I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 461 Confrontation
After a moment, Araki finally came to his senses, picked up a piece, and placed it down again.

Higashiyama Kaoru's expression was extremely solemn, and he quickly picked up a chess piece and made a response.

Da da da……

Both sides made moves rapidly, quickly reaching over thirty moves. The board had gradually formed a standoff between black and white pieces, with the black and white pieces already locked in close combat, and a major battle seemed imminent.

Looking at the situation of the game, many people were slightly surprised, and the internet was immediately abuzz with discussion.

"Higashiyama Kaoru's move was indeed extremely beautiful. I thought Black would cut off, but in the end Black cut off. Thinking about it carefully, even if Black had used that cut, White would have countered with a counterattack. But Higashiyama Kaoru played it instantly. Obviously, he didn't do a lot of calculations and just relied on his intuition. That's too sharp."

"However, Araki-sensei also came on strong, playing tricky and ruthless moves. After being away from the competition, his style seems to have not diminished. That's really surprising."

"Although both sides used the ancient opening moves in this game, the game obviously changed later on. For example, when White connected the stones, a player from the past would have definitely played a move that would have been placed on the board, but Higashiyama Kaoru chose to play a shoulder hit. That's the modern understanding."

In the official Phoenix Cup live stream room, comments kept flying by.

At the competition venue, the onlookers watched the game progress with increasing focus.

Just then, Higashiyama Kaoru picked up another chess piece and placed it on the chessboard!
Hey.

Two columns, nine rows, stab!

Seeing where the black piece landed, everyone's train of thought was instantly interrupted, and they were all stunned.

"Thrust, that was a powerful move!"

Soon, someone realized the sharpness of this move, staring intently at the black piece that had just been placed, their face showing surprise.

"When facing White Tiger's move, Black's conventional strategy is to find White's weak point and gradually make an advance. However, here Black directly attacks White's weak point, preserving the remaining weakness of White's shape, in order to seize a greater advantage!"

Even though it was White who launched the first attack during the opening phase, Black was not to be outdone and turned the tables on White, launching a fierce attack on White's stones in the upper left corner, which was completely unexpected.

However, everything has two sides, and Go is no exception, as it is full of the philosophy of Yin and Yang dialectics.

If Black chooses to poke instead of looking for other cuts in White's pieces, White can directly fill the gap. Even if White has some weaknesses due to the constraint of Black's poke, White's counterattack will be extremely frightening once it successfully reshapes its shape!

Furthermore, because the white pieces were not disconnected in time, the fate of the black pieces in the upper left corner will also be a problem, and a large number of them could be wiped out if one is not careful!

Every loss has its gain.

Ultimately, the outcome of a game of Go depends on how to minimize losses while maximizing gains!

Seeing Higashiyama Kaoru's move, Araki frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and finally picked up another piece and placed it down.

Hey!
Three columns and seven rows, press down!

Higashiyama Kaoru stared intently at the chessboard, and soon with a "click," he picked up another chess piece and quickly placed it on the board!
The two sides began to take turns placing pieces, and the people around them became increasingly serious, their expressions turning solemn.

Those watching the live stream online were increasingly alarmed.

"Arakino-sensei's response to Black's attack was quite unexpected!"

"If White really wants to kill Black, the safest move is to reinforce the first line directly. After all, Black's attack comes at the cost of White reinforcing its position!"

"But... Araki-sensei didn't make any move. He ignored the meat that was practically delivered to Black's mouth and instead went to squeeze and threaten Black's stones on the right flank!"

"In this way, White has left a weakness in Black's formation, and Black may be surrounded and annihilated!"

"Therefore, Black must consider the possibility of its pieces becoming isolated, but instead, Black has the potential to spread towards the center!"

In this game, White took the initiative by using the second move of the opening to approach the corner, directly demonstrating a do-or-die attitude and forcefully provoking the battle, which was astonishing!
However, Black was not intimidated and did not retreat. Instead, Black risked launching a counterattack against White. White could have avoided the attack, but surprisingly, White bravely took Black's bite and then bit back!
Both sides were now in a difficult position, and had adopted a posture of fighting to the bitter end!
However, it should be noted that if White directly approaches the corner in the opening, it naturally lacks the initiative in that corner as support. Even if Black has komi, the value of a star point can completely negate it!

Upon seeing this move, Higashiyama Kaoru's expression changed slightly.

After pondering for two minutes, he finally picked up the chess piece again and quickly placed it down!
Hey!
Thirteen columns, nine rows, bump!
Araki also picked up a chess piece and placed it down!

Fourteen columns and nine rows, break!
Black, 7 columns and 12 rows, move!

White's pieces, seven columns and thirteen rows, wow!

