I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 294: A Stunning Kill Fight

Seeing Su Yiming place his stone, almost in the next instant, Yu Shao immediately pinched out a stone and slapped it onto the board!

Tap!

Column 17, Row 8—Connect!

“Connect—not only did it reinforce the cut point in White’s formation, but it also tightened the liberties of the Black stones. Now the Black group is split into two, and both parts are in danger!”

Zheng Qin stared at the board without blinking. After calculating the follow-ups, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

“But White can’t recklessly start a capturing race. Both of Black’s groups have the advantage in a capturing race—if Black gets one more move, White dies!”

“So the question is—how will Black respond here?”

At that moment, Su Yiming pinched out a stone and placed it on the board!

Tap!

“Extend?”

Zheng Qin’s expression shifted slightly, a tremor in his heart. “A devastating move!”

“Just one move, and it dissolves all of White’s offensive momentum like it was never there!”

Zheng Qin looked at the board and already saw the follow-up if White tried to force an attack!

“Black not only escapes, but if White insists on killing, even if the capturing race favors White, Black can counter and capture... Now White is the one in danger!”

“It was just White’s kill sequence—and now it’s become Black’s kill sequence!”

The game had reached a point of ultimate complexity and tension!

It was suffocating. Just one glance at the board and a quick calculation brought an overwhelming pressure. Even sensing the faintest trace of killing intent in the game sent chills down one’s spine.

The next moment, Yu Shao pinched out a White stone and placed it on the board.

Tap!

Column 16, Row 10—Press!

“A direct press?”

Zheng Qin was stunned. Before he could fully grasp the purpose of this move, a Black stone had already landed on the board!

Tap!

Column 17, Row 11—Crawl!

The next moment, Yu Shao placed another stone.

Column 14, Row 8—Atari!

“Back to the upper cut-and-atari?”

Zheng Qin finally seemed to realize something. His heart suddenly surged with waves of shock.

“That press—it was brilliant!”

“White pinned down Black tightly. After Black crawled, White returned to the top to cut and capture. If Black tries to escape, White extends—”

“With that, the upper Black stones are in danger and must respond. White’s next move then returns to the bottom to clamp in mid-air. With that entire exchange, the lower Black group... ends up surrounded and killed by White!”

Clack!

Another crisp sound of a stone striking the board!

Su Yiming stared dead at the board, pinched out another stone, and dropped it quickly!

Tap!

Column 15, Row 9—Extend!

This time, Yu Shao pinched out a White stone again, placing it with lightning speed!

Tap!

Column 13, Row 8—Extend!

Tap, tap, tap!

Outside, heavy rain poured down. Inside, the sound of stones landing never ceased. The crisp clicks rang out one after another. Every move was brimming with killing intent. Black and White deployed massive formations, questioning each other’s life and death!

This tiny spark ignited from the 3-3 point and a small knight’s move in the upper right corner had now become a prairie fire, ready to spread across the whole board!

“White’s follow-up with the press to surround and kill Black—that’s a devastating technique. But Black’s jump was also a brilliant maneuver, dodging the sharpest edge of White’s blade!”

Hong Leju stared at the board. Watching Black fall right into White’s counterattack, yet respond so skillfully, his emotions were in turmoil.

“White’s aggressive chase, and Black’s flawless defense—what’s more, Black even used White’s killing pressure to thicken his own shape!”

Even he couldn’t find fault with Su Yiming’s recent moves. In fact, he only wanted to slam the table in admiration!

The situation was just too complex. One small move affected the whole board. The evolution in the upper right still showed no clear advantage for either side!

“White’s offense is like a raging tide, but Black’s response is graceful and transcendent. For now, White doesn’t seem to have a clear way forward...”

The next moment, Yu Shao pinched out a stone and gently placed it.

Tap!

Column 17, Row 12—Hane!

Inside the Go room, lightning briefly lit up the space in a sudden flash!

Seeing this White stone on the board, Hong Leju was momentarily stunned in place. Zhuang Weisheng’s expression also shifted involuntarily.

Not just Hong Leju—everyone immersed in the intense life-and-death battle on the board was instantly snapped awake, staring blankly at the board!

White... placed the stone there?

Placed it somewhere no one could’ve imagined!

Boom!

Just then, outside, thunder finally exploded—roaring across the heavens and earth!

“This...”

Hong Leju suddenly lifted his gaze, shock rippling through his eyes.

“I thought White would attack from the top, but he suddenly changed direction and directly hane’d at Black—he’s forcing a kill! So bold!”

“Looking closely—if Black hane’d in reply, White would press. The thick shape Black had built above gets turned against him, and that earlier clamp blocks Black’s escape route!”

“This really... is White’s fiercest option right now. It’s no exaggeration to call it earth-shattering!”

“He just played the most dazzling move on the board!”

