulated shape and changes so far, and calculate the komi.
'Half a stone.'
Still leading.
But it's too early to relax.
Defending this half stone is a fight where everything is at stake.
The weight of one move.
A moment of hesitation.
A moment of wavering.
Not a single error is allowed.
- The time limit starts. 10, 9…….
Tap.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan places the stone.
The largest spot black can play.
Even though giving up the sente, it's an endgame of that value.
'Cold and composed.'
Even under time pressure, judgment doesn't blur.
Separately from cheating, I couldn't deny that he possessed the skill of a world-class pro.
'That's why it's even more unforgivable.'
I pick up the stone.
Tap.
Heading to the lower side.
One-line attachment.
A spot that leaves an uncertain count in the shape.
But I was confident.
That in this space with little margin left, there is a definite move.
'……'
Lu Quanyi 9-dan's brows furrow.
He hesitates momentarily.
As if pondering if there's a trap he missed.
The time limit reminder rings again.
- The time limit starts. 10, 9…….
Tap.
He places the stone after hesitation.
A perfect move.
A spot I might not have played there either.
Strictly speaking, it's a half-stone loss.
From the count alone, it's not a gain, it's a loss.
But in this situation, that move becomes the ko threat that decides the game.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan's face hardens.
His breathing becomes irregular, as if his composure is broken.
Tap.
The ko threat he forces out.
I respond calmly.
I sacrifice one ko threat.
Then play again.
Tap.
Continue the loss.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan's fingertips tremble slightly.
He continues searching for and sacrificing ko threats.
Gradually, black's ko threats dry up.
But mine had room.
The snowball created by the lower side one-line attachment.
That one is now the key to overturning the loss.
- The time limit starts. 10, 9…… 2, 1.
Tap.
In the end, Lu Quanyi 9-dan concedes the loss.
Not out of will, but forced retreat.
There is no place left on the board where he can gain.
Empty board.
A spot that doesn't become a stone.
The least valuable move in Go.
Tap.
Without hesitation, I continue the loss.
The board above gradually becomes quiet.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan's expression is dark.
A face that has sensed defeat.
Tap.
Fill the last empty board.
Then the waiting supervisor and progress officer approach.
'Let's count the stones.'
I nod.
Swoosh.
The stones are gathered one by one.
White, black, white, black.
The captured stones fill the board, and fingertips carefully sweep the board.
Quiet, orderly counting.
The studio is as if holding its breath, quiet.
And finally, the counting ends.
'Black 47 stones. White 41 stones.'
The supervisor's calm voice echoes in the studio.
A brief silence as he swallows.
'Kom i six and a half. Kim In-ha wins by half a stone.'
His words seep quietly into my ears.
The vague sense of reality slowly solidifies into reality.
'I won.'
The seemingly insignificant half stone.
And one ko threat that was viciously persistent.
That one split the victory and defeat.
I poured everything into protecting that one half stone invisible to the eyes.
The lightest yet heaviest victory.
Swoosh.
Without time to feel the afterglow of victory, Lu Quanyi 9-dan rises from his chair.
Beyond the frozen expression from the shock, an unhidden old emotion peeks out.
I look at his back as he tries to leave.
Still straight spine.
Shoulders spread.
All of it irritates my eyes.
I can't hold back and say with emotion.
"Want to keep your head down?" (Don't lift your head?)
The sharp words make Lu Quanyi 9-dan pause.
At the moment he turns back.
I coldly throw words.
"You're not being fair, are you? The game or your conscience."
His pupils tremble finely.
The words I had crammed into my chest.
Clearly a direct hit no matter who sees it.
The final blow to engrave the humiliation of losing despite cheating.
I am certain of Lu Quanyi 9-dan's cheating.
The system had referred to him as 'the deity suspected of cheating'.
'……'
Is it because of my words that he feels humiliation?
I feel the flame of emotion rising in his eyes directed at me.
But I don't avoid his gaze.
Until he turns away without saying a word, while glaring at me with emotions bare.
Thud, thud.
From the back of Lu Quanyi 9-dan walking away, feeling the shock and the remnants of old emotion.
Only after he leaves the studio do I turn my head.
At that moment.
- Ring!
You have won the second game of the World Championship finals with amateur qualification.
Congratulations, you have won the 30th Ciel Bank Cup World Masters.
You have achieved an unprecedented feat in Go history.
You are recorded as the first player to win the World Four Great Tournaments with amateur qualification.
