Three Days Later
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During this ti, the phrase "3-3 Point" had undoubtedly beco the hottest topic across major Go forums. Countless players—whether amateur or professional, whether low-ranked or high-dan—were obsessively analyzing and reviewing gas.
On the "Nineteen" platform and "Handtalk Chronicles", the two largest online Go servers, the 3-3 Point opening had started appearing frequently in online matches.
Seizing the hype, these two platforms compiled statistics on the success rate of 3-3 openings over the past two days and publicly released the data the night before the Hero’s Pride Cup Semifinals.
But strangely, according to their big data analysis, in gas where one side used the 3-3 Point in the opening, the win rate was actually lower than expected—players using it were losing more than they were winning.
This result left everyone even more confused.
And as discussions about the 3-3 Point continued to intensify, anticipation for the upcoming semifinals only grew stronger.
The Day of the Semifinals
Before dawn, countless viewers had already flooded into the Hero’s Pride Cup official livestream.
While waiting for the matches to begin, they chatted and spamd the chatroom, discussing strategies, players, and predictions.
But as the sun gradually rose, and the match start ti drew closer, the atmosphere in the livestream chatroom began to shift—
Although the number of viewers was skyrocketing, the barrage of comnts gradually slowed.
An eerie silence settled in.
Why?
No one knew for sure.
But for so reason, everyone felt an unshakable tension.
This Hero’s Pride Cup had been far too unpredictable.
At the start of the tournant, Le Haoqiang, Che Wenyu, and Qin Lang were considered the three strongest young players—widely expected to dominate the tournant. If there were no upsets, the champion was almost certainly going to be one of them.
But then—
Le Haoqiang got eliminated in the second round.
If he perford poorly in the final ranking matches, he might not even qualify for the Professional Qualification Tournant.
Of course, upsets weren’t unheard of—players like Zhou Wei and Gu Chuan were regional champions, and they had a realistic shot at winning too.
But the real shock was that both Yu Shao and Su Yiming had made it this far—
And both of them had won their matches with the 3-3 Point strategy!
Was it possible…?
That the finals would be played between two second-dan players?
At this mont, no one could say for sure.
9:00 AM – The Matches Begin
By now, the number of viewers in the official Hero’s Pride Cup livestream had surpassed ten million—and was still rapidly increasing.
anwhile, Yu Shao finally got out of bed.
Dressed in a black suit, he freshened up quickly and left the hotel.
After grabbing a quick breakfast, he arrived at the Go Academy and walked through the corridors straight to the Handtalk Room.
By this stage of the tournant, only four players remained.
All others had been eliminated.
The tournant had now narrowed down to two Handtalk Rooms.
Yu Shao's match today would take place in Room #2.
When he arrived, the female recorder and two referees were already seated, waiting at the notation table.
However, at the center of the room, the two chairs on either side of the board were empty—Qin Lang had yet to arrive.
A few monts later—
A tall, sharp-featured figure stepped into the room.
White had arrived.
He didn’t imdiately take his seat.
Instead, he stood at the doorway, turned toward Qin Lang, and instinctively narrowed his sharp eyes, his gaze piercing.
After a brief pause, he looked away without a word, walked into the room, and sat down across from Qin Lang.
At that mont—
As the two sat face to face—
Even the male recorder and the two referees at the notation table felt the air beco heavier.
anwhile, in Room #1
Su Yiming had finally arrived—fashionably late.
Che Wenyu, who had been waiting, imdiately turned his gaze toward him.
Under that silent, unwavering stare, Su Yiming quietly walked over, pulled out his chair, and sat down.
Inside these two silent Handtalk Rooms, under the looming calligraphy scroll that read "Discussing the Way While Seated," the four players sat face to face.
The gas had yet to begin, but the tension in the air was already suffocating.
Matchups:
📍 Table #2 – Yu Shao (2-dan) vs. Qin Lang (6-dan)
📍 Table #1 – Su Yiming (2-dan) vs. Che Wenyu (6-dan)
Only two will win.
Only two will advance.
"This round will decide who earns a spot in the finals!"
Inside Room #2, the female recorder glanced at Yu Shao, then at Qin Lang.
Even as a spectator, she could feel the tension rising inside the room.
And it wasn’t just her—
Even the millions of viewers watching the official Hero’s Pride Cup livestream felt it.
