I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 231: He Directly Sounded the Retreat

Inside the Broadcast Studio

"White stones… just let Black make a living in the corner and shifted to managing the central area instead?!"

Zeng Chenlu stared at the large screen, completely dumbfounded.

Although Black indeed had a chance to secure life in the corner, it was still in a precarious position. Throughout this intense battle, White had maintained the upper hand.

Yet, with this airborne tenuki move, White completely abandoned the fight for the corner, sacrificing the side territory, and aimed for an all-out enclosure of the center!

The central area is the hardest to turn into territory. Unlike the corners, which have clear boundaries, the center lacks a precise focal point, making it difficult to define where the territory should expand—up, down, left, or right. This leads to an unpredictable, ever-changing situation.

More importantly, even if one manages to enclose territory in the center, it is highly susceptible to invasions from multiple directions, often resulting in far fewer points compared to corner territories. The saying goes, "The high rule the center," which illustrates just how difficult it is to secure territory there.

And yet, White's airborne tenuki was an outright declaration of war for control over the heart of the board!

"Does he really believe that Black won't be able to break into his massive central moyo?"

Zeng Chenlu stared at the screen, momentarily speechless. "Is he that confident in his ability to kill?"

The game had suddenly become remarkably simple.

"White…," Zhu Huai'an paused as he studied the screen before finally speaking, "is effectively sounding the retreat."

Yes.

As unbelievable as it sounded, this tenuki move was indeed a strategic retreat.

Now that Black had secured life in the corner, White had shifted its forces to enclose the center. Since Black had previously ignored White to focus on the corner, White’s sacrifice allowed the central moyo to expand rapidly!

So, as long as Black fails to invade and dismantle White's vast central territory, the game is already decided—White will win!

The key to victory lay in whether Black, after securing life, could successfully invade and reduce White's territory, or whether White could outfight Black in the ensuing battle for the center.

Zeng Chenlu remained silent. As reckless as this move seemed, she had to admit that it was a masterstroke—breaking free from the conventional fight for the corner and shifting the focus to the central battlefield.

This was, without a doubt, a brilliant move. Almost no one would have seen it coming, yet once played, it was clear that no other move could have been stronger. It was even more ruthless than attempting to kill Black in the corner.

Because if White truly succeeded in sealing off the center, then it wouldn’t matter if Black lived in the corner—it would still be as good as dead.

But even though White’s influence in the center was growing fast, it was still the center. That meant it would be under relentless attack from Black in all directions!

Choosing to abandon the fight and focus on the central moyo was a high-risk, high-reward strategy—if it didn’t succeed, it meant total defeat. Although this move was theoretically better, a safer approach would have been to continue fighting in the corner, prolonging the battle.

"The fight over here has begun too!"

At some point, Zhu Huai'an had shifted his gaze to the board on Table One. His voice was deep as he remarked, "Su Yiming, 2-dan, didn't connect—he jumped away instead! He's preparing to fight for survival!"

Hearing this, Zhong Junying immediately turned to look at the game on the first board. The moment he took in the board position, he was caught off guard. "A jump?"

In that game, White had initially built a small framework with a high play, and Su Yiming had mirrored this strategy. Both players seemed poised for a battle of intertwining dragons. However, instead of clashing head-on, White unexpectedly opted for a retreat—not just a simple defensive move, but a full-on fight for survival!

On the smaller screen, both White and Qin Lang had played bold cutting moves.

The intensity of these two games was so palpable that it seemed to seep through the broadcast studio screens, enveloping the entire room.

No matter which game they looked at, both sides were fighting with everything they had—it was bound to be a life-or-death struggle!

All eyes were glued to the games, watching Black and White battle fiercely on the board. Unconsciously, the spectators held their breath, as if they could see the flashes of blades clashing.

Before long, on the first board, Su Yiming clamped down on Black's position.

Snap!

Row 5, Column 14—Press!

"Press!"

Seeing this move, Zhu Huai'an froze in place, stunned.

The next moment, his expression changed dramatically as a storm surged in his mind. "The right side—everyone thought Black had no viable moves, but after this press… Black has completely entangled White!"

Upon hearing Zhu Huai'an’s words, everyone immediately turned their attention back to the first board.

One move, and the entire game had been thrown into chaos!

On the right side, Che Wenyu's group of White stones had been incredibly solid, to the point where no one had considered the possibility of an invasion.

But Black’s divine press—so audacious it seemed almost supernatural—suddenly exposed a flaw in White’s position!

Che Wenyu clearly realized the problem as well. He thought long and hard before finally placing his next move.

"Great move! This immediately peeps at Black’s cutting point, threatening to force Black into an empty triangle—Black will have to tread carefully!"

Seeing Che Wenyu’s response, Zeng Chenlu’s eyes lit up as she quickly analyzed the situation.

However, just as she finished speaking, Black played another move!

"Hane?"

Seeing where Su Yiming had placed his stone, Zeng Chenlu's expression changed abruptly. "He's completely ignoring the bad shape—he’s going all-in to kill White’s stones?!"

Zhu Huai'an remained silent, his gaze locked onto the large screen.

One move after another was played, and within just a few exchanges…

"Black has broken into White’s territory—and unbelievably, it has linked up with the original invading stones!"

Zeng Chenlu stared at the board, a shocking realization forming in her mind.

