I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 19: White Stones, A Dragon-Slaying Victory

Click!

Facing Black's counter hane, White finally responded!

Row 9, Column 17—dig!

“A dig!”

Someone couldn't help but gasp. “Facing Black's counter hane, White's choice is... to dig so subtly?!”

“This dig is hard to comprehend. If White doesn't have a follow-up, this could be a major loss. So, does White have a follow-up? But I don't see it!”

“I can't see it either. But since that kid played here, he must have confidence. Yet we can’t figure it out. It’s... deeply unsettling!”

The entire room was captivated by the intense, life-or-death battle on the board. All eyes were glued to the game, awaiting Black's next move.

Before long, Black responded.

Row 4, Column 19—strike!

And immediately after, White placed another stone!

Both sides quickly exchanged another ten moves. Only then did the spectators gradually realize why White had chosen the dig after Black's counter hane.

White had anticipated Black’s follow-up move: an invasion. By digging, White positioned himself to launch a highly precise jump from above, threatening Black's outer influence. This was a detail no one had noticed!

It was as if a lion, calm to the extreme, had been wrapped in the coils of a venomous snake. Instead of panicking and trying to shake it off, the lion bit down on the snake’s vital point with precision!

“Incredible! If it were me, I'd have panicked after Black's counter hane. But White immediately played the best move, delivering a sharp counterattack against Black!”

Someone shook their head in admiration, realizing the massive gap in skill.

A gap so vast that it couldn’t be bridged by effort alone—such a realization could plunge one into despair.

The sound of stones hitting the board continued, one after another, as the room’s focus never wavered. Everyone’s emotions rose and fell with the ebb and flow of the game.

At this moment, the black and white stones on the board seemed to transform into swords and daggers, clashing ferociously in this small arena. On the board, chaos reigned as the two sides fought tooth and nail!

Black launched a fierce counterattack from a small point, targeting three of White’s large dragons. But White didn’t flinch, holding onto Black’s sharp fangs with iron resolve, ready to break them.

Click!

Click!

Click!

The relentless sounds of stones landing echoed through the room. Watching the game, some spectators unknowingly broke into a cold sweat.

As time passed and the match progressed, expressions on the audience’s faces began to change.

“No... this isn't right. How could this happen?!”

Someone stared intently at the board, cold sweat dripping down their face, utterly bewildered.

After Black’s counter hane, the board had turned wildly complex and intense, seemingly revealing a path to victory for Black. Everyone had anticipated an epic struggle between these two titans.

But the way the match unfolded was completely unexpected—no, the exact opposite of what they imagined!

Even though Black’s move had the potential to overturn the game, why was Black now in an even worse position? In fact, why was Black being completely overwhelmed by White?!

At that moment, Yu Shao placed another stone.

Row 2, Column 13—clamp attack!

“A clamp attack?!”

The crowd collectively gasped. Their stunned gazes fixed on the move, as though it was a revelation. “Instead of hane and connect, he chose a clamp attack?!”

“White sacrificed his stones again! He’s launching an all-out assault to invade Black’s center area, aiming for a dragon-slaying victory!”

“This is the most ruthless strategy! If he wanted to play it safe, he could have gone for hane and connected. If he wanted an aggressive attack, even a tiger’s mouth would’ve been reasonable. But White chose the most unforgiving clamp attack instead!”

“But... is he confident? Even though Black is in a precarious position, sacrificing stones means Black could still counterattack!”

Whether or not White had the confidence to pull this off, one thing was clear to everyone—

White was determined to fight Black to the death!

White left no room for retreat, burning bridges behind him. He was sacrificing stones to make his offensive even fiercer, more seamless, and sharper, thrusting his blade directly at Black!

And so, once drawn, this blade would taste blood.

It would either be Black’s... or White’s.

This was a fight to the death.

Zheng Qin stared at the clamp attack, feeling immense pressure bearing down on him. His back had long been soaked with sweat.

