I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 345: The White Stones Whose Spine Was Broken

Seeing that Black chose to jump, Yu Shao stared at the board, pondered briefly, and finally reached into the bowl and swiftly placed a stone.

Clack!

Column 6, Row 17 — Small Knight’s Approach!

“White... actually ignored the local fight and played for the large point corner!”

Seeing this move, everyone blinked in disbelief, a look of stunned confusion spreading across their faces.

“In the blink of an eye, those two stones—the small knight and the one at 3-3—White’s completely abandoned them!”

Yes.

Facing Black’s jump, White could have extended outward to escape—that would have been a solid and viable line. But instead, White still chose to tenuki, forcing a play for a large-scale area!

It wasn’t an invalid move—but it was excessive. Those two White stones were immediately thrown into mortal peril!

If Black had played this way, it might’ve made sense—after all, Black bears a 7.5-komi burden. But for White to play so aggressively—it was a bit too much!

At this point in the game, it felt as if White was the one giving komi. Black had played every move cautiously, while White was setting fires across the board, intent on provoking chaos!

“Not so simple.”

Zhu Xinyuan’s expression grew increasingly serious as he stared at the board.

“True, tenuki here leads to local loss. But... those two White stones—though seemingly dead—if you try to capture them completely, the variations become unexpectedly complex!”

“If I press from the top, White has a hane-and-extend tesuji on the outside. Since White can capture in sente, I’d need to spend another move to reinforce!”

“If I jump outwards, White also has a tenuki tesuji to hane from above. If I connect, White clamps—and though complex, the result is still a bitter fight for White!”

“So...”

Finally, Zhu Xinyuan played again, slowly placing his stone.

Clack!

Column 6, Row 5 — Jump!

Yu Shao looked at the board and, after a brief pause, also placed a move.

Column 13, Row 2 — Hane!

Under everyone’s gaze, stones fell one after another.

Everyone stared intently at the board, mentally simulating the countless possible variations that could unfold.

Soon, Yu Shao again placed a White stone.

Column 4, Row 11 — Extension!

“Black didn’t fall into the trap. Jumping is the key point, aiming for a big capture. But White responded with connected hane moves, maneuvering closely—by Move 34, he completed his shape. But then—”

Jiang Changdong narrowed his eyes at the board, watching the newly played stone.

“On Move 36, White tenukied to the right side and extended—grabbing another large point!”

“Isn’t this outright choosing large points over vital points?!”

In Go, a “vital point” (急所) refers to areas critical to life and death, eyeshape, or attack/defense—highly localized and urgent.

A “large point” refers to a globally influential area—frameworks, territory boundaries, and influence.

“Vital points over large points” is practically a universal consensus in Go.

And yet, in this game, White twice ignored vital points to chase large points—completely flipping that consensus on its head!

“But... these two instances of skipping vital points are full of cunning—controlling the opponent rather than being controlled!”

“Each time White tenukied and suffered locally, it seemed White was on the verge of collapse—but on closer look, Black couldn’t capture White either time!”

Jiang Changdong silently stared at the board, then looked at Yu Shao—his eyes full of renewed respect.

“If you think of ignoring the vital point to grab a large point, these moves aren’t that hard to play. The issue is...”

“Before him, no one ever even thought of ignoring a vital point to go for the large point!”

At this moment, Zhu Xinyuan was also silently studying the board, yet to make another move.

At this point, in terms of raw position, the game was still roughly even—Black and White both had chances. Victory was far from decided.

But...

The direction of the game was already being subtly steered by White.

“Can’t keep being led by the nose like this.”

Zhu’s eyes narrowed.

“If I want to seize initiative—I have to take a gamble.”

“Looks like being too cautious won’t cut it either.”

“Of course there’s risk—but if I don’t sacrifice, I’ll never gain!”

“How long can I keep holding out?”

Finally, Zhu Xinyuan played again. The black stone glinted faintly in his grip—then dropped.

Clack!

Column 4, Row 7 — Shoulder Hit!

“Black finally makes his move—pressing in with an aggressive attack, aiming to kill White on the left side!”

Everyone’s heart skipped a beat.

The entire room fell into a deeper silence.

All could see—once this move landed, the game had shifted from peaceful maneuvering to an atmosphere of imminent war.

Storm’s coming.

The shoulder hit—Black’s most ferocious assault on White had begun!

If White made even one mistake—total annihilation.

But if Black misstepped in such an aggressive approach, he too could lose everything!

“Abandoning the prior cautious style—playing a shoulder hit to spark a brutal fight.”

