I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 125: A Balanced Exchange?

"He actually... played the peep?"

Fang Haoxin stared at the black stone on the board, momentarily caught off guard.

This peep had long been abandoned in modern Go.

Just now, his Small Knight’s Approach was actually a deliberate setup—a strategy from decades ago. If he wanted to play the strongest move, the High Approach would have been the modern choice.

He knew his own strength well.

Because of that, in this Promotion Tournament, he wasn’t particularly eager to play aggressively against anyone except Zhuang Fei.

But now, instead of the expected pincer, Black had played the peep—a softer and more traditional approach.

"If I take the key point, my Small Knight’s Approach will become incredibly powerful!"

Fang Haoxin glanced at Su Yiming, then immediately reached into his Go bowl and placed his move.

Row 17, Column 11—Extend!

"He extended."

Su Yiming wasn’t surprised.

He quietly analyzed the board.

"If I directly invade now, White will attach and the fight will break out on the right side."

"But... isn’t that too aggressive?"

After a brief pause, Su Yiming finally made his decision.

He reached into his Go bowl, picked up a stone, and gently placed it down.

Tak!

Row 3, Column 6—Small Knight’s Approach!

Fang Haoxin thought for two seconds, then quickly responded.

Tak!

Row 4, Column 6—Jump!

Black immediately followed up.

Tak!

Row 4, Column 2—Large Knight’s Move!

With each crisp sound of stones landing, the game progressed.

"He’s... actually playing pretty well?"

Ma Zhengyu, watching from the side, grew more and more surprised.

"At first, I thought he was afraid of Fang Haoxin—that he deliberately chose the peep to play it safe and avoid direct combat."

"But now… his overall board awareness is unexpectedly sharp."

"After tenuki-ing (ignoring a local fight) to approach the upper corner, every follow-up move has been flawless!"

Meanwhile, Fang Haoxin’s expression grew more serious.

For the first time, he entered a deep think.

After a long pause, he finally placed his next move.

Tak!

Row 14, Column 5—Attach!

"An early attach?"

Ma Zhengyu’s heart skipped a beat.

"White is biting down already?"

But after a moment of careful thought, Ma Zhengyu suddenly realized something—and his heart trembled.

This wasn’t just an ordinary attack.

This move radiated sharpness and aggression!

"Normally, at this stage, players would focus on quiet positional play—slowly building up strength. Launching an attack this early often leads to overextension, giving the opponent an opportunity to counterattack."

"But this move from Fang Haoxin—it’s targeting Black’s thin shape. If White follows through properly, Black’s counterattack will be extremely strong!"

Ma Zhengyu stared at the board, stunned.

"Unless... White plans to sacrifice stones?"

"No—this isn’t just a consideration. White is definitely planning to sacrifice stones! That completely changes the situation!"

"I never even thought about a sacrifice at this point!"

"This... this is Fang Haoxin’s level?"

He couldn’t help but glance at Fang Haoxin, then turned toward Zhuang Fei’s table.

"Just as I thought—the only one who can challenge Fang Haoxin in this tournament... is Zhuang Fei!"

Ma Zhengyu turned back and looked at Su Yiming, who was deep in thought.

He sighed, shaking his head.

"Even though Black’s peep was a slow move, his follow-ups were decent. But now that White has played this attach, Black is in trouble. The skill gap is becoming obvious."

Just as Ma Zhengyu was about to move over to watch Zhuang Fei’s game, Su Yiming finally picked up a stone and placed it down.

Tak!

The crisp sound of the stone landing froze Ma Zhengyu in place.

His footsteps halted.

He looked at the board.

Then froze for two seconds.

His eyes slowly widened.

"Black… completely ignored White’s attack on the right?"

"And instead went for a massive central enclosure?!"

Fang Haoxin also stiffened in shock.

Faced with White’s aggressive attach, Black didn’t defend.

Black didn’t even engage.

Instead—

Black tenuki’d (ignored the local fight) and seized the center!

But—

White was building solid corner and side territory, while Black was enclosing the vast center—a much more difficult strategy to execute.

If Black wasn’t careful, his entire formation could collapse.

Fang Haoxin hesitated for a moment before quickly responding.

Tak, tak, tak…

The sounds of stones being placed echoed through the hall.

The battle had begun.

Black and White clashed fiercely across the board—each move sharp like a blade, each fight woven into the larger conflict.

As the match progressed, Ma Zhengyu’s expression gradually changed.

Even his breathing grew quieter.

His eyes were glued to the board, filled with disbelief.

"This... how is this possible?"

"Black’s follow-up moves shouldn’t make sense—but somehow, they’re perfectly aligned with the board situation!"

"White was supposed to have a powerful offensive on the right side. But with Black’s rapid expansion in the center, White is now forced to respond—giving up momentum on the right!"

"This… this isn’t real, is it?"

