The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

Chapter 37 Zhang Rui vs. Chu Ying

The news spread quickly, and someone spotted Zhang Rui in the game room, playing against a new account with zero games played, which piqued their interest.

The post that had sunk to the bottom on the forum was pushed back up, and new posts also appeared.

Zhang Rui, 9-dan, is currently playing Go on the Dawang platform against an opponent with the ID "Chu Ying." Does anyone know who that is?

Who is Chu Ying? Please provide information!

Zhang Rui's first online match: Opponent's identity remains a mystery.

The number of spectators increased from dozens to hundreds, and then from hundreds to thousands.

Fang Xu came to the office from home, stared at the spectator data in the backend, and asked the head of the technical department, "Can the server handle it?"

"It's okay for now, but the number is still growing."

"Continue monitoring."

The game began at 10:00 AM.

Chu Ying, playing black, makes the first move, in the upper right corner, at the star point.

Zhang Rui responded with a gesture, pointing to the star position in the lower left corner.

The third move, Black moves to the upper left corner, at the small eye point.

The fourth move, White's lower right corner – 3-3.

Number of spectators: 1892.

In the chat room, messages started flooding the screen—

"3-3, Zhang Rui, 9-dan, starts with 3-3."

"Does anyone know Chu Ying over there?"

"The information shows that the user was just registered today and has not played any games."

"Could it be Zhang Rui's smurf account?"

"Zhang Rui, a 9-dan player, is on the other side. How could it be his smurf account?"

"Is it possible that a professional Go player wants to challenge anonymously?"

"Challenging Zhang Rui, 9th Dan? Who's so bold?"

On the board, Black's fifth move is in the lower left corner, a small eye.

Zhang Rui responded quickly with his white pieces, placing them almost without pause.

But those watching could sense that this game was different from the LP Cup final.

Yu Xiaoyang sat in his study, with a live stream of the game playing on his computer screen.

His son, Yu Liang, did it for him. Fang Xu called him and said, "Teacher, you should take a look."

When Yu Liang entered, the game had already gone through more than twenty moves.

After a few glances, I couldn't take my eyes off it.

Black's opening strategy, with its star point, small eye point, and small eye point, is the most commonly used opening strategy by Go players in the Qing Dynasty after the abolition of the ancient fixed-position system.

It has appeared countless times in Bai Ziqiu's game records.

But that wasn't what surprised him; it was Black's seventh move—a large knight's move to defend the lower left corner.

This move is almost extinct in modern Go.

The large aircraft is inefficient, vulnerable, and easily infiltrated by the opponent.

However, Qing Dynasty chess players preferred the large knight's move because they valued the strategic advantage more than the actual territory.

Yu Xiaoyang leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

He had seen this style of play before.

Many years ago, in the two chess scores that Fang Xu showed him—the two chess games that Yu Liang lost at the chess hall when he was a child.

The tactics used were exactly the same as those used by Chu Ying today.

Yu Xiaoyang picked up her phone and sent Fang Xu a message: "Do you know this Chu Ying?"

Fang Xu quickly replied: "I don't know it. I just registered this account today."

Yu Xiaoyang put down her phone and looked back at the screen.

Black's eleventh move – a high pincer movement in the lower left corner.

This is another move commonly found in ancient manuals, but almost no one uses it in modern times.

As the game progresses into the middle stages, the situation begins to become more complex.

Chu Ying played a "leaning" move on the left side, and Zhang Rui responded with a counter-leaning, creating a complex local variation.

Number of spectators: 4891.

The chat room messages were scrolling by incredibly fast—

"Chu Ying's playing style is so old-fashioned."

"What does 'always' mean?"

"It has a classical style, like the way it was performed in the Qing Dynasty."

"Don't you guys think his games are very similar to those of Zhang Rui 9-dan from a few years ago?"

"Now that you mention it... there is a bit of a truth to it."

"Impossible, could Chu Ying really be Zhang Rui's low-ranking account?"

"Wow, is it the left and right hemispheres fighting each other?"

"Is this even human?"

"I don't know, but Black's shape is really beautiful."

On the chessboard, Black's thirty-seventh move is a jump in the center.

Zhang Rui responded quickly, with White playing a "shoulder strike" on the right side in an attempt to reduce Black's influence.

But Chu Ying did not back down, and immediately followed up with a "point three three" move in the upper left corner.

Number of spectators: 7326.

The chat room completely exploded—

"Chu Ying, point three?"

"Is he studying under Zhang Rui, a 9-dan martial artist?"

"What's there to learn? Both accounts are clearly Zhang Rui, a 9-dan player."

"They're not quite the same. Zhang Rui, a ninth-dan player, aims for maximum efficiency when he plays the 3-3 point, while Chu Ying's 3-3 point is more like setting a trap."

"Can you understand it?"

"I don't understand it, but I'm deeply moved."

Move 65, Black, top left corner, large knight's move.

Zhang Rui placed his piece, white, in the upper left corner, leaning in.

But what Chu Ying did next made everyone hold their breath.

Black did not respond in the upper left corner, but instead played it out – in the lower right corner, Black invaded with a two-five move.

The game continued to the 107th move, and six large dragons appeared on the board.

There are three black and three white lines, intertwined and mutually restrictive.

The number of spectators exceeded 10,000, and the server started to lag, but no one logged out.

Because everyone wants to know how this game will end.

In the chat room, the messages slowed down, as everyone was stunned by the situation on the chessboard—

"I've been playing chess for twenty years and I've never seen a situation like this before."

"Six dragons fighting each other, how do you calculate that?"

"It doesn't count, it doesn't count..."

"Can Zhang Rui, a 9-dan player, be considered?"

No one answered, because no one knew the answer.

White, in the center, jumps.

This move wasn't about dealing with any one of the dragons, but rather about taking a small step between the six dragons.

It seemed like nothing was done, but Chu Ying fell silent the moment he saw this move.

Zhang Rui's jump shot was like a stone thrown into a lake, with ripples spreading in all directions.

The life-and-death relationship between the six dragons was completely changed after this move.

What was originally a favorable ko fight for Black has now become a favorable one for White; what was originally a deadly dragon for White now has several more escape routes; what was originally a group of Black stones that could live has suddenly become dangerous.

This isn't about solving a problem; it's about redefining the battlefield.

Chu Ying began to ponder for a long time, three minutes, five minutes, seven minutes...

The system on Weida.com displayed a message: Black has less than ten minutes remaining.

Shi Guang sat in front of the computer, his palms sweaty.

He dared not speak, dared not move, and dared not even breathe loudly.

Finally, Chu Ying spoke.

"Xiao Guang".

"Um."

"The midsection, cut off."

Shi Guang paused for a moment, then asked, "Are you sure?"

"Sure."

Black's cut was like a knife, slicing into White's weakest point.