I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 250: Sword Qi Piercing the Heavens

Under the anxious gazes of the three, Yu Shao finally reached into the Go bowl again, picked out a black stone, and gently placed it on the board.

Click!

Column 14, Row 12 — Extend!

Even though Gene had anticipated this move, he still didn’t respond right away. Instead, he cautiously pondered for a moment before solemnly pulling out a white stone.

Click!

Column 15, Row 14 — Hane!

Seeing this white move, it wasn’t just the three people in the Handtalk Room—everyone watching the live broadcast on their computers or TVs couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat for Yu Shao.

This hane was another bloody killing move—White had severed his own arm to break free, ruthlessly sacrificing a group of stones and baring his fangs, now clamping down on Black’s throat for a fight to the death!

Faced with Black’s lethal threats, White was forced to draw his sword as well—this move unsheathed the blade, slicing through the air with fierce momentum!

Before long, Yu Shao picked up a black stone and placed it again.

“A clamp?”

Gene glanced at Yu Shao’s most recent move and reached into the bowl again.

“He’s trying to exploit the cutting point behind my shape, forcing me to reinforce, thinking I’ll be worried about the right side?”

Gene slowly drew out a white stone, his eyes sharp with a hidden edge, and dropped it swiftly.

“You underestimate me. I won’t be baited. That side’s dangerous, sure, but if I push hard and kill off this Black group, I’ll gain enough to compensate!”

Click!

Column 12, Row 15 — Cut!

Yu Shao calmly studied the board, then dropped another move. Gene thought for a moment and quickly responded in kind.

Click!
Click!
Click!

Stones fell back and forth across the board, clashing against the surface like the sound of clashing swords. Everyone watching held their breath, eyes glued to the board.

Off to the side, the female recorder and the two referees looked increasingly worried.

White’s post-sacrifice attack was relentless, every move chosen for maximum aggression and impact.

Though Black had been responding well so far, against White’s reckless assault, Black’s position now looked increasingly unstable—on the verge of collapse.

“If I throw in here and he captures, I’ll cut and atari from the top, forcing him into a tight liberty battle!”

Gene stared at the board, then reached in and placed his move.

Seeing Gene’s play, Yu Shao waited ten seconds before calmly placing his response.

White then followed up instantly, confidence radiating from the move.

“If he responds on top, I’ll attach and bring the fight to close quarters, brawling up top!”

“And if he responds with Tiger’s Mouth, I’ll strike at his cutting point to start a Ko fight, aiming to devour this Black group!”

What Gene was considering now wasn’t just the current position—he was already visualizing seven or eight moves ahead, calculating into a web of complex variations.

Click!
Click!
Click!

A few more moves were exchanged rapidly. Then, with eyes as fierce as a predator, Gene slammed a white stone onto the board!

Bang!

“In this life-and-death fight... I win!”

...

Broadcast Studio

“Yu Shao 2-dan looks like he’s in real trouble now. That lower-side Black group is about to die!”

“It’s not ‘about to’—it’s already dead.”

As White played another move, Kong Zi calmly picked up a white stone and placed it on the demo board while speaking.

“Already dead?!”

Wei Mengman was stunned, turning to Kong Zi in disbelief. “Teacher Kong—you’ve calculated it all already? That fast?!”

“Yes.”

Kong Zi placed the stone on the board and looked up at the big screen. “It’ll still take quite a few moves and is a bit complex—mistakes can happen.”

“But if White doesn’t mess up, that Black group is gone.”

Wei Mengman’s face went pale. “Really dead?”

“But—”

Kong Zi’s expression turned serious. “Yes, Black is getting killed... but think carefully. It feels like Black let White kill it.”

Wei Mengman blinked, momentarily stunned.

Kong Zi turned from the screen and began placing follow-up moves on the demo board.

“White must stand here, then Black extends, White also extends, then Black digs…”

He laid out move after move. Even when the Black group was clearly killed, Kong Zi didn’t stop—he continued.

Behind him, Wei Mengman was already frozen, staring with wide eyes. Only after he finished placing the sequence did she finally swallow hard.

“This…”

“This…”

Words got caught in her throat. After a long breath, she finally looked up, filled with tension and expectation, eyes fixed on the screen.

And not just her—countless viewers glued to their TVs and computers were watching this battle, hearts pounding.

