I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 18: The Scales of Victory

Yu Shao stared at Black’s stones on the board, pondering briefly before picking up a stone and placing it.

Click.

Row 13, Column 10 — Jump!

Zheng Qin bit his lower lip and quickly responded.

After falling into a disadvantage, Black chose to launch a proactive counterattack against White. The two sides began to place their stones rapidly, fiercely battling over the open territory on the left flank!

“Black is already behind—why would they choose to attack now? If White finds an opportunity, Black could collapse even faster!”

One spectator, watching the board intently, couldn’t understand Black’s decision:

“White’s position is clearly stronger. Shouldn’t White be the one pressing their advantage here?”

“No, it’s the opposite.”

Another person immediately shook their head at the remark.

“That’s conventional thinking. For a skilled player, it’s precisely because Black is at a disadvantage that they must launch a strong attack.”

“Only by stirring the waters can they hope to find a chance of survival.”

“Otherwise, when facing an opponent of equal skill, the only option left would be to wait for defeat!”

“Previously, White was the one actively attacking. But now, Black is the one who’s most eager to push the game into a chaotic and intense state. Meanwhile, White’s priority right now is actually to stabilize the situation!”

“The real question isn’t whether Black can kill White—because that’s nearly impossible. What we need to watch is where Black can steer the game from here!”

Hearing this explanation, everyone felt a slight chill in their hearts.

Click.

Click.

Click.

As the stones continued to fall, the situation on the board grew increasingly complex.

At this moment, Black was like a lone, starving wolf prowling the forest, ready to bare its fangs at White at any moment.

Even the spectators couldn’t help but feel affected by the tense atmosphere of the game, holding their breaths and falling into utter silence.

Then, Black placed another stone.

Row 8, Column 7 — Hane!

“A hane?!”

The spectators’ eyes widened in disbelief.

Wasn’t this move putting Black in even greater danger?

But after thinking carefully, they suddenly became excited.

“There’s a hane here? I didn’t even notice that possibility!”

“At first glance, if White pushes with a shoulder hit, Black will immediately find themselves in a dangerous position. But upon closer inspection, Black has a counterattack opportunity at the Small Point!”

“This creates an extremely chaotic situation. While Black could face complete annihilation with the slightest misstep, White isn’t safe either!”

“If White doesn’t shoulder hit and instead cuts, White will still maintain their advantage, but Black will have a chance to breathe!”

“As expected of Little Zheng. I never even considered this hane. Or rather, even if I had, I probably would have dismissed it without deeper thought.”

Yu Shao lowered his gaze, examining the board.

“A hane, huh?”

He had anticipated that Black might play a hane here, but now that it had actually happened, it still surprised him somewhat.

“It’s true—if I choose a shoulder hit, the situation will become intensely complicated, and White could also face danger.”

“But if I don’t shoulder hit and instead cut, Black can thicken their position…”

After a brief pause, Yu Shao finally reached into his stone bowl and picked out a stone.

Snap!

The stone landed with a metallic sound that echoed throughout the chess room.

Row 8, Column 6 — Shoulder Hit!

The White stone gleamed brightly on the board.

Instantly, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone froze in disbelief, staring blankly at the White stone at Row 8, Column 6.

“He… chose the shoulder hit?!”

Moments later, the room erupted, even more shocked than when they had seen the earlier press.

“Why?!”

“With a shoulder hit, although Black will be in greater danger, the situation becomes incredibly chaotic and unpredictable. Black could still counterattack!”

“If he had chosen to cut, White would still hold the advantage. Why take the risk?”

“Does he really have so much confidence in himself—that he won’t make even the tiniest mistake in such a complex situation?”

“Exactly! If he had chosen to cut and then played steadily, White would very likely win!”

Even Zheng Qin was stunned when he saw the shoulder hit.

While the shoulder hit was indeed the most instinctive move, as soon as it was played, Black would immediately come under White’s pressure.

But the problem was, if White thought about it carefully, they would realize that Black also had a counterattack opportunity in this situation.

So, did White simply not see it?

No. Impossible.

Even if the other spectators missed it, Zheng Qin was certain that the high schooler across from him, Yu Shao, had seen it.

And yet, even knowing this, he still chose the shoulder hit.

Zheng Qin exhaled deeply, clenched his teeth, and reached into his stone bowl again, pulling out another piece before slamming it down heavily.

Immediately, Black and White resumed placing stones, engaging in another fierce skirmish. The battle once again grew intense, deadlocked, and indecipherable!

Everyone’s eyes were glued to the board, unwilling to blink even once.

Even just watching the game, they could feel the overwhelming aura of slaughter emanating from the board. Both sides revealed their sharp edges, each aiming to utterly destroy the other!

“If he opts for a pincer attack here, perhaps Black will directly attach in response? In that case, Black’s shape could become problematic. Then… maybe he’ll choose a two-space extension instead?”

Yu Shao reached into his stone bowl, carefully examining the board.

“But that move might come across as too sly…”

“Then I might as well just extend it directly.”

With this thought, Yu Shao finally placed his stone.

Click.

Row 11, Column 3 — Extend!

Zheng Qin stared intensely at the board. Seeing Yu Shao’s move, he quickly made his own.

Yu Shao thought briefly, then reached into his stone bowl again and placed his next stone.

Click.

Row 2, Column 13 — Invasion!

In quick succession, another six moves were played, and once again, it was Zheng Qin’s turn.

Zheng Qin locked his gaze onto a single point on the board. He reached into his stone bowl, picked up a stone, and placed it down with an air of urgency.

Snap!

Row 9, Column 14 — Counter Hane!

Yu Shao was about to play his next move, but when he saw where Zheng Qin had played, he froze for a moment.

A counter hane?

The surrounding spectators instantly fell silent, their expressions filled with shock.

“A counter hane?”

Someone swallowed hard, their throat dry, and exclaimed in a trembling voice, “Black completely disregarded forming an empty triangle and instead countered with a hane. White has been cut apart!”

At that moment, the crowd erupted.

“White was trying to claim key points earlier, and when Black played those three consecutive hane moves, I thought it was just an attempt to connect the dragon, even at the cost of conceding the fight. But now…”

“Turns out Black’s entire sequence was laying the groundwork for this counter hane!”

“Black’s lifeline has appeared!”

“Little Zheng… he’s made the most brilliant move of the game!”

Yu Shao’s gaze locked onto the board, his mind running countless simulations of the possible developments from here.

This counter hane had indeed caught him off guard. He had noticed this move earlier but hadn’t expected Zheng Qin to actually play it at his level.

If he had known, he would have opted for the more aggressive two-space extension earlier instead of the simple extension!

This counter hane wasn’t something a typical player would consider—it went completely against standard thinking. It was a move so unconventional that amateur players rarely even think of it, let alone execute it.

Reassessing the board, Yu Shao’s expression began to grow serious.

“I underestimated him. He… isn’t as weak as I thought.”

“He’s no ordinary amateur.”

After Black’s counter hane, White’s two large groups of stones were cut apart, and even three of White’s dragons now faced the risk of being attacked!

Yu Shao reached into his stone bowl.

“Looks like I’ll have to go all out!”