Another 3-3 Point?

The game had barely begun, only two or three moves in, yet its sharp edges were already showing.

Zheng Qin gave Yu Shao a long look, then reached into the Stone Box again and picked out a Go Stone.

Tap.

The stone landed.

Fourth column, sixteenth row—Star Point!

Since White had given up claiming the lower-left corner and instead chosen to fiercely latch onto Black's stone, Black naturally seized the lower-left Star Point first. It was unquestionably the proper move.

Yu Shao wasn't surprised by this move. After all, once he had chosen the Corner Approach, this was the compensation Black should have received.

Yu Shao picked up another stone.

Tap.

Seventeenth column, third row—3-3 Point.

The moment the stone fell, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. Even Xu Ziqin couldn't help furrowing her brows slightly.

"Again... another 3-3 Point?"

"No, does he love the 3-3 Point that much? He's playing White and still going for it? This move should obviously continue with a Small knight's move approach!"

"I don't get it. That kid clearly has impressive Go strength. Does he not know that the 3-3 Point is considered a bad move?"

"Who knows?"

Someone nearby shook his head, his eyes glinting. "Still, I don't think we waited these two days for nothing. What kind of game will they show us?"

The people around them wore similarly strange expressions.

Generally speaking, the opening phase of a Go game was calm and uneventful. Both sides kept their strength hidden and built up their positions, and each move was often easy to predict.

Yet in this game, only three or four moves had been played, and they had already been caught off guard twice. That high school student named Yu Shao simply refused to play by convention.

White had just passed up the corner in favor of a Small knight's move approach, an extremely aggressive style that pursued attack and killing to the utmost.

Therefore, after Black took the Star Point, White should have continued with a Small knight's move approach and carried through with that idea. Yet White had instead played at the 3-3 Point. It was utterly baffling!

"Could it be that the kid has some unique research into the 3-3 Point? Does he think it's a good move?" Someone couldn't help growing suspicious and asked the person beside him.

"Are you kidding? Ever since Go was created, the 3-3 Point has been studied countless times. Could the conclusions of so many masters be worse than those of a high school student?"

Someone shook his head and refuted him.

Yu Shao looked at the strange expressions on the faces of the people whispering around him, feeling somewhat puzzled himself.

Actually, he had noticed it during his last game. After he played the 3-3 Point, the surrounding discussions had been too quiet for him to hear, but everyone's expressions had seemed odd.

It was as if he had played in some bizarre place.

Yu Shao hadn't paid much attention to it then. But now, this 3-3 Point had once again stirred up a flurry of discussion, and he began to feel that something wasn't right.

After all, in his eyes, this 3-3 Point was practically beyond dispute.

In his previous life, Go AI had burst onto the scene and overturned the Go world. Countless joseki had swiftly been discarded, while countless new ones had rapidly risen and swept through the Go world, becoming mainstream.

Among them, the 3-3 Point was one of the most iconic moves of the post-AI era. Later, sayings like "When in doubt, play the 3-3 Point" even began circulating throughout the Go world.

Could it be that Go AI hasn't appeared in this world yet?

The thought suddenly surfaced in Yu Shao's mind.

After being reborn, Yu Shao had wanted to properly enjoy these youthful years and, for the time being, not think about Go.

As a result, he had never looked into Go in this world and had no idea how far its development had progressed.

Though puzzled, Yu Shao was in the middle of a game. He gathered his thoughts and returned his attention to the board.

Seeing the 3-3 Point, Zheng Qin fell silent.

He lowered his head, staring at the 3-3 Point in the upper-right corner as he entered a long think.

Second by second, time passed, but Zheng Qin still didn't play. Even so, no one around him urged him on or showed the slightest impatience.

Everyone waited.

Waited for Zheng Qin to place his stone.

The 3-3 Point...

Zheng Qin raised his head and glanced at Yu Shao across from him.

He's gone for the 3-3 Point again, just like before...

The reason the 3-3 Point is considered a bad move is that after it, the other side's stones become thick, gaining an endlessly expanding outside influence.

I didn't make good use of that last time because I underestimated him too much. And he... isn't an opponent I can afford to underestimate!

In the game that followed, he barely made any mistakes. Every move was both precise and vicious.

It's almost impossible to believe that he's merely a high school student without even an amateur rank...

So if I want to win, I absolutely can't wait for him to make mistakes like before. I have to make full use of my outside influence and develop the center!

He's an attack-and-kill player. What I need to do is avoid his fangs and prevent the game from turning into an overly fierce fighting battle.

I'll drag the game into a tense, tangled position, then win through my overall judgment and control of the board!

In those two areas, there's no way a high school student without professional training can be my match.

Zheng Qin finally reached into the Stone Box and picked out a Go Stone. Reflections of black and white stones flickered in his eyes like stars.

That's where my chance to win lies!

His hand descended from on high!

This time, I won't underestimate him. I'll give it everything I've got!

I will win!

Smack!

Seventeenth column, fourth row—Block!

Yu Shao lowered his gaze and looked at the stone.

He reached into the Stone Box and picked up a stone.

Tap.

Sixteenth column, third row—Crawl.

The two began playing in rapid succession, the sounds of stones striking the board ringing continuously through the entire game room.

The onlookers stared intently at the board as well. At first, the sound of breathing could still be heard. Gradually, even that nearly vanished, as everyone became completely absorbed in the game.

As more stones fell, the shape of the game that had formed from its opening gradually became clear.

"Little Zheng's play in this game is unexpectedly meticulous."

Someone couldn't help exclaiming,

"Just now, when facing White's attachment, the instinctive move would have been to Charge and Cut. But Little Zheng chose to Jump instead, directly connecting his stones. Not only did he defuse the attack, he also gave Black the possibility of developing along the second line. Such attention to detail!"

"Still, Little Zheng's moves so far seem overly cautious. They're lacking in aggression."

Someone felt rather puzzled. "Is he trying to avoid the opponent's edge?"

"Probably. That kid named Yu Shao really is sharp enough in attacking and killing."

Someone nodded. He had also seen through Zheng Qin's intentions. "Games like this often descend into complicated entanglements. The truth is revealed in the smallest details, while thunder is heard in silence!"

"And that high school student is clearly an attack-and-kill player. He's best at carving out a bloody path through chaotic fighting. But against this kind of position, he'll probably feel quite uncomfortable."

"Because once he attacks in a tangled position, it's easy to expose weaknesses. Then the opponent can seize them, and he'll ultimately fall behind!"

"Zheng Qin has a strong chance of winning this game!"

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