Around the World
📍 Central Go Academy – Review Room
Eliminated players like Zhou Wei and Le Haoqiang had all gathered in the review room, staring intently at the livestream screens, waiting for the matches to begin.
📍 Jiangling Go Academy
Reporters, including Ding Huan, were glued to their computer screens, waiting for the results—ready to write headlines the mont the gas ended.
📍 New York Go Academy
Even though it was late at night, young professional players sat in front of laptops, watching in silence, each lost in thought.
Across the world, all eyes were on these semifinals.
And as the clock ticked closer to match ti, the livestream chatroom grew eerily silent.
10:00 AM – The Battle Begins
At the stroke of 10:00 AM, in both Handtalk Rooms, the referees stood up simultaneously.
"The match ti is three hours per player, with a one-minute overti countdown. Black gives 7.5 komi to White."
In Room #2, the referee turned toward Yu Shao and Qin Lang, then paused before speaking again—his voice low and steady:
"You may now determine turn order."
The mont the referee finished speaking, Qin Lang reached into the stone bowl, grabbing a handful of white stones, clenching them in his palm.
Yu Shao quickly took two black stones and placed them on the board.
"Nine stones. I play Black."
After counting, Qin Lang looked up at Yu Shao and declared.
Yu Shao nodded, took back his stones, swapped bowls with Qin Lang, and bowed slightly.
"Please guide ."
"Please guide ."
Qin Lang returned the bow.
As soon as the formalities ended, the male recorder steadied himself and placed his hand on the mouse, ready to input the moves.
His palms were slightly sweaty.
The ga—
Had begun.
First Move
Clack!
The crisp sound of a stone hitting the board rang out.
Qin Lang stared at the board, took a black stone, and placed it firmly down.
Tap!
Row 17, Column 4 – Small Point.
A few seconds later, Yu Shao reached into his bowl, picked up a white stone, and slowly placed it down.
Tap!
Row 16, Column 16—Star Point!
Seeing White place a stone on the star point, Qin Lang quickly reached into the stone bowl again, picked up a piece, and placed it down steadily.
Tap!
Row 4, Column 4—Star Point!
On the other side, as soon as Black played his move, Yu Shao also picked up a white stone and gently placed it on the board.
Tap!
Row 3, Column 16—Small Point!
“Star-Small Point vs. Star-Small Point...”
Qin Lang looked at the board, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly out of habit.
The first four moves had all been placed at star points and small points, forming a Star-Small Point vs. Star-Small Point opening—a highly flexible setup that could either favor influence or territory, allowing for both large-scale fraworks and detailed positional play.
Qin Lang’s hand reached into the bowl again.
Click.
A stone was swiftly picked up—then dropped onto the board.
Tap!
Row 15, Column 4—Single-Space Corner Enclosure!
Qin Lang retracted his hand, then slowly raised his head.
His face remained as calm as ever, but his sharp, sword-like eyes glead with intensity.
"Co on!"
Review Room
"Qin Lang didn’t choose the Unassailable Corner, but instead played a Single-Space Corner Enclosure?"
Seeing Black’s move on the computer screen, the watching players were slightly taken aback.
Using a Single-Space Corner Enclosure with the Small Point opening wasn’t unheard of, but since Black had already played a Small Point, most players would typically opt for the Unassailable Corner—even if it wasn’t completely unassailable, it was at least solid.
But Qin Lang still chose the less common Single-Space Corner Enclosure.
"Compared to the Unassailable Corner, the Single-Space Enclosure is positioned higher, aning it's more focused on influence rather than territory."
Zhou Wei, deep in thought, picked up a black stone and placed it on the review board. His expression grew serious.
"But the trade-off is that the corner territory will be more exposed."
"Clearly—"
Le Haoqiang, who had been silently observing, suddenly spoke in a firm tone:
"He’s waiting for White to invade at 3-3!"
Gu Chuan furrowed his brows.
He quickly picked up a white stone and placed it in the upper-left corner, then imdiately picked up a black stone and played again. The group continued alternating moves, constructing the possible scenario.
"If White actually invades at 3-3, the sequence should go like this…"
After dropping another black stone, Gu Chuan finally stopped and analyzed the board.
"This way, Black gains outside influence on the left and has influence from the Single-Space Enclosure on the right—both wings spread out at once."
"After just a few moves, Black’s potential in the center becos overwhelming. White could get completely locked into the edges and corners!"
Zhou Wei studied the board, then nodded.
"In that case, White probably won’t invade at 3-3 this ti."
