“He’s leaping straight into the center!”
Inside the handan room, everyone’s expression grew more serious.
A bold strike into the center—this was also a style Yu Shao often employed. He wouldn’t get bogged down in local skirmishes but kept his eyes on the whole board. Of course, this kind of approach also ca with trendous risk.
Using this strategy against Yu Shao? That was no different from throwing down a challenge!
Chen Shan stared at the board, calculating future developnts while watching Yu Shao’s next move.
“He’s no ordinary prodigy.”
Every one of Yu Shao’s past moves flashed through Chen Shan’s mind like shadows, and his expression grew increasingly solemn.
“Honestly, I never imagined soone capable of playing like this… is only eighteen.”
“Every move contains deep aning, every move reflects solid fundantals!”
Chen Shan slowly lifted his head and looked across the board at Yu Shao’s young face.
“Go does have its geniuses, but experience—experience can only be built through hundreds of battles.”
“There are indeed those blessed with wild creativity and the ability to defeat masters even at a young age, but you can still see the lack of experience in their play.”
“But he’s different.”
“No matter how complex the board, no matter how deeply hidden the traps, he always has the keen perception of a hyena, the judgnt of a seasoned warrior!”
“It’s unbelievable.”
“Since becoming a pro, he hasn’t even played a hundred official matches. Maybe he truly has an unconventional understanding of Go—but there’s no way he should have this kind of battle-hardened experience.”
Chen Shan stared hard at Yu Shao, his eyes filled with curiosity, as if trying to see what really lay beneath that youthful face.
“Just who... are you?”
“Go has existed for four thousand years—but in all that ti, not a single player like you has ever appeared!”
Clack.
Just then, the sound of stones clashing in the bowl echoed once more.
Yu Shao quietly studied the board, reached into the bowl, drew a stone, and dropped it swiftly.
Tap!
13th column, 9th row — Large Knight’s Move!
“He’s starting to attack!”
Chen Shan’s expression beca even more focused.
“A large knight’s move. Unexpected. What a graceful, powerful move!”
He stared at the board, scrapping his earlier reading and recalculating new variations.
“I see what he’s trying to do.”
After a long think, Chen Shan finally picked up a stone and dropped it.
“Then I’ll play like this!”
Tap!
7th column, 16th row — Shoulder Hit!
East Sea Go Hall.
The room looked just the sa as when Yu Shao had battled Zhu Xinyuan here, except now a massive ga record had been mounted on the wall—a blown-up record of their famous sacrifice ga.
Now, a large crowd was gathered before the television, eyes fixed on the national championship broadcast.
“He used a shoulder hit here?!”
The hall owner, Gao Wanwan, was stunned. “Faced with White’s large knight’s opening attack, Black retaliated with a bold shoulder hit!”
“Using a shoulder hit in the opening is generally considered overextending and against Go principles like ‘enter slowly upon invading.’ But this move—Yu Shao himself favors it.”
One guest stared at the screen in disbelief. “It’s like Yu Shao is playing against himself!”
“But... if Black uses a shoulder hit here to attack White’s lower-left, while White is building montum on the upper right... aren’t both attacking each other’s flanks? Isn’t that exactly what White wants?”
Soone else questioned in confusion.
Back in the handan room, the sound of stones falling echoed crisply.
With each move, the air grew heavier.
No one had expected that after only a few dozen moves, Black and White would already be locked in such an intense clash.
Soon, Yu Shao placed another white stone.
Tap.
16th column, 7th row — Attach!
“He wants to maneuver on the top right.”
Chen Shan instantly saw through Yu Shao’s intention.
“If I respond with a hane, White can retreat, and then, with a clamp later, directly threaten my corner.”
Chen Shan’s eyes stayed glued to the board, running through countless variations.
“The board is still balanced.”
“If I play a two-point extension to defend, White might cut. I bump, White extends, I block, White bumps and captures my third-line stones. That would lead to a heavy shape.”
“So…”
After a mont, Chen Shan’s eyes glinted, and he picked up another stone.
Tap.
4th column, 14th row — Diagonal Move!
Yu Shao instantly responded.
Tap.
15th column, 8th row — Hane!
Chen Shan didn’t look surprised. After just a few seconds, he responded.
Tap.
16th column, 11th row — Retreat!
Yu Shao quickly answered.
Tap.
17th column, 7th row — Extend!
“It’s coming!”
Suddenly, snap! A black stone landed on the board.
Tap!
17th column, 4th row — Shoulder Top!
The stone dropped like a sword drawn from its scabbard!
After more than twenty build-up moves, the ti had co. The black stone fell, and waves rippled across the board.
Everyone tensed up, sensing the sharpness of this move.
Black was launching a full-on assault!
