LOL: Can’t I play other games professionally?

Chapter 447 Once you go in, you can't come out (First Update)
The two sides then finished guessing.

Lin Ruo plays black, and Liao Yuanhe plays white.

The second round of the best-of-three semifinals of the Mengbaihe Cup officially kicked off with Lin Ruoxing's small-eye opening, drawing much attention to the upcoming match.

Liao Yuanhe, having regrouped, responded by choosing a double star formation on the left side.

This layout emphasizes the continuity of the game and allows for the rapid establishment of the game's structure.

In chess, the importance of star points is self-evident. The double star point opening utilizes this characteristic of star points to establish the basic framework of the game through a rapid occupation strategy, so as to build a favorable game situation more quickly and lay the foundation for subsequent layout and tactical implementation.

Liao Yuanhe thought that way: since a head-on confrontation wouldn't work, he should try his best to complete the strategic plan and cultivate his own little world.

However, Lin Ruo exercised a unilateral veto right from the very beginning.

He didn't want to play like that with his opponent; he only wanted to attack and pressure, which made it impossible for White to have any stable opening strategy.

On the fifth move, Black makes a corner approach in the lower left corner, initiating a targeted threat against White.

The opponent's small-scale expansion was aimed at his own corner. Liao Yuanhe, holding a piece in his hand, became alert shortly after the opening. This was a very obvious mini-Chinese opening strategy.

The strategy involves first applying pressure. If White dares to attack, Black will retaliate fiercely to create a large territory. This is an absolute aesthetic of violence and also the most demanding style of play in terms of speed.

After the popularization of AI, the Mini Chinese style gradually faded from the Go arena due to various problems, and it is no longer a very popular playing style.

However, Lin Ruo made that move right at the start of the game today, and there's only one reason Liao Yuanhe can think of.

This shows how much they wanted to crush him in the first few dozen moves; they even came up with this unpopular strategy.

This put a lot of pressure on him. Could it be that he got angry with someone yesterday, so he wanted to deal with him quickly and decisively today?

But...shouldn't he have been the one with a temper yesterday?
Liao Yuanhe felt wronged. He was the one who was slaughtered in the thirty rounds yesterday, and he was also the one who became a background character. What's wrong with him?

If it weren't for his strong performance in the first hundred moves, he wouldn't have become a mere background figure in the last thirty moves.

You're doing this today just because you've already taken a 100-hand lead.

Trying to calm himself down, Liao Yuanhe, who was already sweating profusely, naturally couldn't let Lin Ruo leave like that, so he chose a high-scoring option as his fourth choice.

Black jumps, White moves, and the two sides quickly form a very common joseki in the lower left corner.

After a period of relative calm, on the eleventh move, White plays a large knight's move in the lower right corner, limiting Black's development in that area and initiating a counterattack.

Seeing this, Lin Ruo didn't tolerate it at all. She directly picked up her hands, placed her pieces, and adopted a "come on, come here" attitude, actively seeking a battle.

You want to fight? Then bring more people. Don't say I bullied you later.

White then responded with a flying move on the upper side. Liao Yuanhe's move in this local situation was also an AI-level choice, threatening the approaching Black stones while also serving as a feint.

If the position is strengthened later, Black will be able to launch a more severe attack on the lower right corner.

Next, Black plays a move that White ignores and moves towards the lower right again. Liao Yuanhe is determined to capture the black stone in the small eye area.

Black blocks, White cuts.

The two sides quickly clashed again in the lower right corner, unlocking the construction of their bases. Whoever seized the most land would become the landlord.

Black's 25th move, a pincer movement, once again demonstrated Lin Ruo's determination to fight to the end.

He couldn't defend, nor could he stall; he just wanted to kill the opponent or let the opponent kill him.

White, not to be outdone, played a sharp move, and Black connected back.

Liao Yuanhe's resilience was much stronger today after he calmed down, and he still managed to take several steps forward in his head-on confrontation with Lin Ruo.

For example, the following step involves pressing.

"It can't be long, otherwise it will become a burden, and it will be difficult to let go of it later, which is like having a hindrance."

After a moment's thought, Lin Ruo chose to make a move on the top, anticipating a possible tiger's mouth attack by White in the next move. This move also created a balance between the smaller and larger pieces on the bottom, allowing for flexible choices.

Then, moving to the upper left corner, Black's moves on the top and right sides were surprisingly fast.

The thirty-fourth move, played by White, involves a jump out to the lower left.

Liao Yuanhe's idea of ​​breaking through the black stones' territory in the lower part of the board while also attacking the weak points in the black stones' connections in that area is excellent.

But is it actually feasible?

Lin Ruo's brows didn't furrow slightly when she saw this step; instead, her expression relaxed considerably.

Dude, it's started, huh?

White seems to have made a lot of moves, but has it seriously considered how it might make its position even more vulnerable?

After silently calculating in her mind, Lin Ruo felt that if nothing unexpected happened, the Hundred Hands should be over.

There's no other reason than that your loophole is so big and perfect that it would be too easy for anyone to get in.

With you doing it this way, it's not difficult for me at all.

White jumps, Black jumps too, Black jumps after White jumps, and then Liao Yuanhe plays a relentless, follow-up move.

However, these two exchanges have already had a slightly destructive effect on the left side of the White stones.

Liao Yuanhe clearly overlooked one point: Black's lower side is weak, but White's left side is also weak, so if I jump, you won't feel uncomfortable.