Yu Shao stared at the board. After a moment, he too reached for a stone.

And then—he dropped it swiftly:

Clack!

Column 3, Row 7 — Crawl!

Zhu Xinyuan instantly responded:

Column 4, Row 8 — Extend!

Black and White locked on the left side—stones intertwining tightly on the edge. As they fell rapidly, they erupted into a fierce fight!

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The sounds of stones echoed.

Each attack met with a defense. Kill followed counterkill. The shifting offense and defense dazzled the eye—each move radiated killing intent!

“So strong!”

Everyone stared unblinkingly at the board, watching the furious melee. Some even felt a chill crawl up their spine.

“Seriously strong!”

“Black sets a trap to exploit White’s thin shape. But White reads it—uses Black’s own weaknesses to try and break through. Black had already laid an escape plan—sacrificing stones to force White to retreat!”

“Every move by both sides is the strongest possible—after deep calculation!”

“Each stone hits with impact—every move could be lethal!”

Jiang Changdong silently watched, eyes now squinting.

“Black’s Move 43—a solid placement. It attacks White’s isolated group while stabilizing the center.”

“But White’s Move 44—a flexible jump—was equally resilient under such pressure.”

Then, Zhu Xinyuan dropped another stone—fast.

Clack!

Column 5, Row 11 — Attach!

“Black isn’t backing off—he’s going all in, still trying to kill!”

Seeing that, everyone’s hearts trembled.

That attach—merciless, do-or-die aggression in full view!

It targeted White’s weakness—but also exposed Black’s. If White endured it, Black could face a lethal counterattack!

White responded:

Column 5, Row 12 — Hane!

Black followed up:

Column 6, Row 12 — Double Hane!

Someone in the crowd couldn’t help but gulp.

Others stared at the board, visibly shaken by the sheer ferocity of Black’s killing intent.

“He’s going all-in now!”

“Black has no retreat left—he’s playing everything he’s got, forcing a life-or-death clash with White!”

“Zhu Xinyuan’s pulling out all the stops—leaving White no escape!”

Clack. Clack. Clack.

As they watched, expressions around the room began to change.

“Is this for real?!”

“Black’s going all in... but White—”

“White is taking every move head-on!”

“Crazy... absolutely crazy?!”

“Zero compromise—completely unwilling to give ground! At this rate, White’s shape might get torn to shreds by Black!”

On the board, the fight raged.

Everyone stared in stunned silence, shocked by how hard White was pushing back.

At this point, against Black’s desperate assault, White could have yielded. Black might gain—but White wouldn’t necessarily lose the game. The fight would just extend.

But White chose the hardest path—fighting back blow for blow, plunging the board into terrifying complexity.

Though White’s last few moves managed to avoid loss, their shape was already leaking everywhere. If Black launched an all-out final assault, White might be slaughtered outright!

“Is there still any way out?”

Suddenly, Jiang Changdong realized something. He frowned, staring at the board—mind spinning to calculate.

“If White connects here, he can live.”

“But if he lives, then in the endgame, the resulting move values are huge. But Black can seize the outer shape, form a huge wall—and White is left in gote!”

“White’s alive—but making a comeback after that? Still extremely difficult. I don’t see an effective follow-up.”

While Jiang calculated, Yu Shao reached for another stone. As the pieces clattered inside the bowl—

He placed it:

Clack!

Column 12, Row 9 — Extend!

“He extended...?”

Jiang froze.

White didn’t connect—but extended upward into the center!

“If he connected, he’d live easily. But going toward the center—he might not even survive at all!”

Jiang stared at the board, stunned: Does he really think he can live here?

Zhu Xinyuan was momentarily surprised too.

Then he quickly reacted—grabbing a stone and following up hard.

The fight escalated.

The battle spread across the entire board—growing even fiercer, more complex.

Everyone was absorbed in the game, sweat beading on foreheads.

Can White really live?

Black’s attacks were relentless—no room for breathing!

Surrounded from all sides, White’s shape looked like a dead man walking!

And of all people—Black was Zhu Xinyuan!

But even now, no one dared say White was truly dead.

Even they couldn’t believe it—in such a dire situation, they still thought: Maybe Yu Shao really can turn this around...

“Yu Shao is the kind of player who creates miracles!”

Everyone’s eyes widened as they stared at the board.

White: Column 12, Row 5 — Small Knight’s Move!

Black: Column 13, Row 4 — Push!

White: Column 19, Row 9 — Diagonal!

“White’s small knight and diagonal... left some aji behind. Maybe...”

Jiang Changdong watched intensely—even he struggled to believe what he was thinking.