“But honestly—how many in the world could come up with this move?”

At this moment, Su Yiming also suddenly looked up, eyes fixed on Yu Shao across the board!

Yu Shao stared quietly at Su Yiming, eyes firm, with a trace of killing intent!

“He hane’d.”

Su Yiming’s left hand unconsciously clenched tight.

As the player himself, he could feel even more clearly the immense force behind that one White stone. As it landed, the entire board was shaken—a surging tidal wave erupted!

“Completely beyond my expectations... he went straight for the hane.”

Su Yiming withdrew his gaze from Yu Shao and looked down at the board, his expression turning so serious it felt cold—almost bone-chilling.

“The outer White stones may look thin, but that earlier clamp by White is now serving as a perfect connection, sitting right at a key point on the board!”

“He pretended to surround my isolated Black group, but that clamp’s real purpose was to kill this entire Black formation!”

Time passed, minute by minute.

Outside, strong winds carried sheets of rain, pounding relentlessly!

Boom, boom!

Inside the Go room, the lightning flickered, casting intermittent light. Then the thunder exploded again and again, making the whole gray world feel solemn and lifeless.

Su Yiming stared intently at the board, lost in deep thought.

After a long time, as another flash of lightning lit up the room, Su Yiming’s gaze turned sharp—like a blade!

“Rumble—!”

As the thunder rolled, Su Yiming reached into the Go bowl. The thunder masked the sound of him grabbing a stone.

When the thunder faded, a Black stone landed on the board!

Tap!

Column 18, Row 12—Hane!

Right after that thunderclap, the storm outside seemed to rage even harder. And the moment Black’s stone landed, Yu Shao also pinched out a stone and placed it swiftly!

Tap!

Column 17, Row 13—Press!

Su Yiming’s eyes glinted with light as he quickly picked another stone and dropped it onto the board!

Column 18, Row 13—Crawl!

Yu Shao followed with another White move.

Tap!

Column 18, Row 9—Attach!

That attach from White was also a strong move—directly aiming to wipe out the three Black stones. Black had no choice but to respond!

“Clack!”

As lightning lit the room, Su Yiming once again picked out a stone and placed it!

Tap!

Column 18, Row 11—Connect!

The room fell utterly silent. Everyone was staring dead at the board, completely immersed in this dazzling, blade-on-blade, life-and-death battle!

White—Column 17, Row 14—Press!

Black—Column 18, Row 14—Crawl!

White—Column 17, Row 15—Press!

Black—Column 18, Row 15—Crawl!

...

Under the stunned gaze of everyone, White laid out the strongest possible stance, pressing again and again to force an attack on Black. Yet Black responded just as fiercely—crawling down the second line relentlessly!

Everyone was speechless. Crawling along the second line sacrificed far too many points. They had expected Black to hane and fight back, but instead, Black kept crawling—willing to lose territory just to keep tangling with White!

White pressed, Black crawled. White pressed, Black crawled...

The sound of stones falling echoed over and over. Everyone stared at the board in growing shock. Black and White had pressed and crawled all the way from the top edge of the board down to the bottom—spanning the entire board!

Finally, after reaching as far as Row 16, where the fight met the lower right Star Point stones, Yu Shao finally changed direction!

Tap!

Column 11, Row 8—Extend!

Su Yiming immediately responded, dropping another stone.

Column 11, Row 8—Attach!

Tap, tap, tap!

Stones continued to fall one after another. After their battle from top to bottom, Black and White now began to shift from the right flank into the center of the board!

Not long after, when Yu Shao placed another White stone, Su Yiming also quickly responded!

Tap!

Column 10, Row 5—Push!

“Push here?”

Seeing that move, everyone was momentarily stunned.

Boom!

Another clap of thunder echoed.

Everyone stared at the board—and suddenly, a hidden depth in the board position revealed itself. It was as if a bolt of lightning had split through their minds—heads buzzing uncontrollably!

“If that earlier clamp by White wasn’t actually about attacking the isolated Black group, but rather had designs on White’s big dragon on the right...”

“Then Black’s constant crawling wasn’t just about escaping with life either!”

“That earlier forbearance was all for this moment—when the blade would finally be drawn! This push from Black echoes the right flank!”

Zheng Qin’s heart trembled. He couldn’t help but lift his head and cast a shocked glance at Su Yiming.

At that moment, lightning once again lit up the dim Go room. Su Yiming’s face was illuminated, his expression solemn, eyes icy and fierce!

“He’s aiming to exterminate those eight White stones on the right side! He wants to wipe them out completely!”

“Tap!”

Just then, clack—the sound of a stone being grabbed rang out again.

Zheng Qin’s heart jumped. He immediately turned to look at Yu Shao.

He saw Yu Shao pick up a stone. Even after seeing Black’s blade-drawing push, he didn’t hesitate—he instantly placed a White stone!

