I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 143: Mid-Game Defeat

Pa-chi!

The sound of the stone landing had never been so deafening—never had it struck the hearts of the spectators so powerfully!

"Flying Press?"

Su Yiming, who had maintained his composure throughout his disadvantage, finally showed a reaction.

For the first time, his expression shifted.

Silence engulfed the room.

Every pair of eyes was locked onto the board, mouths slightly open, but no one could utter a word.

“…This…”

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, someone let out a hoarse whisper, their voice trembling in disbelief.

“After this Flying Press… White is forming a cracked shape?”

A bespectacled dojo trainee, his glasses slipping down his nose, stared at the board in horror. His pupils were slightly unfocused—a symptom of prolonged staring—yet his eyes were filled with shock.

"A cracked shape, the kind all Go players desperately avoid… White actually played it voluntarily? And is even using it to attack?"

"White… has gone all in."

"Willing to risk everything, even forming a cracked shape, to launch an all-out assault on Black!"

As the white stone settled onto the board, the audience felt their hearts skip a beat.

Sweat slowly trickled down their faces.

“This is… too bold!”

"No doubt, this is a thunderous, breathtakingly powerful move. But once White forms a cracked shape, Black will undoubtedly launch a brutal counterattack!"

"Black will go for an all-or-nothing fight. White is in danger too!"

"This clash will determine the winner of the entire game.

Neither side can afford to retreat!"

—

Su Yiming stared down at the board, his expression so tense that it sent a chill through the air.

The weight of the moment was suffocating.

"I have to admit… I never expected this."

"With this Flying Press, White may have formed a cracked shape, but…

My Black formation has been utterly compromised.

The stones on the right flank are isolated and wounded, while my small-point group is now completely unstable—its burden heavier than ever!"

"He saw through everything."

Su Yiming reached into the Go box again, fingers tightening around the cool stones as he frantically scanned the board for a way out.

"I have to turn this cracked shape into a weakness. I have to go for the kill—I need to cut off White’s escape!"

Finally, he found the perfect move.

Loosening his grip, he swiftly pulled out a stone and slammed it onto the board!

Tap!

Column 15, Row 18—Connect!

"If I don’t strike first, my entire formation will collapse!"

The stone reinforced Black’s shape, sealing off a gap on the second line while setting up an imminent counterattack against White’s weak point!

Yu Shao studied the board, his gaze sharp as a blade.

A moment later, he placed his move.

Tap!

Column 9, Row 14—Hane!

"Not good.

He ignored my attack and cut straight through my shape!"

Su Yiming’s pupils contracted.

He could feel it—the sheer ferocity behind this move.

White was relentlessly cutting through Black’s formation, leaving no room for a detour—only a direct clash to the death!

A crisp click echoed as another stone struck the board.

Su Yiming took a deep breath, his gaze frosty, and placed another move.

Tap!

Column 7, Row 15—Clamp!

Black… sacrificed a stone!

Faced with White’s merciless assault, Black chose to abandon pieces, opting instead to strengthen his influence.

If White wanted to attack—so be it.

Black would sever White’s shape and kill it instead!

"He sacrificed a stone…

Yu Shao’s expression grew heavier.

Even he could feel the suffocating killing intent radiating from the board.

In a brutal, high-stakes battle like this, a single moment of carelessness could lead to an irreversible loss.

Strength and weakness constantly shifted, thickness and thinness constantly transformed—

The eternal struggle between territory and influence, between offense and defense!

This was why he had never favored aggressive fighting in his previous life.

Because when you launch an attack without giving your opponent a way out—

You also leave yourself with no escape.

Both players were now backed into a corner, both forced to go all-in.

"Even though I have the advantage, I cannot afford a single misstep!"

Yu Shao’s eyes flashed coldly.

Tap!

Column 12, Row 15—Jump!

"He jumped!

He’s escaping while simultaneously locking down my left group—

Now even those three Black stones on the left are in danger!"

Sweat dripped from Su Yiming’s forehead.

Gritting his teeth, he reached for another stone.

His gaze burned with killing intent.

"I have to cut off White’s cracked shape before it stabilizes."

"I have to kill the invading stones before they settle!"

"I need overwhelming force—

Or my formation will be shattered!"

Tap!

Another move landed.

The tension in the air grew heavier, almost unbearable.

More and more players had finished their games and gathered around, yet the silence remained unbroken.

No one dared to speak.