In fact, Lin Ruo's jumps were more agile.

The subsequent move was also fully executed, with the highly skilled and daring Lin Ruo taking the lead in the upper left corner to continue expanding his influence.

White jumps down, and Black points. Following suit, Liao Yuanhe also frantically moves to the lower left area to extend his position, trying to continue attacking Black's weak position on the bottom.

Lin Ruo, who only glanced at it, remained completely unmoved.

To win a game, the most important thing is not to let your opponent lead you by the nose. Once you're dragged into the game and your opponent is playing too aggressively, you'll be in big trouble.

Therefore, Lin Ruo chose to break the deadlock from other places, first making a small pincer move in the upper left, then encircling and aligning with the isolated white pieces from both sides, to test the black side's response.

Liao Yuanhe seemed to share the same idea as Lin Ruo: they should not be led by the nose, so he also ignored it and continued to block the black pieces below to gather as much benefit as possible.

If you ignore me and I ignore you, then let's just go our separate ways.

Lin Ruo ignored it and played a move to protect her own black stones in the upper right corner, anticipating that her opponent would also try to play a similar move in the corner.

The situation had changed considerably. Because Liao Yuanhe was neglecting the upper side, the black stones, which were being placed repeatedly, were rapidly expanding in size.

Realizing the situation too late, White could only launch a fierce attack on the lower side.

Lin Ruo glanced at it and ultimately decided to return to defense.

The reason is simple: this move did indeed threaten the survival of his black pieces on the lower side.

Although the previous steps were threatening, they were far from the point where he needed to intervene, so Lin Ruo naturally had no intention of intervening.

This is the most opportune time to make a move. There's no other reason than Lin Ruo's confidence in herself.

He won't let White capture his Black stones below, even though the situation looks very critical now.

But in reality, well, it is indeed quite critical.

Black moves by crawling, white moves by jumping.

Liao Yuanhe then devised a brilliant move to deal with Lin Ruo's close defense upon returning, which not only eroded Black's territory but also threatened both sides.

Lin Ruo also found it very painful to look at.

Since he couldn't hold out against some of the attacks, he had no choice but to use the remaining 99% of his critical hit rate to prepare for a counterattack.

Penetrate, fill gaps, capture, stick.

After four consecutive moves, Black understood and returned to the lower right corner. Using a feint, Lin Ruo prioritized reinforcing the Black stones that were surrounded in that area.

Since there are links posted below and other solutions available above, the problem is not serious for now, and many issues have been resolved.

The real problem remains the fierce attack by White in the lower left area. Seeing that Lin Ruodu still has the leisure to play in the lower right, Liao Yuanhe is impatient and speeds up his pace to continue the attack.

At this point, the best thing to do is to defend, but in fact, defending can actually cause more problems. After all, if you block the way, all sorts of countermeasures will come, such as sharp attacks or digging.

The only solution Lin Ruo could see was to use offense as defense.

Go straight up and probe for White's response before making a decision.

In order to maintain its offensive against Black, White chose to stick to the left side. Although it cannot directly block Black, the jump in the future will still be very useful.

Move 55, Black, squeeze.

Lin Ruo wanted to find a way to survive inside.

White then placed a stone, which Black blocked. White then captured the stone, and Black responded with a tiger's mouth.

Liao Yuanhe must not allow Black to connect the corner stones and expand his attack range, so cutting is an inevitable measure for him.

Lin Ruo played the black pieces and made a direct attack, leaving himself half an eye as a threat.

At least leave some lingering impression here, so that Liao Yuanhe remains vigilant and never lets his guard down.

With so many men failing to subdue the area below, it was impossible for Liao Yuanhe not to be nervous. He worried that if things dragged on any longer, an accident would inevitably happen.

He has many choices now, but too many choices make it easier to make mistakes.

It's like there's too much room for maneuver, making it hard to distinguish between a "skilled move" and a "secret move," which makes the situation look rather bad.

It could be described as a happy dilemma, but the dilemma lies not only in the choice, but also in the several traps left by Black. It seems that even if the opponent releases the lower left area, they must always keep their inner hand intact.

This will facilitate internal and external support when reinforcements arrive in Japan.

But if Lin Ruo heard such words, she would definitely shake her head. It's not that anyone wants to give up.

He left these tricks behind only to facilitate a counterattack later; leaving was out of the question, staying here was the best option.

Furthermore, is it really possible for White to capture him?
Despite several moves, White has yet to capture the stones in one go, which indicates that White still has a very obvious problem.

Sometimes it's the lower left, sometimes it's the left-center area, almost half of the lower chessboard, there are still too many areas to capture.

There's some truth to the sayings of the ancients: you can't become a fat person in one bite.

Many famous Go games have proven that having too big an appetite is not a good thing; it is often more enjoyable to divide and conquer.

It's not that it tastes good, it just doesn't make you feel bloated.

And don't forget, the upper area is Black's advantageous zone. If White, who has the initiative, cannot achieve dominance in the lower area, then by playing too heavily, it's only a matter of time before it's doomed.

So after these few moves, Liao Yuanhe began to ponder deeply, trying to come up with a quick and ruthless method.

How can I eat quickly?
Fortunately, he quickly grasped the concept and decided to eat small pieces first. However, he then realized that there were too many connections involved, and it seemed that he was trapped and unable to get out.

(End of this chapter)