The white stones had firmly established themselves in the central area of the board!
This magnificent battle of sacrifice stones, spanning over thirty moves, finally concluded with white and black stones standing in balanced opposition at the center!
Everyone stared at the board in awe, their eyes fixed on this unbelievable reversal of fortunes!
From initially having no chance to enter the center, to the massive sacrifice, then transforming to dominate the central plains and achieving balanced opposition against the black stones - the board had undergone a breathtaking upheaval!
Using sacrifices to gain influence and create transformations wasn't unheard of—it was actually quite common—but no one had ever witnessed such a grand sacrifice played out over thirty moves before reaching resolution!
In the Go room.
Yu Shao continuously calculated variations of the ongoing game in his mind.
"Ultimately, the white stones have successfully formed their framework."
Facing Su Yiming's dazzling performance, even as his opponent, Yu Shao couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
He had played his strongest move, yet Su Yiming's responses were flawless, each move exquisitely crafted, demonstrating miraculous control over the game's equilibrium!To say Yu Shao's heart remained completely calm would be impossible.
"If I play the diagonal move next, it would be solid but somewhat slow. If white forcefully cuts my path and presses with influence, my black stones might be caught in a dilemma!"
Yu Shao studied the board before him, his mind attempting to calculate life and death for both sides.
"If I play the tiger's mouth to test white's response and wait for developments, white might employ the aggressive tactic of creating a ko. The position would become complex, but my ko threats aren't sufficient."
"Or perhaps—"
Yu Shao's gaze settled on a particular point on the board. Finally, he reached into the stone container, picked up a black stone between his fingers, and swiftly placed it!
"To strongly kill white's vital stones, I must strike like a raging tidal wave into white's still-unstable formation!"
Clack!
Column 14, row 8 - the invasion!
Seeing this shoulder hit from white, Su Yiming's expression grew more solemn as he calmly assessed the position.
A mental board seemed to materialize in his mind too, where stones kept appearing one after another—just like Yu Shao, he was calculating life and death for both sides!
Or perhaps, the true battlefield between them wasn't this physical board before them, but the invisible one existing solely within their minds!
"He's identified the instability in my white formation, wanting to cut my vital stones and threaten my group's life."
"If I simply bend here, he might connect... Black would then form impregnable mountains, solidifying his position and prolonging the battle..."
"No, that's wrong. He... wouldn't play like that!"
Su Yiming stared at the board, his eyes darkening as he immediately dismissed that fleeting thought.
"Others might safely connect, but he definitely wouldn't!"
"That area still has weaknesses in white's thickness. With my understanding of thickness, I can exploit it through reduction and engage him in central fighting!"
"Although my white stones have footholds in the center, they're still few in number with unstable foundations. If we truly enter mortal combat, the situation may not develop as I wish!"
Finally, Zhang Dongchen reached into the stone container again, picked up a white stone between his fingers, and swiftly placed it!
"Then I'll simply jump away, luring him into my trap!"
Clack!
Column 12, row 5 - the jump!
"He jumped away!"
Facing this black move, Yu Shao's expression unconsciously grew more solemn.
This move appeared slow but was actually an insightful response that saw through his intentions. If he continued attacking as before, the situation would change dramatically—white might counter-encircle black, reversing their positions!
"At first glance, the poke seems good—directly reducing black's eye potential. But upon reflection, the poke has hidden flaws. If white sacrifices another isolated group later, black could end up full of weaknesses!"
Yu Shao kept calculating subsequent variations in his mind.
If others knew what Yu Shao was considering, they'd be utterly shocked—even the variations he dismissed were moves they couldn't conceive of, moves they'd consider brilliant!
An intangible pressure seemed to surge toward Yu Shao from across the board.
Every move was deeply calculated, every placement brimming with mysteries. This midgame fighting spirit and skill surpassed any opponent Yu Shao had faced in his past life!
"It seems I must cut off his escape route to test his response!"
After a moment, Yu Shao finally picked up a stone from the container and immediately placed it!
On the other side, Su Yiming quickly picked up a stone too, following black's move.
Clack!
Clack!
Clack!
Stones alternated on the board, each move brimming with killing intent. Black and white intertwined like clashing swords, sparks flying from their collisions!
Nearby, the female recorder and two referees felt their hearts pounding violently. They nervously watched the board, witnessing this intense central battle!
Now, black and white had each established influence in the center like yin and yang—equally matched. Precisely because both had formed their frameworks, the scale of this life-and-death struggle was terrifying!
"Gulp."
A referee swallowed dryly, his throat parched as he watched this world-shaking killing game with trepidation.
"Three hundred points..."
He was profoundly shocked by the scale of this fight.
Normally, seventy or eighty-point fights were already considered large. Hundred-point fights were extremely intense. Two-hundred-point fights were exceptionally rare!
But this game—rough mental calculation showed it was an astonishing three-hundred-point world-shaking killing game! Just the number "three hundred" was enough to make one's scalp tingle!
At that moment, Yu Shao picked up another black stone.
