I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 180: If the Gap Can Be Closed, Then There Is No Gap

At the same time.

Inside another playing room at the Southern Go Association.

The final round of the regional team tournament qualifiers.

Around Table Three, a crowd had already gathered, everyone watching the board in silence, waiting for this match to determine the final winner.

“This game will decide who qualifies for the main event of the regional team tournament.”

Among the crowd, a slightly overweight middle-aged referee stared at the board, then glanced up at the slender young man sitting on the left, who looked to be around twenty-three years old.

“One side is Qin Haisheng, 7-dan...”

Then, he turned his head again to look at the opponent across from Qin Haisheng—a young man around twenty years old, with tousled hair and striking features.

“The other side... is Zheng Qin, 2-dan.”

He took a deep breath, unable to calm the turmoil in his heart as he looked at Zheng Qin.

“Incredible... Just last year, he only became a professional player, and now he's already reached this stage...

“He even has a real chance to break into the main event of the regional team tournament, which has traditionally been dominated by high-dan players!”

The referee shook his head and refocused on the board, evaluating the current position. Though his own playing strength wasn’t particularly high, the situation was clear enough for even him to see.

“At the moment, Qin Haisheng’s black stones have the advantage. Zheng Qin’s white stones are at a disadvantage.”

“It seems that Zheng Qin is still a bit inferior... There’s still a gap between them.”

The referee exhaled lightly and thought to himself, “But even if he loses this game, Zheng Qin should be proud. It’s been years since we’ve seen a rookie like this.”

At that moment, Qin Haisheng stared at the board, deep in thought. A faint sheen of sweat formed on his gaunt face.

After a long pause, he picked up the nasal inhaler he had been holding in his left hand, took a deep breath through it, then returned his focus to the board, continuing his contemplation.

“The winner of this game advances, and the loser is eliminated.”

“Every move he plays is tenacious. I can see how much he wants to win, but... my desire to win is no less than his!”

“And right now, I have the advantage!”

Finally, Qin Haisheng reached into his bowl, picked up a stone, and placed it on the board.

Snap!

Column 2, Row 15—Atari!

Seeing this move, Zheng Qin didn’t respond immediately. Beads of sweat formed at his temples as he subconsciously clenched his teeth, staring at the board, deep in thought.

Moments later, he wiped the sweat off his face, took a deep breath, and finally reached into his bowl, picking up a stone and placing it down swiftly!

Snap!

Column 2, Row 14—Extend!

The atmosphere in the playing room grew increasingly tense and suffocating.

Everyone present could feel the overwhelming pressure in the air, watching the board intently, hardly daring to breathe.

Each move spoke volumes of their desire to win—Qin Haisheng, pressing his advantage ruthlessly, and Zheng Qin, fighting back with unrelenting resilience despite being behind!

Only one of them would survive this match.

Only the strong would remain!

This time, Qin Haisheng didn’t waste time on another long contemplation—he had anticipated this move. Without hesitation, he reached into his bowl, picked up a stone, and placed it down quickly.

Column 2, Row 13—Block!

Zheng Qin also didn’t hesitate. Without a second thought, he picked up a stone and placed it on the board!

Snap!

Column 15, Row 13—Jump!

“A jump?”

Qin Haisheng glanced at Zheng Qin before lowering his head again to study the board. He took another deep inhale through his nasal inhaler, his brows furrowing slightly.

“That formation of over a hundred stones is in a delicate position. If I try to launch an all-out attack on it... I might get counterattacked by the white stones and be dragged into a bitter battle. I’d better not act recklessly.”

After careful consideration, Qin Haisheng finally set down his inhaler and slowly reached into his bowl.

“I already have a significant advantage with my black stones. Even if I let those white stones live, it won’t matter. When you're ahead, you must never force a fight. He’s not an opponent I can underestimate.”

Click.

The sound of stones clashing echoed.

Qin Haisheng’s eyes grew sharper as he picked up a stone and swiftly placed it on the board.

“If I just secure my territory and maintain control, white won’t have any chance to turn things around!”

Snap!

Column 4, Row 8—Clamp!

The moment Qin Haisheng made his move, Zheng Qin gritted his teeth and immediately followed suit, placing his stone right after the black one!

Snap!

Column 9, Row 14—Attach!

“He attached!”

Qin Haisheng’s eyes narrowed slightly. He was surprised but not entirely caught off guard.

This was white’s strongest counterplay—something others might not have noticed, but after such an intense back-and-forth battle, Zheng Qin...

Had seen it!

“It’s a good move... but it’s useless!”

Qin Haisheng quickly picked up another stone and placed it down without hesitation!

“This is just a desperate struggle!”

Snap!

Column 8, Row 13—Peep!

Snap, snap, snap...

Six moves later, as another black stone landed, Zheng Qin fixed his gaze on a specific spot on the board.

Then, with determination, he reached into his bowl, picked up a stone with his right hand, and slammed it onto the board!

Thud!

Column 10, Row 15—Point!

Seeing this move, the surrounding spectators were momentarily stunned.

“He played a point... into the middle of my black formation?”

The moment Qin Haisheng saw that point move, his expression changed dramatically. His eyes immediately flickered to Zheng Qin’s previous jump move, his gaze trembling.

"I thought letting him secure one group of stones wouldn’t be a big deal..."

"Was he already planning back then to force a trade, using it as leverage to threaten my unstable black stones and start a fight?"

Qin Haisheng inhaled sharply through his nasal inhaler, his jaw tightening.

"No matter. He’s just putting up a front. This isn’t even a real battle—it’s just desperate resistance!"

