I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go! -
Chapter 228: Renowned Across the Land
At this moment, inside the Handtalk Room.
Zhou Weizheng stared at the board in front of him. The black and white stones reflected in his eyes, his face pale, his entire being lost in confusion and despair. The fierce fighting spirit he had earlier seemed all but gone.
"Zhou Wei, 6-dan..."
The female recorder at the notation table watched this scene, her expression complicated. She could empathize—she completely understood Zhou Wei’s current emotions.
Even though the board position wasn't overwhelmingly bad, and White still had significant room to fight back, the situation was psychologically crushing. This kind of gap was usually enough to shatter weaker players, but for the strong, it would instead ignite their fighting spirit. They would rise like raging waves, refusing to back down until the very last moment!
Or rather, as long as the outcome wasn’t set in stone, true strong players would never break. They would never compromise. Those who collapsed in adversity didn't even deserve to be called strong.
Yet, despite the relatively small gap in this game, the way the board had developed made it unbearable for everyone watching. The vast majority of players, if faced with this situation, would likely lose all will to fight.
Time passed slowly.
A moment later, Zhou Wei suddenly clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down.
"The difference isn't that big!"The next second, Zhou Wei’s eyes snapped open, shaking off the dazed, broken look from before.
"The game isn’t over—I can’t let my mindset collapse!"
His expression no longer showed any trace of confusion—only deep unwillingness and a burning intensity that sent chills down one’s spine!
"You have to lure White into a killing trap, use entangling attacks to lock down White, grind away the gap with steady, thick play, cut off White’s escape routes, and—"
"—Fight to the death!"
Crack!
The crisp sound of a stone hitting the board rang out!
In that instant, White’s player took a stone from the bowl, clenching their teeth before slowly placing it down.
Pa!
The moment the stone landed, the entire board seemed to tremble slightly!
Row 17, Column 17—Cut!
"Even in this situation, 8-dan White still managed to hold on… I have to keep fighting and chase them down!"
Seeing this move, the male recorder felt his heart pound. He could feel White’s astonishing tenacity—standing tall even in the face of a raging storm, refusing to bow!
That move forcefully cut off White’s connection, splitting the group apart. Using this as a starting point, Zhou Wei had decided to fight back. From here on, an intense battle of entanglement was inevitable!
Who would emerge victorious was still far from certain. But at this moment, who here didn’t feel the urge to fight?
The male recorder snapped out of his thoughts, quickly shifting his gaze away from the board to the computer screen. He clicked the mouse firmly, entering the latest move.
Yu Shao had played his move. Now, it was Ma Dong’s turn!
Ma Dong quietly observed the board. After a brief moment, he reached into the stone bowl again, picking out a piece and swiftly placing it down.
Tap!
Row 14, Column 11—Block!
The moment Yu Shao’s stone landed, Zhou Wei’s hand had already reached into the stone bowl. His eyes flashed with a sharp glint—his move landed like thunder!
Tap!
Row 11, Column 15—Peep!
The battle had truly begun!
Although the situation was still unfavorable, White's fighting spirit had been reignited. The black and white stones fell continuously, each move clashing like the ringing of swords!
Tap!
Tap!
Tap!
Each White stone felt alive, as if a thousand troops and horses surged forth across the board, forming an intricate net to encircle Black, layer upon layer!
Yu Shao remained calm, his expression steady as he reached into the stone bowl repeatedly, playing one move after another.
Over and over again!
With the rhythmic sounds of stones landing, another dozen moves passed in quick succession!
"White has completely entangled Black!"
At the notation table, the female recorder leaned forward for another look and was immediately taken aback. Her fingers quickly scrolled the mouse, recording the moves, and to her surprise, she felt a thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead.
White had successfully wrapped around Black, but Zhou Wei’s expression showed no joy.
Very soon, Black responded.
As Yu Shao placed another stone on the board, Zhou Wei stared at it intently, his focus razor-sharp. After a long pause, he reached into the bowl and swiftly placed his next move!
Tap!
Row 10, Column 11—Press!
"Brilliant move!"
Even the two referees watching showed astonished expressions. They could immediately sense the ingenuity behind this move. They hadn’t expected White to find such a play—it was so unexpected that no amount of deep thinking would have led them to it!
"White just leaped into the center, reinforcing the upper stones while suppressing Black’s influence. By relying on its strong shape, White is preparing to pressure the unstable Black stones with an invasion!"
Tap!
Tap!
Tap!
The game continued, move after move!
