I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 254: A Blood-Soaked Game for the White Stones

The entire review room was dead silent.

Even the entire Southern Go Association had fallen into an eerie stillness. Despite Yu Shao’s four consecutive victories, no thunderous cheers rang out like before.

No one expected that after winning three games in a row, Yu Shao would not only gain the upper hand in this one but would actually take the initiative to ignite a complex fight.

And even more unbelievable—he steamrolled forward, brutally slaying the opponent’s massive dragon worth over a hundred points!

On the board, the black stones—completely wiped out.

It was as if the previous three matches had left no impact on Yu Shao. If anything, they had forged a terrifying momentum that made him appear unstoppable, so much so that people were scared to challenge him.

This game left even Yu Shao’s supporters with a chill in their hearts. They were shaken to the core.

Finally, after a long silence, Ma Dong’s voice broke through the stillness of the review room.

“Raymond.”

Ma Dong turned toward a young Asian man in the crowd and called out.

Hearing his name, Raymond finally snapped back to reality, shifting his gaze from the board to look at Ma Dong.

“Even though he’s been playing four days in a row,” Ma Dong said, pausing mid-sentence as he glanced at Raymond. After a brief hesitation, he finally continued, “...we should still go with the diagonal small point or the parallel small point for tomorrow’s game.”

As soon as Ma Dong finished speaking, the room fell into an even deeper silence.

Both diagonal and parallel small points involve two small-point corner enclosures. The difference lies in symmetry—parallel small point places two small points on the same side symmetrically, while diagonal small point places them diagonally across the board.

Although both are small-point corner enclosures, their strategic intentions are completely different. Parallel small point focuses force on one side, easy to build influence and large frameworks, emphasizing edge battles. Diagonal small point spreads out the territory for whole-board balance, allowing flexible development in multiple directions.

But one thing’s the same—both forgo star point corner enclosures…

“Master Ma Dong, that’s not necessary.”

Raymond’s eyes burned with unwillingness as he spoke. “Just like you said, he’s played four games in a row. Maybe he won four with the 3-3 point, but that doesn’t mean he can beat me!”

Ma Dong glanced at Raymond but didn’t say anything else.

---

The Next Day.

The fifth game of the fight for professional slots was about to begin.

By the time Yu Shao arrived at the Playing Room, Raymond had already been waiting there for a long time.

Seeing Yu Shao at the door, Raymond took a deep breath and clenched his fists.

He locked eyes on Yu Shao and didn’t look away even as Yu Shao walked over, pulled out his chair, and sat down across from him. His sharp gaze remained unflinching.

Yu Shao raised his head too, meeting Raymond’s eyes calmly.

Seeing this, the female recorder and two referees standing nearby remained silent. They could clearly feel the rising tension in the air. The atmosphere in the Playing Room was as sharp as drawn swords, and nobody was trying to hide it.

Finally, one of the referees stood up slowly and said, “Time’s up!”

“In this game, Yu Shao, 2-dan, will play Black. Raymond, 6-dan, will play White. Each player has five hours and a one-minute overtime countdown!”

The referee glanced at both players and declared in a firm voice, “Now, the fifth game of the fight for pro qualification—begins!”

The game was on.

Yu Shao looked at the board, quickly reached into his Go bowl, picked up a stone, and placed it down gently.

Tap!

Column 16, Row 4—Star Point.

Raymond finally looked away from Yu Shao, turned to the board, and quickly dropped his own white stone.

Tap!

Column 4, Row 16—Star Point.

Seeing Raymond choose the star point in the lower-left corner, Yu Shao immediately pulled another black stone from the bowl and placed it slowly.

Tap!

Column 3, Row 17—3-3 Point!

Black’s second move was a direct 3-3 point. A year ago, that would’ve been a shocking move, even unthinkable. But now, even in such a crucial fight, no one was surprised.

Raymond’s eyes darkened as he stared at the board. He had been waiting for this 3-3 for a long time.

“He’s here!”

---

In the American team’s review room.

“As expected, he went for the 3-3!”

Everyone gathered around the board, replaying the match on a board synced with the live TV broadcast. Their faces were heavy as they looked at the black stone sitting firmly on the 3-3 point.

After all, four of them had already fallen to this move.

Soon, the black and white stones on the screen began falling one after the other. The team mirrored the moves on their board.

“After Raymond blocked, he didn’t go for the hane and double hane. He chose to extend instead,” Wan Jing said, studying the board. “Black unsurprisingly responded with a hane.”

Then, on the screen, a white stone dropped:

Column 4, Row 18—Hane!

Everyone flinched.

“Hane?”

“Raymond didn’t tenuki. He’s going all-in on attacking the lower-left black stones!” Wan Jing recovered first, placing the stone on their board. “He’s forcing Black to settle—testing its life and death!”

Everyone’s expression turned grim, eyes glued to the screen.

They had studied the direct corner fight many times before, but the variations were too complex—it involved capturing races and was highly intense.

Not long after, Black dropped another stone:

Column 2, Row 18—Hane!

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The battle raged in the lower-left corner. Black and White were already in a fierce fight, despite the other two corners still unoccupied.

Time ticked by.

Eventually, the two sides formed a surrounding formation in the lower-left. Despite White’s fierce attack, Black managed to settle with a living shape resembling a cross.

“Raymond’s moves are precise, always aiming for sente,” Eddie noted after a deep breath. “But... Black’s responses aren’t bad either. He still managed to live.”

“Luckily, White has some outside influence and a chance to form a framework,” Duncan added seriously. “If he forcefully invades later, the fight will depend on future offense and defense. This kill battle could spread to the entire board.”