A moment later, he put down the inhaler, reached into his bowl, grabbed a stone, and slammed it onto the board!

Column 10, Row 12—Capture!

Click.

After placing the stone, Qin Haisheng immediately picked up three white stones from the board and dropped them into the lid of his bowl, the sound of them hitting the surface crisp and sharp.

Zheng Qin didn’t hesitate either. He reached into his bowl and placed another stone.

Snap!

Snap!

Snap!

One stone after another was drawn from their bowls, tightly held between their right-hand fingers, then released from above with a resounding click—each move echoing in the silent room.

"He’s disrupting the formation of my lower black stones!"

Qin Haisheng’s expression shifted as he clenched his teeth, placing another stone immediately.

Zheng Qin followed suit, mirroring his speed.

Snap!

Column 14, Row 17—Jump!

"If I want to respond to this move, I’ll have to tighten my own liberties!"

A shudder ran through Qin Haisheng’s eyelids. The sweat on his face had now gathered into large droplets. After a brief moment of contemplation, he gritted his teeth, grabbed another stone, and placed it swiftly.

The moment the black stone landed, a sharp glint flashed in Zheng Qin’s eyes.

Without missing a beat, he reached into his bowl and, as if even a second’s delay would mean death, slammed his white stone onto the board!

Thud!

Column 9, Row 15—Press!

"He... forced me into a tough battle!"

Qin Haisheng clenched his jaw so tightly that his teeth made an audible crack.

He hadn’t formally evaluated the board position yet, but in that instant, his keen Go intuition told him that something had shifted.

Go was a game of infinite complexity—shaped by size, order, attack and defense, gain and loss, life and death, thickness and weakness, lightness and heaviness, the conventional and the unexpected, movement and stillness, terrain, illusion and reality. The ability to sense these factors instinctively was known as Go intuition.

The spectators, watching the board, felt a storm surging in their hearts.

On the board, black and white stones continued to fall in rapid succession.

As time dwindled, both players increased their pace, their hands moving almost mechanically as they fought with everything they had.

In the confined space of the board, an intense battle raged—one moment, black was attacking and white was defending, the next, white was attacking and black was forced to respond. The tides of battle shifted unpredictably.

A game that should have been decided was now hanging in uncertainty. No one could confidently judge the current situation; no one could definitively say who held the advantage.

Perhaps if you asked a hundred players, fifty would say white was ahead, while the other fifty would favor black!

The room was silent.

Everyone could only watch in breathless anticipation as the game transitioned from midgame into endgame, the battle raging until the very last moment.

Snap!

Snap!

Snap!

Before long, Qin Haisheng, staring at the board, slowly closed his eyes. He didn’t reach for another stone.

"It’s... over."

The spectators stared at the board in stunned silence.

At last, the outcome was clear.

The result—

White wins.

Black... loses by half a point.

After a long pause, Qin Haisheng opened his eyes, glanced at Zheng Qin across from him, then lowered his head. In the hushed room, he finally spoke.

"I lost."

Hearing those words, Zheng Qin took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He wiped the sweat off his face—his entire body drenched as if he had been caught in the rain—before bowing his head and responding.

"Thank you for the game."

"Thank you for the game."

Qin Haisheng returned the bow.

The two of them silently cleaned up the board. Then, Zheng Qin slowly stood up, ready to report the results to the referee.

Only then did he realize—the referee had been standing in the crowd the whole time. He had been so engrossed in the match that he hadn’t even noticed.

In fact, the entire playing room was empty except for their table. All the other games had already finished.

As Zheng Qin looked over, the referee gave him a small nod, indicating that he had already acknowledged the result.

Zheng Qin exhaled in relief and turned to leave.

The onlookers instinctively parted, making way for him. Their gazes, filled with complex emotions, followed his retreating figure.

"Qin Haisheng, 7-dan... lost."

"A half-point loss... What an unexpected result. So close."

No one had anticipated that Zheng Qin would make such a comeback, defeating a 7-dan player as a low-dan underdog.

He had fought his way into the main event of the regional team tournament—where the true elites gathered.

Just as Zheng Qin was about to leave the room, Qin Haisheng, still seated, suddenly called out.

"Zheng Qin, 2-dan!"

Zheng Qin stopped abruptly, turning back with a puzzled expression.

"Wait, after winning this game, you should be 3-dan now, shouldn’t you?"

Qin Haisheng turned to look at him and said, "Congratulations, Zheng Qin, 3-dan. You’ve made it into the main event."

Zheng Qin blinked in surprise. After a brief pause, he quickly replied, "Thank you."

Qin Haisheng gave him a slight nod before looking away. Only then did Zheng Qin finally step out of the room.

Even after he left, Qin Haisheng remained seated, lost in thought.

"Such a shame, Qin."

A young man, barely in his twenties, spoke with a tone of regret. "It was clear that Zheng Qin isn’t on your level. There was a skill gap. If it weren’t for that one oversight, you would’ve won."

"That’s... disrespectful to him."

Hearing this, Qin Haisheng lifted his head and looked at the young man.

"Where is the gap?" he asked.

The young man froze, momentarily confused.

Wasn’t it obvious?

Qin Haisheng gazed at the board before him. Even though all the stones had been cleared away, in his mind, the positions still remained.

After a brief silence, he spoke slowly.

"If the gap can be closed, then there is no gap."

Hearing this, the young man was left speechless.

He couldn’t understand why, after just losing to Zheng Qin and missing his chance at the main event, Qin Haisheng was still speaking on his behalf.