"Triple Ko?"
It wasn’t just the boy sitting opposite Zhong Yufei; even Yu Shao, Xu Zijin, He Yu, Zheng Qin, and others had already discerned the upcoming developnt of the ga. Each wore a look of astonishnt.
At this mont, the boy sitting across from Zhong Yufei, as if glimpsing a ray of hope, quickly picked up a Go piece and placed it on the board!
After pondering for two seconds, Zhong Yufei made his move again.
Zhong Yufei hadn’t calculated all the potential variations but intuitively felt that White was in a winning position and that Black wouldn’t be able to hold out.
And, indeed, that was the case.
As Zhong Yufei made his move, the Black stone was placed almost imdiately afterward.
Tap!
Column 4, Row 14—Capture!
"Playing so quickly? He should find this position difficult!"
Zhong Yufei was puzzled. He glanced at the board to confirm that White still held the advantage and then made another move.
The two continued to exchange four or five more moves.
Gradually, Zhong Yufei’s expression changed.
It wasn’t just Zhong Yufei; everyone present was now staring at the board with wide eyes, their faces filled with shock.
Clearly, the sequence had been too complex earlier for anyone to grasp fully. But as the calculations beca simpler, they finally realized what was happening on the board!
"If this continues… White connects, Black captures, White captures again, and Black can’t connect but must keep capturing…"
Soone stared at the board in horror.
"If it goes on like this, the ga will result in… a Triple Ko!"
A Triple Ko, as the na suggests, occurs when three Ko fights form simultaneously on the board, leading to an infinite loop.
Typically, a single Ko requires players to find Ko threats to prevent perpetual capture and recapture. In a Double Ko, each player may neutralize one Ko.
However, a Triple Ko is an entirely different scenario.
Each player can treat resolving one Ko as a threat to the other, creating an endless cycle: you resolve this Ko, I resolve that Ko, and by the ti you return to resolve the original Ko, I’ve already undone your previous resolution.
Thus, the cycle repeats infinitely unless one side breaks the loop.
Realizing this, Zhong Yufei gritted his teeth, picked up a stone, and placed it down once more.
The Black stone followed closely.
Tap!
Tap!
Tap!
The alternating sounds of stone placent reverberated like spring thunder.
Finally, the boy sitting opposite Zhong Yufei reached into the Go bowl, picked out a stone, and—
Tap!
Column 7, Row 14—Atari!
With that move, the room fell into dead silence.
Seeing the play, Zhong Yufei’s face darkened. He clenched his fists but made no further moves.
The Triple Ko had ford.
At this point, neither Black nor White could change the situation. Even though White held the advantage, neither side could make a decisive move to escape the endless cycle of Ko captures.
This ga would never end unless soone broke the loop.
"The ga… is over."
Everyone was shocked, unable to believe that the match had ended in such a manner.
The battle had raged fiercely into the middle ga, with no clear winner. Black had riskily invaded to gain the upper hand, only for White to counter with a sharp point-and-throw, turning a losing position into a winning one.
Yet, despite White’s advantage, Black’s tenacity was astonishing. After a fierce and grueling struggle, the ga ultimately resulted in a Triple Ko, leaving the match as a draw.
"A draw."
The boy opposite Zhong Yufei finally spoke.
Zhong Yufei looked deeply reluctant but ultimately nodded and admitted, "A draw."
"Thank you for the ga."
The boy opposite Zhong Yufei heaved a sigh of relief and replied, "Thank you for the ga."
The match was over.
Three gas: one win, one loss, and one draw.
At that mont, everyone’s eyes turned to the referee in unison.
"A draw… Who could have expected this?"
Even the referee looked stunned as he stared at the board. He felt a headache coming on.
Technically, Go does not have draws. There is always a winner and a loser.
However, in rare cases like a multi-Ko loop, where the ga becos impossible to continue, the result is declared a draw, with both players deed equal.
Such cases are exceedingly rare, occurring perhaps once in thousands of gas.
The referee had never imagined that such a scenario would unfold during this high school Go league. And to make matters worse, the first two boards had resulted in one win and one loss. With the third board ending in a draw, the match remained unresolved.
He raised his wrist and checked his watch, frowning slightly.
After a mont’s thought, the referee announced, "Both sides will rest for ten minutes and then play an additional ga."
This decision didn’t surprise anyone.
Though the probability of a draw was minuscule, professional tournants had encountered such scenarios before. Typically, the players would play an additional ga to determine the winner.
"Another ga, huh…"
"It’s already late. If they play again, we won’t get ho until past ten."
"Should we head back? Or stay and watch the match?"
"It’s too late, though I don’t mind. But these kids need to get back, and they haven’t even had dinner yet."
"True, it’s late. But who could have predicted a Triple Ko in the finals, with the first two boards ending in one win and one loss?"
The crowd murmured softly, many considering leaving.
Zhong Yufei’s expression grew increasingly grim.
He had held the advantage in the last ga, so close to winning. But it ended in a Triple Ko, forcing a rematch. Truthfully, his mindset had taken a hit.
With both players’ skills closely matched, ntal state would now play a crucial role. Zhong Yufei wasn’t confident he could maintain his composure, and the extra ga would also be a test of endurance.
"Referee."
Suddenly, Yu Shao raised his hand.
"Hm?"
The referee was startled and turned to Yu Shao. "What is it?"
"Additional gas for a draw are for individual matches, not team competitions," Yu Shao stated. "And both players are already exhausted. With only a ten-minute break, the next ga is unlikely to be exciting."
"It’s already late. How about we set a strict thirty-minute limit? Anyone who exceeds it loses. Let’s play a blitz ga to settle this quickly."
Yu Shao then turned to Su Yiming and said, "Both of us have rested long enough, so for this ga—"
"I’ll play against him!"
The crowd, about to disperse, stopped in their tracks.
Xu Zijin froze, then turned her head to look at Yu Shao.
Instantly, all eyes locked on Yu Shao.
Standing amidst the crowd, his gaze was sharp, exuding an undeniable aura of dominance that made it impossible to look away.
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