I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 282: This... Might Become a New Joseki!

“He actually blocked it?”

Even Yin Yan’ang couldn’t stay calm when he saw that move—his expression changed.

He had already been prepared to engage in a mutual kill if the white stone attached, but to his surprise, White didn’t even seem to notice the brilliant attach. Instead, he played a baffling block!

That attach would’ve been brilliant. But Yin Yan’ang had already seen that in this local fight, due to White’s earlier retreat, his stones wouldn’t be able to connect in time and he’d end up paying a heavy price.

On the other hand, if Black plays at a high point, both sides would face danger—the board would get intense—but Black would have a slightly easier time handling it.

According to standard joseki, the only move for White here would be to extend. Then Black extends, White jumps into the corner, Black jumps out, White plays a diagonal push, and Black attaches in the corner.

This would lead to a fierce local battle in the upper right corner, with both sides engaging in a complex fight.

But instead—White blocked!

“If Black hanes now, White’s liberties would be tight. And with Black’s earlier move targeting White’s vital point from the left side, White could end up getting sliced in two!”

Everyone stared at the board, speechless as they looked at that earth-shattering white stone.

Yin Yan’ang’s gaze flickered. He quickly picked out another stone and placed it on the board.

White answered again.

Column 18, Row 6 — Hane!

“No atari? A direct hane instead?”

That move stunned everyone.

Yin Yan’ang stared at the board, thought for a moment, then made another move. Right after that, Yu Shao followed closely and dropped his next stone.

Black connects, White ataris, Black extends, White jumps!

Four moves fell in quick succession, and as everyone looked at the developing shape in the upper right, their expressions gradually shifted.

“This position... it’s unexpectedly complicated!”

Su Yiming’s expression had also grown serious at some point. He stared at the board, mentally running through all possible continuations.

In this position, there were so many possible moves for both sides, each with countless variations—it was almost impossible to calculate all the possibilities.

The room went silent.

Everyone else stared at the board as well, calculating the potential developments in this local battle.

One line of play... two lines... three lines...

The deeper they analyzed, the more disbelief crept onto their faces. The further they explored, the more shock they felt in their hearts.

“It’s not just the complexity—no matter what Black plays, White actually... doesn’t end up in a bad position!”

Gulp.

A quiet swallow echoed from the crowd.

Everyone knew exactly what that meant.

If these variations really hold up... if after the flying press this sequence works for White no matter how Black responds...

This... might become a new joseki!

Moments later, a young man suddenly turned around and rushed out of the room.

Seeing this, someone else seemed to realize something and quickly followed. Then a third person, a fourth... one by one, more players began leaving the Playing Room.

Soon, only a handful of observers were left—just Su Yiming, Zheng Qin, and a few others.

The players who had rushed out quickly found a Review Room. They gathered around a Go board, reconstructing the game between Yu Shao and Yin Yan’ang.

They focused on this local situation, skeptically placing and replaying moves, trying to analyze every possible continuation.

“This...”

Back in the Playing Room, Yin Yan’ang stared at the board, a massive storm surging in his heart.

Even for him, it was hard to read out all the variations in this seemingly simple local battle.

White’s block looked unreasonable—but Black just couldn’t seem to punish it. If he made even the slightest mistake, White might end up turning the tables!

“There are too many choices. If Black turns, White has a connect sequence. If Black jumps, White also has strong moves... There are too many options—I can’t even tell which is best.”

Zheng Qin clenched his fists, sweat beading on his forehead from the immense pressure. “I have no idea how Yin Yan’ang 9-dan will respond.”

Finally.

After a few moments, Yin Yan’ang looked up and gave Yu Shao a long, deep glance. He reached into his Go bowl again and placed a stone on the board—

Clack!

Column 16, Row 3 — Block!

“Blocking on the second line?”

Zheng Qin was stunned. At first, he didn’t understand. But after thinking deeper, his pupils shrank, and he stared at the board in shock. “He’s initiating here?!”

“A move like that exists?!”

It looked like a slow defensive play, just securing the corner. But in truth, it was cunning and full of hidden intent—a move that seems peaceful but carries the threat of a lethal strike!