Tap!

Column 9, Row 5—Block!

Boom!

Thunder rolled again!

“Just a block?”

Everyone was stunned by that White move.

Black’s blade-drawing push was eerie and extraordinary—no one could think of a perfect response. The instinctive move was to block, and Yu Shao had played that move with lightning speed—was it really just a block?

At that moment, Su Yiming pinched out another stone and dropped it quickly!

Tap!

Column 9, Row 7—Hane!

Yu Shao followed closely, placing a White stone!

Tap!

Column 9, Row 10—Turn!

Everyone locked their eyes on the board. Cold sweat broke out across everyone’s foreheads. On the board, there were more than eight separate groups tangled in a mind-blowingly complex fight—dizzying in its chaos!

They didn’t even know how Su Yiming and Yu Shao had managed to play this game to this point!

Black—Column 10, Row 10—Hane!

White—Column 13, Row 11—Bump!

“No good, those eight White stones are still a feast for the Black side!”

Zheng Qin stared at the board intensely, constantly calculating the follow-up positions. “Is there a way to break through?”

Even though the weather was cold, his back was soaked with sweat. The board was so complex it made his scalp tingle—no one dared look straight at it!

“Clack!”

Yu Shao pinched out another stone—dropped it like a hailstone!

Tap!

Column 10, Row 7—Cut!

With that move, the whole room went silent!

Everyone stared, dumbfounded, eyes frozen on the board!

“What?”

“Cut!”

“Right there?! White is going for the kill on Black?!”

In the crowd, Zheng Qin almost forgot to breathe. He looked at the board in disbelief, sweat dripping down his face in large drops!

“That cut directly wraps around the Black stones!”

“No, it’s not bad!”

“It looks dangerous at first glance, but Black doesn’t seem to have any harsh countermeasures!”

“If that cut by White holds, Black could be counter-killed. And if that happens, White’s eight stones will come back to life, and Black... will collapse instantly!”

Xu Zijin’s beautiful eyes couldn’t hide her shock either—she stared fixedly at the board.

Beside her, Wu Zhixuan’s mouth hung open, completely dumbfounded.

From the shockingly complex fight in the opening, to that earth-shattering hane earlier—White had been setting up this grand formation for a long time. It was terrifying.

Black had risen like a furious wave, striking back with those crawls along the second line. Using that one push, he was attempting a counter-kill on White’s eight stones, pushing the game to its climax!

And now, this strange and dangerous cut by White was an all-in move—a do-or-die strike to end it all in one blow!

After this move, there was no possibility of reconciliation between Black and White—one side was destined for total annihilation!

At this moment, Su Yiming was also staring hard at the board. Sweat dripped down his cheeks—it was obvious even he hadn’t expected that move.

But his expression remained calm—calm to an almost unnatural degree.

Moments later, Su Yiming pinched out a stone and played with lightning speed!

Tap!

Column 9, Row 4—Atari!

Yu Shao scanned the board—his expression was far from relaxed. He also dropped a stone.

Tap!

Column 10, Row 3—Connect!

“Clack!”

The moment Yu Shao placed his White stone, Su Yiming practically didn’t think—he pinched out a Black stone and dropped it with urgency!

Tap!

Column 9, Row 8—Attach!

The whole room was silent.

“Attach...”

Seeing that move, Zheng Qin couldn’t help clenching his fists.

“That cut by White has already gone for the throat—but this follow-up attach from Black after the atari is just as strong!”

“If White turns out, Black continues to atari—that’s also the strongest move...”

“If White tries to run, Black will keep up the capturing race. Even if the race isn’t favorable, Black has follow-up moves on the left and below to kill off a chunk of White’s group—it’ll balance out. White can’t have it all!”

“But even then, Black still has to go through a lot to completely capture White—”

“Victory is far from certain for Black. White should turn back and give up the left side, and instead focus on surrounding the key stones around the lower triangle of Black—but even so, it’s a stretch...”

Zheng Qin stared at the board, taking a deep breath.

“White definitely won’t go along with Black’s plan...”

“So when Black ataris, White won’t run—instead, White will extend, forcing Black to take two stones. But then, White can wedge in and capture another key shape from Black!”

“White has the upper hand in the capturing fight—but Black gets a breather. Life and death remain uncertain!”

“With just one move, Black brought the board back to life!”

At that moment, Yu Shao pinched out another stone and placed it!

Tap!

Column 8, Row 9—Jump!

Zheng Qin froze. The sequence he had been working out in his head was instantly cut off.

Not just Zheng Qin—everyone gathered around the board froze, even Zhuang Weisheng was momentarily stunned.

Across the world, only a deep silence remained.

Boom!

Thunder roared outside, echoing through the heavens and earth!

The direction of this game—was now set!

“He actually jumped...”

Su Yiming’s mind was racing, calculating at full speed.

