LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 435 You want to pull it out after it's already in?
The viewers in the live stream probably didn't expect that their advantage wouldn't last long before Lin Ruo used a poorly considered move to eat the enemy to bring the game back to a 50/50 split.

Shin Jinseo seized the opportunity at the perfect moment, using the added points to connect the four stones above, thereby strengthening the collective consolidation on the right.

This also led to a relative situation with the black pieces on the right side, and Lin Ruo's advantage was instantly reduced, even to a point where it was close to a 50/50 split.

After nearly 60 moves, the battlefield has shifted towards the center line, and the situation remains indecisive. There is no clear trend of any living stones on either side of the top, making it a complete mess.

Judging from this period of time alone, it's really hard to determine who won and who lost.

However, this is generally how Go matches are in the early stages. If an advantage can be gained in such a short time, it is likely due to overwhelming strength.

In the eyes of most viewers, Lin Ruo and Shin Jinseo's abilities clearly did not reach this level.

Even as their rising star, Lin Ruo's strength is still somewhat lower than Shin Jinseo's, after all, his career experience is what it is.

So giving back the advantage doesn't seem so bad, as long as the situation doesn't fall behind.

Compared to the audience's easygoing nature, Lin Ruo's heart is even bigger.

He gazed at the chessboard, pondering briefly. His move just now was indeed a bit late, but it wasn't entirely a mistake or a problem.

At least the current situation can be considered as what Lin Ruo wanted, that is, although it is a 50/50 split, he still has a certain advantage on the right.

White's territory is far less than what he can currently leverage to quickly exert pressure from the outside.

For example.

Using the move that was placed in the lower right corner earlier, Lin Ruo, who still has the initiative, can now coordinate things from top to bottom and fulfill the main objective of this game.

With two pieces placed side by side in the lower right corner, Lin Ruo's black pieces are clearly in a better shape, as they are expanding the central area.

Isn't that an advantage? As long as the fabric is arranged in a regular and aesthetically pleasing way, that's all that matters.

While steadily placing pieces on the right side to block attacks, Shin Jinseo also began to focus on gaining territory, shifting his focus towards his advantageous position and expanding it as much as possible.

White already has a lead in territory throughout the game, and it's entirely possible to capitalize on this advantage and continue the game.

After finishing the shoulder thrust, Lin Ruo continued jumping, disregarding everything else and continuing to expand her momentum.

Gaining external influence is definitely much faster than seizing tangible gains, especially since Lin Ruo has been using his initiative to cause trouble. Shin Jinseo naturally can't just ignore it and allow both sides to develop peacefully without restraint.

.

So, the move was made slightly to the right of the center of the board, which meant that Black had the advantage of both above and below, and the move was intended to block Black's advance.

The purpose was quite clear, and Lin Ruo, seeing this, naturally wouldn't tolerate it. He placed a piece two squares to the left of the white piece to closely observe it, firmly grasping the weak white piece and restricting its other actions.

White jumps again, but Black blocks it from below.

Next, the white pieces move closer to the black pieces that had been observing it closely, and then counter-intercept the black pieces.

The three white pieces that fell in succession formed a stable triangle shape, creating a considerable defensive formation.

Lin Ruo quickly came up with two practical solutions to deal with the situation.

First, he can counter-attack on the left side, and White will definitely stand up. Then he can push again, and White can block again. Finally, he can add a move on the bottom to finish the game.

Needless to say, White will come over to cut off the connection to prevent further communication. In this way, it seems that both sides are going back and forth, and it is still a chaotic battle with no clear distinction.

However, Lin Ruo made a move in the middle, and it was on a large scale, which at least gave them a considerable chance to connect the top and bottom pieces.

Yes, that's a really good idea, so Lin Ruo decisively chose the second option.

Who wants to get entangled with you in some vague and insignificant connection? Instead of playing it safe, it's better to strike hard and open all doors.

Taking advantage of the favorable situation in this area, Black boldly moved its stones to the right, cutting off White's stones. A small black dot appeared in the middle of the triangle, making it no longer a stable and perfect position.

If White dares to block below at this point, Black can finish the move and then easily connect, which does not affect the usual complexity of the situation.

But in this way, the white stones are split into two groups by the black stones. Lin Ruo, who has the advantage in terms of external influence, obviously has a greater advantage. You have made so many moves and you are still split. How can you cut off my momentum?

Cut it off with your head? That's certainly an option.

