I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 167: A New Storm Has Arrived

Not long after, on the television screen, Fang Haoxin picked up two white stones and, under everyone’s watchful eyes, slowly placed them on the board.

White stones—he had conceded.

Looking back at the entire game, although it was just an exhibition match, it had still delivered an unparalleled shock to the audience.

After the black stones played at the 3-3 point, they created an unprecedented variation in the lower-left corner. In the end, Black launched a ferocious attack on White’s thick influence, managing to shake it enough that White was forced into a desperate struggle for life.

Once Black gained the advantage, there was no attempt to safely secure the lead. Instead, upon spotting an opportunity for a dragon slaying, an audacious offensive was launched, aiming to wipe out White’s massive group.

Just when White was on the brink of collapse, a seemingly slow move turned into a brilliant counter, finding a way to survive. But Black’s response was even more ruthless—going all-in with a ko fight!

Despite White’s desperate resistance, under Black’s relentless assault, the game ultimately reached a violent conclusion—White’s dragon was slain.

“That 3-3 move was absolutely shocking at first glance.”

Someone still hadn’t recovered from the shock, speaking with lingering unease. “Looking at it now, instead of playing the hane and connect, Black crawled along the second line. Without the hane-connect exchange, this whole area of White’s position actually had a weakness!”

Another person hesitated before saying, “But after playing the 3-3, Black crawled multiple times on the second line, losing a lot of points. Even if White wasn’t as solid as before, the external influence was still immense. Was it really worth it?”

“I still feel White had the better position. Even if it was slightly weaker compared to a hane-connect sequence, it was still thick. Meanwhile, Black’s crawling on the second line meant it secured too little territory, and the exchange with White’s extension resulted in losses.”

Someone furrowed their brows and analyzed, “The key issue in this game was that White overestimated the strength of the lower-left influence, never expecting Black to brutally invade and tear through it.”

“Even so, this idea is just too shocking. How did he even think of not playing the hane-connect but crawling on the second line instead? That’s completely against standard Go principles!”

Hearing this, someone nodded. “Exactly. Now that we’ve seen the outcome, it makes sense, but before this game, how could he have conceived such an unconventional approach?”

“This is not a move any normal professional would consider. Crawling along the second line like that completely defies conventional Go logic.”

As the discussions continued, Zheng Qin remained silent.

He recalled his previous two games against Yu Shao—how Yu Shao had crawled on the second line after playing 3-3 and then tenuki’d.

Back then, Zheng Qin was too inexperienced. Yu Shao hadn’t even attacked his thick influence; instead, he had simply tenuki’d and continued playing elsewhere. Before long, Zheng Qin found himself at a disadvantage across the board.

At the time, he couldn’t comprehend Yu Shao’s reasoning behind the 3-3 move. It seemed like a completely reckless sequence, leading to a severe loss before moving on to another area.

But in this game, Yu Shao had forcefully invaded enemy lines and dismantled the thickness. Now, Zheng Qin finally understood why Yu Shao had chosen to crawl rather than play the standard hane-connect.

Yet, despite exposing a minor weakness in White’s position, White still held the superior external influence. Meanwhile, Black had sacrificed too much in the process, gaining very little territory by crawling on the second line.

As long as White remained vigilant about the 3-3 area, Black might not be able to capitalize on it as successfully as in this game. After all, crawling on the second line fundamentally went against good Go principles.

But...

Zheng Qin frowned and asked, “If White has to devote extra attention to the lower-left corner, does that extra mental burden compensate for Black’s loss in territory?”

Everyone froze at the question.

“There’s no definitive answer—it depends on perspective.”

After a moment of thought, someone shook their head. “But ultimately, White’s position is still thick, just slightly less so. And White still has external influence. No matter how you look at it, it’s harder for Black to play.”

Hearing this, Zheng Qin furrowed his brows but didn’t argue.

The logic was sound, and it was exactly what he struggled to understand. Deep in thought, he fell silent once more.

“Regardless, this concept is truly astonishing—completely unprecedented!”

Someone took a deep breath and said, “A new storm… has arrived!”

Inside the Handtalk Room

Watching Fang Haoxin place the two white stones on the board, Ding Huan swallowed hard.

“Black... won.”

“And… it was a dragon-slaying victory!”

Even though it was a team game, in Ding Huan’s eyes, the first half of the match was practically Yu Shao playing alone for Black.

Even Kong Zi couldn’t deny this.

The crucial moves—playing at 3-3, crawling on the second line, forcefully invading enemy lines, and attacking White’s thick influence in the lower-left corner—were all played by Yu Shao himself.

Each move he made fundamentally altered the game’s flow.

Meanwhile, all Kong Zi could do was follow established joseki patterns.

Then, as Black’s lone army penetrated deep into enemy lines, leaving no room for retreat, Kong Zi had no choice but to join forces with Yu Shao in a fierce assault on the lower-left corner.

In the end, their seamless cooperation successfully shattered White’s thick influence. White’s stones in the lower-left corner were pushed to the brink, left with no choice but to crawl single-handedly in a desperate bid for survival.

The final dragon-slaying sequence was a masterpiece. The two of them moved in perfect sync, executing flawless attacks and precise kills, ultimately severing White’s massive dragon.

On the other hand, White’s team lacked synergy in the midgame. Fang Haoxin and Zhuang Weisheng’s coordination fell short of the seamless interplay between Yu Shao and Kong Zi.

Even though Zhuang Weisheng made a valiant effort with a stunning counterplay, it was not enough. White’s group was still torn apart, overwhelmed by Black’s sheer force.

Ding Huan found it hard to believe—these two had never played together before, yet their teamwork was so effortless.

“They actually... slayed the dragon...”

Beside him, Wu Zhixuan also stared at the board in shock, unable to calm her mind.

Her impression of Yu Shao was still based on the game he played against her brother, Wu Shuheng, back at Jiangling High School.

In that match, Wu Shuheng had lost.

But it was just a handicap game, so it didn’t mean much.

However, this game…

It was on a completely different level.

Wu Zhixuan’s mind was filled with a single thought—too strong.

“No wonder Xiaofei lost to you. The younger generation is truly terrifying.”

At that moment, Zhuang Weisheng finally looked away from the board, turning to Yu Shao.

“After playing at 3-3, you chose to extend instead of hane-connect. That kind of idea is beyond extraordinary.”

Zhuang Weisheng shook his head and said, “He lost to you, and he deserved it.”

Yu Shao remained silent.

This was just an exhibition match. To be honest, he never considered the possibility of losing. After all, his partner was Kong Zi, while Zhuang Weisheng’s partner was Fang Haoxin.

Even if their styles differed, he could understand Kong Zi’s play—at worst, he would just follow Kong Zi’s lead entirely.

That was why he dared to play at 3-3. He knew that when he launched his attack, Kong Zi would spot the critical peep that would seal White’s fate.

And that’s exactly what happened.

As Kong Zi played that peep, Yu Shao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thus, after securing a massive lead with the 3-3 move, he thought the midgame battle would be smooth sailing.

But he had underestimated Zhuang Weisheng.

Even in dire straits, Zhuang’s counterplay was so brilliant that it almost single-handedly withstood the combined assault of two players.

That alone explained why Zhuang Weisheng had held the 10-dan title for twenty years.