If Black had continued as before—doing the same as White did by turning and eating two stones—he wouldn’t be able to kill White afterward. White could counter with a capturing race—Black would collapse!

That jump—it seized the very essence of heaven and earth! The strongest killer move possible!

“No... there’s still a way out!”

Su Yiming stared intently at the board, trying to calculate every variation.

“There is... there is!”

“The path to life is—”

Moments later, Su Yiming finally reached into the Go bowl again, pinched out a stone, and dropped it fast!

“Here!”

Tap!

Column 8, Row 7—Bend!

Seeing that Black move, everyone looked confused—then suddenly, their hearts were gripped with terror, and their eyes widened bit by bit!

“This... can’t be real!”

In the crowd, a bespectacled young man pushed up his glasses, unable to believe his eyes!

“In this seemingly dead position—Black actually has a path to live!”

“Black has both a placement and a throw-in move coming up—White can’t defend both. And just like that, Black... Black lives!”

Yu Shao stared at the board, then slowly closed his eyes.

“He actually played the bend...”

He had only just seen it too. It really was the strongest local response—without question.

Yu Shao took a deep breath, reached into the Go bowl, and slowly pinched out a White stone.

“But this game… it ends here.”

Tap!

Column 8, Row 6—Attach!

As the stone landed, lightning flashed, illuminating the once-dim Go room in a sudden burst of brightness!

“This.....”

The surrounding crowd stared at the board—first stunned, then speechless.

The bespectacled young man seemed to go momentarily dazed.

“Boom!”

As the lightning faded and the Go room darkened again, the delayed thunder finally crashed through the air!

That White attach move directly formed an empty triangle—but...

At this moment, looking at the board, everyone couldn’t help recalling a game from more than fifty years ago.

That game had been played between An Jingtai, who at the time held both the “10-Dan” and “Oza” titles, and the Korean national master Choi Yeongwon.

In that game, Choi Yeongwon had played Black. The Black attach was a tight and lethal move. The White stones in the upper and middle looked irreconcilable. But White had a brilliant move: a bump followed by an attach, forming an empty triangle. It was eerily similar to what they were seeing now.

That sequence led to Black collapsing.

However, An Jingtai, playing White in that match, did not find that brilliant move during actual play—and ended up losing.

But in this game, Yu Shao—playing White—found it.

The empty triangle tesuji...

Just that one move secured both weak points!

Moments later, Su Yiming again pinched out a stone and placed it.

Tap!

Column 7, Row 6—Hane!

Yu Shao quickly followed with a move.

Column 8, Row 5—Connect!

Everyone stared at the board, looking somewhat lost—even Zhuang Weisheng was no exception.

Outside, heavy rain poured and fierce winds howled, but inside the Go room was a heavy silence.

Su Yiming played another move.

Tap.

Column 11, Row 6—Connect.

Yu Shao quietly placed his next move.

Tap.

Column 13, Row 5—Extend.

Seeing that move, Su Yiming finally stopped playing.

In the still silence, Su Yiming gently bowed his head and said, “I lost.”

The game ended here—with just eighty-eight moves!

This stunning life-and-death battle, with countless blades and unseen swords, spread from the upper right corner to a full quarter of the board. Every single move held hidden killing intent—magnificent and soul-stirring.

And yet... it lasted only eighty-eight moves.

Everyone still stared wordlessly at the board, as if still immersed in the grandeur of that jaw-dropping kill fight, their expressions dazed and disoriented.

In their minds, they could still see how every move had been played—each one with the power to overturn the game, each stone a gateway to life and death.

Now, this game had come to an end.

On this small Go board, it felt as though the vastness of the universe had been witnessed.

A game of unprecedented complexity, a kill fight of dazzling brilliance—quietly born, silently ended. Witnessed by only a few within the match room.

This game revealed a never-before-seen joseki. From it, one could glimpse faint hints of Go’s deeper truth—feel the vastness of the game.

It was enough to make a tiny human fall prostrate to the floor...

Using a lifetime’s strength to raise their head, only to see that the path ahead is endless.

Yu Shao bowed gently toward Su Yiming.

Su Yiming also bowed in return.

The game—was over.

Seeing this, Ma Zhengyu finally snapped out of it and said, “The winner is Yu Shao...”

As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer... until it could barely be heard.

He looked at the board, emotions mixed.

Compared to the thunder outside, he felt the sound of the stones falling on the board in this game had been far more powerful.

The room remained silent. Only the sound of heavy rain “drip-drop” hitting the ground could be heard.

Everyone silently stared at the board—as if admiring a piece of art about life and death. Now that the game was over, an indescribable feeling of loss arose in their hearts.

No matter what, this game had finally come to an end.

“Rumble!”

Thunder exploded again outside. The rain poured down, soaking everything—as if even heaven and earth had been moved to tears by this game.