I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 232: The Grand Formation

Yu Shao, 2-dan—midgame victory over Qin Lang, 6-dan!

The entire room fell into silence.

White’s airborne tenuki, boldly seizing the heart of the board, was an awe-inspiring move that forced Qin Lang into a single path—he had no choice but to invade the center and engage in a do-or-die battle against White!

At first glance, it seemed like Black had been backed into a corner, with its only chance of survival lying in dismantling White’s massive central moyo. But in reality, that wasn’t entirely true.

The center is an unpredictable battleground—building territory there is fraught with vulnerabilities, like trying to weave a net in the wind. If Black could successfully invade and break apart White’s influence, then victory would be his without question.

So rather than saying it was Black’s only path, one could also argue that this was an opportunity for Black to go all-in with a decisive strike!

However…

In this brutal life-and-death struggle at the center, even after throwing in everything he had, Qin Lang still couldn’t break down White’s seemingly fragile wall!

No matter how cunning his tactics, no matter how unexpected his maneuvers, Black’s every attempt was mercilessly crushed. Every single one of White’s responses was coldly precise, cutting off every last escape route without hesitation!

“This move—”

Zhu Huai'an finally broke the silence, pointing to a black stone on the board. "Yu Shao’s attach here—Qin Lang clearly didn’t see it coming."

"After the attach, Black chose to extend—it was a bit slow. And then…"

Zhu Huai'an paused for a moment before continuing, "After that, Black had no more chances."

Zeng Chenlu didn’t speak. She simply stared blankly at the large screen, her expression even more lost than before.

When Qin Lang responded with that one slow move, Zhu Huai'an had already pointed out that it might have been a mistake—that a two-space jump might have been better.

But still…

Could just one slightly slow move really seal his fate?

Yet, looking back now, after that single extension, Black never had another opportunity.

That move wasn’t even a blunder—it was just a slightly passive choice!

And from that moment on, as move after move was played, Black’s win rate dwindled into nothingness, until the only option left was resignation.

Now, watching the screen as the players began clearing the board, Zeng Chenlu finally snapped back to reality.

She shifted her gaze to the other ongoing match.

In this game, Su Yiming was playing Black, while Che Wenyu held White.

Earlier, Black had played a stunning divine press, invading deep into White’s position and successfully linking up with its scattered forces. As a result, White’s shape had been completely severed!

But White wasn’t just going to sit there and accept defeat—he immediately fought back.

Launching a counteroffensive, White invaded Black’s lower-left corner, targeting Black’s eye space in an attempt to kill its isolated group!

At this moment, the board had already become a complex battlefield.

Black’s framework was massive, yet it seemed like he had no extra moves to handle White’s invasion. On the other hand, White’s counterattack in the lower-left corner was incredibly sharp, putting immense pressure on Black’s weak group—it was turning into a true power struggle!

“This game… it’s going to be a long battle, and the outcome is uncertain,” Zhu Huai'an murmured after a brief moment of thought.

"You sure about that?"

Che Wenyu glanced at the small screen and suddenly remarked, "This game is about to be decided."

"What?!"

Zhu Huai'an froze, staring at Che Wenyu in disbelief.

It wasn’t just him. In the Hero’s Pride Cup official livestream, millions of viewers were equally confused.

From the current board position, the game still looked evenly matched!

It seemed like the battle would continue into the endgame, where the players would tally up their territories—how could the game be ending already?

Zhu Huai'an didn’t give an explanation. He simply kept his eyes fixed on the board. "It won’t take long now."

Zeng Chenlu furrowed her brows, puzzled, and turned back to the game.

On the board, the moves continued to unfold.

However…

Something felt off.

Che Wenyu—who had been playing confidently before—was now moving much more slowly.

Even though the game was still seemingly balanced, he suddenly looked like he was facing a massive dilemma!

Moments later, a black stone landed on the board.

Snap!

Column 14, Row 14—Connect!

Zeng Chenlu stared at the screen, waiting for Che Wenyu’s response.

A brief pause…

Then, two white stones were slowly placed on the board.

Seeing this, Zeng Chenlu blinked in confusion.

Then, in the next moment, she realized what had just happened—and her eyes widened in shock!

"White—"

Her voice trembled. "Resigned?!"

Che Wenyu… resigned!

It wasn’t just Zeng Chenlu.

In the Hero’s Pride Cup official livestream, there was a brief moment of stunned silence.

Then, the chat erupted into chaos!

"Wait, what?! Why did he resign?!"

"Why would he resign now?! The position was even! They could’ve gone all the way to counting territory!"

"What is he doing?!"

"....."

A deafening silence filled the livestream.

As countless comments flooded the chat, disbelief and confusion spread like wildfire—why had Che Wenyu resigned in what appeared to be an even game?!

