I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 276: Not a Single Move Guessed Right

Not long after, Kong Zi made his move, and it was Ma Dong’s turn to place a stone.

Yu Shao looked at the large screen, assessed the board position, and said, “Although both opened with a Double Star Point, their moves so far have been pretty restrained. Neither is rushing into entanglement—they’re holding back, waiting.”

He shifted his gaze to the demo board, thought for a moment, and said, “If White can’t hold back and decides to initiate first, the move might land here.”

As he spoke, Yu Shao picked up a white stone and placed it on the demo board.

“A direct Shoulder Hit?”

Seeing the move, Xu Zi raised her brows slightly, falling into thought.

This Shoulder Hit, being high, squeezed Black’s potential space for development. However, like the Unassailable Corner, the same issues remained. If the stones became too scattered, it would definitely provoke a fierce counterattack from Black.

Just then, on the big screen, White placed a stone.

White indeed took the initiative—but the move wasn’t the Shoulder Hit Yu Shao had predicted. Instead, it was:

Column 16, Row 14 – Bump!

Seeing Ma Dong’s Bump, Yu Shao paused briefly, then placed the corresponding stone on the demo board and said, “A Bump here... testing Black’s response—it works.”

“Black can’t really Tenuki here. A Hane is pretty much guaranteed,” Xu Zijin said.

Yu Shao nodded, affirming her assessment. Since White had bumped so directly, Hane was indeed Black’s only real option.

After a few short skirmishes in the lower-right corner, Ma Dong chose to Tenuki, shifting focus to the lower-left, applying pressure on White’s Star Point stone and setting up a faux retreat.

Facing Yu Shao’s earlier prediction, Kong Zi fell into deep thought.

Zhu Lin looked at the demo board and commented, “Yu Shao’s move was pretty aggressive. That White stone might just directly aim to split him from the outside.”

At that moment, on the small screen, White moved again:

Column 11, Row 8 – Diagonal Push!

“White’s Peep... that works too.”

Ma Dong glanced at the screen, quickly placed the move on the board, and said, “That leaves the lower-left corner somewhat exposed. Zhu Lin might need to consider an Extension.”

“Extension? In that area?”

Xu Zijin paused to think, then quickly placed a stone on the small board.

Ma Dong turned to look at the move Zhu Lin had suggested.

Truth be told, there were only a few valid Extension points there. Xu Zijin’s chosen spot was high—it was harder for the opponent to invade and gave less control over the edge, but it could also seem a bit rushed.

A Low Extension made attacking harder for the opponent and provided better control over the edge. But lacking Thickness as compensation, it would likely stretch the battle across the whole board.

“You might go for a Low Extension,” Zhu Lin considered. “Still, a High Extension is also fine. It’s hard to say which is better.”

While the group discussed, another move dropped on the screen.

Column 17, Row 7 – Jump!

“Yu Shao didn’t extend? He jumped there?”

Yu Shao looked a bit surprised. He thought for a moment and said, “He’s trying to threaten Black’s upper-right group, keeping them pinned and limiting development. That works too.”

Soon after, both players made a few more moves, and it was Ma Dong’s turn again. But this time, he fell into a long think and didn’t play immediately.

“Yu Shao, where do you think Master Ma Dong will play next?”

Xu Zi looked at the demo board, thought for a second, then turned toward Yu Shao and asked.

“I’m not sure either... maybe he’ll Jump here?”

Yu Shao pondered briefly, picked up a black stone and placed it on the board while explaining, “If Black Pushes, White will Bump below.”

“That Bump sets up a Capturing Race—it connects across the board. That means on the upper-left, there are moves to Cut through.”

Xu Zijin’s eyes lit up with surprise. She stared at the board, her expression sharpening, and sank into contemplation.

Soon after, White moved again—

Column 13, Row 7 – Small Knight’s Approach.

“Small Knight’s Approach?”

Yu Shao looked at the screen thoughtfully.

In his view, after that move, the upper side would be relatively empty—not ideal for building a Large Framework.

Still, the Small Knight’s Approach had its own flavor, carrying a kind of classical Go rhythm and subtle depth.

In the broadcast control room, the staff looked at each other.

“This is wild. He hasn’t guessed a single move right.”

The assistant whispered to the director, his expression weird. “Usually, low-dan genius players can predict quite a few high-dan moves when doing commentary. But him…”

“He’s a self-taught Go genius—this is what it looks like.”

The director replied in a low voice, “Even high-dan players commenting on high-level matches can totally misread them. Their thought processes can be completely different.”

