The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

The eighth and final day since I agreed to be a sparring partner for the Yijianghu Dojo team.

A light rain was falling from the sky, and the spring chill was still in the air. A layer of white mist covered the glass windows on the first floor of the temple.

The atmosphere in the game room was oppressive and tense.

As previously agreed, if Yu Liang wins both games this morning and afternoon, Zhang Rui will fulfill his promise and play against him tomorrow.

At 9:00 AM, the first challenge match started on time.

Yu Liang sat on one side of the chessboard, his posture still upright, but he was obviously much more relaxed than before.

Sitting opposite him was Yue Zhi, ranked second in his group, and also a well-known "rich kid" in the dojo.

Yue Zhi's chess skills are solid, and no one denies that.

However, after sparring with a group of students over the past week, Yu Liang is confident that he has grasped the level of the students at the dojo.

He couldn't be called weak, but no one ever gave him a real sense of pressure.

In the coin toss, Yu Liang guessed correctly and chose black.

Perhaps because he had won so easily before, Yu Liang subconsciously carried a hint of giving instructions when he made his move.

Yu Liang played the first three moves with great composure, even appearing somewhat "polite".

By leaving White some options, the aim is to guide the game into a stable endgame contest.

After all, this is a practice match inside the dojo, and there's no need to fight like when I was training in Korea.

But the situation soon changed.

Faced with Yu Liang's "tolerance," Yue Zhi did not show the slightest relief or gratitude.

On the contrary, his brows were furrowed tightly, and his eyes revealed a stubborn and ruthless edge.

The usually arrogant young master picked up a white chess piece and slammed it heavily onto the chessboard.

A forceful move.

In Yu Liang's opinion, this move was somewhat unreasonable. He paused for a moment, looked up, and happened to see Yue Zhi's slightly red eyes.

In that instant, he remembered himself chasing his shadow alone in a black and white world.

Respect for Go begins with respect for your opponent.

Since you want to win, then I'll show you the difference between us.

Yu Liang calmed himself down and stopped trying to control the game. His previously mild playing style suddenly changed, becoming cold and sharp.

Move 44: Black cuts.

The game quickly became intense. Yue Zhi proceeded cautiously, trying to find weaknesses in Yu Liang's moves. However, Yu Liang's previous "politeness" vanished, replaced by meticulous calculations and constant pressure.

While Yue Zhi's skills were solid, he ultimately lacked the instinct honed in major competitions when facing professional-level strategy.

As the game progressed into the middle stage, a large white group was forced into a corner, struggling to break through but unable to find a way out.

Finally, Yue Zhi looked at the giant dragon that had been strangled and dejectedly threw the chess piece into the chess basket.

"I lost, thank you for your advice."

Yue Zhi lowered his head, his ears were a little red, but there was a kind of exhilarating relief in his eyes.

Yu Liang nodded and said softly, "Actually, you have a strong ability to calculate in the middle game, but sometimes you are too concerned about local gains and losses."

The two rearranged the chessboard and began discussing the variations. The tense atmosphere from before dissipated, replaced by a discussion of the principles of chess.

That's how Go is; you can be completely satisfied with a brilliant move, or you can fight tooth and nail over a single move.

The chessboard is full of countless possibilities; you never know where the victory or defeat lies until the very last moment.

Although the Go pieces are only black and white, they appear colorful to a Go player.

Depict a colorful world with black and white, and then you can see the vast universe.

Even if you lose the game, it doesn't diminish the beauty it holds in the hearts of the players.

For Yue Zhi, losing to Yu Liang was not a problem.

He will never give up Go, no matter how many times he loses, even if he loses once, twice, or countless times. He will continue to challenge Go the next time he encounters it.

The biggest taboo in Go is fear—fear means a lifetime of losses.

After a short rest at noon, the afternoon opponent was Shen Yilang, the top player in the group.

Shen Yilang was a tall, thin young man who wore black-rimmed glasses and looked very refined.

He was an old man at the temple, usually quiet and reserved, always the first to arrive and the last to leave.

In this game, Shen Yilang played black.

If Yue Zhi was sharp and intimidating in the morning, then Shen Yilang was a silent rock.

From the very first move, he was extremely cautious in placing his pieces, carefully considering each move, neither rushing forward nor retreating, steadily defending his corners and edges.

Ban Heng, who was watching the game, pushed up his glasses and whispered to Zhu Dayong next to him, "Shen Yilang is playing exceptionally well today. This game is going to be very competitive."

Zhu Dayong frowned, his gaze falling on Shen Yilang's slightly trembling fingers.

Only the teachers at the dojo knew how heavy a burden Shen Yilang carried on his shoulders.

His family was not well-off, and his parents raised money for his first year's tuition. Later, some of the expenses were waived by Teacher Da and Ban Heng, and some were privately funded by Zhang Rui.

This is his third year at the dojo, and if he doesn't achieve a certain rank soon, he doesn't know how to face the other people.

So in this game, Shen Yilang wanted to prove himself and also to bring honor to the dojo, so as not to let down his teachers who had helped him.

With the game halfway through, judging from the situation, Shen Yilang's black pieces have a slight lead in points, and even seem to be forming a large moyo (territory/area).

Yu Liang frowned slightly, sensing a hint of trouble.

However, on move 128, Shen Yilang played a defensive "jump".

It looks perfectly safe and without any problems, but in the eyes of an expert, this step is too slow.

Excessive pressure made him afraid of making even the slightest mistake, so he abandoned his strongest move, "crossover," and opted for the safer, second-best option.

Perhaps subconsciously, he left himself an escape route, and dared not engage in a final physical fight with Yu Liang.

In a battle between masters, victory or defeat can be decided in an instant.

Yu Liang keenly spotted this flaw and, without hesitation, the white stones cut into the seemingly solid shape of the black stones.

In just twenty moves, Shen Yilang's once-proud external influence was forcibly torn apart, and his original leading advantage vanished in an instant.

Shen Yilang's fingers, gripping the chess piece, turned white, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

The fear of "not being able to lose" was like an invisible hand, pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe, and leaving his mind blank.

Finally, Shen Yilang resigned his piece in despair.

Thank you for your guidance.

After losing the game, Shen Yilang did not leave immediately. He sat alone in front of the chessboard and stared at the endgame for a long time.

After winning sixteen consecutive matches, Yu Liang cleared the first stage of the training ground.

Although the trainees felt embarrassed, Yu Liang's performance was undeniably impressive and convinced everyone.

Yu Liang ignored the comments from others and walked straight to the corner.

"Zhang Rui, 9-dan, I did it."

"Yes, tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, in this very room."

Yu Liang was taken aback, then nodded: "Okay, see you tomorrow."

He played two games of chess today. Although his mental strength is not particularly great, he really needs to prepare and be in the best condition to face an opponent like Zhang Rui, who is on par with his father.

This is not only a sign of respect for the opponent, but also a sign of respect for oneself.