Yu Shao soon arrived behind Qin Lang and once again turned his eyes to the board. The others also gathered around Board Three to watch this final ga.
“They're already in the mid-to-late ga, but it’s still neck and neck…”
Yu Shao stared at the board, evaluating the situation.
The two were evenly matched. Ever since the midga, they'd been locked in a stalemate. Even as they neared the endga, there was no clear advantage for either side.
There might be a small difference, but it was extrely slight—and both players were entering byo-yomi.
Qin Lang’s face showed growing anxiety at his inability to break through, while his opponent, Kim Choeun, also looked tense, sweat beginning to bead on his temples.
“He’s wrapping around again!”
Seeing Kim Choeun’s next move, Qin Lang’s face darkened further.
“I thought the middle-ga life-and-death fight would at least give an advantage, even if I didn’t crush him. But it turns out, although I disrupted his center frawork, I didn’t gain anything!”
“I’ve studied his ga records… and though I hate to admit it, in yesterday’s ga—even though he lost in the endga—his endga play was very ticulous. Better than mine…”
“The endga is my weakness. If we enter it evenly, I probably won’t have a good chance at winning!”
When watching his gas, Qin Lang had thought Kim Choeun’s midga wasn’t that strong. Especially in chaotic fights—he seed prone to slip-ups.
But now that he was playing him face to face, he realized just how difficult Kim Choeun was to handle.
Ga records show part of a player’s strength—but to know their true skill, you have to face them on the board.
“I have to settle this in the midga!”
Qin Lang suddenly recalled sothing he’d overheard a few days ago—two European reporters chatting in the hotel.
He clenched his fists, veins bulging on his arms.
“I refuse to lose!”
Eyes locked on the board, a fierce, almost intimidating glint flashed in his gaze. Finally, he reached into his bowl, picked up a stone, and dropped it with force.
“Let’s end this!”
Clack!
Column 13, Row 8 – Push!
“Push?!”
Kim Choeun’s eyes widened in disbelief. This move was completely unexpected!
“He pushed into my territory?!”
As he quickly calculated the follow-ups, his heart filled with both shock and fury.
“There’s still plenty of open space on the board. Does he really think his isolated group can live here?!”
Ti was running low. Kim Choeun quickly placed a stone in response.
Seeing that, Qin Lang glared fiercely and struck back without hesitation.
“I have to survive!”
“I refuse to lose—I have to win this ga!”
Clack!
Column 14, Row 7 – Cut!
Beside them, Yu Shao silently observed the ga.
Qin Lang’s push was too aggressive. It wasn’t really a “good move.”
But ti was short, and the resulting variation was extrely complicated. If the opponent misread even slightly, Qin Lang could seize the chance.
Of course, if the opponent handled it well, Qin Lang’s position would collapse in an instant.
What followed would be a pure power struggle between both sides.
Both had staked everything on this final clash—and whoever ca out on top would win the match.
The entire world’s eyes were now locked onto this final ga.
On the board, black and white stones fell like thunder, as if two tigers were locked in mortal combat. Every move was sharp and deadly. You could almost feel the killing intent on the board.
Clack, clack, clack…
“This fight favors !”
Kim Choeun studied the board and placed his next move.
“He knows he can’t beat in the endga, so he’s trying desperately to end it before we get there.”
“He’s out of tricks. All I have to do is stay calm and play each move well.”
Clack!
The sound of a stone grabbing echoed again. Qin Lang, eyes burning with aggression, quickly placed another move.
Clack!
Column 8, Row 15 – Jump!
“Trying to break out with a jump? Pointless!”
Kim Choeun imdiately countered, his own gaze fierce as he struck back fast.
“If I cut off white, and he tries to atari, I’ve got support stones outside—I can connect. Even if he cuts, I’ve got a favorable capturing race!”
Clack!
Column 8, Row 14 – Cut!
Seeing that move, Gu Chuan’s expression turned heavy.
“That earlier push from Qin Lang really was overkill… White doesn’t have a strong response here. After that cut, white is in danger of being isolated.”
