I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 42: The Insurmountable Gap

For quite some time, within the Great Avalanche sequence, the inside turn had been widely regarded as the optimal move.

However, in Yu Shao's previous life, AI provided a completely different answer. In an unexpected twist, AI reevaluated the sequence and astonishingly endorsed the ancient outside turn over the newer inside turn.

Following the outside turn, Black’s cut, and then White’s atari and hane, these were moves that human players could hardly ever conceive of.

Had Wang Rui not explicitly requested Yu Shao to go all out, Yu Shao likely wouldn’t have chosen such a method, even if it meant gaining an early advantage within just a few moves.

After all, using such ruthless tactics from the AI era to defeat an amateur player already far below his skill level felt… excessively harsh.

Yu Shao raised his head and glanced at Wang Rui sitting across from him before lowering his gaze back to the board.

“If this is the all-out match you wanted…”

Yu Shao focused intently on the board, finally picking up a stone.

“Then, as you wish!”

With his wrist poised high, he released the stone like a thunderbolt.

Clap!

The white stone landed decisively on the board.

Wang Rui immediately picked up a stone and placed it on the board.

Yu Shao, expression calm, followed up with another move.

Click!Click!Click!

The two players moved swiftly, the black and white stones clashing fiercely on the compact board. The crisp sound of stones hitting the board resonated like blades crossing swords, a sharp metallic ring.

Chen Jiaming, who had intended to watch this match briefly before checking on the other games, found himself rooted in place. He couldn’t take his eyes off the board, as though held captive by an invisible force.

“That kid Yu Shao… this is… how is this even possible!”

“Just now, Black’s press was already an excellent move!”

“But White’s cut was even better, directly attacking Black’s shape and invading the upper area!”

“Now…”

Chen Jiaming examined the board and uncovered a shocking realization.

“It’s only been a few moves, yet it feels like Black has already started to fall behind?”

Wang Rui’s face darkened as he stared hard at the board.

“How is this happening?”

He couldn’t understand why the game had taken such a turn. Clenching his teeth tightly, he played another move.

“I need to break through quickly, or it’s over!”

Click!

Row 10, Column 17—clamp!

“He’s coming in aggressively?”

Yu Shao gazed calmly at the board. After only a brief pause, he picked up a stone and placed it lightly.

“Press?”

Wang Rui’s expression shifted, disbelief in his voice. “He played here?”

“He’s completely ignoring my attack, leaving White’s stones on the other side for dead, and choosing this spot to decide the game!”

Grinding his teeth even harder, Wang Rui deliberated for a long time before finally selecting his next move and placing it quickly.

The stones continued to fall on the board.

The game, which began in the opening stage, had quietly transitioned into the midgame.

As the game progressed, Chen Jiaming, watching from the sidelines, found his throat dry.

“Wang Rui isn’t playing poorly in this game—far from it. In fact, you could say he’s playing quite well. But that kid Yu Shao is playing even better!”

“It’s astonishing!”

“From the moment White seized the advantage, the lead grew steadily, crushingly dragging Black into White’s rhythm, then rapidly expanding outward influence!”

“The situation is certainly complex and intense, but it feels as though White is the one orchestrating the Great Avalanche. Black, on the other hand, is being swept away by White!”

“Black… probably can’t hold on much longer!”

With that thought, Chen Jiaming finally lifted his gaze from the board and looked at Yu Shao’s face.

But when he saw Yu Shao’s expression, he couldn’t help but pause in shock.

Yu Shao’s face was utterly calm, quietly focused on the board, devoid of any visible emotion. Yet this stillness exuded an overwhelming pressure.

And that made Chen Jiaming feel even more astounded.

“That expression…?”

Even with White holding the advantage, most players would instinctively frown in concentration, analyzing the complicated board state.

But Yu Shao’s expression—this serene, emotionless demeanor—was something Chen Jiaming had only ever seen on TV, during matches involving top-tier professional players.

Calm to the extreme.

It was as if everything was entirely within his grasp. No matter what happened, nothing could shake him. He had already calculated the state of the game and seen its inevitable conclusion.

The stones continued to fall.

Black tenaciously struggled to hold on, but White's attack was methodical and relentless, precise and merciless, leaving no room for reprieve.

Finally, after more than a dozen moves, Yu Shao gazed at the board and picked up another stone.

Click.

Row 9, Column 13—probe!

Upon seeing this move, Wang Rui, who had just reached into the Go bowl for his next stone, let his hand go slack.

Chen Jiaming silently observed the game.

“It’s over…”

“This probe completely dismantled Black’s shape.”

Chen Jiaming glanced at the clock on the wall.

When he had first entered, it was 5:30 PM, and the match had just begun.

Now, it was 5:45 PM.

In just fifteen minutes, with the game only in the mid game phase, it was already decided.

Wang Rui stared blankly at the board. After a long pause, he lowered his head and whispered in an almost inaudible voice, “I… lost.”

“Thank you for the game.”

Yu Shao stood up, noticing for the first time that Chen Jiaming had somehow entered the activity room without him realizing it.

“Mr. Chen, I’m going to the restroom,” Yu Shao said.

Chen Jiaming looked at Yu Shao and gave a slight nod.

Moments later, Yu Shao left the activity room.

Wang Rui sat with his eyes closed, silent, his body trembling faintly.

A sense of helpless despair enveloped him, rendering him unable to even pick up another stone. All of his pride had been utterly crushed in this match, leaving nothing behind.

Faced with such an insurmountable gap, his efforts, his unwillingness to lose—it all seemed laughable.

Chen Jiaming sighed quietly and patted Wang Rui on the shoulder.

Wang Rui flinched at the touch, opening his dazed eyes. When he saw Chen Jiaming, his expression darkened even further.

“Mr. Chen, I’ve let you down…”

Wang Rui’s voice was low. “I… I’m sorry.”

“I wasn’t even close to being a match… I’m too weak. It’s like we’re on completely different levels, as though… as though he saw through me entirely.”

His voice trembled. “I feel like I didn’t even force him to go all out. I couldn’t put up any resistance. All my struggles and counter attacks were a joke…”

“Completely… utterly out of reach…”