And it wasn’t just the players in the Handtalk Room following the action—right now, in the broadcast studio and the official Hero’s Pride Cup livestream, tens of thousands of viewers were watching this match unfold!
The live chat scrolled furiously!
Within moments, another seven or eight moves were played. White continued biting down on Black, closing the gap step by step!
Zhou Wei kept his eyes locked on the board. A moment later, he reached into the stone bowl, grabbed a piece, and played it swiftly.
Yu Shao looked at the newly placed White stone. After a brief pause, he too picked up a Black stone and gently placed it down.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
"White is really sinking its teeth in!"
Seeing this, the female recorder felt a lingering sense of unease. If this continued, White actually had a good chance to turn the game around!
Crack!
Another crisp collision of stones echoed through the room.
The next moment, Yu Shao took another stone from the bowl, gazing quietly at the board before gently placing it down.
Tap!
Row 6, Column 13—Clamp!
"Clamp?"
Seeing this move, the female recorder and both referees all froze for a split second.
Then, their eyes widened in shock!
"He ignored it?!"
"He’s going for a direct kill on White’s lower-left group?!"
White launched a fierce counterattack, but Black’s formation was a bit thin. In this situation, any player would instinctively reinforce their shape without hesitation—after all, Black was ahead, and a single defensive move would secure life on the upper side.
Yet, against all expectations, Black ignored the threat and instead played a clamp, choosing the most ruthless method to go for a direct kill on White!
"He actually ignored it and clamped...?"
Zhou Wei’s expression shifted instantly.
For Black to take such an all-or-nothing approach was completely beyond his expectations!
The next moment, Zhou Wei suppressed his emotions, grabbed another stone from the bowl, and placed it swiftly on the board.
With Black’s aggressive clamp, the situation had reached an extreme level of sharpness—so complex that it was nearly uncontrollable. Black was in danger, but White was in even greater peril!
This move was utterly ruthless, forcing a life-and-death fight with White. White had no way to escape—there was no choice but to fight for survival!
Tap!
Tap!
Tap!
The sound of stones hitting the board echoed continuously.
On the vast 19x19 board, black and white stones had locked in a deadly struggle, cutting off each other’s escape routes. The winner of this battle would decide the outcome of the entire game—the loser would be completely annihilated!
Time passed, but everyone watching had long forgotten about time itself. Their eyes were locked onto the board as the stones kept falling.
In the broadcast studio.
Zhu Huai’an gazed at the lower-right corner of the big screen and slowly spoke:
"White has played extremely well… but in this fight, Black’s killing power is simply superior."
Zeng Chenlu remained silent.
Because Zhu Huai’an was absolutely right—
Black’s killing power was simply superior!
Even though that clamp seemed like an outrageous gamble, it had landed precisely on White’s weak point. The gap between them continued to widen, and the White group in the lower-left had collapsed into an empty triangle.
"The next move… should be here."
Zhu Huai’an picked up a whiteboard marker, tapped the screen, and said,
"If Black plays here, it completely cuts off White’s escape route. White will be captured."
Even in such a complex position—where most players would take a long time to find a winning move—Zhu Huai’an had identified the decisive kill at a glance.
Moments after he finished speaking, on the big screen’s lower-right corner, Black placed a stone exactly where Zhu Huai’an had pointed!
Row 2, Column 14—Peep!
"Dragon slayed…"
Zeng Chenlu finally snapped back to reality, murmuring, "It’s over."
Inside Handtalk Room #4.
Zhou Wei’s right hand was still inside the stone bowl, gripping a piece—but he didn’t take it out.
His gaze was fixed on the black stone that had just landed at White’s eye space. His mind was already running through all possible variations.
There were roughly a dozen more moves to go. Black would push White into a liberty squeeze, and although White still had a few forcing moves left—perhaps five or six—no matter how complex the sequence was, Black would never make a mistake.
White’s large dragon had already been slain.
He had seen the endgame.
Click…
The previous clicking sound was from picking up a stone—this time, the sound was from a stone falling back into the bowl.
Zhou Wei slowly lowered his head toward Yu Shao and said,
"I lost."
Game over.
Yu Shao looked at Zhou Wei, then politely bowed.
"Thank you for the game."
"Thank you for the game."
Zhou Wei returned the bow.
"He won."
At the notation table, the female recorder finally snapped out of her trance. She forced herself to look away from the board and instead focused on Yu Shao.
"Yu Shao, 1-dan… no, Yu Shao, 2-dan, won!"
By winning this round, Yu Shao had advanced to the Top Four, securing his spot in the upcoming Professional Qualification Tournament!
