I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 466 To Fight or Not to Fight
After a long while, Ed clenched his fist, picked up the chess piece again, and quickly placed it down!

Hey!
Fifteen columns, nine rows, turn!
This move not only launches a counterattack on Black's weak right flank, but also conceals a trap to lure and kill Black in the back section. It is also the strongest response in the local area at present!

Clearly, even though he realized that the game was out of control and the situation was not developing as he had expected, Ed was unwilling to give up and wanted to try his best to salvage the situation, attempting to provoke another fierce battle in the local area and fight Black to the death again!
"Turn it on?"

Yu Shao pondered for a moment, then also picked up a chess piece and quickly placed it down.

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
The sound of pieces being placed echoed frequently once again.

"The small eye is under threat. A pincer attack might be faster, but the white piece might use a jump to infiltrate."

As the chess pieces were placed one after another, Yu Shao's expression gradually turned cold.

Although the board position was tilting in Black's favor, Ed's tenacity also surprised him. Under these circumstances, every move he made was extremely powerful and quite difficult to deal with.

Even he had to constantly think and ponder various ways to defeat the enemy.

"Therefore, we can only cut off the stones, wait for White to invade, and then use the remaining influence on the left side to fight White to the death."

Having sensed the difficulty and astonishing resilience of the white pieces, Yu Shao's eyes turned cold as he quickly placed another piece on the board.

Hey!
Seventeen columns and thirteen rows, break!

Seeing Yu Shao make this move, Ed couldn't help but bite his thumbnail, his face covered in fine sweat. He pondered for a long time before finally picking up a piece and placing it down again.

Hey!
Twelve columns, nine rows, charge!
White ultimately risked invading Black's territory, disregarding the weaknesses in its own shape, and risked everything in an attempt to not only escape by securing its own group, but also to launch a counterattack against Black!
The onlookers watching Yu Shao and Ed's game couldn't help but feel anxious and held their breath, worried about the complex and interconnected situation.

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Ed stared at the chessboard in front of him, his face pale and his eyes twitching slightly.

He covered his face with one hand, gritted his teeth, and finally sighed in despair, choosing to throw the ball.

"I lost."

Ed spoke up, and finally conceded defeat.

The outcome has been decided.

Yu Shao wins in the middle game!

Hearing this, Yu Shao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Perhaps it was the subconscious bias from his past life at play, because his opponent was a European chess player. He hadn't been too concerned about this game, but it turned out to be surprisingly difficult.

He never expected that it would take so much effort to win this game. Ed's skill level was even comparable to, or perhaps even better than, that of the Japanese Go player Sato Takeru, whom he had previously played against.

In this game, it seems that White's position was in dire straits in the end, with its shape completely broken and it resigned in the middle game. However, the reason for this was that White left itself no room for maneuver in order to win.

White leaves itself no room for maneuver, which is equivalent to leaving Black no way out. They must engage in close combat, it's either you or me.

Otherwise, given Ed's skill level, he could very well have held out until the endgame and ultimately won.

Fortunately, although the game was unexpectedly difficult, it was ultimately won without too many setbacks.

Yu Shao glanced at the chessboard again, then composed himself and bowed to Ed, saying, "Thank you for your guidance."

"Thanks for the advice."

After throwing the ball, Ed was clearly much more at ease and quickly returned the gesture.

Seeing that the outcome was decided, the expressions of the crowd who had watched the entire game were slightly complicated.

"I never expected that White would make that move under those circumstances. It was an amazing move. The judgment was so accurate and the intuition was so sharp. I didn't even think about it in that direction."

"He's really strong. Maybe he can even fight his way through and win the championship."

"I wonder what kind of game it would be if he and Professor An Hongshi faced off, and who would win."

The crowd couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

Soon, after tidying up the chess pieces, Yu Shao stood up, glanced at the ninth table where Su Yiming and Araki were, thought for a moment, and then walked over to the ninth table.

"Why have you only made so many moves?"

Upon arriving at the ninth table and seeing the chessboard, Yu Shao was somewhat taken aback.

His game was already over, even though it ended in the middle and late stages, and both sides played very quickly. But this game had only been played about sixty or seventy moves, and had only just entered the middle stage.

However, Yu Shao didn't think much of it and quickly looked at the chessboard, pondering.

