I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 277: I Want to Play That Kind of Game Too

The Go board was overflowing with killing intent.

A bloody battle had finally erupted in full!

Neither side was one to yield easily. As the stones fell onto the board, everyone could almost see the glint of swords and clash of blades. The fierce exchange made everyone instinctively hold their breath.

This match had been full of shifts and exchanges from the very beginning, and in the end, it even led to a shocking exchange worth dozens of points, opening everyone's eyes.

As the stones continued to fall, time ticked away.

Everyone stared at the board without blinking, completely forgetting about the passage of time.

Yu Shao also focused on the game, his expression growing more and more serious as he mentally calculated countless possible variations. Even his commentary gradually lessened.

Not long after, on the big screen, White played another move.

Seeing that move, everyone’s expressions subtly changed, sensing the ferocity behind it.

This was a direct killing move targeting Black’s vital shape. If Black defended, it would give White a chance to breathe!

“White has shown a weakness.”

At this moment, Yu Shao’s voice rang out, “Black now has a chance to slay the dragon.”

White…
showed a weakness?!

Hearing this, everyone was stunned. Then, realizing the implications, their eyes widened as they all turned toward Yu Shao.

Yu Shao kept staring at the big screen, not even turning his head. "If Black ignores White’s last move and instead sacrifices the vital shape to atari the lower White stones, it will trigger a fierce battle."

"After White captures the vital shape, they will surely attempt to cut Black. But if Black starts a ko fight here, and when White tries to resolve it, Black can switch and pursue White’s lower stones with a capturing sequence!"

"When White counterattacks, if Black presses here, not only will Black compensate for the sacrificed shape, but even both of White's large dragons will be at risk of collapsing!"

Everyone was baffled at first, staring at the board, trying to mentally follow Yu Shao's sequence.

As they simulated the sequence, their expressions gradually shifted from confusion to shock. Soon, visible awe spread across all their faces.

“M-my god!”

Not just the studio staff, but tens of thousands of viewers watching at home were all equally stunned!

Vital shapes aren't meant to be sacrificed!

Normally, no one would think of sacrificing a vital shape, as it's usually the lifeline of a group.

But in this game, sacrificing it now would cut White’s two large dragons directly, putting both of them in serious jeopardy.

If White defends one dragon, the other would be hanging by a thread, practically dead already!

Everyone was floored, waves of shock crashing through their hearts.

“Unbelievable...”

The director on stage was flushed with excitement, clenching his fists tightly. It took him a while to stammer, "Brilliant... absolutely brilliant!"

At this moment, audiences across the world were equally excited, staring at the screen, holding their breath, waiting for Kong Zi's move.

Seconds passed like hours.

Finally, Kong Zi placed his stone.

Column 12, Row 13 — Atari!

After a brief silence, everyone's eyes lit up, and the room instantly exploded. Even the studio staff could barely contain themselves!

The game continued.

After accurately playing this decisive move, Black now held a significant advantage.

Seeing Kong Zi's move, Ma Dong fell into a long, painful think before finally placing his stone.

But as the game went on for a few more moves, the previously excited crowd grew tense again.

Even after falling into a desperate situation, Ma Dong showed unbelievable resilience. Despite Black’s advantage, he could not easily kill White’s large dragon.

“He perfectly found every possible life option for the White dragon. Anyone else would’ve already been crushed by Meijin Kong Zi by now.”

The director wiped the sweat forming on his forehead, feeling amazed. “But I have to admit, Ma Dong’s resistance here is fantastic. Even Kong Zi is struggling to finish him.”

Yu Shao stared intently at the screen.

Black’s advantage was undeniable, but White’s sheer tenacity was impressive. Capturing White’s dragon wasn’t going to be easy.

And if Black made one misstep, the entire game could still turn around.

Time kept slipping by.

In the studio, in front of TVs, in front of computer screens...

All over the world, those following the match were fully absorbed, eyes locked on the board, not even blinking. They could practically hear the sound of each stone landing.

Finally, after a long wait, Black slowly played another stone.

White didn’t respond for quite some time.

Moments later, under the eyes of the whole world, a fist reached out to the center of the board. As the fist loosened, two White stones fell onto the board.

Meijin Kong Zi, playing Black, secured a midgame dragon-slaying victory!

