I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 63: "Did Skill Gap Offset the Opening Deficit?"

Zheng Qin had spent countless hours dissecting the two games he had played against Yu Shao back at Mountain-Sea Chess Hall.

No matter how many times he analyzed them, he remained perplexed. To him, Yu Shao’s 3-3 invasion was undoubtedly a poor move, without a shred of justification.

Yet, the undeniable reality was that he had lost both games.

To explain this, he could only conclude that the gap in their skills was too vast. Subsequent developments in both games seemed to support this conclusion.

"But…"

Zheng Qin’s gaze fixated on the white stone at 17th column, 17th row.

"Did I really lose those games solely because of a skill gap?"

The boy facing Yu Shao was momentarily stunned by the 3-3 invasion, blinking as though trying to process the move. Then, his eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he placed a stone swiftly:

Click.

Yu Shao responded immediately.

Click.

16th column, 17th row—Extend!

In rapid succession, the two exchanged four or five more moves.

Standing nearby, He Yu’s frown deepened with every move. By now, he was struggling to continue watching.

In his eyes, the 3-3 invasion was already a massive blunder. Yu Shao’s subsequent moves only compounded the errors, resembling the play of someone who didn’t understand Go fundamentals.

"As always, when black responds to a 3-3 invasion, the most efficient response is to block, followed by a hane, with white crawling twice along the second line. That’s a perfectly logical sequence."

Zheng Qin, standing nearby, stared at the board in deep thought.

"But…"

"Just like before, when black extended, white deviated from convention!"

"Instead of the logical hane and connection, white violated principles by continuing to crawl and then tenuki (ignoring the local fight to play elsewhere) to split black’s influence above!"

"Why?"

"Crawling along the second line is inherently inefficient. The hane-and-connect approach creates a much larger territory with more secure points. By any measure, the hane is better!"

This was precisely why Zheng Qin still couldn’t comprehend Yu Shao’s 3-3 invasion.

Afterward, white’s moves seemed neither brilliant nor reasonable. Instead, they appeared to worsen white’s position, giving black a substantial lead.

At the board, the boy across from Yu Shao thought the same.

"My opening advantage is massive!"

He placed another stone swiftly, unable to suppress his growing excitement.

"I’d heard Jiangling First High wasn’t very strong. It seems true! My coach even swapped me into the main player position after they won all three games in the first round, but clearly, that wasn’t necessary!"

"I don’t know how they advanced in the first round, but this game—there’s no doubt I’ll win!"

"If I win this, we just need one more win from the other two games. With our players being stronger, we’ve got a real chance at the top four!"

Yu Shao, calm as ever, placed his next stone.

The two began playing at an increasingly brisk pace.

As the game progressed, the expressions of those watching started to shift.

He Yu, too, looked increasingly incredulous.

"His moves… they’re not bad!"

"No…"

"They’re not just 'not bad'—they’re sharp!"

He Yu stared at the board, his expression growing serious.

"His observation is incredibly keen, his responses swift, and his calculations deep. He’s exploiting every one of black’s slow moves to turn them into opportunities."

"While some of his earlier moves seemed unorthodox, upon reflection, they carry a surprising depth. Aside from the 3-3 invasion and a few follow-ups, his play has been nearly flawless!"

"The jump that black played earlier was a subtle misstep, and white immediately punished it with a sharp peep, executing a devastating invasion on the upper side. The central battle is also nearing resolution, and it’s becoming a one-sided slaughter!"

"The attack… it’s seamless, overwhelming, and unstoppable!"

As He Yu silently assessed the game, a realization settled in his mind.

"Despite his poor opening, the skill gap between them is so vast that the disadvantage was easily overturned—it’s practically insignificant now."

"White’s fangs have already pierced black’s main artery. All that’s left is for black’s lifeblood to drain away, and white will clean up the rest."

Unable to suppress his curiosity, He Yu glanced toward Guangzhou Affiliated High.

"These two high schoolers…"

He Yu couldn’t help but feel amazed.

"Could this be real?"

Initially, he had come to the tournament out of casual interest after receiving a game record from Coach Jin. He wanted to see Su Yiming in action.

Normally, a local high school Go league—barely an amateur event—wouldn’t interest him at all.

Even at the highest levels of amateur Go, He Yu rarely paid attention, let alone to a small city-level competition like this.

But after watching Su Yiming’s game, he had been thoroughly impressed.

And now, Jiangling First High had presented him with another surprise—or perhaps a shock.

While it was hard to gauge the exact skill level of Su Yiming or Yu Shao due to their weaker opponents, He Yu could discern their potential.

A tournament he had initially dismissed as trivial now seemed unexpectedly intriguing.

At that moment, He Yu noticed something from the corner of his eye: Su Yiming had already stood up and appeared to be heading toward the referee to report his result.

"That game is already over?"

He Yu wasn’t surprised. The speed of a game’s conclusion didn’t always reflect skill; he figured both Su Yiming and Yu Shao were capable of swiftly dispatching their opponents.

Turning back to Yu Shao’s game, He Yu refocused his attention.

After a few more moves, the boy facing Yu Shao was pale and trembling.

He tried to pick up a stone to make his next move but faltered, realizing that no matter what he did, the situation was beyond saving.

"No… How can this be?"

"My opening advantage was so huge—how did it come to this?"

"There must still be a way. I can’t lose… I can still win!"

Desperately scanning the board, he racked his brain, searching for a lifeline.

Time ticked by as Yu Shao sat patiently, waiting for his opponent’s move.

He knew there was no path for black to turn the game around. Still, as long as there was time on the clock, he couldn’t intervene. Most players, however, would resign gracefully rather than prolong the inevitable.

Finally, after an extended silence, the boy lowered his head and spoke weakly:

"I… I resign."