……

Time keeps passing!
Watching each move made by both sides, the viewers watching the game live on TV initially showed surprise, then delight, and then—

A look of shock gradually crept onto everyone's faces!
Everyone stared intently at the game, not even blinking, and unknowingly held their breath!

"Wonderful!"

Among the crowd, someone, gazing at the chessboard, couldn't help but whisper in awe.

White's move was terrifyingly fierce, trading injury for injury without any compromise. However, Black did not sit idly by either, responding with precise moves. The two sides clashed fiercely, neither giving an inch.

In the upper left corner, the two sides are locked in a fierce battle, and a slight mistake could lead to total annihilation. In such a game, victory or defeat can often be decided in the blink of an eye, like a tidal wave, and is beyond control.

However, because both sides made incredibly precise moves, the initially tense and exciting situation gradually transformed into a complex and mutually restraining standoff.

White's position appears precarious, but Black is unable to do anything to White for the time being. The arrangement that White has formed in the center also hints at a counterattack against Black's large group of stones!
Even though this game has reached the point where it can be considered a peak battle between two unparalleled masters, it just so happens that this game was born between two players who were originally not favored!

The clashes were so exciting they were simply dazzling!
The tense atmosphere seemed to have spread from the chessboard to the entire competition venue!
Higashiyama Kaoru's expression was somewhat unpleasant, clearly realizing how troublesome his opponent was, and he placed another piece on the board.

Hey!
Eight columns and five rows, jump!

Araki immediately responded, placing his piece on the board!
Hey!
Ten columns and eleven rows, flying high!

Everyone could see that this game was unlikely to be decided anytime soon. Both players had their own concerns, and although they were fighting tooth and nail from the start, the battle was likely to drag on for a very long time, and the outcome might even have to be decided in the endgame!
Just then, Higashiyama Kaoru reached into the chess box again, picked out a chess piece, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and quickly placed the piece!

Hey!
The chess pieces landed on the board with a crisp sound that echoed throughout the entire competition venue!

Upon seeing this move, Zheng Qin, standing in the crowd, was stunned.

The next moment, Zheng Qin's expression changed drastically, and his body involuntarily leaned forward slightly, completely unable to believe his eyes!

"It's here—"

"They've abandoned them?!"

Not only Zheng Qin, but everyone else around him also stood there dumbfounded.

After regaining their senses, everyone stared wide-eyed at the chessboard, unable to think for a moment due to the intense shock!
"This……"

Everyone was stunned, their hearts trembling!
On the intricate 19x19 chessboard, the black pieces in the 11th column and 14th row gleam brightly!

This move is not difficult to understand.

However, no one had ever considered this move before Higashiyama Kaoru made it, and when it was made, everyone was deeply shocked by it!

For a moment, they didn't even know whether this move was a sacrifice or a mistake.

Under these circumstances, the intense and tense situation between the two sides has eased slightly, because Black actually has quite a few possible positions to place his stones, but no one would think of this particular position.

If you were to call it sacrificing a piece, well... what you call sacrificing a piece is actually sacrificing a "piece," but this move, executed with a single, decisive action, resulted in the sudden death of a nearly thirty-piece dragon!

If it was a mistake, after White captured this large dragon, Black, relying on the central piece configuration and the suppression of White's right flank, actually had a chance to make a move!

Even if there are still moves to be made, it would involve an extremely complex and intense battle that probably no one could see clearly. Moreover, if it turns out to be nothing at all, and a large dragon dies, then Black's entire army is wiped out! This kind of decisiveness is not something most people can possess.

Kong Zi also stood among the crowd watching the battle, remaining relatively calm throughout.

But upon seeing this move, even his expression changed. He hadn't seen this move before, and even if he had, he might not have dared to use it; it was too ruthless.

Across from Higashiyama Kaoru, Araki silently stared at the chess piece Higashiyama Kaoru had just placed on the board.

"Click!"

A moment later, Araki finally reached into the chess box again, picked out a chess piece, and quickly placed it down!

Hey!
Seven columns and ten rows, pounce!

White has raised its sword against Black's large group of stones!

Black has given away its large group of stones without hesitation, and White is not allowed to retreat. If White is wary of the potential capture of Black's stones in the future, and lets the large group of stones that was originally doomed to die revive, then White will be attacked all the way!
Therefore, White's move to kill the dragon was naturally inevitable!

Hey!
Black moves!
Seventeen columns and eleven rows, sandwiched!
This is purely about seizing the initiative, a necessary move after sacrificing a piece. If Black doesn't seize this initiative and weaken White's position, Black will be like a fish on a chopping board!
Araki thought for a moment, then picked up another piece and placed it down!

