I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 249: Yu Shao—Truly Lives Up to the Hype!

“A two-space jump to defend?”

Seeing this two-space extension to secure the corner, Gene’s expression immediately turned sour.

Though a two-space extension to defend the corner is a viable move, it's such an aggressive and bold tactic that even in normal games, few players are willing to risk it—let alone in a Contested Game!

“I didn’t expect him to play that. How does he even dare?!”

Gene took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. After thinking for a moment while staring at the board, his eyes took on a sharper edge. Finally, he reached into the Go bowl again and placed his next move.

Click!

Column 17, Row 6 — Small Knight’s Approach!

Yu Shao stared at the board, quickly reached into the bowl, and dropped his next move in a flash!

Black and white stones flickered across the board like bursts of light, lifted between fingers, clashing with a crisp click on the board—sounding like steel striking stone.

But there was one big difference between the two players: Yu Shao was moving lightning-fast. Even his longest long contemplation didn’t exceed three minutes. His moves could only be described as rapid fire. Meanwhile, Gene took his time with each move, every one of them made with careful thought.

“He’s trying to shake my will with speed.”

Seeing how fast Yu Shao played, Gene was unexpectedly calm—in fact, it was precisely because of Yu Shao’s unrelenting speed that he became even more composed.

Gene stared at the board, running through countless possible continuations in his mind.

“I won’t let you have your way.”

“Every move I make will be ice-cold, airtight, flawless—beyond reproach.”

Gene shifted his gaze to the lower-left corner, lingering on the black two-space jump to defend the corner. His eyes darkened.

“A two-space extension... such a brute-force move.”

The next second, Gene reached into the bowl again and slowly placed his stone down.

“Since you chose that, then I won’t be polite either!”

Click!

Column 15, Row 17 — Jump!

“He didn’t go for a shallow invasion—he went straight for a deep corner invasion!”

The two referees and the female recorder all stiffened at that move, holding their breath. They could already feel the murderous intent rising from the board!

Black’s two-space extension to defend the corner leaves the corner most vulnerable, so it inevitably invites a fierce white invasion. But how to invade becomes a strategic choice.

One option is a low-risk shallow invasion, slowly building momentum and extending the battle line.

The other is brute-force entry—crashing directly into Black’s territory. It’s the riskiest option, but as the saying goes: “You can’t catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger’s den.” It also deals the greatest potential blow to Black.

And Yu Shao had chosen the hardline invasion.

Clearly, faced with Black’s greedy attempt to dominate everything with a two-space extension, he snapped and answered with blood and fire!

Yu Shao quietly stared at the board. After a few moments, he reached into the bowl again and slowly dropped a stone.

Click!

Column 15, Row 16 — Block!

“He blocked!”

Gene wasn’t surprised, but his face grew colder. The moment he chose to invade the corner, he was ready for that white stone to be surrounded and attacked by Black.

That stone was going to fight its way out—again and again, cutting through arrows and stones, flipping the board upside down!

A flash of light crossed Gene’s eyes as he dropped another stone swiftly.

The battle—had begun!

Click!
Click!
Click!

Stones continued raining onto the board. The female recorder scribbled frantically to keep up, growing more and more tense as the board filled with pieces.

“What a match!”

She stared intently at the board, as if immersed in the game herself, feeling the surge of killing intent with every move.

“Yu Shao 2-dan’s encirclement has become an eight-sided attack—his offensive is sharp, precise, and lethal. But I must say, Gene 6-dan’s responses are brilliant too.”

“Even after charging in alone against such a ferocious black encirclement, White’s counter-tactics are masterful—he’s threatening Black’s Large Dragon, holding the fight evenly!”

At that moment, Gene also looked at the board with a less-than-easy expression. In fact, he looked a bit troubled.

“Even though I watched his kill-fest game against Su Yiming in the Hero’s Pride Cup, and knew he was strong, Go isn’t something you can fully grasp without playing someone face-to-face.”

“Now that I’m playing him for real...”

Gene glanced across the board at Yu Shao. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he could no longer deny the truth:

“Yu Shao... truly lives up to the hype!”

Just then, Yu Shao picked up another stone and placed it gently.

Click!

Column 13, Row 15 — Peep!

“A peep?”

Gene’s face turned grim. This was a deadly cut—a precise blow that hit hard. And it was the move he least wanted Black to play.

“This peep cuts off my chance to strengthen my shape—it doesn’t even give me a moment to breathe. He’s threatening the eye space of my Heavenly Dragon...”

After thinking for a while, Gene finally reached into the bowl and responded.