At that moment, another question suddenly popped into everyone’s mind—
"What about Table One?"
The game at Table Four had ended first.
The other three matches were still ongoing, but all were nearing their conclusions.
"Che Wenyu, 6-dan, looks like he’s going to win."
In the broadcast studio, Zeng Chenlu glanced at the upper-right corner of the livestream and commented,
"Yu Shu, 5-dan, had a great opening, but in the midgame, his moves started feeling a bit heavy—he didn’t play as well as he did in the previous round."
"On the other hand, Che Wenyu, 6-dan, has been flawless this round. Every move has been decisive and powerful—he either doesn’t strike at all, or when he does, it’s a killing move."
"Unless something unexpected happens, Che Wenyu, 6-dan, should be the second player to advance."
Even as Zeng Chenlu continued analyzing the game, it was clear he was somewhat distracted.
Just as he predicted, after a few more moves, Yu Shu conceded.
Che Wenyu, 6-dan, won by midgame, securing the second spot in the Top Four.
Now, looking at the remaining two games—
Everyone turned their attention to the upper-left corner of the screen, to Table One.
In this game, after realizing he was at a disadvantage, Le Haoqiang fought desperately to keep hold of Black. But despite his tenacity, the gap kept widening.
However, unlike Yu Shao’s game—where Black had forcefully broken into White’s territory—this match was different.
Here, Black had played a high-positioned formation, creating an enormous framework, engulfing White’s center in a massive battle!
Inside Handtalk Room #1.
Le Haoqiang stared at the board in front of him. He clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his arms bulged.
Finally, he reached into the stone bowl—but instead of grabbing a single stone, he took out two White stones and placed them on the board.
Tap. Tap.
The crisp sound of stones landing echoed through the silent room.
With the recorder and referees watching in stunned silence, Le Haoqiang lowered his head deeply and said,
"I lost!"
In the broadcast studio.
Zeng Chenlu saw Le Haoqiang place the two White stones on the board and pursed his lips, which had gone dry from the intensity of the match. Then, he finally spoke—
"Su Yiming, 2-dan, wins!"
White had ultimately fallen to Black’s overwhelming formation, crushed under its massive momentum!
The third player to secure a Top Four spot and advance to the Professional Qualification Tournament—
Su Yiming!
When Su Yiming’s victory was confirmed, the Hero’s Pride Cup official livestream fell into an eerie silence.
Both games featuring the 3-3 Point strategy had won again!
Now, only one match remained—
Qin Lang vs. Gu Chuan.
And this game was just as thrilling as the rest.
From the opening phase, both players had shown incredible skill, engaging in an all-out strategic battle.
And now, as the midgame fight raged on, the intensity had reached its peak!
But it seemed that Qin Lang was just one move ahead.
He had caught Gu Chuan making a subtle, almost imperceptible slack move and immediately launched a ferocious assault, gradually seizing control of the game.
Finally, the match was decided.
Qin Lang, 6-dan, wins by midgame against Gu Chuan, 4-dan!
With that, the second round of the Hero’s Pride Cup main tournament had officially come to an end!
Yu Shao, Che Wenyu, Su Yiming, and Qin Lang had advanced to the Top Four.
Three days later, they would fight for the final championship spots!
That Night
With the conclusion of the second round of the Hero’s Pride Cup, the internet exploded!
Countless discussions about the 3-3 Point strategy flooded major forums like a storm.
In homes of Go players everywhere, the sound of stones hitting boards echoed nonstop.
Almost everyone—whether Go enthusiasts, amateur players, or even professionals—was analyzing the games of Yu Shao and Su Yiming.
Why?
Why was it that in both of their matches, before Black had even fully developed its outward influence, there were no flashy or brilliant moves—and yet, Black had built massive formations at an incredible speed?
In New York, dawn was breaking.
But inside the Go Academy, the sound of stones being placed never stopped.
Expressions were grim as players gathered around two Go boards, replaying the matches from earlier that day, analyzing them over and over.
But unlike three days ago, when the academy was filled with 18-year-old trainees, now seven or eight older men had joined them—clearly a generation ahead of the young players.
All of them were deep in thought, replaying the games move by move.
"There's nothing different… These two games are almost identical to the ones from the first round!"
One of the young players was stunned.
"White didn’t play a single bad move!"
"After the 3-3 invasion, White should have been able to enclose the center territory quickly, thanks to its outward influence—but somehow, it ended up barely keeping pace with Black!"
Across the table, a blonde, chubby man stared at the board, his mouth dry.
"Why?"
No one answered.
Because that was the question haunting everyone.