“What a magnificent game...”

Everyone stared at the board, still unable to fully come back to reality, as if still immersed in the thrilling battle they had just witnessed.

After a while, people gradually snapped out of it and looked toward Yu Shao standing on stage, all with mixed feelings.

That crucial atari sacrificing the vital shape was the key winning move.

It wasn’t surprising that Meijin Kong Zi saw it.

But Yu Shao... also saw it.

The director looked at Yu Shao with a complicated expression and said, “Yu Shao 2-dan, Xu Zi 2-dan, the broadcast is over. Great job, both of you. We’ll clean up the board.”

Hearing this, the tense atmosphere slightly eased. The director was just about to head on stage when he noticed Xu Zi still standing there, staring quietly at the board.

“Xu Zi?”
Yu Shao called out, puzzled.

"Here, maybe White’s move really was a mistake."
Xu Zi pointed at a White stone on the board. "But after Black split the White dragon into two groups and chose to hane-cut here..."

Yu Shao frowned and looked at the board, and so did all the studio staff.

"If, instead of hane, White digs here?" Xu Zi pointed at another spot.

"Dig here?"

Yu Shao followed her finger, quickly replayed it in his mind, and simulated:

Black atari, White jumps, Black pushes, White extends...

Huh?

Yu Shao was visibly surprised, "You're right! I didn’t even notice that White could still dig here."

The studio staff froze, staring blankly at where Xu Zi was pointing.

Xu Zi remained focused, rearranging stones on the board as she explained, "If White digs here, Black would have to respond. If Black ataris, White jumps, and if Black pushes..."

The studio fell dead silent.

Everyone stared at the board, speechless.

After a while, Xu Zi finally finished laying out the sequence and said, “With this, not only does White’s large dragon live, but it even threatens Black’s eye space.”

"Although the game result would still be uncertain, White would gain a slight advantage in the ensuing battle."

Yu Shao stared at the board, pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Looking at it this way, Black’s hane was also a problem. Black should’ve jumped instead."

The room became even quieter.

Xu Zi finally withdrew her gaze from the board and stepped off the stage, leaving with Yu Shao.

No one spoke, silently watching the two leave.

Only after their figures disappeared at the elevator did the director speak after a moment of silence, "She... is a real Go player."

——

——

Inside the elevator, Xu Zi looked at Yu Shao and asked, "Did you see that digging move during the game?"

"Nope."
Yu Shao shook his head honestly, "That was a brilliant move. I can’t believe you found it."

That digging move was extremely unconventional. Hardly anyone would think to play there. Yu Shao truly hadn’t seen it.

"I thought you saw it but just didn’t mention it." Xu Zi smiled faintly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"No one can see every move. Even A... even Shen Yi couldn’t."
Yu Shao caught himself mid-sentence and quickly corrected, "Besides, if someone could see every move, Go would be pretty boring, don’t you think?"

That’s exactly what made Go so fascinating. Even if Xu Zi wasn’t Ma Dong’s equal overall, she could still find moves that Ma Dong hadn’t noticed.

You could even say, under chaotic positions, the precise move that no pro or AI could find might just come from a three-year-old child.

"True, the deeper you go, the more you’re awed by Go’s depth."
Xu Zi said, "Go may have a solution, but every player knows they could spend their whole life without finding it — and yet, we all keep searching for it."

Yu Shao smiled, "Maybe the process of searching is more meaningful than the answer itself."

Soon, they arrived at the first floor and exited the elevator, walking towards the exit.

"In a few days, you'll be starting the National Master Tournament again, right?" Xu Zi suddenly asked.

"Yeah."
Yu Shao nodded. "Why?"

"You seem to have racked up a lot of points already, which means you’ll mostly be facing high-dan players from now on."
Xu Zi stared seriously at Yu Shao. "The Hero's Pride Cup is over, and so is the Challenge Match."

"From what I know, a lot of people want to see just how far you and Su Yiming can go in the title matches — the highest level tournaments in the country."

Xu Zi retracted her gaze and walked toward the black Bentley waiting at the entrance. As she walked, she said, "I need to step it up too."

"One day, I’ll play a game just as legendary as the ones you and Su Yiming played in the Hero’s Pride Cup finals."

"I want to play a game like that too!"