Inside the Handtalk Room
"So that’s his plan… Despite opening with Small Point, he didn’t play a Knight’s Move Extension or a Diagonal Approach—instead, he played Single-Space Enclosure. If White invades at 3-3, Black will take influence on both wings."
The female recorder stared at the board, finally understanding Black’s intentions.
But dealing with this move was simple—
White could simply avoid invading at 3-3. Instead, he could approach or enclose the corner, just like in every other ga before this.
Yu Shao lowered his gaze, studying the board in front of him.
A few monts later, he reached into the stone bowl again and picked up another piece.
Tap!
The crisp sound of the stone landing echoed through the silent room.
Hearing the move, the female recorder snapped out of her thoughts, turned away from the computer screen, and looked at the board.
But the mont she saw where White’s stone had landed, she froze.
The next second, her eyes widened in shock.
"This…?"
Not just her—
Even the two referees beside her were stunned, staring at the board in disbelief.
Qin Lang also stared at the board, his originally calm expression finally showing a subtle shift.
On the board—
Upper-left corner.
A single white stone had already landed.
Row 8, Column 8—Point 8-8!
Even though White had outward influence and seed to be setting up a frawork-oriented strategy, Yu Shao still went ahead with a direct 3-3 invasion.
Yes—
White invaded at 3-3!
The female recorder felt her mouth go dry, unable to believe her own eyes.
After a long pause, she finally snapped back to reality, took a deep breath, and imdiately clicked her mouse to record White’s move.
Broadcast Studio
"White—"
Inside the comntary room, seeing Yu Shao’s latest move on the big screen, Zeng Chenlu felt as if his head had been smashed by a hamr.
He couldn’t stop himself from blurting out—
"He still played 3-3!"
Qin Lang had already shown trendous respect for the 3-3 invasion.
As Black, he had even given up the Unassailable Corner and instead played the Single-Space Enclosure, aiming to establish a dominant influence ga!
But despite all that—White still played 3-3!
Even Zhu Huai’an, who had been relatively calm about the 3-3 invasion before, couldn’t hide his shock upon seeing this move.
Not just them—
All the viewers in the livestream who had been watching intently were completely dumbfounded.
For a brief mont—
The entire livestream chat fell into dead silence.
"He still invaded at 3-3?"
Back in the Handtalk Room
Qin Lang finally snapped out of his daze.
His fingers clenched into a tight fist, his gaze turning cold and sharp as he reached into the stone bowl, grabbed a black stone, and slamd it onto the board.
Tap!
Row 4, Column 3—Block!
With a 3-3 invasion, there were two possible blocking directions. Either one was fine, but in this particular ga, since Black had already played Single-Space Enclosure, prioritizing influence, there was only one logical block—
Blocking to the right.
By doing this, Black would completely prevent White from expanding towards the right side.
If White had invaded, he had to stay in the corner—trapped within Black’s grand frawork!
Yu Shao imdiately reached for another stone and gently placed it down.
Tap!
Row 3, Column 4—Extend!
This extension was a direct challenge.
Since Black had blocked to the right, White had yet to fully settle inside the corner.
So now—
White was setting up a formation to claim the lower territory!
But Black had no intention of allowing White to expand downward.
Qin Lang imdiately reached into the stone bowl, picked up a piece, and cut off White’s escape route!
Tap!
Row 3, Column 5—Hane!
Lin Yue studied the board for a mont, then swiftly reached into the stone bowl and placed Yu Shao’s move.
Tap!
Row 7, Column 7—Hane!
This seventh-line hane was a necessary move.
Since Yu Shao’s corner was still unsettled, if White allowed Black to completely sever the escape route, White could end up trapped and killed!
White’s eyes burned with intensity as he picked up another stone.
When the piece landed, it carried an undeniable killing intent!
Tap!
Row 3, Column 6—Press!
Yu Shao quickly picked up another stone.
Tap!
Row 2, Column 6—Crawl!
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The battle escalated rapidly.
Black continuously pressed on the third line, while White crawled along the second line, desperately seeking space!
Looking at the board, it was clear—
White’s left-side group had been completely pinned down in the corner, while Black had fully established influence on the left, perfectly connecting with the Single-Space Enclosure on the right.
From this vantage point, Black’s massive central formation was beginning to take shape—like an army marching to seize the heart of the board!
Crack!