“Before long, he’ll be facing top-tier opponents himself. Just thinking about it is exciting.”

The director stared at Yu Shao, his voice tinged with emotion. “No one knows how far he’ll go—or how many surprises he’ll give us.”

On the board, Black and White continued placing stones.

The situation was becoming increasingly complex. The two sides tangled in an intense skirmish, tension rising. The scent of battle was in the air.

Unconsciously, everyone had been pulled deep into the game.

“Still even. This battle might stretch for a while.”

Yu Shao studied the demo board, simulating future sequences in his mind.

“Next, if Black Connects, White Pushes, Black Extends, White Extends, Black again Extends, then White Cuts—Black may be slightly disadvantaged, but Black might still have a brilliant move like a Flying Press afterward...”

Just then, another Black stone dropped.

Column 17, Row 17 – Press!

“Didn’t Connect, but...”

Seeing the move, Yu Shao blinked. “Press?”

Not just him—the entire studio froze. Xu Zi stared at the screen, her eyes full of disbelief.

“He actually pressed directly from the center?”

Yu Shao lifted his head, eyes locked on the screen. The moment he saw where that black stone landed, his expression instinctively turned stern.

“I thought Connecting was a sure move, but instead... Black just Pressed from the center and pinned down White’s Heavenly Dragon!”

Yu Shao stared at the screen, recalculating variations, growing more serious by the second.

“White has to Atari next, Black Pulls back, White Captures, Black Extends again... eventually, Black cuts White’s connection clean off!”

The match raged on.

That genius Press from Black set off a series of follow-ups that unfolded exactly as Yu Shao predicted. Once White’s connection was severed, the counterattack began!

White: Column 2, Row 12 – Push!

“Brilliant move!”

Xu Zijin stared unblinking at the board, her face tense. “White’s counterattack doesn’t clash head-on with Black. Instead, it aims to force a shift in control. Master Ma Dong pinpointed the board’s key moment and set the game into transformation.”

Yu Shao quietly watched the screen. After a moment, he murmured, “If White pulls off the transformation, Black’s influence will be suppressed.”

“Next, if White plays the Tiger’s Mouth, Black’s left-side fight will be unfavorable and he’ll shift the battle upward.”

“Black’s Jump is a Passive Move Leading to Initiative, but White has a Peep to strike back. If Black dares to sacrifice stones there, and White can gain room to maneuver...”

“Then Black will form a massive Framework in the upper-central-left area!”

Hearing this, Xu Zijin shot a deep look at Yu Shao, then immediately began laying out the future sequences on the board, stone by stone.

The more she placed, the more stunned everyone became. The sequence was incredibly long—and complex beyond belief!

Meanwhile, on the big screen, stones continued falling. The two sides were clearly going all-in, and many of the placements matched Yu Shao’s predictions exactly.

But then, White changed tactics.

“White saw it too!”

Xu Zijin inhaled sharply. “So while Black tries to maneuver, White Tenuki’s to the lower side, trying to shift again—to counterbalance Black’s growing framework.”

Black had two main paths to attack: one was to build thick influence first, using Thickness in the center and lower side to cut White in half. The other was to launch a surrounding attack.

Xu Zijin thought for a moment, then confidently said, “Either way, White’s in for a tough fight.”

Yu Shao focused on the screen, silent.

She was right. Either attack plan from Black would give White a hard time.

But Yu Shao had a different idea: a Soft-Against-Hard genius play!

He wouldn’t fight Black head-on. Instead, he'd avoid the edge, and potentially trigger a stunning seventy-point shift across the board—nullifying Black’s attack completely.

Yes—even at this point, Zhu Lin still had a string of divine moves in store. By yielding, he could initiate a majestic transformation!

The key now was—could White find that move?

But it was still too early. Kong Zi hadn’t even launched a proper attack yet. If Black made even one slow move now, White would strike with full force!

Time ticked on. Stones continued falling.

Kong Zi finally chose the build-thickness strategy. When his influence solidified, like floodwaters breaching a dam, it surged forward.

And then—White moved!

Column 13, Row 5 – Clamp!

“White’s played it.”

Seeing the move, Yu Shao’s brows furrowed. This Clamp was the key to triggering that earth-shattering transformation.

Though deeply hidden, Ma Dong played instantly—he had already grasped the mystery of the board!

Of course, Kong Zi wouldn’t let White shift so easily. Black and White were now locked in a fight to the death—a bloody battle had begun!

Below the stage, the staff and director were frozen, jaws tight with tension. Their hearts were in their throats.

“Magnificent!”