Since the Hero’s Pride Cup ended, they had been analyzing these games nonstop—but even after two whole days, they still couldn’t figure it out.
Why was it that the side with outward influence couldn’t enclose territory faster than the side without it?
"Master Ma Dong, do you have any ideas?"
Someone turned toward a man named Ma Dong.
Ma Dong furrowed his brow, hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"I have some guesses, but I still haven’t figured it out completely."
"Guesses?"
The name Zeng Jun had barely looked up from reviewing the game, but at those words, he snapped his head up and immediately pressed for an answer.
"Master Ma Dong, what do you think?"
"It’s not that I don’t want to say."
Ma Dong shook his head again.
"It’s just… it’s only a vague feeling right now. I haven’t fully figured it out yet, so I wouldn’t even know how to explain it."
Zeng Jun sighed in disappointment.
"I’ve been reviewing these games for days now, and I also have this weird feeling."
A bespectacled man rubbed his chin, his brows furrowed in hesitation.
"The more I study these four 3-3 Point games, the stranger they seem..."
"Should we play a game ourselves?"
Ma Dong thought for a moment before looking up at the man beside him.
"If the 3-3 strategy really holds up, the best way to test it is through an actual match."
"I agree."
Without hesitation, the other man nodded.
The two immediately took their seats at a Go board, facing off.
Seeing this, the younger players all held their breath, exchanged glances, then quickly gathered around to watch as the two began placing stones.
Meanwhile...
Beijing, inside the Kong Family Dojo.
Even though it was already late at night, the dojo's young trainees had yet to return to their dorms.
They surrounded a single board, constantly replaying complex variations, their expressions full of shock.
"Wouldn’t a Flying Press here be better? That way, it could block Black’s development toward the center!"
One of the trainees, suppressing his amazement, asked hesitantly.
"No way!"
A refined-looking young man shook his head immediately.
"If White plays Flying Press, then White’s outward influence won’t be able to fully unleash its potential!"
"In that case, White would force Black to attack its weak influence instead!"
"Exactly! If that happens, it’ll be just like those two games between Cao Xinghuai, 6-dan, and Chu Jiang, 6-dan!"
A bespectacled young man, eyes wide with realization, added,
"You all saw it—in those games, White had a solid outward influence, but it became completely useless. Instead of an advantage, it became a liability!"
"But you saw how this game ended!"
Another trainee immediately argued back.
"If Black’s center influence isn’t suppressed, then through invasion and cutting, White’s outward influence will eventually be forced into desperate survival!"
The debate quickly grew heated, their faces flushed red as they shouted over one another.
Until—
"Shut the hell up! If you’re gonna review the game, do it properly!"
The voice of Kong Zi rang out, cutting through the noise.
The trainees immediately fell silent, sitting back down obediently.
Only then did Kong Zi return his gaze to the board, falling deep into thought.
His brows furrowed even tighter.
Meanwhile, at a Hotel Near the Central Go Academy
Qin Lang sat in his room, staring at the board and stones in front of him.
He repeatedly picked up stones, placing them down.
The sound of falling stones echoed through the room.
But the more he played through the moves, the more his eyes narrowed.
"In this game, reinforcing outward influence seemed like the better choice..."
"But if that’s the case, then the first-round games need to be re-examined."
After thinking for a moment, Qin Lang stopped his analysis.
Instead, he carefully recreated the exact board position from Yu Shao vs. Zhou Wei earlier that day.
He stared at the board, his brows tightening.
If this was just about the 3-3 invasion, then fine.
But the problem was…
Even in the later stages of the game, every single one of Black’s killing moves was lethal.
That clamp, which looked reckless, was actually a move based on flawless calculations—because White had no severe counterattack available!
"Eight days from now, my next opponent is going to be Ma Dong."
Qin Lang’s normally composed expression finally showed a hint of seriousness.
And just like that—across the world, similar scenes were unfolding.
The Go world had exploded.
Completely.
If, after the first round of the Hero’s Pride Cup, the 3-3 Point strategy had only caught people’s attention…
Then after this round, it had set off a seismic wave—shaking the entire global Go community!
The first two 3-3 games winning could be called coincidence.
But now, with the second round producing two more wins with the same strategy…
This was no coincidence.
People were starting to doubt everything they knew.
Was the 3-3 Point actually viable?
But why? What was the answer?
That night, around the world, professional players began debating, analyzing, and testing the 3-3 Point in their own games.
And almost everyone had memorized the names Yu Shao and Su Yiming.
Now, the only question left was—
Would the 3-3 Point appear again in Round 3?
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