Zeng Chenlu stared at the screen, unable to believe her own eyes. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she snapped her head toward Zhu Huai’an!

"From the score count, the game still seems balanced," Zhu Huai’an said, his gaze never leaving the screen. "But if a transition happens, the entire situation will change dramatically."

"Transition?"

Zeng Chenlu blinked in confusion.

"White's attack on Black’s isolated group in the lower-left corner—Black wasn’t truly unable to respond. It’s just that…" Zhu Huai’an’s expression turned solemn. "Black considered those stones… disposable."

He stepped closer to the large screen, picked up a marker, and pointed to a spot in the upper-right corner.

"If the game continued, White’s next move would be here."

Everyone followed his pen tip, eyes locked onto the board.

In the next moment—a collective realization struck them.

"Wait…!"

Zeng Chenlu’s breath hitched as she stared at the position Zhu Huai’an had marked.

She finally understood—and a chill ran down her spine!

"If White really commits to killing Black’s isolated group… then Black would be willing to abandon it—because that would give him the chance to kill White’s massive dragon instead!"

Zhu Huai’an’s voice was steady, but his words carried immense weight.

"Yes, the situation is complex, and the next sequence would be long, but Black’s influence is simply too overwhelming. Once the attack begins, it will be an unstoppable flood—White won’t be able to resist!"

"White poured countless moves into the lower-left attack, believing it to be a winning position. But if he doesn’t actually finish the kill, then all those attacking stones—every single one of them—will become dead weight!"

"And that’s exactly what Che Wenyu realized—"

Zhu Huai’an exhaled slightly, stepping back. "So, he resigned."

A hush fell over the entire room.

Every single person stared at the large screen, at the stone Zhu Huai’an had just placed.

Only now, as they retraced the moves leading up to this moment, did they finally see the storm that had been brewing beneath the surface of this seemingly calm game!

Looking back, every move Black had played carried a silent, deadly intent.

Without anyone noticing, he had woven an inescapable web—an unbreakable grand formation.

Those without sufficient skill hadn’t even realized what was happening until the dagger was already at their throat.

"Qin Lang… lost."

After a long silence, Zeng Chenlu murmured blankly at the screen.

"Che Wenyu… also lost."

Silence.

Nothing but deep, profound silence.

Even the director, the cameramen—everyone in the broadcast studio seemed frozen in place.

Zhu Huai’an finally set down the marker, took a step back, and looked at the screen.

"Wait three days for the finals," he said.

"The two players advancing to the Hero’s Pride Cup finals are—"

"Yu Shao, 2-dan."

"Su Yiming, 2-dan!"

The Hero’s Pride Cup Semifinals—Concluded!

Whenever the Hero’s Pride Cup ended, discussions would immediately explode online.

But this time—it was different.

Even long after the semifinals had concluded, the internet remained eerily silent.

This was the highest-level tournament for young Go players, yet across all six semifinal matches, every single game featured a 3-3 invasion.

And—every single player who played 3-3 won.

However, the real reason for the stunned silence wasn’t just the dominance of 3-3.

It was because of what everyone had just witnessed in today’s two matches.

It was because of Yu Shao.

Because of Su Yiming.

For hours after the semifinals ended, the internet remained in a strange, almost unsettling quiet.

It was like the calm before a storm.

Then, at exactly 7 PM, the silence shattered.

And the entire internet erupted.

"3-3 is still being debated, but—"

"Forget 3-3 for a second. Do you guys realize what we just watched?!"

"Yu Shao. Su Yiming. 3-3. These three names are ALL trending, fighting for the top spot on the search rankings!"

"Le Haoqiang lost!"

"Qin Lang lost!"

"Che Wenyu lost!"

"Nobody expected this!"

"Nobody expected all three of them to be eliminated!"

"And now, the final two players left standing—are both newly promoted 2-dan pros?!"

Since earning their professional ranks earlier this year, Yu Shao and Su Yiming had been undefeated.

Everyone knew they were strong.

But nobody truly understood how strong—until now.

After watching these six semifinal matches, the entire Go community was shaken to its core.

These two weren’t just strong.

They were monsters.

And in three days, they would meet in the finals.

What kind of game would they play then?

As the buzz surrounding "Yu Shao," "Su Yiming," and "3-3" continued to grow, more and more people turned their attention toward the upcoming final match.

Meanwhile, Go enthusiasts and analysts began feverishly reviewing the six semifinal games, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

After the first round, most people had mocked the 3-3 invasion as a dubious strategy.

After the second round, doubts began to fade.

By the third round, the opposition to 3-3 wasn’t as firm anymore.

And now—after six straight wins—

No one could deny it anymore.

In three days, the two players who had dominated these six matches—

would face each other in the finals.