Even though Kong Zi had laid out the sequence, there was still no guarantee the players would follow it.

One move.
Two moves.
Three moves…

...

As move after move fell exactly where Kong Zi had predicted, the excitement in the room—and across the internet—grew to a fever pitch.

Finally!

On the screen, a black stone was gently placed on the board.

Click!

Column 12, Row 13 — Press!

After a moment of stunned silence, the entire room exploded in excitement!

“Beautiful!”

Wei Mengman couldn’t hold it in any longer and shouted, overwhelmed: “Absolutely beautiful!”

“Yu Shao 2-dan—brilliant!”

“Even though Black got killed, the outer influence that formed from it is absolutely massive, unimaginably thick!”

She was glowing with excitement, almost rambling, “If you look at it now—even though White captured a Black group, Black has the upper hand!”

With that move, Black’s intentions became crystal clear.

That single stone caused Black’s outer wall to swell with force—a dominating presence! Meanwhile, White, even though it had captured, was now suppressed beneath Black’s surrounding formation.

As long as that move was played, Black’s outer strength was established. From there, whether or not the players followed Kong Zi’s layout didn’t matter anymore.

In fact, Black had many other viable follow-ups—not just one!

In the official Contested Game livestream chat, the screen was flooded with bullet comments!

As for Gene—he didn’t hesitate for too long. After a few minutes, he placed another stone.

Clearly, he’d realized something was wrong earlier—but by that point, he was already committed. He could only double down and finish off Black’s group, or else things would get even worse.

But this latest White move… diverged completely from the sequence Kong Zi had shown on the demo board.

“A jump here?”

Kong Zi studied the screen, then said with surprise, “Didn’t expect that. Good move. That might be the best option for White in this situation.”

“I didn’t think of it either. After that jump, if Black wants to maintain his outer influence, he’ll have to hane. But then White has a clever atari!”

Wei Mengman quickly laid out the follow-up on the demo board, frowning slightly. “Black still has the advantage, but White has some real opportunities now.”

Just then, another black stone appeared on the screen.

But the next moment—when the hand withdrew and everyone saw where it landed—it was like getting hit over the head with a hammer.

Their minds went blank, buzzing with shock!

“Tenuki?!”

Even Kong Zi stared wide-eyed at the screen.

“He... abandoned the outer wall too?!”

The room fell into absolute silence.

White didn’t move. Gene had entered a deep, long contemplation.

...

Handtalk Room

Silence.

Gene stared blankly at the board, unmoving.

That tenuki… was incomprehensible.

Just when he thought Black had gone for a sacrifice-to-gain-influence strategy, and was beginning to recover with a clever jumping move...

Black ignored it.

After sacrificing a group and gaining outer strength—Black now gave that up too?

So what was Black even playing for?

All that hard-earned advantage—thrown away in a heartbeat?

The board was balanced again. No—White had captured a group and still had a positional advantage. He might even be winning.

If it had been anyone else making that move, everyone would have thought—this guy doesn’t know how to play.

But now, seeing that it was Yu Shao...

Everyone's shared thought was:

“Could it be… some deeper strategy?”

Gene forced himself to stay composed. After a long think, his frown only deepened.

Finally, after a moment, he looked up at Yu Shao, then reached into the bowl and placed another move.

Seeing Gene respond, Yu Shao followed up quickly.

Click!
Click!
Click!

The sound of falling stones once again echoed through the Go room.

At first, everyone was confused by the direction of the game. But as more moves appeared, Gene was the first to sense something. His expression subtly shifted.

His pace slowed.

And now, everyone watching—those who had been paying close attention—finally began to sense the brilliance unfolding on the board.

“No one—absolutely no one—would have tenuki’d in that situation. They’d think it was nonsense. Black had the advantage; giving it up would seem like sheer madness.”

Back in the studio, Wei Mengman stared at the screen, her voice thick with emotion.

“But...”

Her eyes darted from the upper-left to the lower-left corners, her mind reeling.

“Looking closely—this tenuki fully unleashed the potential of both 3-3 Points. White’s losses were massive!”

“Black’s tenuki wasn’t about giving up... it was about conversion!”

“But this conversion...”

“It’s too long-term!”

Now, on the board, the two 3-3 Point black stones stood like twin blades.

Their sword qi pierced the heavens.