I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 115: No Territory in the First Half, but Half the Board in the Second!

Yu Shao reached into his Go bowl and grabbed a handful of white stones, while He Zhi’an immediately took two black stones from his own bowl and placed them on the board.

"Four stones—even."

After counting the stones, Yu Shao lifted his head and said, "I'll play White."

He Zhi’an nodded, silently returning the black stones to the bowl before bowing slightly. "Please teach me."

Yu Shao returned the gesture. "Please teach me."

He Zhi’an stared at the board.

For some reason, his mind drifted back to six days ago, when Qiao Anli had lost and asked him that bizarre question—

"If that online game wasn’t played by Shen Yi… then who were the actual players?"

Even now, he still didn’t understand why Qiao Anli had suddenly asked him that.

He Zhi’an let out a slow exhale, shaking off all distractions. He took a stone from the bowl and placed it swiftly on the board!

"I’ll give it my all and win in style—just for Qiao!"

Click!

(17-4) Small Point!

Yu Shao glanced at the board before calmly picking up a white stone and placing it down.

(16-16) Star Point!

"They're both undefeated so far, right?"

In the competition room, a goateed referee glanced toward Yu Shao and He Zhi’an’s table, a bit surprised. He whispered to the burly referee beside him.

"Yu Shao and He Zhi’an? Yeah, I think so. Both are 5-0," the burly referee recalled, nodding. "That He Zhi’an kid is supposedly a student of Master Shen Feipeng, a dojo trainee."

Since the ranking board had been posted earlier today, he had taken note of all the undefeated players.

Hearing this, the goateed referee walked over to Yu Shao’s table, stopping behind him to observe the game.

The burly referee hesitated for a moment before shaking his head with a smile. In the end, he also followed and stood beside him.

At that moment, Black had just placed another stone.

Click.

(4-8) Two-Space Extension!

At this point, six moves had been played—

Black had taken two Small Points, while White had formed a Double Star Point opening.

Then, Black approached the lower right Star Point, White responded with a Small Knight’s Extension, and Black extended along the side.

"This setup… Mini Chinese Opening against Double Star Points?"

The burly referee studied the board thoughtfully.

"But this two-space extension is one line higher than usual, huh? That’s exactly how Master Shen Feipeng plays. Looks like He Zhi’an is really taking this seriously."

The Mini Chinese Opening is known for its speed, territory efficiency, and clear structure. However, as the game progresses, it can also lead to large-scale territorial battles, allowing for complex strategic development.

But unlike the standard Mini Chinese, this variation had the two-space extension one line higher—a signature move of Shen Feipeng, 9-dan pro.

"Mini Chinese Opening, huh…"

Yu Shao stared at the board, his expression turning complex.

This old-school strategy made him feel nostalgic.

In his past life, this opening had dominated for over half a century—he himself had played it countless times.

But eventually, it faded away.

Ever since AI revolutionized Go, not just the Mini Chinese, but all two-space extension strategies had almost completely disappeared from professional tournaments.

Even the legendary Three-Star Formation—once hailed as timeless, a strategy full of romanticism and creativity—had been utterly annihilated, leaving behind nothing but a tragic legacy.

The reason?

It was painfully simple.

For centuries, Go players had believed that corners held the most value, and that the difference between extending along the side and taking corner enclosures was minimal.

But AI proved otherwise—while two-space extensions were still theoretically sound, they were less efficient than corner enclosures and approaches.

And just like that, countless historical strategies were discarded into oblivion.

Yu Shao quickly collected himself.

Reaching into his bowl, he placed a white stone down.

Click.

(15-4) High Approach!

He Zhi’an remained unfazed, immediately picking up a stone and placing it right next to White’s move.

Click.

(15-3) Low Attach!

With this, the fight in the upper-right corner began.

Stone after stone landed, each move probing and clashing against the other.

Click. Click. Click.

After six or seven more moves, it was Black’s turn again.

He Zhi’an narrowed his eyes, carefully gripping a stone before making a swift move!