Fang Haoxin stared at the board, his expression more serious than ever.

After a long moment, he finally placed another move.

Tak!

Row 10, Column 7—Press!

"A press—good move!"

Ma Zhengyu didn’t even blink, afraid to miss a single moment.

"Not only does this move reinforce White’s shape, but it also subtly threatens Black’s central dragon, preventing its expansion!"

"How will Black respond?"

As the game grew more complex, Fang Haoxin could still predict a few of White’s moves.

But when it came to Black’s play, he was completely lost.

Every move seemed reasonable, yet completely unpredictable.

Su Yiming lowered his gaze to the board, reached into his Go bowl, and picked up a black stone.

The next moment, it landed on the board.

Tak!

Row 3, Column 11—Two-Space Extension!

"…An extension?"

Ma Zhengyu's face immediately froze in shock.

The move wasn’t bad—in fact, it was very reasonable.

If White invaded the lower side, Black could counterattack from above.

If White attacked from above, Black could expand below.

"But… this gives White the right to choose!"

"Black is in an excellent position. A direct attack would clearly be stronger, forcing White into a tight spot!"

"Why would he make such a probing move in a position like this?"

Ma Zhengyu frowned, unable to grasp the logic behind this choice.

At this critical moment, a passive move like this seemed far too slow.

"Could it be… that he’s waiting for White to commit first?"

Fang Haoxin was also momentarily stunned by the move, but he quickly picked up a stone and placed it down.

Tak, tak, tak…

With Black’s two-space extension, the game’s tempo suddenly slowed down, easing the previously intense tension.

Then—

Black made his next move.

Tak.

Row 10, Column 15—Dig!

"Another balanced exchange?"

Ma Zhengyu's brows furrowed.

The term "balanced exchange" referred to moves that gave the opponent a choice, ensuring profit no matter what.

It was a common tactical maneuver in complex situations and could even be a brilliant local technique—forcing the opponent into a losing position no matter how they responded.

However, this was not one of those brilliant moves.

It was a simple, deliberate decision to let White dictate the course of the game.

"Why would Black willingly hand control over to White?"

"There were far stronger and more aggressive moves to press White, yet Black chose this instead."

At this moment, Fang Haoxin took a deep breath.

His sharp gaze locked onto the board.

Then—

He reached into his Go bowl and slammed his next move down!

Pa!

The impact of the stone hitting the board was so forceful that it didn’t even make the usual crisp "tak" sound!

Row 11, Column 15—Attach!

Ma Zhengyu swallowed hard.

He could tell—

White was about to launch an all-out attack.

The board was on the verge of total war.

Neither side could retreat anymore.

"Faced with Black’s cautious play, White is fighting back with full force—this is the toughest response!"

"Black was too passive. He should never have avoided combat!"

"If Black had pressured White earlier, he would have been in a dominant position. But now, after that two-space extension, the situation has stabilized—though Black is still ahead, his lead has shrunk significantly!"

"White’s next wave of attacks is going to be relentless!"

Seeing White’s bold attachment, Su Yiming quickly placed his next move.

Tak, tak, tak…

The sound of stones hitting the board echoed rapidly as both players moved at lightning speed.

But then—

White's pace began to slow down.

A thin layer of sweat formed on Fang Haoxin’s forehead.

Meanwhile—

Ma Zhengyu’s expression changed dramatically.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

Despite White’s ferocious, storm-like attack—

Black was defusing every threat effortlessly!

And not only that—

The balance of power was starting to shift.

Black was slowly taking the offensive!

"If Black fully transitions to an attack, then at this stage of the game… White might not be able to hold on!"

Su Yiming silently studied the board.

After a brief pause, he reached into his Go bowl and carefully placed his next move.

Tak!

Row 10, Column 14—Suspend!

As the stone landed, Fang Haoxin felt as if a hammer had smashed into his brain.

He froze in his seat.

His mouth opened slightly.

His eyes stared blankly at the board.

The entire hall fell into absolute silence.

Even Ma Zhengyu was left speechless.

Despite being just an observer, he felt an overwhelming sense of pressure upon seeing this move.

"This move is..."

"This is..."

Another balanced exchange.

The previous ones were still understandable.

But this one?

It was utterly incomprehensible.

"At this point, Black should have gone all-in, broken into White’s last territory, and crushed the entire group!"

"This isn’t just applying pressure—this should have been a killing blow!"

"But instead… Black chose to suspend?"

"This move hands the choice back to White!"

"If White solidifies the upper side, Black will destroy White’s outer influence. If White expands downward, Black will engulf the center!"

"This means the game will continue for a long time!"

"Black is… waiting to see how White responds..."

Ma Zhengyu swallowed hard.

A wild, absurd, completely irrational thought surfaced in his mind.

"This isn’t a game about balanced exchanges."

"This entire game, from start to finish—"

"Has just been… a teaching game."