The room was utterly silent.
Everyone stared at the board, their faces filled with confusion and disbelief. Even He Yu subconsciously rubbed his eyes, as if doubting what he had just seen.
“A jump?”
After a long pause, soone finally muttered, their voice tinged with bewildernt, “He… jumped?”
At last, the crowd snapped out of their daze, exploding like a powder keg.
“What’s going on? Black didn’t connect?”
“Connecting was the only reasonable move! What’s the point of jumping?”
“Could it be that Black has so hidden follow-up? Is it a brilliant move?”
The audience fixated on the board, ntally simulating the potential variations stemming from the jump.
But...
The more they tried to deduce, the more confused they beca.
No matter how they analyzed it, they couldn’t fathom the purpose of this move. It was entirely outside their experience.
At this point in the ga, how could Black not play a connect?
Even Su Yiming found himself at a loss. The jump move, as bizarre as a divine stroke from nowhere, left him dumbfounded.
Unlike the earlier 3-3 Point, which could still be rationalized, this jump was entirely beyond the scope of their understanding of Go.
“If I crawl along the second line, Black extends. If I continue crawling, Black won’t tolerate White playing a hane. When Black extends again, I cut through directly.”
“In the end, White would have six liberties to Black’s four, and Black’s corner would crumble. White would erge victorious in the upper-left corner…”
“But… is it really that simple?”
Su Yiming frowned slightly. For so reason, despite the seemingly straightforward sequence, an inexplicable sense of unease gnawed at him.
It was precisely this unease that kept him from playing imdiately.
Instead, he delved deep into the possibilities, replaying countless variations in his mind.
“Could Black possibly respond to White’s crawl not with an extend, but by…”
“Cutting?”
Suddenly, an astonishing possibility struck Su Yiming like lightning.
For most players, the instinctive response to White’s crawl would be for Black to extend. A cut would be considered nonsensical—a losing move. Yet, Su Yiming realized that after a cut, Black might have fierce follow-ups beyond the conventional.
“If Black cuts and White counters with atari, instead of extending, Black could follow with a hane and cut sequence?”
Su Yiming stared intently at the board, visualizing the interplay of Black and White stones in his mind, their trajectories weaving an intricate dance.
“So that’s it!”
As his ntal board filled with more and more stones, Su Yiming’s eyes brightened with realization.
“The variations after the cut would be intensely chaotic. What began as a localized skirmish could escalate to the center and even ripple into the lower-left corner!”
“To think that Black could choose such a line!”
“If Black cuts, I respond with atari, and Black hanes and cuts… I would counter with a push. If Black connects, I extend, and if Black curves next, I’ll abandon so stones for a decisive fight!”
“Abandoning stones like this is likely sothing Black hasn’t foreseen.”
“But… even if Black doesn’t consider White’s potential sacrifices, just envisioning the jump followed by the cut is already astonishing!”
Su Yiming couldn’t suppress a faint smile as he picked up a stone and played his move.
Tap!
Column 2, Row 8—Crawl!
Clack.
The sound of the stone settling rang out.
Almost simultaneously, Yu Shao picked up a black stone and played without hesitation.
Tap!
Column 4, Row 3—Cut!
The room was stunned.
“He didn’t extend—he cut?!”
The earlier jump had already taken everyone by surprise, but this cut left them completely speechless.
Only Su Yiming remained composed, a faint glimr in his eyes.
“As expected, he cut!”
Without delay, Su Yiming placed his next move.
Tap!
Column 4, Row 2—Atari!
White’s move had barely landed before Black’s response followed imdiately.
But instead of the anticipated hane and cut, Yu Shao placed his stone in an unexpected position.
Tap!
Column 3, Row 10—Jump!
The mont the stone landed, Su Yiming’s pupils contracted. His hand, which had been poised to play, froze mid-air.
The surrounding spectators felt as if they’d been struck by lightning, dumbstruck by this jump.
“This… this!”
At first, confusion reigned, but then realization dawned, sending chills down their spines. Though their mouths hung open, no one could utter a word.
He Yu stared at the jump, swallowing hard as his throat constricted.
“The position… lightened!”
All the doubts, confusion, and questions that had plagued them before suddenly cleared like clouds scattering in the wind. Everything made sense now, as if waking from a dream.
The earlier jump and cut were masterfully connected to this jump, revealing an astonishingly intricate plan.
Yet this line of thinking was too unconventional—so far removed from traditional reasoning that it shattered all expectations. The initial jump was already unorthodox, and the cut even more so!
The sequence felt disjointed, almost illogical—playing in the east one mont, then the west the next. Only after the final jump ca to light did the brilliance of the plan erge, leaving everyone in awe and fear.
The room remained deathly silent.
Not a single sound could be heard—not even breathing.
Xu Zijin stared blankly at the board, utterly lost.
She wasn’t alone. Everyone in the room shared her sentint.
Previously, they were confused by Black’s unconventional play, but now that they understood it, they were even more unsettled.
“Jump… hane… jump…”
Su Yiming gazed at the board, his expression solemn. He lifted his head, his heart roiling like a storm, and looked at Yu Shao with newfound respect.
“I completely underestimated him!”
“I thought he would respond to my atari with a simple hane and cut, and while he saw the cut, I assud he’d miss my sacrificial counterplay. But I was wrong!”
“The one who miscalculated… was !”
“With this sequence of exchanges, White can no longer cut. If White tries, Black can firmly tiger’s mouth. If White captures, Black will capture as well…”
“In the end, Black gains a clear advantage from the prior cut and White’s hane. This sequence is beyond extraordinary!”
“These three moves are simply unimaginable. His skill is not just ‘impressive’—it’s extraordinary!”
For the first ti, Su Yiming’s expression was profoundly grave. His earlier confidence had vanished entirely as he fixed his gaze on the board, plunging into deep thought.
Seconds ticked by, yet no one in the room felt Su Yiming’s deliberation was excessive—even though this was still the opening phase!
Because Black’s three moves were simply…
Terrifying.
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