I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 21: This is Not a Move an Ordinary Person Could Make

Xia Wen curiously watched the Go board, observing Xu Zijin as she alternated between placing black and white pieces on the board.

At first, Xia Wen didn’t pay much attention. But when Xu Zijin placed the fifth move, she couldn’t help but pause.

“Played the 3-3 Point?”

Xu Zijin nodded slightly without offering an explanation, simply continuing her play.

Xia Wen furrowed her brow, her gaze still fixed on the board, though she was puzzled.

The player using white pieces clearly didn’t seem to understand Go, yet they opened with the 3-3 Point—an amateurish move. Why would Xu Zijin want her to watch such a game?

Xia Wen knew Xu Zijin well enough to understand that she wasn’t someone who acted without purpose. So, despite her confusion, she held her patience and continued watching.

As the game progressed, Xia Wen’s expression began to shift.

At first, she seemed puzzled, then surprised, and soon after, her face became serious. Finally, her features grew tense, more so than ever before.

At first glance, the white pieces seemed to be handled by someone who didn’t know Go. But as the game unfolded, that initial impression was clearly wrong.

Xia Wen could see that the subsequent moves made by white were exceptionally precise. The sharpness of their offensive maneuvers caused her, a professional Go player, to feel immense pressure!

The living room fell silent, with only the crisp sound of Go pieces landing on the board breaking the stillness.

At last, Xu Zijin placed the final move.

Clack.

White pieces. Dragon-slaying victory.

The silence in the room lingered; one could hear a pin drop.

Xia Wen stared intently at the board, her elegant face filled with shock. At some point, cold sweat had formed on her forehead.

“This game actually reached... this level?” Xia Wen muttered in disbelief.

Xu Zijin didn’t respond, her gaze also fixed on the board. Even though she had already watched this game play out once before at the chess hall, now that she was reviewing it, it still felt unbelievable.

“The one playing white—is it Zheng Qin?” Xia Wen suddenly asked.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately dismissed the idea herself. “No, I’ve seen his games before. While he’s not weak, there’s no way he could play at this level. So, is black Zheng Qin? But even then... this far surpasses his usual skill.”

“The one playing black is Zheng Qin,” Xu Zijin confirmed with a nod before asking, “Teacher, what do you think about the strength of the player using white?”

“Very strong. No, extremely strong.”

Xia Wen continued staring at the board. After a moment’s thought, she pointed to a position in the center area of the board and said gravely, “Here. If it were an ordinary player, they would undoubtedly choose a small jump without hesitation.”

“But white made three consecutive hane moves instead. The depth of thought here is extraordinary. This isn’t a move an ordinary person could make.”

“And here.”

Xia Wen pointed to another position. “Black’s jump here was meant to set a trap, luring white into an attack. It’s a very subtle move. But white saw through it and even turned it to their advantage, countering black in the process.”

“And...”

Xia Wen took a deep breath and said, “Though I was already quite shocked by the pressure white applied after tenuki, what truly left me speechless was white’s sacrificial attack after the second stone was abandoned. Almost every move was precise, deadly, and seamless—completely fluid, without a single wasted move!”

“Brilliant moves born from flashes of inspiration are indeed awe-inspiring, but while a single brilliant move can win a game, it can’t win many games.”

“The true decider of a match’s outcome will always be the most unremarkable, fundamental moves.”

Hearing this, Xu Zijin fell silent for a moment before asking, “So, Teacher, what do you think is white’s overall skill level?”

Xia Wen shook her head. “It’s hard to say. Although Zheng Qin played far beyond his usual level in this game, there were still many of his moves that were overly immature and lacking refinement.”

“Because of that, I can’t deduce the strength of white based on Zheng Qin’s moves. Unless I play against white directly, it’s impossible to judge accurately.”

“So, I can only make the simplest judgment: the one using white has at least the skill level of a professional Go player.”

Xia Wen paused and turned to Xu Zijin, asking, “So, who is the player using white? Another professional?”

“No.”

Xu Zijin shook her head and said, “He’s a classmate of mine, named Yu Shao.”

“What?”

Hearing this, Xia Wen’s beautiful eyes widened in surprise. “Your classmate? From a Go dojo?”

“According to him, no.”

Xu Zijin replied, “He said he’s never had any formal Go training.”

“Another one who hasn’t trained in a Go dojo or been taught by a Go teacher?” Xia Wen found this hard to believe.

“Another one?”

Xu Zijin caught onto the key phrase in Xia Wen’s words.

“Yes.”

Xia Wen nodded and said, "Speaking of which, I only just found out a few days ago. There’s a high school freshman at Guangnan Affiliated High named Su Yiming."

"He intends to sign up for this year’s High School Go League. To assess his skill level, his teacher played a game with him. And he won."

"What’s his teacher’s rank?" Xu Zijin asked.

"Amateur 5-dan," Xia Wen replied.

"He just beat an amateur 5-dan?"

Hearing this, Xu Zijin couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

If it’s just beating an amateur 5-dan, how does that compare to the skill level Yu Shao demonstrated in this game? While amateur 5-dan is indeed very strong among ordinary players, it didn’t seem to match up.

"That’s right, he only beat an amateur 5-dan," Xia Wen confirmed with a nod. Then she added, "But it was a teaching game."

"A teaching game?"

Xu Zijin froze slightly at this.

A teaching game is a match played with the goal of guiding the opponent toward making the correct moves. In such games, the guiding player doesn’t play ruthlessly in pursuit of victory.

Giving a teaching game to an amateur 5-dan?

Winning against an amateur 5-dan might not be difficult, but to give a teaching game to an amateur 5-dan would require far more skill than just being at that level.

"Pretty ridiculous, right? A student giving their teacher a teaching game—completely flipping the usual order," Xia Wen remarked with a chuckle.

She continued, "His teacher knows He Yu, the 5-dan professional player. The teacher sent the game record to He Yu, and a few days ago, He Yu forwarded it to me. Would you like to see the game? I can set it up for you."

"Sure, sorry to trouble you, Teacher," Xu Zijin agreed with a nod.

Quickly, Xia Wen set up the Go board and began placing the moves. Xu Zijin quietly observed from the side.

Clack.

Clack.

Clack.

The crisp, pleasant sound of Go stones landing on the board echoed through the living room.

Before long, Xia Wen placed the final move.

"Alright, black got to this point, and white resigned," Xia Wen said as she looked up at Xu Zijin. "What do you think after seeing this game?"

Xu Zijin’s beautiful eyes were fixed on the board, and she remained silent.

"It seems your silence is my answer. Incredible, isn’t it? This was indeed just a teaching game. Black dominated white from start to finish but never struck decisively."

Xia Wen gazed at the board and commented, "Even though it’s a teaching game, you can tell that black’s playing style is highly versatile and imaginative, like a Pegasus soaring through the skies. It bears a strong resemblance to the style of Go Sage Shen Yi, so they must have studied a lot of Shen Yi’s games."

At this, Xia Wen couldn’t help but sigh. "Geniuses keep emerging. Your classmate, this Su Yiming, and even you, Zijin. As a professional Go player, I’m feeling quite the pressure!"

"But thankfully," Xia Wen added with a smile, teasingly, "you’re destined to inherit your family business."

"Otherwise, if you had devoted yourself fully to studying Go, with your talent, you might have already become a professional player. And I wouldn’t have been able to stay on as your Go teacher."

Xu Zijin immediately fell silent.