Wan Jing nodded, then said, “If Black invades here, he might go for a small knight’s move. Then White jumps, Black blocks, and White may have to consider sacrificing stones.”

As they discussed, the black stone dropped again:

Column 7, Row 16—Peep!

“Peep?”

They were all stunned. None of them expected Black to defend with a move that seemed so slow. It wasn’t a bad move, but it did seem... passive.

But then, realization dawned—and their expressions changed.

“No, wait!”

Eddie swallowed hard, staring at the board. “Raymond’s small knight’s move looked graceful—it built a nice framework and extended toward the center. But it was a problem move!”

“He overlooked Black’s counterattack along the edge after living from the 3-3 invasion!”

“This ‘slow’ move is actually setting up for a fierce counterstrike. From beginning to end, Black never intended to destroy White’s framework!”

Silence.

Raymond wasn’t the only one who missed it.

On screen, White didn’t play for a long time—a deep, long contemplation.

Clearly, after seeing the “slow” peep, Raymond finally realized the trap. But a move made is a move done—no regrets in Go.

If earlier, White had tenuki’d, some supporting stones elsewhere could have helped. It’d still be tricky, but not fatal.

But instead, White had launched a full-blown attack in the corner, and now—his capturing race was failing. Black’s peep was the perfect setup for a deadly counter.

After a long, long think, White finally played again.

Tap!

Column 7, Row 13—Jump.

White had no choice but to play desperate defense.

It was suffocating, but the only option. If White insisted on fighting here, Black had sente everywhere.

The moment White’s stone landed, Black followed up immediately:

Column 9, Row 13—Jump!

That move chilled everyone to the bone.

Even with White playing a loss-making move to defend, Black still chased with everything—clearly determined to kill White’s shape no matter the risk.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Stones kept falling.

What began as a corner battle in the lower-left had now spread across the entire board. The nineteen-line grid was drenched in blood and tears.

Time passed.

At last, under the eyes of spectators worldwide, two white stones dropped onto the board with a crisp pa-da.

Despite the lengthy battle, the final move count was shockingly short.

After 138 moves—White resigned.

Seeing such a game—one where the white stones felt like they bled—it struck fear into every viewer’s heart.

---

Back in the Playing Room.

After cleaning up the stones, Yu Shao finally stood up.

The recorder and two referees were drenched in cold sweat without even realizing it. Only when Yu Shao rose did they snap out of it and glance at him instinctively.

Normally, after five straight days of competition, anyone would be mentally exhausted.

But when they saw Yu Shao’s eyes, their hearts trembled—they couldn’t even meet his gaze.

There was fatigue in those eyes, yes—but far more than that, there was a sharpness like a blade.

After Yu Shao left the Playing Room, the staff finally calmed themselves and turned to look at Raymond.

Even though the match was over, Raymond still sat there silently, head bowed low.

The fifth game of the qualification fight had come to an end.

---

That evening, the internet completely exploded.

Five straight wins in the qualification tournament, slicing through the competition with terrifying momentum—a monumental feat.

The hype around the 3-3 point soared with those five legendary wins, drawing even more attention and study.

Zhuo Tianrui, a 9-dan pro who commentated that day, said after the game that these five matches would dramatically advance 3-3 theory.

In fact, it might not be long before the Go world reaches a definitive conclusion about the 3-3 point.

Netizens, after all the excitement, began to worry deeply—Yu Shao had already played five games in a row. Could his body still hold out?

Amid this anxious excitement, the night quickly passed.

---

The Next Day, 10:30 AM.

The sixth match was about to begin.

This game: Yi Yien as Black, Yu Shao as White.

In the American team’s review room, everyone looked tense—even Ma Dong wasn’t an exception.

They stared silently at the screen, waiting for the game to start.

Finally, a hand appeared on-screen, holding a black stone, reaching toward the upper-right.

Raymond clenched his fists and muttered, “It’s starting.”

After the black stone was placed, the hand withdrew. On the board: Column 17, Row 4—Small Point.

Seeing this, Zeng Jun silently took a stone and placed it on the same spot: Small Point in the upper right.

Soon after, White played:

Column 16, Row 16—Star Point.

Yi Yien didn’t respond immediately.

Seeing this hesitation on-screen, everyone in the review room guessed what was coming. The atmosphere turned heavy.

Finally, after a while, Yi Yien reached into the bowl and dropped a black stone.

Tap!

Column 4, Row 3—Small Point.

The first two Black stones were both small points—diagonal small-point opening.

“Yi Yien...” said Ai En, watching the screen after a pause, “...chose diagonal small-point.”

Of course, diagonal small-point is a solid opening—even a good one.

But seeing Yi Yien choose it, everyone’s face looked grim.

They knew this wasn’t Yi Yien’s preferred style. He favored double star points, building large-scale frameworks, aggressively seizing key areas, and deciding the game in fierce battles.

If Yu Shao hadn’t played five games already, then sure—avoiding the 3-3 while it’s still under study made sense.

But he had already played five straight games!

And yet they still had to avoid the edge of his 3-3—it felt too humiliating.

Then again, remembering the sharp brilliance of those five games, they couldn't help but feel a chill again.

“Pull it together,” Ma Dong said, frowning. “He’s played five games already, and this one’s using diagonal small point. We should have the advantage.”

“Yeah, true.”

A blond young man brightened up, nodding. “Yi Yien takes this one, then I win two or three in a row—we’re back in business!”

“If Majie plays after that and performs well, we could push them all the way to their main player. Even if Majie runs out of steam and loses, Zeng Jun and Lu Yihong will follow up—we’re definitely winning this!”