Zheng Qin's Counterattack

"It's... like this?"

Zheng Qin stared at the chessboard, disbelief etched on his face. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, then slowly trickled down his cheek.

The move "pressure" at four-eleven was hard to even describe as brilliant, because if one could see many moves ahead, this "pressure" was indeed the most ordinary, most reasonable move.

But this "pressure" move had been played a long time ago, and the oppressive force it exerted now was a thousand, ten thousand times stronger than a stroke of genius!

Great skill is unadorned.

He had merely glimpsed everything, calculated the entire board, and then made an ordinary move that carried immense weight.

At this point, the black stones' formation had cracked. It was clear that the black stones were about to face a fierce, storm-like counterattack from the white stones!

If it were only this, then so be it.

But the crucial point was that previous move, a jump that seemed to be grasping for more, had given the white stones the opportunity to occupy other open spaces!

Under everyone's gaze, after a long pause, Zheng Qin, full of unwillingness, finally made another move.

Clack!

Seven columns, sixteen rows, a large leap!

Yu Shao's eyes flickered. After a moment of thought, he immediately placed a stone.

Seven columns, fifteen rows, a cut!

"They really cut! That's too severe!"

Seeing this move, someone couldn't help but exclaim.

Just as everyone had predicted, after the black stone formation cracked, the white stones found the black stones' weak point and chose to relentlessly pursue, refusing to give the black stones any chance to breathe!

The white stones had already bitten into half of the black stones' body!

Could the black stones hold on?

Clack.

Clack.

Clack.

Stones were placed one after another, the atmosphere in the room thick with tension.

Even though the white stones had latched onto half of the black stones' body, the black stones refused to concede, gritting their teeth, determined to forcibly break the white stones' fangs!

"Little Zheng is defending very tenaciously. Even though the white stones have the initiative, it's hard to penetrate their core formation right now."

Someone stared intently at the chessboard, their face filled with shock, and said: "If they can drag this on, the game will become increasingly complex. Although it's unlikely to completely isolate the white stones, the black stones might have a chance to muddle through and survive!"

"That's amazing. If it were me, after being cut off by the white stones, I would have probably given up. But the black stones are still managing to hold on to this extent."

The person next to him shook their head, adjusted their glasses, and said, "But that kid's attacking ability is very strong, and the situation is very favorable. Although Little Zheng can barely hold on for now, they probably won't be able to hold on for much longer."

"How did it suddenly become like this?"

Someone shook their head, still deeply shaken by that "pressure" move. "This game has gone beyond my understanding. Usually, you only see this kind of match in chess books or on television."

Hearing this, the people around them fell silent.

It was true. Although they had played many games and seen many games, a game like today's could only be seen on television or in books.

Especially that "pressure" move, it was like a celestial being descending. They felt they might never forget it, the feeling of belated realization was too shocking.

"Hmm?"

Just then, as the black stones were placed, someone's eyes suddenly lit up: "This sealing move is so brilliant! It not only takes care of the central formation of the black stones but also attacks the isolated white stones. Is this an attempt to attack as a defense?"

"If the white stones are concerned about their isolated stones, then the black stones might get some breathing room!"

This statement immediately drew everyone's attention back to the game.

On the other side, after seeing the black stones' move, Yu Shao thought for a moment before placing another white stone.

Seventeen columns, nine rows, a connection!

Seeing this move, the surrounding crowd couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

"Why not at the bend? If they bend, those isolated white stones could live, right?"

But soon, after mentally simulating the subsequent variations, everyone's expressions became incredibly complex.

"After bending, the white stones can indeed live, but the black stones will form a formidable barrier in the key point of the right wing, making it difficult to attack further. He even considered this?"

"What kind of game is this...?"

For a moment, everyone watched with bated breath.

Black and white, every move was filled with strategy and hidden barbs; a single moment of carelessness could lead to eternal damnation.

Even though the white stones' attack was fierce and they held the initiative, they had still considered the most minute details, their overall strategic vision was breathtaking!

A thought suddenly arose in everyone's minds.

That high school student named Yu Shao...

Was he truly only good at attacking, and not at those games where hidden daggers lie beneath a gentle surface, games of intricate entanglement?

The pieces clicked onto the board.

Watching the situation on the board constantly change, everyone fell silent.

Black's responses in every aspect were practically perfect. Facing White's fierce assault, there were several moves where everyone thought Black couldn't hold on, but Black ultimately managed to resolve the situation skillfully.

If they put themselves in White's shoes, they had to admit to themselves, could they have broken into Black's territory?

No.

Perhaps Black had truly been reborn from the ashes, and perhaps Black had even begun to counterattack White!

But.

The player of White wasn't them, after all.

Every move White made was sharp and cunning, always precisely finding Black's weak points and then launching a stormy assault.

Even the tenacious Black was now struggling to keep up, showing signs of collapse!

Finally, after another dozen moves, Black stopped moving.

Zheng Qin stared blankly at the board, falling into silence.

The black stones on the left flank, after their formation had broken, were completely wiped out despite his immense effort to salvage the situation.

After White sacrificed a piece, Black had the right flank as compensation, which should have been an even trade.

But that was only if White hadn't gained a large amount of other open space as a foundation!

After that previous jump, White's penetration into Black's territory meant that White had also successfully captured that open space, advancing unstoppably.

Therefore, the situation was no longer evenly matched.

The moment Black's stones on the left flank were cut through and cornered, Black had already fallen into a disadvantageous position!

The onlookers gathered around the chessboard looked at Zheng Qin, their expressions filled with concern.

In the current game, although Black was at a disadvantage, it was only a disadvantage, not the end. They could continue playing, but it would be incredibly difficult.

However, even though the outcome was not yet decided, after the previous exchanges, after being pinpointed by White's move, could Black rally and contend with White again?

The crowd put themselves in Black's position and immediately fell silent.

If it were them, they probably wouldn't continue playing.

Because after Black had exhausted all their skills, only to be completely wiped out by the opponent, it brought Black an unprecedented blow, one that could almost crush a person's confidence!

They looked at Zheng Qin, awaiting his answer.

Zheng Qin stared at the board and gritted his teeth.

After a long while, he suddenly reached into the stone box again and picked out a piece.

Then—

His hand moved, descending from a great height!

Clack!

Sixteen rows, ten columns!

Thump!

Seeing this move, everyone's spirits were lifted!

"Black hasn't given up!"

"Little Zheng has chosen to attack proactively!"

"Even though he's at a disadvantage, the outcome isn't decided yet. Black might still have a chance to turn the tide!"

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