I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 33: The White Stones Forced Into Desperation

At this moment, Wu Shuheng finally returned to Yu Shao's board.

His expression was grave, his eyes downcast as he scrutinized the board. After a long time, he picked up a stone and placed it gently on the board.

Click.

Row 11, Column 14—connect!

No sooner had the white stone landed than Yu Shao responded, swiftly placing his stone.

Click.

Row 11, Column 13—cut!

The alternating moves of black and white stones seemed more than just a game; it was like watching tigers and wolves tearing into each other, the board suffused with murderous tension.

Soon, it was Wu Shuheng’s turn again.

He stared at the board intently, hesitating to place his stone, lost in thought.

"So sharp... I just connected, and he immediately cut me off, leaving me no breathing room..."

After a long pause, Wu Shuheng took a deep breath and then slammed his stone onto the board.

Smack!

Row 8, Column 16—stand!

The moment the stone landed, everyone watching felt a jolt in their hearts.

"A stand! The white stones chose to stand? But if they stand, the group of white stones on the right flank will be surrounded by the black stones!"

"Is this a sacrifice play?"

Although many students couldn’t fully comprehend the board, they could sense that by standing, the white stones would immediately fall under black’s control in this local skirmish, leaving white in a dire position.

Some Go-savvy students shook their heads as they studied the board in shock. "No... This is a sacrifice play, but... not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

Others didn’t understand, finding this explanation contradictory.

"A true sacrifice is a strategic choice to relinquish stones in exchange for a better attacking formation. But in this game, that’s clearly not the case..."

"That group of white stones was already backed into a corner by the black stones. Sure, white could choose to defend, but the position was already precarious."

"That’s why white had to sacrifice the stones. It’s not a proactive sacrifice but a forced one. You could even call it a desperate retreat to survive."

He took a deep breath and added:

"In other words, black has pushed white into a position where it must sacrifice those stones to open up some kind of attacking opportunity."

"Otherwise, under no circumstances would white willingly abandon such an important section of the board. That area is critical!"

Hearing this, the surrounding students were left deeply shaken.

Just moments ago, while playing against the other students, Wu Shuheng had moved with incredible speed, dominating each match. But now, in this game, he was being forced into desperate measures?

As Wu Shuheng placed the standing move, Yu Shao pondered briefly before responding.

"A jump?"

Seeing this move, Wu Shuheng’s expression instantly shifted.

The students who understood Go couldn’t help but react as well, their voices breaking out in shock.

"He actually jumped?!"

Others who didn’t understand looked confused. "What’s with all the fuss?" someone grumbled. "What’s so surprising about this jump?"

"It’s too slow! After white sacrifices, black should immediately surround the sacrificed stones to free up moves to counter white’s offense. But this jump... it’s too slow! It’s giving white an opportunity!"

"So, black made a mistake?"

"No, not exactly!"

The student kept his eyes glued to the board, his tone trembling. "This jump may look like it’s falling behind, but the position is so ambiguous that it leaves weaknesses in white’s formation."

"As a result, black likely has follow-up tactics, turning a seemingly passive move into an active one to gain a larger advantage!"

"This kind of move... it’s terrifyingly subtle. The intent is so... profound!"

The surrounding students, though still mostly clueless, felt a growing sense of excitement.

"If only I understood Go..."

That thought surfaced in the minds of many onlookers.

Both players continued to place their stones, exchanging four or five more moves before it was Wu Shuheng’s turn again. But instead of playing, he took a deep breath and moved to the next table.

Back and forth, Wu Shuheng cycled between the last three tables, placing stones.

It was clear to everyone that compared to his games with Yu Shao and Xu Zijin, the third remaining table was far less of a challenge for Wu Shuheng.

Finally, the second-year male student at the third table couldn’t hold out any longer under Wu Shuheng’s relentless assault.

"I concede."

The boy lowered his head in defeat, but at the same time, he let out a sigh of relief.

He had given it his all, but even with a two-stone handicap, he was unable to resist Wu Shuheng’s overwhelming pressure. By the middle game, he was completely dominated and could only struggle defensively.

The match had felt suffocating and torturous. But now that it was finally over, he could surrender without regret.

Wu Shuheng nodded to the student before heading back to Yu Shao’s table.

"I held out this long against a professional player. That’s not bad," the second-year thought to himself. He didn’t feel too disheartened, even thinking he had performed well. After all, seven others had already surrendered before him.

Looking at the board, a smile appeared on his face.

"As expected of a professional. He’s incredible, completely out of my league."

"But I’m not bad either. I even made him break a sweat. He must have worked hard to beat me."

He glanced toward the other two remaining games.

"The other two should be nearing their limit as well. If I could only last this long, they can’t hold on much longer either."

As he packed up his stones, the student couldn’t help but look around.

That’s when he noticed that the students who had previously conceded were all staring up at the big screen, their faces blank as though they were questioning the meaning of life.

"What’s wrong?"

Puzzled, he looked up at the screen showing the match between Wu Shuheng and Yu Shao.

And then, his smile froze.

His eyes widened bit by bit as he stared.

"How... How is this possible?!"

"The white stones are completely suppressed by black?!"

His mouth fell open, disbelief written all over his face. He even rubbed his eyes as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Although the board was complex, it only took him a moment to recognize the situation.

This wasn’t a close match.

The black stones weren’t just holding their own; they were overwhelmingly suppressing the white stones, leaving them no room to move. It was identical to his own match—

The white stones were pinned down, unable to resist, barely able to defend, and even that defense was breaking apart.

The only difference was, in his game, he had been the one unable to defend.

Now, it was Wu Shuheng in that same position.

"The roles are reversed?"

"No... Compared to me, the white stones are in an even worse situation!"

"The white formations are cracking all over the board, completely restrained, while the black stones’ attacks are relentless and overwhelming!"

"Calling it suppression feels like an understatement. At least in suppression, the white stones would have room to fight back. This... this is a complete crushing defeat!"

He gawked at the screen, utterly speechless.

"How did it end up like this?"

"That’s a professional player! Even with a two-stone handicap, a regular player shouldn’t be able to beat him!"