"Don’t tell me… Su Yiming had foreseen this entire sequence, all the way back when he first invaded White's group?"

Impossible!

But if he hadn’t planned it from the start, how could he have dared to leap into White's massive influence—right at the moment when both sides were locked in a desperate struggle?

What kind of limitless imagination would it take to conceive of a plan where his own stones linked up inside enemy territory?

What kind of mind-boggling calculation ability would it take to anticipate how this move would reshape the entire board?!

More moves followed.

"White’s formation is breaking apart! Now it's not just the right side—even the left side is in danger!"

Che Wenyu stared at the small screen, his voice heavy. "But Su Yiming is going for the kill—he’s ignoring the fight and invading the upper-right corner instead! He’s trying to destroy White’s eyes!"

"Over here—"

Che Wenyu shifted his gaze toward the seventh game.

"Qin Lang has started the invasion!"

Second Handtalk Room

At this point, the game had reached a state where it was impossible to judge who had the advantage. Victory or defeat would now hinge entirely on the battle in the center—any mistake, from either Black or White, could lead to irreparable disaster.

Qin Lang placed his stone, retracted his hand, and pressed the timer.

Before the ticking even registered, Yu Shao had already picked up a white stone and swiftly placed it on the board.

Snap!

Column 14, Row 12—Cut!

"His judgment is so precise it's terrifying. I tried to mislead him into thinking I'd push downward for a chaotic fight, but he saw right through me—and now he's cutting off my connection instead!"

Seeing this move, Qin Lang's face darkened.

He hadn't foreseen White’s earlier airborne tenuki at all. And when White suddenly played that move to shift focus to the center, effectively retreating from the corner battle, it had sent chills down his spine.

Now, if he wanted to win, he had no choice but to destroy White’s vast central territory—to completely overturn the board. But after several exchanges, White's responses had been airtight, leaving him with no openings!

"No… maybe this is an opportunity in disguise. If I can settle this in one decisive strike, I won’t have to deal with prolonged complications and potential uncertainties later!"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Qin Lang reached into his bowl of stones, swiftly placing his move.

Snap!

Column 13, Row 10—Wedge!

The moment Black’s stone landed, Yu Shao immediately responded.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Move after move, the two players continued their relentless exchange. Within moments, more than a dozen moves had been played.

A sharp click echoed as the stones collided.

Yu Shao once again picked up a stone and lightly placed it on the board.

Snap!

Column 9, Row 14—Attach!

"Attach?!"

Qin Lang’s expression shifted. He hadn’t anticipated this move. After a long deliberation, he finally reached into his stone bowl again and quickly played his move.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

More stones fell onto the board. But the longer the sequence went on, the worse Qin Lang’s expression became. His hesitation grew, and disbelief began to creep into his face.

Meanwhile, the female game recorder sitting nearby was completely stunned.

"It's… it's nearly impenetrable!"

She stared intently at the board, realizing that while White’s moves seemed calm and composed, they were actually filled with lethal intent—each one ruthlessly severing Black's escape routes!

"In the center, enclosing territory is supposed to be incredibly difficult because it's vulnerable to attacks from all directions. But… despite this, White has neutralized every single one of Black's cutting attacks as if they never even existed!"

"And maybe—"

Yu Shao picked up another stone.

"Maybe he's about to launch a counterattack against Black!"

Snap!

Column 12, Row 7—Atari!

Seeing this move, the female recorder’s hand slipped off the mouse, staring blankly at the board. She no longer needed to say "maybe"—the counterattack had already begun.

Qin Lang clenched his fists. After a long pause, he grabbed a stone and swiftly placed it.

Snap!

Column 13, Row 7—Extend!

Yu Shao’s gaze remained calm as he examined the board. Without hesitation, he reached into his bowl and placed another stone.

Snap!

Snap!

Snap!

Crisp sounds of stones being placed echoed through the room as the battle escalated further.

Qin Lang gritted his teeth, grabbing another stone and placing it firmly on the board.

Snap!

Column 8, Row 13—Tiger’s Mouth!

Black had secured life!

But even though he had managed to live, Qin Lang's expression remained grim.

Now that this area had been settled, the position was completely set. This meant that Black had lost the ability to invade from below—his only option was to break through from above!

At this moment, White played another move.

Snap!

Column 11, Row 6—Connect!

Seeing this, Qin Lang clenched his jaw and quickly placed his response.

The quiet chess room was now filled only with the steady sound of stones landing on the board.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Time continued to tick away.

Watching the relentless exchange of moves, the Hero’s Pride Cup live-streaming chatroom grew eerily silent.

Inside the studio, Zeng Chenlu, who had been closely following every move since Qin Lang first began his attempt to survive, was staring blankly at the screen.

At some point, she had completely forgotten that she was supposed to be providing commentary.

Beside her, Zhu Huai'an was also silent, quietly watching the board.

A long time passed.

When Black still hadn’t played a move for a while, Zhu Huai'an finally broke the silence that had settled over the studio.

"Qin Lang… has lost."

Second Handtalk Room

"I…"

Qin Lang stared at the board in front of him. His hands were gripping his pants tightly.

"I…"

The words were stuck in his throat. His lips trembled slightly.

But in the end, Qin Lang lowered his head toward Yu Shao and forced out the last two words with great difficulty.

"I lost…"