On the other side, Yu Shao followed up immediately, placing another stone right after.

“After this intense, chaotic battle, I didn’t gain much—but neither did he. What comes next will only get more complex. Both sides will be trapped in a fierce struggle, and the outcome will come down to future kills.”

Gene exhaled slowly, eyes locked on the board. His fingers brushed against the cold stones in the bowl.

“But maybe that’s for the best—settling it all in one fight. Just don’t let this drag into the endgame. I’m not great at delicate endgame maneuvering.”

With that in mind, Gene finally pulled out a stone and dropped it.

The moment White landed, Yu Shao was already reaching into the bowl. The stones clacked together crisply.

Yu Shao quietly studied the board, a black stone poised between his fingers, and gently placed it down.

Click!

Column 12, Row 17 — Attach!

Seeing this black stone on the board, Gene froze—completely caught off guard. His expression shifted noticeably.

“He attached?!”

...

Broadcast Studio

“He didn’t go for the shoulder hit—he attached instead?”

Watching the board on the screen, Wei Mengman blinked, surprised. Even Kong Zi couldn’t help showing a hint of astonishment.

“No one saw that coming. In this situation, almost everyone goes for the shoulder hit. If White responds with a solid connection, Black extends. Then when White turns, White can hane back...”

Wei Mengman quickly laid out the expected sequence on the demo board and explained, “That way, both sides have to watch each other. It turns into a chaotic battle, and both are at risk.”

Kong Zi nodded, placing an alternative shoulder-hit variation on the board. “There’s a hidden trap with the shoulder hit too.”

“If White gets any ideas about these three isolated Black stones and tries to play here instead of connecting, trying to capture them... then Black can counter with a fierce Small Knight’s Approach!”

Wei Mengman nodded. “It’s a tricky trap, no doubt. But I’ve seen it, so I’m sure the two players saw it too.”

Then she chuckled slightly and joked, “Even if both players are lower-dan than me.”

“But still, for Black to attach here instead of shoulder-hit—totally unexpected.”

While she was speaking, Kong Zi removed the demo stones and placed a black stone snug against White’s formation on the board. He frowned slightly.

After a moment of silence, he began laying out the variation. “Facing this attach, White’s first instinct is to hane. Then Black extends, and White blocks...”

As he continued placing stones, his voice gradually trailed off.

Beside him, Wei Mengman watched the board, and a look of shock slowly crept across her face—along with the faces of the thousands watching at home.

“A strong move... a devastating move!”

The broadcast studio fell into complete silence.

After a long while, Kong Zi finished the variation on the small board, stepped forward, crossed his arms, and studied it with deeply furrowed brows.

Eventually, he looked up at the monitor—waiting quietly to see White’s next move.

Seconds ticked by...

Gene still hadn’t moved. Confronted with this attach, he’d fallen into a deep long contemplation!

Handtalk Room

“He’s going for a sacrificial attack!”

Gene stared hard at the board. He had already calculated what would happen if White responded with a hane. And the resulting sequence—chilled him to the bone.

If White does hane, then Black has a brutal follow-up involving a sacrificial attack. Even though it seems like Black’s Large Dragon is in danger, the entire sequence puts Black firmly in control.

If Black truly has the nerve to go for it, ignoring the risk to the dragon and pushing forward using all the initiative—he could launch a terrifying offensive against White’s vital shape!

If White’s formation is cut down by Black... even the dragon could die!

Meanwhile, the female recorder and two referees still didn’t understand why White wasn’t simply haning back. That should’ve been the natural move.

But as more time passed, they finally caught on. Their eyes met—and in each other’s gaze, they saw pure shock.

Time flowed on.

Eventually, Gene stared at the board. A cold light flickered in his eyes—then he reached into the bowl and dropped a white stone swiftly.

Click!

Column 12, Row 19 — Peep!

“A peep?”

The female recorder and two referees were momentarily stunned.

But then, all three jolted inwardly—the meaning behind the move becoming clear!

“If hane isn’t an option, then engaging directly with the attached Black stone would be reckless...”

“So White has abandoned the extension, targeted the lack of eye space in Black’s group, and is going for a hard kill!”

They had racked their brains moments earlier and couldn’t think of a proper response to Black’s attach—but Gene’s reply left them speechless. They could only admire it!

“What a brilliant idea!”

“No wonder the American Go Academy launched this Contested Game—they came fully prepared. And Gene isn’t even one of their top few!”

The three of them unconsciously took a deep breath. For Yu Shao—and for the matches to come—they now felt a growing sense of unease.

...