Le Haoqiang bit his lower lip, also feeling the tension. White’s liberties were incredibly tight—it’d be hard to live!
Clack!
Another stone grabbed.
Then—Qin Lang’s eyes locked onto a point on the board. Without hesitation, he pulled out a stone and placed it with force.
Clack!
Column 10, Row 11 – Diagonal!
Le Haoqiang and Gu Chuan were stunned—then a look of surprise crossed their faces.
Across the board, Kim Choeun’s face suddenly changed.
“Crap!”
“That jump… he wanted to cut!”
“Now that he’s diagonaled here, my previous cut and atari give him a combo attack—my shape has a hole!”
He instinctively looked up—and saw Qin Lang staring straight at him, eyes burning with battle intent.
Kim Choeun’s face turned even darker. Clenching his teeth, he dropped his next move.
“It’s fine. Stay calm!”
“He reversed the situation, but white still isn’t alive. If he’s trying to attack to defend, I’ll just sacrifice and seal him in!”
Clack, clack, clack…
After several more moves, sweat trickled down Kim Choeun’s cheek.
“He… started a ko fight…”
He clenched his teeth again and dropped another stone.
Ti ticked on.
Finally.
A short while later—Kim Choeun gritted his fists, shut his eyes for a mont, then slowly opened them.
He grabbed two black stones, placed them on the board, and lowered his head in resignation.
Seeing this, Qin Lang—soaked in sweat despite it being winter—finally collapsed back into his chair, breathing heavily like soone who had just finished a marathon.
The ga was over.
The main match, the vice match, and now the third board—China had won all three. That ant they had beaten the Korea team 3-2!
In Team China’s review room—
Everyone was staring at the screen, watching this final Board Three match intently.
And the mont Kim Choeun laid down those two black stones, the room fell silent for a beat.
Then—it exploded.
“We won! We won!!”
A young male player couldn’t hide his excitent, speaking almost incoherently. “We… we beat the Korea team!”
“We actually won!”
A female player clenched her fists, face flushed, practically glowing with joy. “That’s Korea we just beat!!”
They all knew—China hadn’t placed well in the China-Japan-Korea Team Tournant for five years straight. No matter how the rest of the event went, they had finally broken that streak!
“Victory!”
Even Ma Zhengyu couldn’t suppress a smile. “Though Gu Chuan and Le Haoqiang lost, they both played really well!”
“I could feel their desire to win through the screen—every move they made!”
He stood up from his chair.
“I used to feel pessimistic about the future of Chinese Go—but now, I’ve changed my mind.”
Xu Zijin and Wu Zhixuan looked up from their boards, surprised.
“It’s not just Yu Shao and Su Yiming. The rest of our young players are also shining in their own way. I believe the future of Go will be even more brilliant.”
Ma Zhengyu smiled.
“Let’s go—let’s welco back our five heroes. I hope they’ll keep it up tomorrow. The match against Japan is going to be epic!”
In the press room—
“Team China defeats Team Korea!”
The reporters all took a deep breath.
“After five years, China finally looks like it’s back! I never imagined the fifth board would turn out like that—and the third board was incredible too!”
“Sa here! This tournant is just unreal!”
A European journalist nodded in agreent. “Yesterday, Higashiyama and Lee Junhyuk’s match was legendary—he gave up a Triple Ko and half a board to win! The fourth board was a huge dragon kill!”
“I can’t wait to see what kind of ga the China vs. Japan match becos!” another reporter exclaid.
Just then, a blonde, blue-eyed journalist turned to the colleague beside him. “Weren’t you the one who asked, between yesterday and today, whose response was more powerful?”
Hearing that, the other journalist looked at him.
“To be honest… I don’t know. At least, not yet.”
The blonde-haired reporter looked up at the screen and said:
“But I think tomorrow will answer every question we have about this tournant.”
“I have a feeling it’ll be a battle at the pinnacle!”
“Two genius players will respond—not with words—but with their stones on the board.”
“And that answer… will echo throughout the Go world.”
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