This move had huge implications. If White stands, Black can block again, making the once-light White stones suddenly heavy. White would then have to reinforce or risk a devastating counterattack.

And if White reinforces by connecting, Black still has several follow-up strategies to exploit. A brutal battle was about to erupt in the upper right!

Su Yiming couldn’t help but look at Yin Yan’ang.

Just then, a young man rushed back into the room, quickly made his way to the board, and craned his neck for a glance.

“Teacher Yin Yan’ang played...”

When he saw where the black stone had landed, the young man froze.

“He really played there?!”

A look of astonishment appeared on his face as he realized the hidden brilliance in that move.

Their group had just gone through countless variations in the Review Room, but not one of them had considered this line. No one had even thought in that direction!

Yu Shao stared at the new move. After a pause, he picked out a stone and gently placed it—

Column 15, Row 2 — Stand!

As White finally responded, the young man stifled his awe, turned around, and rushed off again—to report the game record.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Black and White stones continued to fall on the board. Both players were completely entangled, life and death hinging on their calculations. The spectators watched intently, minds moving with every stone.

People came and went, sneaking glances at the board, rushing out again.

And in this clash, White gradually took the upper hand.

Not long after, another white stone landed.

Clack!

Column 18, Row 19 — Hane!

This move tightened the net, reducing Black’s liberties to five, while White still had six. That meant the upper-left group of black stones—stones and territory—had been completely killed!

But strangely, everyone’s expressions grew even more serious.

The tension was rising.

“That group of Black stones wasn’t killed by White. Black sacrificed them. After realizing the situation was turning bad—and that even living would mean a painful life—Black chose to abandon the entire group.”

Su Yiming looked at the board, his eyes gleaming with clarity.

“Now that White has devoured the entire corner, his territory is massive. But Black’s outer influence... is just as terrifying.”

The onlookers stared at the game, their hearts churning.

Usually, if there’s a way to live, you wouldn’t give up a group—sacrificing stones is too risky.

Let alone giving up such a massive corner. That’s not something you can do without tremendous resolve—like a warrior cutting off his own arm to survive.

Yet after realizing that he would be stuck in a small, painful life, with poor territory, Black had made a bold choice: abandon the group and seize outer influence. Not even a hint of weakness.

What shocked them even more was...

White had pushed Black to this point!

After all, sacrificing stones for influence—this was Black’s only way to stay in the game!

“Teacher Yin Yan’ang didn’t dare let Yu Shao 2-dan gain even the slightest edge. That’s why he played such a ruthless move, sacrificing stones.”

A young man stared at the board, sweat dripping from his forehead. “Only when facing a great threat would you refuse to let even a single point slip away—you have to fight tooth and nail for every inch!”

It’s not that rare for low-dan players to beat a 9-dan. Even some 1-dans have impressive wins.

But for a 4-dan to push a 7-dan this far—he’d never seen anything like it!

“The lower-left died. But your central area has no base, and your lower-right has no supporting structure either.”

Yin Yan’ang assessed the board, his expression still tense.

“The winner of this game will be decided by how much territory I can carve out in the center.”

“So... it’ll come down to killing power?”

He looked at Yu Shao again, then reached into the Go bowl and swiftly placed another move!

“Bring it on!”

Clack!

Column 13, Row 13 — Big Jump!

“A big jump to build territory? Isn’t he worried White will invade straight through the gap? Or... is he waiting for White to invade?”

Su Yiming eyed the board and thought silently.

“If it were me, I’d probably just block from the outside, push in the center... but him? He’ll probably dive right in.”

Moments later, Yu Shao picked out a stone and placed it—

Clack!

Column 7, Row 7 — Diagonal Push!

“He...”

Su Yiming froze. His expression finally shifted.

“He played tenuki? He’s breaking the outer influence from above?!”

The room erupted!

Everyone stared at the board in disbelief, their eyes fixed on that freshly placed white stone.

“Attacking the upper influence?!”

“The left wall is just that—a wall. It can be shaken, maybe even attacked. But the top? With both wings spread? He’s attacking there?!”

“That’s not just hard to break—it’s practically asking to get surrounded and killed!”

Su Yiming said nothing. He just kept staring at the board.