"Su Yiming plays black, and Araki plays white. It seems that both sides should set up a star-shaped formation with small eyes facing each other. Then black will use a small knight's move to connect, white will respond with a small knight's move, black will extend along the edge, white will use a small knight's move to connect, and black will extend high and sandwich."

"Bai... didn't jump, but instead used a double reverse hook?"

Yu Shao was somewhat surprised. White's direct jump out was a conventional move, but the two-space reverse hook was a completely new move. This move was usually used by Black in a low two-space clamp, but now it was used in a high two-space clamp.

From a strategic perspective, this move is somewhat too aggressive, failing to adequately protect the white stones in the corner and making its foundation unstable. However, it does exert significant pressure on the black stones at the star point, so it's difficult to say whether it's superior or inferior.

"No wonder it's raining so slowly."

Yu Shao immediately understood. After all, the opening move was unconventional, and the player made a move that had never appeared in any previous game records. There were no established patterns or variations to back it up, so it all depended on the player's performance on the spot.

Although it shouldn't be that slow, and the explanation is a bit far-fetched, Yu Shao couldn't think of any other explanation.

"And wasn't it said that Arakino only descended to the star level? So now he can also descend to the minor star level?"

While leisurely pondering, Yu Shao observed the chessboard, judging the order of moves for both sides.

Because we've only just entered the middle game, and both sides have only just begun to establish the basic framework of their respective positions, and haven't yet entered the heated struggle for "empty" positions, the overall situation is not yet clear.

"However, judging from the layout, even in the face of Araki's new move, Su Yiming responded...quite fiercely." Yu Shao fell into deep thought. Even without looking at the previous game, he could deduce the order of moves made by both sides in the upper right corner of the board based on the current situation.

"If the goal is to play it safe, Su Yiming's best move would be to press down and put pressure on the white stones in the corner. In order to make a living group, the white stones will have to turn around at the 3-3 point. Then the black stones will play a tiger's mouth to cut off the white stones' connection. The white stones will then connect back, and the black stones will solidly capture the white stones in the corner. The white stones will then play a push. In this way, the situation will be relaxed, and both sides will be satisfied."

"However, Su Yiming actually played so aggressively, directly pressing the point and cutting off White's retreat route to turn around at the 3-3 point. White will inevitably extend, and Black will counterattack with another pressing point."

"White's subsequent move was also very aggressive, and Black did not back down at all, pushing on the third line, directly demanding that White make a statement."

"Their attitude is surprisingly tough?"

Yu Shao couldn't help but glance at Su Yiming again. In his memory, apart from the few games he played with him, Su Yiming usually didn't "compete" too much in the opening stage of other games.

Because strategic planning is not his forte, Su Yiming can usually accept it as long as the overall direction is correct and the loss is not significant, even if the strategy results in a slight loss. He doesn't nitpick over every little detail.

This is not necessarily wrong; it can also be seen as a manifestation of a broad perspective. For example, if there are losses in some areas, but the overall situation is developing towards a struggle for control of the central government, it may actually be an advantage for Su Yiming personally.

This is the big picture perspective. Compared to the individual, if others try to learn from Su Yiming, without his understanding of the mid-game dynamics and his formidable fighting ability, they might suffer a great loss.

It is precisely because of Su Yiming's personality that he truly fits the cosmic flow style of Central Chess, which does not confine itself to the edges and corners but looks out at the vast central territory. Therefore, Su Yiming's ability to fight in the center is extraordinary.

This is both Su Yiming's strength and his weakness. Su Yiming seems to have gradually realized this, so in his games against him, even in the planning stage, he is very determined and unwilling to fall behind in the slightest.

"Perhaps it's because of the World Championship?"

Yu Shao didn't think much of it and continued to deduce the order of moves based on the current board position.

After White connects, Black's first instinct is to cut, but it is actually a trap.

If Black cuts, it may seem like Black has gained an advantage, but in reality, White's next move is the initiative. If Black connects, White can then attack, Black will extend, White will connect, and Black will need to reinforce, resulting in a significant loss for Black both overall and locally.

Even some high-level players could fall into the trap if they are not careful in this situation. Su Yiming obviously could not fall into the trap so easily. Instead of cutting, he played a long move and pushed towards the center.