In the otherwise silent Handtalk Room, the crisp sound of stones colliding echoed once more.
The next mont, Yu Shao swiftly placed his move.
Tap!
Row 10, Column 4—Two-Space Extension!
White—
Ignored the local fight!
"He extended on the upper side… but isn’t this a bit high?"
At the notation table, the female recorder took a deep breath.
Even though the battle had yet to reach its peak, the entire board already carried an eerie tension, like a battlefield before war.
White’s move—
While technically an extension, it looked far more like an invasion!
In Go, a reduction typically ant placing stones just outside the opponent’s influence, compressing their frawork without engaging directly.
It was a low-risk, safe approach—but it also yielded lower rewards.
An invasion, on the other hand, ant diving directly into enemy territory—aiming to either destroy the formation or settle a living group.
It was high-risk, but potentially high-reward.
And Yu Shao’s move?
It was too deep.
Too aggressive.
It was almost as if he intended to sever Black’s influence entirely!
"That’s a pretty high extension…"
Qin Lang’s expression turned cold.
"Is he trying to destroy my outer influence?"
In the previous gas, when players used the 3-3 invasion, they would typically extend outward afterward—but those gas had no Single-Space Enclosure, so the follow-up move was relatively safe.
Now, however—
Since Black had already played the Single-Space Enclosure, it had more control over the upper board.
This ant that White’s extension was now a lone piece deep inside enemy territory!
And—
Typically, White would extend on the third line for stability… but Yu Shao had played on the fourth line.
This was no longer just reducing influence.
This was a full-scale invasion!
Qin Lang’s gaze hardened.
For the first ti in the match, he didn’t play imdiately.
He paused, deep in thought.
A mont later—
Lin Yue finally reached into the bowl again, swiftly placing a move.
"Let’s see if he can survive this!"
Tap!
Row 4, Column 8—Large Knight’s Move!
Black’s stone landed.
Not only did it reinforce the left-side influence, it also isolated White’s extension, forming a trap.
It was clear—
Black was preparing for a full-scale attack!
Yu Shao imdiately responded.
Tap!
Qin Lang followed suit.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The ga was accelerating—
At the notation table, the female recorder’s hand hovered over the mouse, quickly docunting each move while her eyes darted between the players and the board.
Just a few moves into the opening, and already—
Murderous intent filled the air!
Although neither player had launched a full attack yet, their formations were locked in a deadly standoff—a looming storm about to erupt!
Both sides were preparing their troops.
And the mont they clashed—
A ferocious, board-shaking battle was inevitable!
Tap! Tap! Tap!
It was Yu Shao’s turn again.
He picked up a stone, studied the board, and placed it down.
Tap!
Row 5, Column 5—Peep!
"He’s going in!"
Qin Lang’s expression shifted.
That long-suppressed killing intent, which had been brewing under the surface—
Had finally exploded.
New York Go Academy
"White is attacking!"
In the New York Go Academy, a young professional player stared at the screen, stunned.
"We could tell from that high extension that White was going to attack, but this early? Isn’t he worried about losing montum later?"
"But this peep move—it directly targets Black’s weak point!"
Zeng Jun, watching closely, frowned as he analyzed:
"This is the downside of the 3-3 invasion—since it skips the hane-connect, it leaves a cutting point open for White to exploit."
The room buzzed with discussion.
As Qin Lang hesitated, several players shifted their attention to the other ga.
"Check out the other board!"
Suddenly, soone’s voice rang out in shock:
"Black just invaded White’s 3-3!"
Everyone’s heads snapped toward the other screen.
Su Yiming vs. Che Wenyu.
Up until now, this ga hadn’t attracted as much attention, since Su Yiming had played a diagonal approach on move four instead of invading at 3-3.
Many had assud that he wouldn’t play the 3-3 invasion this ga.
But now—
They saw it.
Row 17, Column 17—3-3 Invasion!
After a simple sequence in the lower-left, Black ignored the ongoing local fight—
And directly invaded White’s 3-3 corner on the right side!
And yet—
Black’s two wings were still undeveloped.
The center of the board was completely empty.
Under normal circumstances, no one would ever invade at 3-3 in such an open board.
But Su Yiming did.
The room fell silent.
One of the players swallowed hard and muttered:
"Six gas..."
Six gas.
Six straight gas where 3-3 was played.
And—
In every single one of the previous four gas, the player who used 3-3 won.
So what about these two gas?
No one could stay calm anymore.
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