They simply watched—entranced, overwhelmed—as the carnage unfolded.

The sheer ferocity of the fight left the spectators both awestruck and bewildered.

Every move sent a tremor through their hearts.

Even as mere onlookers, they could feel the lethal intensity, the suffocating dread that radiated from the board—

As if they were watching a battlefield, a gruesome war between thousands of soldiers, blades clashing, blood staining the ground.

On the board—

It was a massacre.

Corpses lay scattered across the battlefield.

In this merciless war, there was only one rule—

Only the victor would be remembered.

And the defeated… would be forgotten.

But—

Who would emerge victorious?

No one dared to predict the outcome.

At least—not yet.

Because in Go, nothing is certain.

Even if you are winning now, the storm could still sweep you away.

The tide could shift.

And in the end—

The strong would stand, while the fallen would be buried in silence.

Only those who can stand firm against the raging storm, rising above the battlefield unscathed, are truly strong.

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

The stones continued to rain down on the board.

Now, it was Black’s turn to move.

Column 10, Row 13—Small Knight’s Move!

"Black has gone all-in to kill White’s cracked formation!"

At some point, Jiang Xiahua had joined the growing crowd. He stared at the board, swallowed hard, and felt a cold sweat trickling down his face.

"A Small Knight’s Move…"

Yu Shao’s sharp gaze remained locked onto the board as he swiftly placed another move.

Tap!

Column 10, Row 12—Attach!

"He attached directly—now even the right-side Black stones are being restricted!"

Su Yiming's world had narrowed to nothing but the 19x19 grid before him.

After a brief moment of thought, he gritted his teeth and placed another move.

"There’s no turning back now.

I have to slaughter White’s cracked formation at all costs!"

Tap!

Column 14, Row 10—Peep!

"Otherwise, I’m doomed!"

—

The board was a battlefield.

Black and White were locked in a death struggle.

For one side to claim victory—the other had to fall.

"Black is fighting viciously!"

"He could’ve just used a simple hane, but instead, he ignored the threat and went straight for a kill—this is downright merciless! He’s locked onto White’s cracked shape like a predator on prey!"

No one dared to blink.

Even as mere spectators, the sheer brutality of the game sent a chill down their spines.

"That White group… it's still a cracked shape.

With Black’s storm-like onslaught… White is in danger!"

—

The battle intensified.

Under Black’s relentless assault, the lower-left White stones began to waver, their formation crumbling.

But then—

White struck back.

Tap!

Column 16, Row 13—Extend!

"He extended—White is trying to sever Black’s shape and turn his own stones into an unshakable wall!"

Pu Weize’s heart skipped a beat.

"If this works, Black will have a hard time responding…"

But—

Before that thought could settle, Black made his move.

And the moment the stone landed, Pu Weize froze.

"He… chose to squeeze?!"

Tap. Tap. Tap…

Time continued slipping away with every move.

The room remained deathly silent.

Tap!

Column 8, Row 14—Attach!

The sound of the stone striking the board was light—

But it resonated like a battle horn in the middle of a vast desert.

A final, solemn call to war.

"This is it."

Qiao Anli stared blankly at the board, his voice barely above a whisper.

"That move… it just severed White’s shape completely."

"It’s over."

—

Black had paid a heavy price.

But in the end, he succeeded in killing White’s cracked formation.

White was crushed.

Yet…

Yu Shao calmly placed another stone.

Tap.

Column 9, Row 14—Hane!

"It’s over."

Beside him, Ma Zhengyu swallowed dryly.

"This game…

From the Avalanche and Demon Blade openings, to the brutal mid-game brawl, and finally, White’s cracked formation leading a reckless assault…"

"Now, it has finally reached its conclusion."

—

Su Yiming stared at the board.

Silent.

Yu Shao exhaled, a deep breath of release.

After a long pause—

Su Yiming slowly closed his eyes.

Then, he lowered his head and whispered:

“…I lost.”

—

Silence.

Not a single voice could be heard from the crowd.

Black—Mid-Game Defeat.

—

White’s defense had been flawless.

Yet Black’s ferocity had been utterly terrifying.

In the end, Black truly did kill White’s cracked formation.

He succeeded.

And yet—

The cost was too great.

That entire lower-left White group perished…

But it did not die in vain.

At the cost of its own destruction, it had uprooted Black’s influence, overturning the entire board and shattering Black’s once-solid formation!

Black may have slain his enemy,

But in doing so—

He had lost himself.

—