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
The sound of pieces being placed echoed once again!
Everyone stared intently at this deadly game, their eyes fixed on it for a second, as if afraid of missing a single move. Every piece that fell was like a flash of swords!
Time keeps passing.

Before anyone knew it, beads of sweat had appeared on the faces of many people around them, as if they had taken on the role of the white pieces.

"Arakino-sensei, you didn't just sit and wait to die; you deserved it perfectly!"

"but…."

"Black cleverly used its dead stones to restrain White's originally aggressive stones. White's stones have become heavier, and even if it tries to maneuver, it cannot achieve the desired effect!"

Some people couldn't help but swallow hard, then looked up at Higashiyama Kaoru in shock.

"He actually managed to do it."

He seemed to recognize this scene on the chessboard. Someone had once played a similar move, sacrificing a large group of stones to force the game into the endgame, creating that terrifying game of sacrificing a large group of stones!

That game took place in the Yingjiao Cup, and the last player to achieve that feat is sitting here today; his name is Su Yiming.

In that game, Su Yiming ultimately lost, but that was a desperate counterattack from a disadvantageous position. In this game, however, he was searching for a winning opportunity by sacrificing a dragon when the two sides were evenly matched!

Da da da……

The pieces continued to be placed, and White responded quite tenaciously, with each move being truly remarkable.

However, everyone's expression was somewhat gloomy, and their feelings were inexplicably complicated.

"White's shape is about to collapse."

"Araki-sensei, after a ten-year hiatus from the professional arena, he has returned, but still cannot achieve his goal..."

"There's no way out. White has collapsed, and the game is over."

"White's central area has been significantly invaded, and the upper left and lower right corners are also poorly shaped. The only valuable piece is the isolated group in the lower left corner, which is beyond redemption no matter how it is played."

Seeing Higashiyama Kaoru place another piece, Araki stopped placing his own. He simply stared silently at the board, and after a moment, slowly closed his eyes.

Seeing this scene, everyone felt a mix of emotions.

Although they didn't know what Araki was thinking, they could guess that as the uncrowned king of ten years ago, being forced into this situation by a junior like Higashiyama Kaoru must have been very unpleasant for him.

In their view, Araki was clearly afraid to face this game.

"Araki-sensei, you played very well, worthy of being the legendary player who competed with An Hiroshi ten years ago. However... Higashiyama Kaoru was not bad either."

Some people looked on with pity, glancing at Araki Nobuo and then at Higashiyama Kaoru.

Just then, Araki opened his eyes again, his gaze utterly calm. The next moment, he reached into the chess box once more.

Everyone was slightly taken aback upon seeing this.

"Should we continue?"

The next moment, Araki took out a chess piece and quickly placed it down!

Hey!
Xiao Fei!

……

……

the other side.

"I lost."

Zhu Huai'an looked extremely regretful, scratching his head in frustration, but ultimately chose to throw the ball and bowed his head to Su Yiming.

"Thanks for the advice."

Su Yiming nodded slightly to Zhu Huai'an and began to speak.

Zhu Huai'an's face was full of self-reproach. He gritted his teeth, but still replied, "Thank you for your guidance."

Those around were somewhat disappointed to see the game of chess end so abruptly.

After all, they originally thought that a magnificent battle would break out between Zhu Huai'an and Su Yiming, but in the middle of the game, Zhu Huai'an made an extremely outrageous mistake.

On that board, Ban was indeed the first move that came to mind, but with a little deeper thought, even an amateur player would realize that Ban is the move that comes first and then second. Yet, Zhu Huai'an still made that move.

Sometimes, overconfiding in your own intuition about the game can be a bad thing.

Then Su Yiming launched a fierce attack. Under these circumstances, Zhu Huai'an showed amazing resilience and managed to hold on until now. However, this only disappointed the crowd who were looking forward to a wonderful confrontation between the two.

Judging from Zhu Huai'an's performance in the latter half of the game, the exciting clash they were hoping for could have actually happened.

"They were too careless; they made such a huge mistake."

"After all, it's the World Championship. This is Zhu Huai'an's first time reaching the top 64 in the World Championship, so his mentality is a bit unstable."

"I hope this game won't affect my performance later on. The pressure is even greater after falling into the loser's bracket."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves.

They weren't surprised that Zhu Huai'an had made such a huge blunder. After all, no chess player is immune to making mistakes, and it's not uncommon for players to make such mistakes, even in world championships.

Soon, after tidying up the chess pieces, Su Yiming stood up, glanced in Yu Shao's direction, and then looked in the direction of Higashiyama Kaoru and Araki Nobuo.

After thinking for a moment, Su Yiming decided to head towards Higashiyama Kaoru, who was closer to him.

……

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(End of this chapter)