A black shadow flashed across the board—

Click!

(8-3) Jump!

"Hm?"

Both referees reacted immediately.

"Jumping here… Black is locking White in!"

The goateed referee felt a jolt of surprise—he could already sense the sharp, aggressive intent behind He Zhi’an’s move!

"This jump is incredibly powerful—it not only expands Black’s upper-left territory but also threatens White’s invasion! It’s completely suffocating White!"

"If White doesn’t escape soon, they’ll be sealed in…"

"But if White jumps out, they could reinforce their shape and prepare a strong counterattack against Black’s Small Point!"

Despite the tension, Yu Shao remained perfectly calm.

After a brief moment of thought, he quietly placed a stone in the upper-right corner.

Click.

(16-4) Squeeze!

"...Squeeze?"

He Zhi’an was slightly surprised but quickly reacted, immediately placing another stone.

Click.

(16-3) Connect!

White’s squeeze had forced Black to connect, securing a small gain—but the bigger issue for White still remained unresolved.

At that moment, Yu Shao picked up another stone and placed it down lightly.

Click.

(4-5) Attach!

"Wait, what?"

"What?!"

The moment the stone landed, both referees stiffened—their bodies tensed as they instinctively leaned forward, staring at the upper-right corner in disbelief.

"White… actually attached?!"

Black’s Mini Chinese Opening—

Especially with that higher extension, had been designed to fortify the upper-right corner into an unshakable position!

But now—

White had completely ignored conventional wisdom and directly attached, challenging Black head-on!

White was wielding a spear—and was about to stab it straight into Black’s strongest shield!

This move was unprecedented, ruthless, and completely irrational!

At least, in the last hundred years, no one had ever played like this.

He Zhi’an froze on the spot as he stared at Yu Shao’s attachment move.

"How does he even dare to play like this?!"

A surge of frustration and disbelief rose in He Zhi’an’s chest. He felt humiliated.

But he quickly pushed his emotions aside and started analyzing the board, mentally calculating every possible variation.

After a long moment, he finally reached into his bowl, gritted his teeth, and placed a stone.

Click!

(3-4) Hane!

Facing White’s outrageous attachment, Black countered aggressively, choosing to hane—solidifying territory while preparing to launch a brutal counterattack against White!

Both referees instinctively swallowed.

They could tell—a life-or-death battle was about to begin.

Meanwhile, at another table...

"I lost."

A sixteen-year-old boy across from Miao Xiaoxiao bowed his head in frustration.

"Thank you for the game."

Miao Xiaoxiao let out a breath of relief. After offering a polite response, he didn’t even wait for his opponent to return the gesture—he immediately turned his head toward Yu Shao’s table.

"They’re still playing."

Seeing that Yu Shao and He Zhi’an’s match was still ongoing, Miao Xiaoxiao felt relieved.

He didn’t waste another second. Without waiting for his opponent to finish bowing, he got up and walked straight toward Table Eight.

His undefeated streak was still intact—which meant that whoever won between Yu Shao and He Zhi’an would likely be his next opponent.

He already knew what to expect from He Zhi’an.

But Yu Shao?

He knew absolutely nothing about him.

That meant he had to study Yu Shao’s playstyle now and start preparing.

Within moments, he had reached Table Eight, standing right behind He Zhi’an.

"He Zhi’an is playing Black, so Yu Shao must be White."

Miao Xiaoxiao glanced at the Go bowl beside He Zhi’an’s right hand, confirming his colors before shifting his gaze to the board.

But the next second—he froze.

"What the... only fifty moves?"

At this moment, only a quarter of the board was occupied, with just about fifty moves played in total.

Miao Xiaoxiao checked the timer—and was immediately shocked.

Despite only fifty moves—

• He Zhi’an had already used almost two hours.
• Yu Shao had used less than one hour.

A twofold time difference!

His eyes darted back to the board.

The moment he took a closer look—his pupils contracted sharply, and a wave of shock crashed through him!

"What the hell…?!"

"Fifty moves in, and Black’s already in this bad of a position?!"

