"Too incredible..."
Someone could not help shaking his head and sighing. He could feel the vast, immeasurable gap.
"That high school student called Yu Shao is a little ridiculous. Did he really not come from a Go academy?"
"Exactly. At his age, to play a move like this... If you told me he had never received any professional training, I would find it extremely hard to believe. That Tenuki was calculated so deeply, and his overall vision is incredible!"
"But Little Zheng didn't attend a Go academy either, did he?"
"That's different. Little Zheng started learning Go in elementary school and frequently participated in competitions. He had long since honed his skills. If Little Zheng hadn't wanted to challenge for professional status after entering university, he would probably already be a professional by now, right?"
"If that kid really hasn't received any professional training before, then calling him a genius might still not be enough to describe him."
The people around them discussed it animatedly. Xu Ziqin gazed at the board, her expression somewhat unfathomable.
"A Professional Go Player..."
Just then, Yu Shao played another stone.
Tap.
The sound of the stone landing rang out like metal and stone striking together.
Fourth column, eleventh row—Cap!
"He chose Cap here?"
Xu Ziqin could not help staring in a daze.
At this moment, the others also noticed the Cap and were all somewhat surprised.
"He actually chose Cap? Instead of playing Contact Play and attacking directly, he's silently observing?"
"A probing move. He wants to see how Black will respond? But won't playing this way slow things down a little?"
For a moment, everyone began discussing it animatedly.
Zheng Qin looked at the Cap, his gaze narrowing slightly. After thinking for a moment, he finally played another stone.
Fifth column, twelfth row—Cut!
Yu Shao lowered his eyes and played another stone.
Eighth column, sixth row—Brilliant move!
"Brilliant move? Is he going to Extend out next?"
When Zheng Qin saw this move, his first reaction was to Extend outward, but he quickly rejected the idea himself.
"No. If I Extend outward, once White Caps and retreats, I'll have no choice but to Connect. Then the situation will become too unpredictable. If he has calculated a sequence I failed to see, I'll easily be taken advantage of."
"Without a doubt, he... has that ability!"
"Then the only choice is Small Knight."
"If he Charges and Cuts directly, I can attack White's left wing directly. Then both sides will attack one wing, and it will come down to a contest of speed!"
"Even if Black on my right wing is truly invaded, I'll receive compensation on the right wing. The position will still be evenly matched!"
After pondering for a long while, Zheng Qin finally played another stone.
Ninth column, thirteenth row—Small Knight!
Yu Shao seemed to have anticipated it long ago. The instant Zheng Qin played his stone, Yu Shao immediately followed.
Eighth column, tenth row—Jump!
"Jump?!"
When he saw this move, Zheng Qin's pupils suddenly contracted. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he looked incredulous.
White had not landed where he had expected. Instead, he had chosen a Jump that Zheng Qin had never even considered!
The people around them could not believe their eyes when they saw the Jump either.
"He Jumped away?"
"White has Sacrificed Stones. What he needs to do now is attack, or he'll only lose!"
"But if he wants to attack Black, then Cap would be the most reasonable move here. Yet he chose to... Jump away?"
Someone's face was filled with disbelief.
"He doesn't just want to attack Black's right wing. He also wants to surround territory. But how is that possible? He's being far too greedy!"
"That kid has been blinded by White's current attack. He's too greedy. Does he really think he can use a local sente to seize territory?!"
Staring at the Jump, Zheng Qin fell into deep thought.
One minute...
Two minutes...
Time ticked away.
Finally, after five minutes had passed, Zheng Qin raised his head and glanced at Yu Shao before reaching into the Stone Box again.
He picked out a stone and played it once more!
Clack!
Eighth column, eleventh row—Contact Play!
"Black has blocked White's Cap and is preparing to attack too!"
The people around them unconsciously held their breath.
Everyone realized that the game had now entered its most intense and complicated battle. Each side was attacking one wing. It was either you died or I lived!
Yu Shao played a stone.
Sixth column, twelfth row—Large Knight!
Zheng Qin immediately played another stone as well.
Seventh column, fifteenth row—Cut!
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The Go room was utterly silent. Only the sounds of stones landing continued to echo!
The two sides had already become locked in a fierce battle. The position was so complicated and tense that no one even dared to breathe. They could only constantly analyze variations in their minds to barely keep up with the thoughts of the players.
Even so, many moves from both Black and White were completely incomprehensible at first glance. Only after the game progressed to a certain point would their meaning suddenly become clear.
However, as the stones continued to fall, everyone's brows began to furrow tighter and tighter.
White had Sacrificed Stones for Influence. Originally, White should at least have seized the initiative on the left wing. But that Jump by White had been far too greedy, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, allowing Black's stones to grow stronger and stronger.
They had initially thought White might have another Brilliant move, but now it seemed that White had no answer at all!
Black, on the other hand, had formed an increasingly impregnable shape!
Tap.
Just then, another crisp stone-laying sound rang out.
White played at the eighth column, sixth row.
"Here?"
"What does that mean?"
The entire room fell silent for a moment. Everyone was confused, unable to understand why White had suddenly played there.
But when they furrowed their brows and examined the board again, they suddenly discovered a chilling fact!
"What... what's going on?!"
Someone's eyes widened, and he could not help crying out. He looked as if he had seen a ghost and could no longer control his volume. "Black... Black's shape—how did it suddenly split apart?!"
"Impossible! How could this happen? Just now, Black was clearly still—"
He stopped halfway through, his eyes fixed on another White stone on the board.
That move—the one he had always thought was merely a probing move.
Fourth column, eleventh row—Cap!
The others also realized where the problem lay and turned toward the White stone at the fourth column, eleventh row.
At this moment, that White stone shone like a star!
This Cap and the previous move at the eighth column, sixth row had actually formed a kind of response, cutting Black apart through the flow of the game!
Even Xu Ziqin, who had remained calm throughout, could not hide the shock on her face as she stared at the Cap on the fourth column, eleventh row!
"It started back then..."
A middle-aged man in a jacket stared blankly at the board, his mouth dry.
In that instant, he seemed to understand something.
"Wrong. It was all wrong!"
"That kid's Tenuki wasn't meant to make the Shicho more favorable at all. Even if White played Tenuki, as long as Black noticed and followed, White's plan would fail!"
"The reason White chose Tenuki was simply... simply because he was certain Black had no severe move that could immediately deal White a devastating blow!"
"That was why he chose Tenuki. His Tenuki was only meant to wait for a new development in the game before making a decision!"
"And afterward, the game really did develop in a new direction. He chose Cap at that point... because he had calculated that after more than ten moves, he could play at the eighth column, sixth row to respond to Black's Clamp!"
"He avoided the Shicho variation and used Tenuki to produce an answer that should have been impossible!"
"This really is... a breathtakingly imaginative way to play!"
The entire room was silent.
At this moment, they finally understood why White had chosen Jump after Black's Small Knight.
Because...
If White knew Black was bound to split apart afterward, then White naturally had to rely on a local sente to seize territory!
Thank you, brothers, for the monthly tickets and recommendations. Every bit of data is crucial for this new Go novel. Thank you, brothers!
Before you continue