I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 266: Life and Death

On the Go board, black and white stones continued to fall.

Clack!

Clack!

Clack!

In the Chinese team’s Review Room, the players synchronized their moves with the TV broadcast, placing stones on the board as they followed along and discussed the game.

“I thought he would tenuki, like he had a follow-up planned... but it was just a simple jump. That makes this local area a dead zone now.”

Le Haoqiang stared at the screen with confusion. “What’s he thinking?”

Silence. No one could answer Le Haoqiang’s question.

In the crowd, Su Yiming’s eyes were locked on the screen, his gaze sharp as he focused on the Unassailable Corner in the lower-right.

“A Shoulder Hit against the Unassailable Corner... If you consider thickness, it’s actually not bad.”

“After all, an Unassailable Corner is solid, and when White extends, it adds even more thickness. So White ends up feeling a bit heavy.”

Su Yiming ran through potential continuations in his mind.

“But still, Black’s stones are undeniably scattered. If we rate it out of 100, the Shoulder Hit is worth maybe 80. And from the looks of it now, Black doesn’t seem to have any follow-up.”

On the TV screen, Black and White continued trading moves at lightning speed.

“They’re playing so fast.”

Everyone was a bit startled by the pace.

This game was unlike all the previous ones. Because it was a 争棋, both sides usually played with extreme caution. But this match—both players were dropping stones like hail, exuding a fierce, unstoppable momentum.

Then, on the screen, another Black stone fell.

Clack!

Column 14, Row 18 — Jump!

“He just... invaded White’s center territory!”

Le Haoqiang’s voice suddenly rang out.

He stared at the screen in disbelief. “So early?!”

Hearing that, Su Yiming finally snapped back to attention. He looked toward the screen, a deep confusion surfacing in his eyes.

“He’s trying to kill White... this early?”

And it wasn’t just Le Haoqiang—others were visibly shaken.

To launch an attack, you need to build up strength first. For Black to dive into the center so early—it looked fierce, but if White weathered the storm, Black could end up being surrounded on all sides!

This move wasn’t entirely unplayable—but it felt too aggressive. Overextension leads to disaster.

What exactly was Black planning?

To provoke a brutal battle at this moment—White would definitely go all in, even risking mutual destruction!

In the Handtalk Room, when Black suddenly dived into White’s central territory, forming a triangle assault around White’s Small Point, even Lu Yihong’s expression changed.

He had originally planned to sit back and observe—wait for Black to expose a weakness, and then strike.

But the game had taken a completely unexpected turn!

Still early in the opening—before the corners had even settled—Black had already crashed into White’s heartland, aggressively igniting a fierce battle!

“Does he really think he can kill this White group?”

A sudden surge of anger rose in Lu Yihong’s heart. He almost reached for a stone on impulse.

“Stay calm!”

He took a deep breath, forced down the irritation, and after studying the board carefully, finally made his move.

Clack!

Column 16, Row 18 — Attach!

“He’s no ordinary opponent. Every move he makes is calm and calculated. Even if Black is at a disadvantage in this fight, it’s going to be incredibly complex.”

Lu Yihong watched Yu Shao place another stone. After calculating for a moment, he played again.

“As long as I keep my cool and play each move properly, he’ll pay for his reckless aggression!”

Soon, Black responded with another move. Lu Yihong ran through the possible sequences and immediately made his play—his eyes sharp as blades.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Black and White tangled fiercely in the lower-left corner. The corner battle was becoming more intense, and everyone instinctively held their breath.

Under everyone’s gaze, another Black stone dropped.

Clack!

Column 15, Row 14 — Hane!

“Brilliant move!”

The moment that move landed, everyone’s heart skipped a beat.

It was as if they could hear the stone echo powerfully as it hit the board!

In this local situation, most would instinctively extend. But this Hane—it pierced the subtle threads of the board, threatening White’s eyes and tearing apart White’s influence!

Seeing that move, Lu Yihong didn’t play for a long while. Clearly, he too had realized just how sharp Black’s Hane was.

A while later, White finally made his response on the TV screen.

Clack!

Column 12, Row 15 — Clamp!

“Clamp?”

Everyone was stunned. They didn’t quite get it.

“That Clamp directly targets Black’s key stones. Isn’t that a bit too intense? After all, White’s formation hasn’t cracked yet. Is he afraid of a do-or-die fight with Black?”