He had thought his counter hane would be his saving grace.

But in the following sequence of moves, he had been nearly crushed!

After pondering for a long time, Zheng Qin gritted his teeth and played another move.

Click!

Row 1, Column 10—diagonal move! 

Black still held an attacking stance, but faced with White’s sacrificial strategy, Black could only block and intercept, unable to go on the offensive.

However, if Black could weather White’s wave of attacks, he might still find a way to reverse the game!

The room was tense, every breath held. The oppressive atmosphere filled the chess room as the climax approached.

Everyone understood that after White’s sacrificial move, the game was heading toward its endgame.

This battle would determine victory with absolute finality.

Stones continued to fall on the board.

Though they were just stones, in the eyes of the spectators, they seemed to transform into flashing swords and deadly strikes, making hearts tremble.

“White responded to Black’s diagonal move by extending. Black blocked as expected, but then White... immediately extended wide?!”

Xu Zijin lowered her head, her beautiful eyes sparkling with astonishment. “A move like that? So intricate.”

The others' expressions also became deeply complex.

They suddenly realized that if White had been a lion before, now he had transformed into a cold-blooded hunter, lurking in the jungle and silently pulling the trigger.

Perhaps White’s offense wasn’t as ferocious as before, but it had grown colder, sending chills down their spines.

Because Black didn’t know where White would pull the trigger, and Black was painfully aware that when the shot came, it would be deadly.

White was hunting.

And Black was fleeing.

After another dozen moves, the chess room fell into an even deeper silence.

“So ruthless, so brutal!”

A young man wearing glasses was drenched in cold sweat. “White’s last few moves... they’re just too... too ruthless! After sacrificing stones, White didn’t play a single soft move. Every stone was razor-sharp, fully maximizing its value and accounting for every variation!”

“Black...”

His lips moved as if trying to continue, but no words came out.

Yet everyone knew exactly what he wanted to say.

Black was on the verge of collapse!

Everyone had expected a prolonged and brutal struggle between the two sides after White’s stone sacrifice. But the reality was entirely different from what they had imagined!

White had unleashed a series of vicious and intricate moves that left the spectators in awe. Some of them only grasped the brilliance of a move after it had been played.

Despite Black’s tenacious defense, White continued to dominate the game almost completely, pressing Black back at every turn. Now, White was poised to invade Black’s center area, a near-unstoppable assault!

“Why... why is this happening?”

Someone wiped the sweat from his brow, unable to comprehend the situation.

This wasn’t how the script was supposed to go!

Even though White had held an advantage during the opening and mid game battles, Black had been able to put up a good fight, trading blows evenly.

So why, after Black’s brilliant counter hane, had the tide not turned? Why had the situation deteriorated so drastically instead, leaving Black completely crushed without a chance to retaliate?

Now, Black’s position was precarious, teetering on the brink of disaster!

Was there something wrong with that counter hane?

No. That wasn’t it.

Everyone could tell that White hadn’t set up any kind of trap for Black’s counter hane. It was undeniably a brilliant move in its own right!

Then why?

Why, after Black’s counter hane, had the game shifted into such a one-sided situation?

A preposterous idea began to take shape in everyone’s minds.

“Could it be that before Black’s counter hane, White wasn’t even playing at full strength?!”

But this idea was so absurd, no one wanted to believe it. No one dared to think about it.

Zheng Qin had already performed far beyond his usual level in this match, yet he was still being defeated in such a fashion.

If this was how the game looked when Yu Shao—this high schooler—wasn’t even using his full strength, then just how terrifying was Yu Shao’s true ability?

Another five or six moves passed before Yu Shao placed yet another white stone.

Click!

The crisp sound echoed through the room.

Zheng Qin stared at the latest white stone on the board, his hand reaching into the bowl of stones. But he didn’t take another stone out.

The entire room fell into a deathly silence.

Because everyone had already seen it.

The situation was clear.

White—

Had achieved a dragon-slaying victory.