I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 164: Does He Think He’s Shen Yi?

Inside the Go Academy Analysis Room

The moment Yu Shao’s move landed on the screen, it sent shockwaves through the crowd.

"He didn’t follow the standard sequence by hane-connecting… instead, he attached to the White stone on the star point?!"

A young man stared at the screen in disbelief, his eyes wide as he reflexively blurted out, "Isn’t that too much of a loss?"

"What the hell is he thinking? Playing the 3-3 invasion is one thing—you take the loss and move on. But skipping the hane-connection… what’s he trying to do?"

"This isn’t a standard small knight’s invasion into the corner; he went for a star-point attachment and double-hane! Wasn’t this a brand-new variation that emerged just last year?"

Even Zheng Qin, who had seen Yu Shao play the 3-3 invasion twice before, was no longer as composed as before. His face was filled with shock as he stared at the screen.

"He… he didn’t continue crawling on the second line but instead played tenuki?"

Memories surfaced in Zheng Qin’s mind—those two games at Mountain-Sea Chess Hall a year ago. In both of those games, Yu Shao also avoided the hane-connection.

But back then, he didn’t tenuki either. Instead, he had done something even more baffling—continuing to crawl on the second line.

Yet, in this game, Yu Shao chose tenuki and directly attached to White’s star point!

Regardless of his choice, he had never once played the standard hane-connection.

Once is a coincidence. Twice could be happenstance. But three times?

Playing three consecutive games without the hane-connection was enough to reveal something deeper.

"So, Yu Shao is deliberately avoiding the hane-connection move. The general consensus is that Black loses points in that sequence. Does Yu Shao think that by not hane-connecting, Black… doesn’t lose points?"

While the surrounding players continued their heated discussion, Zheng Qin remained oblivious to them. His eyes were glued to the screen, not even daring to blink.

"But how could that be? Clearly, skipping the hane-connection leads to an even bigger loss. Before, when he extended, I had no way to stand firm. But now that White has the standing move, how does Black plan to fight?"

"Playing tenuki to attach to the star point… that’s the same variation from that High School Go League game against Su Yiming last year."

As Zheng Qin watched the screen, realization suddenly struck him. His body tensed, and his expression changed in an instant.

"Wait—"

"This tenuki… is actually a brilliant move!"

Inside the Handtalk Room

The referee and Wu Zhixuan stood frozen, staring blankly at the board in front of them.

Meanwhile, beside Yu Shao, Kong Zi was struggling to contain his emotions. He was so frustrated he nearly wanted to flip the board.

"What kind of move is this?"

"Is he messing with me on purpose?"

Kong Zi didn’t believe that Yu Shao was a weak player. Someone who went undefeated in the Promotion Tournament couldn’t possibly not know how to play Go.

But if Yu Shao did know how to play, then…

"Any random player from my dojo could play better than this—"

Kong Zi’s thoughts were abruptly cut off.

"Wait?"

He looked closely at the board again, and his body unconsciously straightened.

He leaned in, staring intently at the position, deep in thought.

"He didn’t go for a small knight’s invasion into the corner. Instead, he played that star-point attachment variation that spread online last year..."

"If he had chosen the small knight’s approach, White could tenuki. But with the star-point attachment, White gets tangled up and can’t easily escape!"

As this realization hit him, Kong Zi’s eyes began to shine.

"If White tries to tenuki and stand up elsewhere, Black can immediately hane down to the small point, and White loses out in the upper-left corner!"

"Looking at it this way, this attachment move not only stabilizes Black’s stones in the upper left, but also subtly connects with the lower-left formation—it’s a deeply calculated, well-thought-out move!"

"Even though the 3-3 invasion still has its flaws, by avoiding the hane-connection and delaying the decision until the board develops further, this move is absolutely not a bad one!"

Kong Zi’s enthusiasm reignited.

Although he still had doubts about Yu Shao’s 3-3 invasion earlier, the fact that Yu Shao had broken away from standard patterns to play this attachment move made him regain some faith in his opponent.

On the opposite side of the board, Fang Haoxin had just reached for a stone when his hand suddenly froze. His eyes locked onto the board.

Clearly, he had noticed something, too.

And not just him—after initially overlooking the move, the others were starting to catch on.

White had been entangled by Black!

Fang Haoxin’s expression turned serious. He thought for a moment before finally placing his move.

Column 3, Row 3—Hane!

The moment Fang Haoxin played, Kong Zi’s hand shot into the Go bowl like lightning. He snatched up a stone and slammed it down!

Snap!

Column 2, Row 3—Hane!

Now, it was Zhuang Weisheng’s turn.

He examined the board carefully, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Playing tenuki to attach and tangle up White while leaving the lower-left unresolved… looking at it now, that was indeed an excellent move."

"But…"

Zhuang Weisheng lifted his gaze, staring at Yu Shao’s youthful yet composed face.

"How many people have the ability to break away from established patterns and play this move?"

"And yet, that 3-3 invasion earlier…"

After a long pause, Zhuang Weisheng finally withdrew his gaze, his expression returning to unreadable calm.

He looked back at the board, then slowly reached into the Go bowl and placed his move.

Snap!

Column 3, Row 5—Atari!