The upper side of the board—Black’s stones were completely smothered by White.

Not only were they severely restricted, but they were also at high risk of being invaded and pillaged—practically immobile!

It was White’s turn.

Yu Shao paused to think, then slowly picked up a stone from his bowl and placed it down.

Click.

(4-9) Shoulder Hit!

"Gulp."

Miao Xiaoxiao couldn’t stop himself from swallowing nervously.

"This Shoulder Hit… it reinforces White’s shape, suppresses Black’s left-side expansion, and puts massive pressure on Black’s four central stones!"

"It’s an absolutely brutal move!"

He tried putting himself in Black’s position for a moment—

—only to realize in horror that if he were playing as Black, he’d be completely lost.

"Black still has moves left, but at this point… it's pure suffering."

If he had to continue playing from this position, it wouldn’t even be Go anymore—

It would be torture.

He Zhi’an stared at the board, his face pale.

Once again, he fell into deep thought.

Only after a long, agonizing silence did he finally reach for a stone and place it down.

Click.

(14-9) Press!

"He played a tenuki…"

Miao Xiaoxiao blinked in surprise, momentarily speechless.

This move—

It wasn’t played to take control of the board, nor to gain sente, nor even to set up a future fight.

This tenuki was played out of pure desperation.

He Zhi’an simply didn’t know what else to do.

"Still… pressing here isn’t bad. It helps contain White’s influence."

Even so—

Miao Xiaoxiao was completely stunned.

"How did the game get to this point?!"

"He Zhi’an is a dojo trainee!"

Click. Click. Click.

The sound of stones continued to fill the room.

And as more matches finished, more and more players gathered around Table Eight.

"This is insane."

Watching the board, Miao Xiaoxiao’s expression grew more serious.

Even with such a crushing disadvantage, He Zhi’an was fighting back tenaciously.

At this moment, Black placed another stone.

Click.

(3-17) 3-3 Invasion!

"He’s going for territory—following the ‘grab first, settle later’ approach."

"Since White’s upper-side group isn’t completely alive yet, there’s less pressure on his central stones. He’s trying to build a counterbalance."

But then—

Click.

White responded instantly.

(3-15) Peep!

"…Peep?"

Miao Xiaoxiao was stunned.

And he wasn’t the only one—everyone around them had widened their eyes in confusion.

Even He Zhi’an hesitated before finally placing another move.

Click.

(3-14) Block!

White immediately responded.

Click.

(4-14) Tiger’s Mouth!

The crowd exchanged uncertain glances.

"We get what White is trying to do here—"

"If there were supporting stones on the third line, this would be a solid sealing technique."

"But in this position? There’s nothing supporting it! This is just losing points for no reason!"

Predictably, He Zhi’an took full advantage of this and extended outward.

Click.

(3-13) Extend!

Black extended, White pressed, Black hane’d, White counter-hane’d, Black extended again, White pressed down harder…

As the relentless sequence unfolded—

The atmosphere shifted.

The expressions of the spectators changed.

Until finally—someone in the crowd realized the truth.

"Black… Black can’t escape!"

A bespectacled young man stood frozen in shock.

He had lost to Qiao Anli in the second round and had been extremely curious about Yu Shao’s strength.

Now that he had witnessed White’s relentless sequence, he finally understood—

"If Black tries to escape now, White’s cut will be absolutely vicious!"

"If Black ataris, White will simply capture two stones and escape. If Black blocks on the third line, White can just extend down and—the entire left side will collapse!"

He Zhi’an clearly saw the problem too.

After a long, painful silence, he finally placed another stone.

Click.

(3-9) Extend!

"He’s just cashing out—taking what territory he can."

"He has no other choice."

Yu Shao studied the board for a moment.

Then, he reached into his bowl.

Click.

(10-12) Press!

The moment the stone landed—

The entire board shook.

The room fell dead silent.

Every spectator stared at the board, utterly speechless.

"White… didn’t build any territory in the first half of the game…"

"But now? He’s surrounding half the board!"