From the very beginning of the opening, a fierce battle broke out between the two sides. Su Yiming followed his own strategy, constantly moving to the outside and placing pieces on high positions, both to prepare for the contest for the center and to try to block out the white pieces.

Black, of course, was not going to sit idly by and wait to be defeated. After its attempt to break outwards was blocked by White, Black should have chosen to move closer to White, in order to threaten the two isolated Black stones on the right.

In the end, both sides were unharmed after this confrontation, and at first glance, the situation even seemed to have eased, without a truly devastating battle breaking out.

It may seem that both sides are just testing each other, but in reality, they have put a lot of thought into every move. Although there is no smoke of battle on the surface at the end, after each move, both sides have probably gone through a bloody battle in their minds that no one else can see.

It is the outcome of these bloody battles, unseen by anyone, that leads to constant compromises between the two sides. Amidst the intrigue and deception, this ultimately results in a complex situation devoid of gunpowder.

However, at this point in the game, both sides are roughly evenly matched and have their own considerations. The outcome will depend on the battle in the middle game.

However, in Yu Shao's view, the opening has always been Su Yiming's weakness, while the middle game is where Su Yiming truly excels. If one enters the middle game with an even game, then facing Su Yiming will make the later stages quite difficult.

"Judging from the current situation, Su Yiming will not let this situation last for long; he should be making a move soon."

Yu Shao gazed quietly at the chessboard, lost in thought.

As expected, after three or four more moves, with a "click," Su Yiming picked up a chess piece from the chess box and quickly placed it down!

Hey!
With a crisp sound of a piece being placed, a black piece landed squarely on the chessboard!
Sixteen columns and eleven rows, break through!

"This move precisely severed the connection between the white stones on the upper and lower right flanks, turning the white stones on the lower right flank into isolated groups, and directly demanding a decisive battle!"

Yu Shao immediately saw the intention behind the move. As soon as the piece was placed on the board, the previously relatively calm situation became tense and the atmosphere became extremely tense!

Not only Yu Shao, but everyone else also realized the power contained in this move and felt the tense atmosphere. They couldn't help but change color slightly, their hearts jumped, and their expressions became a little more tense.

They never expected that Black would either not make a move at all, or when he did, it would be to determine the fate of White's pieces in half the game. The timing was perfect, and it could be said to be the strongest move on the board at that moment!

Araki frowned slightly, his expression hardening. After a moment of thought, he finally picked up a piece and made a response!
Hey!
Fifteen columns, fourteen rows, jump!

Black has already forcefully cut off White's connection, and the life and death of White's lower group has become a problem. If left unattended, White's next move, either a touch or a small knight's move, will completely block Black's group, and Black's stones will surely die.

Therefore, in this situation, Black must respond. This jump move is a necessary move to escape outwards and prepare for making eyes and living.

Su Yiming had obviously expected this, his expression remained unchanged, and he immediately picked up a chess piece and placed it on the chessboard again!

Hey!
Fourteen columns and twelve rows, so long!

"Instead of flying directly to a small flight, it takes a long one?"

Upon seeing this move, everyone was slightly taken aback, and then someone quickly realized what was happening, their face showing surprise.

"Generally speaking, since White is trying to escape to the left, Black should press the attack and block White's escape route, then see how White responds!"

"In the end, Black did not block but extended, which seemed very strange, but upon closer inspection, Black's plan was quite grand!"

"If White continues to escape outwards, Black will also extend, constantly putting pressure on White, and White will have no choice but to continue escaping to the left—"

"But in the end, due to the arrangement of pieces on the left, White's escape route was blocked, and Black was trapped like a turtle in a jar!"

"This move may seem to have no force at all, but it is actually incredibly ingenious and has a force exceeding a thousand pounds!"

This move is actually not hard to understand, nor is it hard to come up with.

However, this is not the most intuitive way to proceed, because there are more intuitive ways to block, so most people will not think of other options, causing this move to be overlooked!

If the current market conditions do not allow for the most intuitive and easily conceived method of blocking, and we must find another way out, many people should be able to think of this approach!

However, this move was made when there was a blocking opportunity, which was like a wake-up call for everyone, making them instantly feel the unparalleled gap!

(End of this chapter)