But once they started calculating the follow-up variations, their expressions subtly changed.

And when they reached the end of the sequence—everyone broke into a cold sweat!

“That Clamp by White—it’s a killing move that hits like a thunderbolt!”

Shockwaves rippled through everyone’s hearts.

“He actually calculated twenty moves ahead in this fight. At first glance, White looks disadvantaged, but if he dives in and sacrifices some stones—there’s a brilliant tesuji!”

“If White sacrifices a group, Black will have to capture—but that makes Black one move slower in the kill race!”

“That’s why White chose to Clamp, despite risking shape collapse—he’s threatening Black’s survival!”

The stones kept falling.

Everyone stared intently at the board, their eyes filled only with the battlefield before them.

In this brutal lower-right fight, both sides showcased incredible calculation. Black crashed into White’s territory with monstrous force, pushing White to the brink.

But Black lacked enough local support and couldn’t sustain the attack. White withstood the first wave, used Black’s momentum to thicken his position, and then calculated out a deadly sequence 20 moves ahead!

In an instant, the tides turned!

White’s stones started to connect and coordinate—forming an invisible net. Black looked dangerously vulnerable. Everyone’s heart climbed into their throat.

Soon, another Black stone landed.

Column 13, Row 16 — Jump!

White followed immediately.

Column 17, Row 14 — Small Knight’s Move!

...

“Black... just pushed here?”

After a short while, another Black stone landed, and again, everyone was stunned.

But soon enough, they understood the intention—and were left speechless.

Facing White’s encirclement, the usual move would be to make eyes and live. But Black’s Push attacked White’s isolated stones while also impacting the central situation—putting White in a dilemma!

Time passed, minute by minute.

“White is going all-in on offense—every move is aimed at killing Black! But Black is calmly responding to everything, defusing the danger like it’s nothing!”

As the two sides continued trading moves, everyone’s faces were filled with awe. Despite White’s earth-shaking attack, Black’s defense was seamless—like an immovable mountain.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The brutal lower-right battle had now taken on the form of a Great Avalanche. Stones were falling like snow, covering nearly half the board.

Finally—after who knows how long—

Another Black stone landed.

Column 15, Row 9 — Extend!

“Double... double life!”

Everyone finally snapped out of it, though their hearts still couldn’t calm down.

White’s counterattack had surrounded from all sides. But Black had slashed his way through—and now, it was essentially confirmed that Black’s group had lived!

Still, even if Black made life and claimed some corner territory, White had pressed him down to the bottom edge. That, too, was an acceptable result for White.

The outcome of this game... was still uncertain!

“Double life...”

In the Handtalk Room, Lu Yihong’s back was soaked with sweat.

“Trying to surround and kill him here really was a fantasy... Though Black’s life was possible, the territory he got out of it was huge.”

He stared at the board, realizing that Black’s survival was now inevitable. His expression turned a bit grim.

“Still, the territory gain is within what I can accept. In this fight, I came out slightly ahead.”

He took a deep breath and placed another stone on the board.

Crack!

As White’s stone landed, the sharp sound of collision echoed through the room.

Yu Shao stared at the board, picked up a stone, and gently placed it.

Clack!

Column 4, Row 6 — Jump!

Seeing that move, Lu Yihong froze—and then his pupils contracted sharply!

“He...”

Next to him, the two referees and the recorder widened their eyes in shock, a chill running down their spines.

“He tenuki’d!?”

“Black actually tenuki’d to attack White’s upper side?!”

This tenuki caught everyone completely off guard. No one expected Black to just ignore the fight and aim to kill the upper White stones!

This move carried a chilling sense of brutality.

It wasn’t just them. All the spectators watching also felt a jolt in their hearts.

After the mutual double life, the game should’ve settled down.

But with this one move, Black cranked the intensity of the entire board back to the max!

“Even though Black basically secured life in the lower-right, he didn’t fully settle the group. If White pokes the eye point, Black’s survival is still shaky—so most people would reinforce.”

Someone gulped in disbelief. “But... he tenuki’d?”

“This tenuki from Black—it’s the boldest kind. He’s playing for the whole board. White has no choice but to respond!”

Someone couldn’t help shivering. “But Black’s group in the corner isn’t completely alive. If the board gets even more complex, new variations appear... that group down there...”

“It might not make it after all!”