Shin Jinseo, who was skilled in calculation, probably thought of this as well, so he chose a slightly different approach than blocking the black stones, which was to place a stone on the top of the black stones to cut them off.

After Lin Ruo finished his attack, he rushed forward again, and once again cut off the shape of the white stones. Shin Jinseo did not get rid of this, and he realized it when he entered the area where the black stones were clustered together.

They want to go in and fight, to encourage each other and eat each other's food, and they also want to build their own empire here. But this world isn't a dream; there's no such thing as a free lunch.

So he could barely accept it, as long as he could confuse the situation and not give Black the opportunity to easily connect and form a large external force.

White's piece flew away again.

Shin Jinseo did not intend to continue making actual contact with Black. Instead, he left two lines open and moved up slightly to occupy a small space, where there were no Black stones in direct contact to interfere.

When you don't know what to do, or when you're feeling frustrated, finding a spot to land in the middle of an empty space is never a useless move.

Moreover, Black's position in this game is still connected in the upper and lower parts, making the disruption even more meaningful.

However, Lin Ruo didn't care and continued to press forward to fight the white pieces below. If Shin Jinseo dared to rashly come down to cut, he would fight until Shin Jinseo realized how serious the consequences of coming down were.

By continuously compressing the opponent's liberties, the advantage of capturing pieces is expanded and eventually turned into capturing pieces.

Whether or not you can eat it is not important, but the necessary actions must be taken.

Now Lin Ruo is someone Shin Jinseo knows quite well, and she's determined to stick to her position and fight him to the bitter end.

He couldn't ignore it, so he had to bite the bullet and make a move on the left edge to block the black stones and prevent them from expanding their influence while attacking.

Taking advantage of this subtle intersection, Lin Ruo bends out and jumps up, inadvertently connecting with the white piece that had just landed in the empty space.

It threatens both the white stones blocking the diagonal downwards and the white stones that are moving freely diagonally upwards, achieving two goals at once.

You run, I chase.

None of the white pieces he was about to move could remain unaffected.

You've come all this way, and I haven't even had a chance to entertain you yet. How come you're already looking for a quiet place to cool off by yourself?

Social anxiety, huh?

Your uncle can take a look for you.

While pondering, Shin Jinseo briefly checked his score again. He was still in the lead, but Black's influence on the outside was too substantial.

Not only did he fail to get it out after poking it in, but now it seems like he can't pull it out. It's too tight.

This meant that the initiative remained in Lin Ruo's hands, and he gained no advantage whatsoever.

We definitely can't try any more counter-pressure or blocking tactics. Black has an advantage in both the upper and lower parts of the board, and it's obvious who will lose in a head-on confrontation.

After all, he could contract and expand freely, while I was stuck inside and couldn't get out for a while.

However, if Black chooses to give up, the advantage Black gains will be too great, and the small amount of territory Black has gained will not be enough to make up for the difference.

If others can surround you from all sides using external forces, then no matter how much space you occupy in the middle, you will only be able to take a beating. At that time, you should think about whether or not to cross the Yangtze River, just like Xiang Yu, the King of Chu.

Therefore, they can neither withdraw from the battlefield nor continue to fight face-to-face.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Shin Jinseo chose the divide-and-conquer approach. If things aren't going well here, then I'll move to the right and continue living my life.

He points directly above the two black stones on the lower right, forming a triangle with two black stones and one white stone. He is the head of this triangle, threatening both sides from the lower left and right diagonals. His role is self-evident.

By shifting the battlefield and threatening Heizi, who had not yet gained momentum and had deployed a large force, it was highly likely that Lin Ruo would be forced to come to the rescue and regain control of the initiative.

This tactic is called "feinting to the east while attacking the west" or "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao".

The difference is that Shin Jinseo won't resort to any ambushes; he wants to openly and honestly confront Lin Ruo on a new battlefield in Wei.

With the odds now even, let's see who can establish a new advantage.

Lin Ruo calmly returned to defense and broke the deadlock with a single move. The black piece instantly landed in the center of the triangle, and the situation became three black pieces standing together looking at the white piece above them.

They looked at each other, speechless, and it was obvious who should feel awkward.

He believed that Shin Jinseo wouldn't be so thick-skinned as to not blush even when being stared at by three people. After all, he wasn't that other Korean 9-dan player who liked to raise his hand and was watched by billions of people but still didn't become famous.

Oh, I remember he also made it to the top 16.

Lin Ruo thought for a moment and realized that he had gone off-topic. Fortunately, Shin Jinseo was not like him, who could make a move every five seconds, leaving him plenty of room to lose focus.