“This shoulder top both defends the corner and initiates a sharp attack on the four white stones in the upper right!”
Inside the East Go Institute’s broadcasting room, everyone was glued to the screen.
Monts later, White responded.
Tap.
3rd column, 11th row — Small Knight’s Move!
“Yu Shao ignored it and took sente elsewhere?”
Everyone blinked.
Then, Black followed up.
Tap.
6th column, 3rd row — Small Knight’s Move!
Then White again.
Tap.
18th column, 4th row — Hane!
“What…?”
White had delayed responding to Black’s attack and only now returned to it with what seed like a trivial move.
But soon, everyone drew in a sharp breath.
“It’s different! That previous move changed everything!”
“If Black blocks now, White can hane and take the initiative. If Black responds, White may simply leave it—”
“In that case, White’s flexibility on the upper right surges, and the left-side stones will gain imnse potential!”
In the handan room.
“I can’t block anymore?”
Chen Shan stayed composed—he had already seen how White’s earlier move subtly shifted the landscape.
After a pause, he decided.
Tap.
3rd column, 14th row — Low Approach!
Ignoring the White hane, Black approached the bottom-left—cutting off White’s option to take another free move.
Yu Shao responded imdiately.
Tap.
17th column, 2nd row — Small Knight’s Move!
Despite Black’s approach, White ignored it and instead focused on threatening the three Black stones in the upper right.
This fight had been initiated by Black—but now White was the one mounting the kill!
Chen Shan responded.
Tap.
3rd column, 5th row — Shoulder Top!
“He ignored it too?”
The female recorder and two referees could hardly believe their eyes.
Faced with a threat to his own group, Black ignored it and launched a ferocious attack elsewhere!
Soon, White again:
Tap.
12th column, 3rd row — Small Knight!
“He’s still ignoring it?!”
All three stood stunned.
White responded not to the attack but instead cut off Black's formation, aiming to kill!
Clack.
Another black stone landed.
Tap.
9th column, 4th row — Clamp!
“They… still don’t respond?!”
Everyone in the room was dumbfounded.
And it wasn’t just them.
Everyone watching the ga, whether at the Go Institute or the East Sea Go Hall, was wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
“They’re each playing their own gas…”
A guest muttered, his eye twitching. “Nobody’s responding to anyone.”
Everyone else stared at the screen, similarly shocked.
And then soone rembered sothing Yu Shao had once said—a new “Ten Go Commandnts” for modern play:
Strive to win. Invade deeply. Attack selflessly. Sacrifice boldly. Balance all. Fight danger. Enjoy light speed. Ignore responses. Strike hard. Shatter with honor.
“‘Ignore responses…’”
Soone whispered, “Fighting against oneself—this really is fighting against oneself. Both of them! Neither one backing down!”
Yes—responding to every move was standard practice.
But not every move had to be answered.
If one could judge that ignoring a move and playing elsewhere would gain more—then they could, and should, do so.
But it ca at a huge risk.
The board was still wide open—one misjudged value could be fatal.
Yet here they were—both doing it. Over and over.
“This ga... are they evenly matched?”
Soone asked uncertainly.
“Seems roughly equal—hard to say for sure,” said an elderly man with white hair, deeply wrinkled, but with sharp eyes. “Even if there’s a lead, it can’t be much.”
The old man had been playing for over sixty years. He wasn’t a pro, but he was the best player in the hall.
He hadn’t been present for Yu Shao and Zhu Xinyuan’s last match—and had regretted it ever since. Now he ca to the hall every chance he got, afraid to miss another classic.
“But…”
He paused, then added, “This board... it looks like the kind of situation White wanted. Right now, things are even—but White might have a slight edge.”
Just then, the screen updated.
Tap.
6th column, 13th row — Small Knight’s Move!
The crowd tensed.
“Th—”
The old man stared at the screen, mouth opening—but nothing ca out.
His mind reeled.
“So that’s it!”
At last, he gasped: “This really is the position White wanted!”
“Normally, you’d avoid letting your opponent shape the ga—but Chen Shan went along with it… and yet the board didn’t evolve as White hoped!”
“With that small knight move, Black’s influence on the upper right becos stronger, and White’s earlier support move—”
“—has lost its function!”
Back in the handan room.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The two referees and the recorder stared at the board, forgetting to even blink.
The board was now filled with stones. Black attacking the bottom-left. White attacking the top-right. Both pressing in.
But—
One referee looked at Yu Shao… and froze.
Across from Chen Shan, Yu Shao was still calmly gazing at the board. No change in expression.
Then—
Click!
The stone clatter rang out.
Yu Shao, still gazing steadily, drew a stone from the bowl and placed it.
Tap.
8th column, 7th row — Press!
The sound was sharp and crisp.
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