The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

Fang Xu walked over and sat down opposite him: "What are you thinking about?"

Kuwahara remained silent for a long time before saying, "I'm wondering, how exactly does Zhang Rui's brain work?"

Fang Xu was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"Look here," Kuwabara said, pointing to a section of the board. "White's 87th move is to ignore the 3-3 point. In the eyes of any professional player, this move is an 'unreasonable move.' No one would play such a move at this point."

"But Zhang Rui, a 9-dan player, has been eliminated."

"Yes, he placed the bet. And he won."

Fang Xu was silent for a moment, then said, "You mean...?"

"What I mean is, Zhang Rui's style of play is no longer the 'Go' we traditionally understand. If you can't keep up with his thinking, you might very well be left behind by the times..."

Kuwabara stood up, picked up the coat hanging on the back of the chair, and put it on.

"Isn't it a bit too much?" Fang Xu was somewhat dismissive. Although many professional Go players are subconsciously imitating the so-called "Zhang Rui style," very few of them have actually achieved any results.

"Just take this as advice from an old man..."

After saying that, Kuwahara walked out of the observation room.

Fang Xu sat there alone, staring at the chessboard, lost in thought.

Fangyuan City, the Yijianghu Dojo.

Shi Guang sat in the game room, with the game record of Zhang Rui and Yu Xiaoyang's game laid out on the chessboard in front of him.

He stared at the "take-off point 33" location for almost ten minutes.

"Chu Ying".

"Um."

"What exactly is my brother's move?"

Chu Ying floated above the chessboard, silent for a long time.

"I have no idea."

"You don't know either?"

"I don't know why he chose to play the 3-3 move at this time, but I can tell that after that move, Yu Xiaoyang's rhythm was disrupted."

Shi Guang paused for a moment: "You mean, he's deliberately disrupting the other person's rhythm?"

"Perhaps," Chu Ying said, "Perhaps it's not just that. Perhaps when he played the 3-3 point, he had already calculated all the subsequent variations. Including how many points he could gain after Yu Xiaoyang's checkmate."

Shi Guang stared at the chessboard and muttered, "This is terrifying."

"Yes, that's your brother's Go style—every move prepares for the next ten or twenty moves. Every move you see isn't an isolated one, but part of a larger plan. I really want to play a game with him..."

"Shall I arrange a game with him for you?"

"Let's talk about it after you've decided on the first section."

Time remained silent for a long time, then said, "Do you think I could play a move like my brother?"

Chu Ying smiled.

"You don't need to play this kind of game; you have your own game."

"But……"

"No buts," Chu Ying interrupted him. "Zhang Rui is Zhang Rui, and you are you. You are not him, nor do you need to become him."

"Alright." Shi Guang lowered his head, put the chess pieces back into the chess basket, and said, "Then I'll continue practicing."

In the faculty dormitory on the second floor, Zhang Rui moved a chair and sat by the window, gazing at the night view outside.

The lights outside the window twinkled like chess pieces scattered on a chessboard.

As Zhang Rui looked at the points of light, a scene suddenly flashed through his mind—

That was a long time ago.

He sat in the classroom, the same night outside the window, a thick stack of test papers piled on the desk, and several half-used ballpoint pens stuck in the pen holder.

My deskmate turned around and said something, but I can't quite remember what.

Zhang Rui closed his eyes and leaned his head back in the chair.

There will be a second game the day after tomorrow.

After the first game, the public opinion in the chess world underwent a subtle shift.

Before the match, some people speculated whether Yu Xiaoyang could use his rich experience and shrewd tactics to break this undefeated myth—after all, in the history of Go, there are many examples of young geniuses being "taught a lesson" by veterans.

But now, nobody mentions that possibility anymore.

It wasn't because they thought Yu Xiaoyang was incapable, but because they discovered that Zhang Rui simply didn't fall into the category of "being able to be taught."

On March 11, the second game of the LP Cup final was held again at the Youxuan Chess Room of Fangyuan City Chess Academy.

Zhang Rui arrived five minutes early today, wearing a light dark gray jacket over a white T-shirt, looking no different from usual.

When Yu Xiaoyang walked in, she glanced at him.

"morning."

"morning."

In the second game, Zhang Rui played black.

The competition began at 10:00 AM.

Black's first move was placed at the star point in the upper right corner.

On the second move, Yu Xiaoyang played white, making a small eye in the lower left corner.

The third move, Zhang Rui with black, is at the star point in the upper left corner.

On the fourth move, Yu Xiaoyang played white, making a small eye in the lower right corner.

During the opening phase, both sides played conservatively, as if they were testing each other.

But those familiar with Zhang Rui know that this is not his style—he would never waste so many moves on "conventional" moves in the opening stage.

Sure enough, the ninth move brought a change.

Instead of continuing to solidify its position in the upper left corner, Black opted to play a different move – placing a 3-3 point in the lower right corner.

The ninth move in the opening game is a 3-3.

In the spectator room, someone let out a soft "Ah".

"It's 3-3 again." Fang Xu, a ninth-dan player, shook his head. "When will he stop playing 3-3?"

"When has he ever lost?" Xu Hou asked from the side.

Fang Xu opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

On the chessboard, Yu Xiaoyang responded calmly, choosing to place white pieces to block the opponent's moves.

But Zhang Rui's next move stunned everyone.

On the thirteenth move, Black did not continue playing in the lower right corner, but instead played a "shoulder clash" in the upper left corner – a five-way shoulder clash.

This move directly targeted White's small objective.

There was a moment of silence in the spectator room.

Then, an uproar ensued.

"Five-way shoulder strike?" Fang Xu, a ninth-dan player, stared wide-eyed. "What... what kind of move is this?"

Xu Hou was also stunned: "I've never seen him play this move before."

Fang Xu stared at the chessboard, his brow furrowed, his mind racing through several possible variations, each one seeming off.

If White responds, Black gains an advantage by moving first; if White does not respond, Black will rush in directly, and half of White's corner territory will be taken away.

No matter which move White makes, he is not comfortable.

"This is not how a normal person would do it," Fang Xu finally said.

Xu Hou glanced at him: "Nonsense, I've always felt that he's a bit inhuman."

"What I mean is—" Fang Xu paused, "this move wouldn't appear in any professional Go player's game. Because it doesn't conform to any Go principles. A shoulder strike on the fifth line, unless the center is already empty, is considered a 'bad move' in traditional Go principles. Because you're helping your opponent make a move—if your opponent responds to your move, their outside influence will become thicker."

"But Zhang Rui is off."

"Yes, he made the move, and I can't figure out whether it was a good move or not."

Xu Hou was silent for a moment, then said something that no one could refute: "Just because you can't figure it out doesn't mean it's bad. He won so many games; there must be a reason."