You have defeated the 'deity suspected of cheating' with amateur qualification.
You have become the first player to overcome cheating.
With an amazing victory, your talent evolution potential is sprouting.
Dan point achievement. The deletion of the scheduled amateur qualification 'pro 1-dan' entry is removed.
Special promotion by Korea Baduk Association is applied. With amateur qualification, you are scheduled to enter as 'pro 9-dan'.
Congratulations, you have achieved an unprecedented feat in Go history.
Additional points are calculated for the unprecedented feat.
Additional rewards are being calculated.
Congratulations, you have met the talent maintenance conditions.
If selected, talent maintenance is possible regardless of primary job.
Unprecedented feat additional points calculation completed.
Additional reward calculation completed.
Congratulations, you have been given the Primary Job Exchange Ticket.
Congratulations, you have been given the Talent Enhancement Ticket.
Congratulations, you have been given the Reinforcement Platinum Exchange Ticket.
Congratulations, you have been granted the Master Roulette Ticket.
'Master Roulette Ticket?'
It was dizzying.
The words I've never seen before keep pouring out without pause.
It's hard to organize the mess in my head.
My soul feels empty, dazed.
At that time.
'……Kim In-ha player?'
The supervisor's cautious call snaps me out of it, and I look up.
'You have to go to the award ceremony.'
I nod and leave the studio.
When I arrive at the hotel main hall, many people are waiting.
Applause.
Flashes.
The shutter sounds of journalists.
I quietly climb onto the stage and sit on the specially prepared chair for the awardee.
The MC holds the microphone and conducts the award ceremony.
'We will proceed with the award ceremony for the 30th Ciel Bank Cup World Masters. This tournament started with the amateur selection, went through the integrated preliminaries against professional players from various countries around the world, and ended with a single-game main tournament.'
The journey of professional players who fought fiercely to reach the finals.
And at the center of it, the one who stirred up the blue.
Kim In-ha.
There was my story.
'Amateur miracle.'
The atmosphere in the hall becomes strangely solemn with the MC's words.
An event without precedent in history.
Only respect and reverence fill it.
'The protagonist of a story that might be the first and last in Go history. We welcome the winner of the 30th Ciel Bank Cup World Masters, player Kim In-ha.'
I stand up from my seat.
The Ciel Bank deputy branch manager presents the trophy, and the president of the Korea Baduk Association hands over the prize money board and bouquet.
'Ah.'
It was heavy.
The weight transmitted to my fingertips.
That weight is the result of all my fights climbing the tournament so far.
It was the result of my reading and endurance, and the reward.
I hold the trophy in one hand and the prize money board in the other, facing forward.
Click.
Photography continues with the backdrop behind me.
A smile that comes from the heart.
The feeling of having won.
And the honor and prize money I won with my own hands.
Everything makes me smile.
After the commemorative photos, the MC unfolds the prepared questionnaire.
'Congratulations on your victory. You have written a record-breaking amateur win in the World Championship that no one in Go history has achieved. Please give me your thoughts.'
I take a short breath.
Then, calmly open my mouth.
'It's an honor to be able to leave my name on the list of world champion Go players.'
A bland interview unlike me.
But that was the meaning of respect for the Ciel Bank Cup.
The MC smiles faintly.
'It was more complete than the first game. From the early game to the middle game's shaking, to the endgame's finish, it was perfect. Did you prepare it?'
'Yes. From the beginning to the end, it was my intention, and it was calculated.'
A response that might sound a bit arrogant.
But I didn't care.
Because it was the truth, and it was proven by the result.
The MC continues the questions.
'With the special promotion by the Korea Baduk Association, the amateur 9-dan promotion is confirmed in one go. Do you have any plans ahead?'
I smile briefly.
'For now, I want to take it easy.'
Laughter bursts out from here and there.
The MC also smiles and asks back.
'Then, do you have no next goal?'
I choose words quietly.
'Not grandly, I want to do as I've been doing until now.'
As always.
As always.
'I don't support Go. I'll continue.'
I smile briefly.
With that, the MC raises the voice tone and summarizes the interview.
'So far, the winner of the 30th Ciel Bank Cup World Masters, player Kim In-ha!'
Applause pours out.
The heavy trophy and prize money board in my hand.
That weight gradually brings a sense of reality to me.
The winner of the 30th Ciel Bank Cup World Masters, Kim In-ha.
That's me.