Shin Jinseo, deep in thought, also realized that any player, regardless of their advantage or disadvantage in the early stages of a match against Lin Ruo, would face a prominent problem.

That's a matter of time. Lin Ruo's thinking time is too short. Compared to his opponent, he has no advantage in terms of time difference.

If the game drags on until the very end and remains evenly matched, Lin Ruo will naturally become a double beneficiary, both psychologically and practically.

However, Lin Ruo was very considerate in this regard, never letting his opponent drag the game into the ultimate late stage, which involved two or three hundred moves.

So it seems like you should worry about it when you need it, but you also shouldn't, because it's really hard to hold out until then to think about this issue.

White then attacks and captures, Black connects, White connects again, and White continues to connect, thus stirring up the battle on the other side.

Shin Jinseo revealed his second idea after his strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao".

This was clearly seen by Cao Dayuan, a professional veteran in the live broadcast room: "Using the large right side to reinforce the left side to complete the thin move makes it look more substantial, while also threatening the weaknesses of the black stones in the lower part and the connection."

All he could say was, "Well done! No wonder Shin Jinseo's calculation abilities are so terrifying."

They were able to come up with the idea of ​​dividing and conquering the enemy before uniting within ten steps, thus turning the tide in a very disadvantageous situation.

This led to a real melee between the two sides. When the game was in a large-scale, interconnected state, a single misstep could result in total defeat.

"Although Shin Jinseo 9-dan managed to regain some ground, Lin Ruo 1-dan, who has a stronger overall presence, still holds the advantage. However, the advantage is not very strong right now and could be lost at any time."

The commentator on the other side was also providing timely updates on the situation.

He never expected that in just over 80 moves, the game would go from Lin Ruo having an advantage to being evenly matched, then back to Lin Ruo having an advantage, and now it's approaching an evenly matched moment again.

What a tireless audience member, constantly jumping around and worrying about the situation!

However, Lin Ruo has taken the initiative since the beginning of the game, and there are not many players who can keep Shin Jinseo on the defensive in terms of moves from start to finish.

This boosted the commentators' confidence in Lin Ruo's ability to win the match. If this isn't considered hopeful, then what is?

Lin Ruo, who was on the chessboard, also realized that he could no longer follow the old routine and cut without hesitation.

If White's center and right side become too heavy, and if he tries to cut off White's position, giving White an opportunity to turn around, then the lighter White stones on the top will have more space and more opportunities to move out continuously.

Conversely, he needs to deal with the momentum on the right, which will inevitably lead to a shift in the balance of power, and the situation will change from a slight advantage to a significant disadvantage.

This is Go; a single wrong move can ruin the entire game, so you can imagine how much it requires to think strategically.

From every empty space on the chessboard to the smallest broken piece in the corner, there is no place that can be viewed without thinking.

Therefore, in actual combat, Lin Ruo chose a conservative approach of only chasing and not attacking, which meant sticking to the enemy, creating threats from both sides while protecting his own weaknesses.

Unlike Shin Jinseo, who initially found himself in a predicament where he could directly intrude but then find himself unable to extricate himself.

White's next move, a jump to the top, is Shin Jinseo's best response, threatening the few remaining black stones' cutting points. There are three black stones vertically on the left and three horizontally on the right, and the top point in the middle is indeed very effective.

"Placing a piece directly in the nearest location to attack is a short-sighted approach, too blatant, and can easily be stalled by the opponent."

"If we don't move to the left or right, we should move to the top. However, this requires too much calculation, and the complex layout that follows may lead to more unexpected problems."

Lin Ruo thought about it for a while and decided to think it over more carefully. This time, she couldn't rush things.

This scene also made Shin Jinseo, who was sitting at the opposite table, pause for a moment, and then he couldn't help but take a sip of water.

"Is this real? Is Lin Ruo, a first-year student, finally starting to think for a long time?" The male commentator in the Wild Fox live stream watched the time tick by.

One minute, two minutes.

three minutes…

As Lin Ruozhen had expected, he fell into a long period of contemplation, a scene unheard of for a chess player whose thinking time was always less than one minute.

Could it be that Lin Ruo is really stumped?

For a moment, all eyes were on Lin Ruo, watching to see when he would finish thinking.

About seven minutes later, Lin Ruo took another chess piece from the chessboard.

What's troubling you? Sorry, I'm just holding back a big surprise.

(End of this chapter)