The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

On the chessboard, Yu Xiaoyang was deep in thought, holding a white piece, hovering it above the board, his fingertips trembling slightly, and he didn't put it down for a long time.

It wasn't because this move was particularly difficult to counter, but because he couldn't understand the intention behind it at all—he couldn't understand why Zhang Rui had placed his shoulder strike here, nor could he understand the underlying logic of this move.

This feeling was something he had never experienced in his forty-year career.

In past games against any opponent, he could calmly analyze their moves and strategies—whether they were trying to secure territory here, attack here, or gain an advantage of two points through exchange.

Go is ultimately a game between two players, and every move has its purpose, and every purpose should be understandable.

However, Yu Xiaoyang could not discern any strategic intent in Zhang Rui's five-way shoulder strike.

It's not for encircling the airspace, not for attacking, and not for conversion.

It's just a questionable move floating on the chessboard, isolated and helpless.

Like a nail, it was driven into the place where he felt most uncomfortable.

Fifteen minutes have passed.

Twenty minutes have passed.

Yu Xiaoyang finally made a move with white stones – a "knot".

This is the most direct response, but also the most helpless one.

Because he simply couldn't find a better solution.

The atmosphere in the observation room grew increasingly tense.

Kuwahara 9-dan sat in the front row, his folding fan still closed, staring at the Go board without saying a word.

Sitting next to him were Fang Xu, Xu Hou, and several professional chess players who had come from other chess academies.

Everyone stared at the live stream screen in complete silence.

"This move..." Kuwabara suddenly spoke, "reminds me of someone."

Fang Xu turned his head: "Who?"

"Mr. Wu Qingyuan," said Kuwabara, "when he played against Honinbo Shusai, he once played a move called 'Star Point, 3-3 Point, Tengen.' At the time, no one understood it and considered it a 'strange move.' But later, the world realized that it was a groundbreaking concept."

Fang Xu paused for a moment: "Do you think Zhang Rui's shoulder strike was also a groundbreaking move?"

Kuwabara slowly shook his head: "It's hard to say, it's hard to say."

Regardless of how others perceive it, Yu Xiaoyang's rhythm for making moves has become disordered.

On the chessboard, Yu Xiaoyang's rhythm for placing pieces was clearly disrupted.

It's not simply a matter of changing the pace; it's the loss of the masterful composure displayed in the first game.

Every step was a long deliberation, every step was a struggle.

It wasn't a fight with Zhang Rui.

He was battling against the Go philosophy he had upheld for forty years.

Zhang Rui remained expressionless, his pace of placing pieces maintaining its usual steady rhythm, no different from usual.

It was as if that earth-shattering shoulder strike just now was not a "surprising move", but a very ordinary routine.

This contrast sent a chill down the spines of the spectators.

In the middle game, Yu Xiaoyang attempted a counterattack.

White initiated a complex battle on the left side, attempting to steer the game into chaos—since Zhang Rui's chess logic is incomprehensible, let the game become chaotic, so chaotic that everyone is at a loss.

But Zhang Rui's response made everyone's hearts sink to the bottom.

Instead of engaging Yu Xiaoyang on the left, he moved to the upper right corner and clicked on the three-three.

It's another 33.

And it happened at the most crucial moment of the battle.

In the spectator room, someone couldn't help but whisper, "What on earth is he betting on?"

No one answered.

Because nobody knows the answer.

On the chessboard, Yu Xiaoyang's moves became increasingly hesitant, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his fingers gripping the white pieces tightened and loosened as if he were wrestling with an invisible hand.

On move 87, Zhang Rui, playing black, made a "digging" move.

The moment the move was made, a low gasp of surprise rippled through the spectator room.

"This...this isn't..."

Fang Xu, a 9-dan player, stared at the move, his pupils slightly contracting.

He quickly calculated in his mind, over and over again, and each calculation pointed to the same conclusion—White was doomed.

It's not a localized collapse, but a complete systemic breakdown.

Because Zhang Rui's "digging" move, which seemed to only cut off the connection between the two white groups, actually created three threatening points at the same time - the upper left corner was dug out, the white group in the center was captured, and the large territory on the right was broken.

There are three threats, and White can only respond to one of them.

Yu Xiaoyang froze again, staring at the chessboard, silently calculating for a very long time.

Then, his suspended hand slowly fell down.

The 103rd move.

Yu Xiaoyang put the white pieces back into the chess basket and bowed his head slightly.

"I lost."

The observation room was deathly silent.

After a long silence, Kuwabara finally spoke.

"How many hands did he use?"

"One hundred and three hands".

"One hundred and three moves," Sangyuan repeated. "In the last game, Yu Xiaoyang lasted until move one hundred and forty-seven. In this game, it will end in one hundred and three moves."

Fang Xu was speechless.

At the post-match press conference, Yu Xiaoyang looked even more upset than after the first game.

It wasn't anger, nor frustration, but a kind of exhaustion that had drained all my energy and spirit.

It was as if he had engaged in an unequal contest with an opponent from another dimension, exhausting all the chess skills he had accumulated throughout his life.

A reporter asked, "Professor Yu, where do you think the problem lay in today's game?"

Yu Xiaoyang remained silent for a long time.

"I have no idea."

The reporters looked at each other in bewilderment.

"I don't know why Zhang Rui, a 9-dan professional, played those moves, nor do I know how to counter them. I've been playing Go for forty years and have never encountered an opponent like him. His moves are outside my understanding."

The reporter then asked, "Do you think there's still a chance in the subsequent matches?"

Yu Xiaoyang raised her head and glanced at the reporter who had asked the question.

"I'll keep playing, but to be honest, I don't know how to beat him."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent.

Yu Xiaoyang, a towering figure in Chinese Go and a two-time world champion, never once uttered the words "I don't know how to win" to any opponent during his forty-year professional career.

But today, he did speak.

And no one thought it was just a humble remark.

Zhang Rui's press conference was, as always, brief.

"Zhang Rui, 9-dan, your fifth-line shoulder hit move today has been described by many professional players as 'beyond human comprehension.' Could you explain the concept behind this move?"

Zhang Rui glanced at the reporter who asked the question.

"cannot."

The reporter paused, then asked, "Why?"

"trouble."

The reporter opened his mouth, unsure of what to ask.

Another reporter quickly followed up: "So, how do you feel about your performance today?"

"good."

"How does it compare to the first game?"

"almost."

The reporters looked at each other, and no one asked any more questions.

Zhang Rui stood up and walked out of the press conference venue.

Back home, Yu Xiaoyang sat by the window, with the game record of today's game laid out on the table in front of him.

He had been watching for six hours straight, from afternoon to evening, and from evening to late at night.

But he still couldn't understand that Five-Road Shoulder Strike.

It's not that we "don't understand its wonders," but rather that we "don't understand why it exists."

That move would be considered a "bad move" in any Go theory, but somehow it won.

Moreover, the victory was so clean and decisive, leaving no room for compromise.