Yu Shao silently gazed at the board, waiting for Zheng Qin to make his move.
Across from him, Zheng Qin stared at the board, completely absorbed in deep thought.
Seconds ticked by.
Five minutes passed.
“He’s still thinking about this?”
Seeing that five whole minutes had gone by without a move, the surrounding spectators exchanged bewildered looks.
Yu Shao had completely ignored the White stones’ pressure below, opting to play tenuki and expand his position above.
Even though Black had ford a Chinese Opening, in terms of raw efficiency, extending would always be a 100-point move. Yu Shao’s tenuki? It was questionable whether it even passed the threshold of being an acceptable move!
Given that, White’s next move should be a textbook punishnt for Black’s disregard—either sealing off his lower group or launching an imdiate attack. There was no reason to hesitate!
And yet… Zheng Qin was deep in thought?
“Why such a serious long think?”
Among the crowd, Zhang Dongchen frowned slightly.
His gaze shifted to Sheng Ziyan and the other professionals nearby—only to find that they, too, were completely serious, their eyes locked onto the board in deep contemplation.
“Did I miss sothing?”
Seeing everyone treating this move with such gravity, Zhang Dongchen’s expression beca more focused. He turned back to the board, reconsidering the position carefully.
The atmosphere grew tense.
"What exactly does this tenuki an?"
Zheng Qin had been thinking for ages, yet still hadn’t co up with an answer.
Once again, his mind flashed back to Yu Shao’s famous ga against Su Yiming.
It was precisely because of that ga—because he knew who he was up against today—that he couldn't just follow conventional wisdom. Even though the best move seed obvious, he had to think deeper.
In fact, compared to a normal extension, this tenuki had made him even more cautious!
Another five minutes passed.
After a full ten minutes of deep thought, the sound of a stone being placed finally echoed through the room.
Snap!
Column 4, Row 10—Pincer!
Everyone imdiately felt the sharpness of this move.
Rather than sealing off the lower Black stones, White had chosen the most aggressive option—attacking Black’s corner head-on!
"A pincer… huh?"
Yu Shao’s eyes lowered slightly as he studied the board.
“So he gave up on pressing down to entangle my lower stones and instead opted for direct aggression… leaving so breathing room.”
This type of tenuki was a signature move of the AI era.
If a standard extension move was worth 44 points, then this tenuki could be worth 100 points.
But what was the price?
By playing tenuki, he had chosen to prioritize the whole-board position over local stability.
However, because of that, the imdiate value of the move wouldn't be obvious—locally, he was instantly under attack!
Of course, as long as Black’s responses were precise, he would remain precariously balanced yet unbreakable—a high-risk, high-reward approach, where every move was a dance on the edge of a knife!
That was the cost.
This was why, in his previous life, while so AI strategies had been adopted by professional players, many were deliberately avoided. Even though players knew these moves were theoretically better, human limitations often made them too dangerous to attempt.
Yu Shao lifted his gaze slightly, glancing at Zheng Qin.
For a mont, a mix of emotions stirred within him.
In his past life, he had faced countless prodigies who challenged him, just like today.
"Alright then. Let's see how well you can play this out."
Lowering his eyes back to the board, Yu Shao reached into his stone container and swiftly placed his next move.
Snap!
Column 16, Row 15—Peep!
"...What?"
The entire room froze.
Completely stunned.
"What… kind of move is this?!"
Even Sheng Ziyan and the other professionals were caught off guard. Zhang Dongchen frowned deeply, while Le Wuqiang looked utterly lost.
Since Yu Shao’s first tenuki, every move he had played was in places no one expected!
Three consecutive moves—all beyond anyone’s imagination!
Any Go instructor would have told their students that in this situation, peeping was a crude and ineffective move. On the surface, it looked like Black was gaining sothing, but once White responded, White’s position would beco even more solid!
Even Zheng Qin hesitated for a mont before quickly placing his response.
Snap!
Column 17, Row 15—Connect!
Click.
Yu Shao imdiately placed another stone.
Column 3, Row 16—Attach!
Zheng Qin instantly followed up.
Snap!
Column 3, Row 17—Hane!
Snap. Snap. Snap!
The stones fell in rapid succession.
The crowd watched intently as the match transitioned into an intricate battle, moving from positioning to an all-out fight.
The tension only grew.
Yu Shao placed another move, and it was once again Zheng Qin’s turn.
Seeing Black reinforce at Column 2, Row 16, Zheng Qin’s eyes sharpened. He didn't hesitate.
Snap!
Column 2, Row 15—Push!
“He’s pushing in?!”
The spectators stiffened in shock.
As they processed the move, their expressions changed.
“Good move… an incredibly good move!”
Le Wuqiang stared at the board in disbelief.
“After Black’s reinforcent, White’s normal response would be to connect and stabilize. But instead, he’s playing a direct push—a highly aggressive counterattack!”
"He tid this move perfectly—he spotted Black’s weaknesses from the tenuki and is launching a full-on assault!"**
Le Wuqiang took a deep breath, utterly impressed by Zheng Qin’s instinctive sharpness.
“He’s going for a brutal, full-force attack—no hesitation whatsoever!”
After placing his move, Zheng Qin lifted his head and locked eyes with Yu Shao.
His gaze was razor-sharp, filled with pure fighting spirit.
White had bared its fangs at Black!
The mont this move landed, the atmosphere in the room changed entirely—the ga had officially entered a full-scale war!
So spectators instinctively turned to look at Yu Shao, curious to see his reaction.
But when they saw his expression—
They were stunned.
Even in the face of such a vicious move, Yu Shao remained completely composed.
His absolute lack of emotion was almost chilling.
Then, without hesitation, Yu Shao reached into his container, picked up a stone, and gently placed it down.
Snap!
Column 4, Row 15—Cut!
“A cut…”
Zheng Qin was unfazed. He swiftly placed his response.
Snap!
Column 2, Row 14—Turn!
And just as his stone landed, Yu Shao imdiately placed another move.
Snap!
Column 4, Row 17—Double Atari!
Snap. Snap. Snap!
Move after move, the intensity of the battle surged to its peak.
White’s attack was relentless, exploiting every single flaw in Black’s structure.
Even Zhang Dongchen, watching closely, found himself completely absorbed in the ga.
As the back-and-forth continued, the onlookers’ expressions began to shift.
"So strong!"
"Every single White move is aiming at Black’s weak points… there's no easy way out!"
"But—look at Black! Even under such intense pressure, he’s responding with near-perfect precision— White still hasn’t broken through!"
Without realizing it, Zheng Qin was gritting his teeth.
He placed another move, trying to force Black into a decisive fight—
But Yu Shao, unfazed, calmly placed his response.
Snap!
Column 10, Row 16—High Extension!
The mont this move landed, the entire room fell silent.
Even Zhang Dongchen was left montarily speechless.
Then, after one brief second, he suddenly lifted his head—
And stared directly at Yu Shao.
The entire playing room was completely silent.
This move…
Deserved a hat-tip.
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