As soon as the white stone landed, Yu Shao immediately followed up.

Column 2, Row 4—Connect!

Snap, snap, snap…

The crisp sound of stones being placed echoed through the Handtalk Room. The four players took turns placing their moves, swiftly playing out the complex variation following the star-point attachment.

Before long, it was once again Zhuang Weisheng’s turn.

He gazed at the board, an aura of quiet authority radiating from him.

"Alright then…"

He picked up another stone and placed it down.

"Let’s see just how good you really are."

Snap!

Column 9, Row 3—Two-Space Extension!

"A two-space extension?!"

Wu Zhixuan, who was still recording the moves, couldn’t help but lift her head in shock.

"This move… it’s a direct attempt to suffocate the upper-right Black stones! He’s leaving no room for his own White group to retreat—he’s trying to force Black into a desperate fight!"

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Inside the Go Academy Analysis Room

The moment Zhuang Weisheng’s move landed, the room fell into stunned silence.

"Zhuang Weisheng… actually chose such an unforgiving move?"

Wu Zhixuan felt her heart tighten as she instinctively glanced at Fang Haoxin.

"Why?"

"His teammate… is only a 1-dan professional!"

Fang Haoxin’s expression subtly changed. He could feel the immense pressure of this move.

White’s two-space extension was undoubtedly the most aggressive choice available. It put Black under extreme pressure, but at the same time, White’s margin for error had shrunk dramatically. One misstep, and it could all come crashing down.

"Damn it, Zhuang Weisheng, you bastard..."

Kong Zi furrowed his brows, worry flickering across his face as he shot a glance at Yu Shao.

This two-space extension was a massive test for Black. Yu Shao’s next move would dictate the entire flow of the game—it was nothing short of crucial.

Yu Shao stared at the board, his fingers hovering over the Go bowl for a moment. Then, finally, under the watchful eyes of the entire room, he picked up a black stone and placed it down.

Snap!

Column 7, Row 4—Point!

Zhuang Weisheng’s expression shifted ever so slightly.

"A point move?"

Wu Zhixuan and the referee both gasped audibly at Yu Shao’s response.

Even the reporter, Ding Huan, instinctively stretched his neck forward, as if trying to get a clearer view of the board.

This wasn’t an especially complicated move to understand. But in this situation, it was utterly shocking.

"Too… too bold!"

"Faced with White’s aggressive two-space extension, he actually played a point move?"

Even though Ding Huan had confirmed what he saw, he still couldn’t quite believe his eyes.

"He completely disregarded the side territory, abandoning the second and third lines… is he actually trying to take control of the center?!"

"The center is the hardest area to control—only the strongest players can handle it. How does he dare to play this way? That’s insane!"

"Playing for such a large-scale framework… does he think he’s Shen Yi?"

"Even if he were Shen Yi, this kind of strategy would still put immense pressure on his teammate, even with Kong Zi as his partner!"

Even after years of reporting on professional Go, Ding Huan felt that today’s game was utterly baffling.

The first few moves had been normal—everything looked like a standard game. But ever since Yu Shao’s deep contemplation and that initial 3-3 invasion, the entire match had taken a turn.

Kong Zi stared at the board, utterly dumbfounded.

He had considered multiple ways Yu Shao could respond—perhaps launching an all-out battle with White, trying to escape outward, or reinforcing his own position.

But he had never expected this.

This wasn’t to say the move was bad. On the contrary, it was brilliant. White had tried to cut off Black’s expansion along the right side, but instead of engaging, Yu Shao had completely ignored it and shifted the battlefield to the center.

The center was vast—there was no definitive right or wrong move here.

But…

"Building influence in the center… this is ridiculously difficult."

Even for Kong Zi, a Meijin titleholder, managing the center was never easy. It was a battlefield with no clear boundaries—a fight in the open sky.

"This kid…"

"He really trusts me that much?"

For the first time, Kong Zi felt an unexpected warmth toward Yu Shao. His previous frustration over the 3-3 invasion was completely wiped away.

Across the board, Fang Haoxin felt like a weight had dropped on his shoulders.

"He actually played a point move…"

He had already resolved to give it his all in this game. But time and time again, the moves being played were completely beyond his expectations.

After a long moment of thought, Fang Haoxin took a deep breath, picked up a white stone, and placed it down.

Column 7, Row 3—Block!

Now it was Kong Zi’s turn. But this time, he didn’t immediately make his move. Instead, he studied the board, deep in thought.

After a brief pause, his eyes suddenly lit up. He reached into the Go bowl and picked up a stone.

"Since this kid trusts me this much, I can’t let him down!"

Snap!

His move landed!

And then, it was Zhuang Weisheng’s turn again.

Zhuang Weisheng furrowed his brows, pausing for a moment before placing his stone.

"It seems… Black and White are destined to engage in a fierce battle over the center."

Ding Huan watched the board, already thinking ahead to how he’d write today’s report on the Flame Inheritance Match.

Just then, Yu Shao lowered his head, his sharp eyes scanning the board. He reached for a black stone and gently placed it down.

Snap!

Column 2, Row 13—Crawl!

"Huh?"

Ding Huan was completely stunned.

"He played tenuki to return to the lower-left corner… and now he’s crawling on the second line?"