“Maybe he really does have a way to reverse this?”

Zhu Xinyuan stared at the board, expression tense, forehead beaded with sweat, completely focused.

“If he breaks my eyes from the top, I push back. But if he doesn’t and drops a stone above, then I have to dive in.”

“He seized the large points, but tenuki left him weak locally. I couldn’t catch him before—but now... now I can!”

“Then—”

Column 18, Row 9 — Attach!

Zhu Xinyuan moved again.

Clack!

Attach at 18–9!

The hidden killing intent on the board was now fully unleashed—no longer disguised.

“Strong move!”

Someone couldn’t hold back. “Zhu Xinyuan just went in for the kill—cutting White’s liberties!”

“How will White respond?”

“If White blocks, Black hits. If White digs... doesn’t work.”

“If White jumps, Black has a diagonal—messy sequence, but still leads to White’s death!”

Tension filled the air.

“Is there any other way out?”

Everyone’s heart tightened.

Finally—

Yu Shao looked down at the board, reached into the bowl, and placed his move.

Clack!

Column 10, Row 8 — Small Knight!

“He played the small knight—but after that, Black has the diagonal... Is there some hidden counter?”

Everyone felt their breath catch, eyes fixed on the board.

Black and White continued mobilizing around the center—each move vicious, each one fatal!

The game was already so brilliant—people were stunned. Some wanted to kneel.

But ultimately, Black began slowly enclosing White.

“White’s shape... is collapsing. Black’s outer strength is overwhelming. Those early tenuki left White too many weaknesses!”

White’s shape had collapsed.

“Is there no way?”

“He’s Yu Shao—the one who’s pulled off miracle after miracle since his debut!”

But now...

Clack!

Clack!

Clack!

Stone after stone dropped. The room fell completely silent.

Finally, Zhu Xinyuan looked at the board and took a deep breath.

“It ends here.”

Clack!

Column 14, Row 12 — Push!

“Lost...”

“Even Yu Shao, in this situation, couldn’t save the dragon.”

“A quarter of the board—over 50 points’ worth of stones—all wiped out. No comeback possible.”

Everyone had known the dragon probably wouldn’t live—but seeing it die outright still left them reeling.

White had led brilliantly, forcing Black to suffer heavy losses.

But Black had struck back hard—and ultimately, killed the White dragon spanning a quarter of the board. White’s spine was broken. There was no saving it now.

Everyone felt hollow inside.

White had played so well—those two tenuki moves were eye-opening, and the subsequent offense and defense were incredible.

“Such a shame...”

“In the end, just too aggressive. White had already gained the large points—Black should’ve conceded the vital point.”

“This game... ends here.”

Zhu Xinyuan also silently gazed at the board, saying nothing.

Though it had been a tough fight, in the end—he had won.

Just then—

Clack.

Everyone looked up, startled—eyes snapping to Yu Shao.

His right hand had reached into the bowl again!

“What does this mean?”

“He’s still playing?”

“It’s over—White just lost 50 points’ worth of stones!”

“No matter what he plays—it’s pointless now. It’s just a waste of time.”

“Is he... just unwilling to accept it?”

Under everyone’s gaze, Yu Shao slowly drew out a stone.

The sound of stones clashing fell silent.

In that silence, Yu Shao’s hand descended—

Yes.

The board was mostly settled. A 50-point loss—a quarter of the board—was devastating.

White should have resigned by now.

But—

Clack!

Column 10, Row 14 — Small Knight’s Move!

“He actually...”

Jiang Changdong’s eyes widened, body instinctively leaning forward!

“He actually played the small knight!”

Even the always-calm Zhuang Weisheng looked stunned. “So subtle.”

“It looks like...”

A bespectacled young pro wiped sweat from his brow, adjusting his glasses as if to see more clearly. “It looks like... there’s some terrifying aji hidden behind that move!”

Even he didn’t believe his own thought.

Aji?

Just the idea sent chills down the spine!

How could that be?

This wasn’t just losing a dragon—this was a 50-point massacre. White’s spine had been broken!

Even a god couldn’t reverse this board!

And yet—this small knight move...

So subtle!

So subtle it could be understood, yet not fully grasped.

Everyone held their breath—eyes glued to a board that had already decided its victor.

Could White... still play?

How could that be?

Who could fight back after losing 50 points worth of stones and still have a reversal?

That’s not humanly possible!

Silence.

Time itself seemed to freeze.

On the board, the black and white stones gleamed with a mysterious light, evoking awe—a deep, soul-stirring shock.

...