The next instant, the stone lightly touched the board.
Clack!
Column 5, row 17 - the tiger's mouth!
"Tiger's mouth!"
Seeing this move, a referee's face momentarily showed surprise.
"Black didn't use the diagonal move to reinforce here, but chose the tiger's mouth instead..."
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, his mouth falling slightly open!
"The tiger's mouth still threatens white's lower side territory!"
The female recorder also appeared to notice this. After a long pause, she licked her dry lips and finally moved her mouse to record the move on the game record.
Su Yiming quickly picked up a black stone and swiftly placed it.
Clack!
Column 5, row 18 - the high approach!
"Click!"
Stones clattered in the container again!
Yu Shao's fingers held a black stone as it slowly descended onto the board!
Clack!
Column 6, row 18 - the block!
"He's truly infiltrating the side territory!"
Seeing this move, the female recorder took a deep breath—her earlier speculation was now confirmed!
......
.......
"Yu Shao is directly infiltrating the side territory!"
In the broadcast room, Zhu Huai'an's expression turned more severe as he spoke without turning his head: "He's not attacking recklessly but using infiltration to observe white's responses!"
"This is a full three-hundred-point fight."
Zhang Dongchen beside him took a deep breath. Even he was deeply shocked watching this three-hundred-point battle. He said solemnly: "But this kind of infiltration affects everything—it's even more difficult than straightforward attacking!"
On the large screen, black and white stones kept alternating.
Both sides played rapidly. The commentators Zhu Huai'an and Zhang Dongchen couldn't even explain each move before the next was played!
They could only stare intently at the large screen behind them, waiting for when one side paused for long consideration to explain the position to viewers.
But this long pause never came!
As stones kept appearing, Zhu Huai'an and Zhang Dongchen's expressions grew increasingly solemn—even severe—as they sensed the world-shaking killing intent on the board!
The entire board was in upheaval!
Clack!
Finally, another black stone appeared on the large screen!
Column 10, row 6 - the cut!
"Black launches his all-out attack!"
Seeing this move, Zhu Huai'an's eyes sharpened as he said gravely: "This deep central move aims to violently destroy white's framework!"
Earlier, white had staged a stunning performance that overturned the board's evaluation. Now, black—after patiently infiltrating and accumulating strength—finally revealed his dagger and launched the general offensive!
Black, column 10, row 10 - the approach!
White, column 8, row 13 - the connection!
Black, column 14, row 18 - the atari!
White, column 14, row 19 - the connection!
...
Black and white kept alternating. Zhang Dongchen and Zhu Huai'an, one holding black and the other white, continuously placed stones on the demonstration board following the game.
"The position grows increasingly complex. Black's attack is extremely fierce, but white counters exquisitely, quietly dissolving black's offensive!"
Zhang Dongchen said while placing stones: "Facing white's shoulder hit here, black didn't reinforce but ignored the attacked isolated stones to boldly jump out—such astonishing courage!"
Zhang Dongchen picked up a white stone and placed it on the board: "This move is strong, but white must also see this bending move!"
As Zhang Dongchen spoke, a white stone appeared on the large screen.
Column 8, row 13 - the bend!
Exactly as predicted!
Zhu Huai'an stood before the demonstration board, his expression severe: "White refuses to follow black's rhythm, directly biting black's isolated stones—meeting force with force!"
Everyone watched the game with intense focus. Previously unclear aspects now became understandable through Zhu Huai'an and Zhang Dongchen's commentary, allowing them to appreciate how breathtaking this fight truly was!
"This... still hasn't broken through white?"
"Not only that—white even shows counterattacking signs!"
"Too magnificent!"
All involuntarily held their breaths, captivated by the intense confrontation and awed by both sides' brilliant moves!
The three-hundred-point world-shaking killing game they'd created grew increasingly fierce. Each stone placed seemed stained with blood!
Black's storm-like offensive had reached peak intensity, creating tremendous pressure just to watch. The overwhelming formation crashing down was like a roc turning the heavens!
After all, black had long established massive presence in the center. Now striking, it carried the momentum of dark clouds threatening to crush the city!
Everyone asked themselves: if it were me, how long could I hold?
Probably would have collapsed long ago!
Yet astonishingly, despite such pressure, white—having gained central footholds through sacrifices with still-unstable foundations—miraculously held on through each exquisite move!
Like a single person holding up the collapsing sky—it inspired awe!
Finally, another white stone descended under the world's gaze.
Clack!
Column 16, row 7 - the diagonal move!
The world seemed to grow quieter.
Everyone understood what this move meant.
"Too bad."
Someone couldn't help but sigh.
"Though the situation is balanced, white sacrificed to enter the center with unstable foundations—the perfect time to attack white. Yet it wasn't conquered."
"Now white has completely solidified. The offensive-defensive balance is about to shift."
"It's not that Yu Shao played poorly—it's that white played too brilliantly here, step by step dismantling black's offensive with wonderful moves."
"White's formation is now nearly impregnable. Next, if white attacks black, black must survive to the endgame for a chance. But this... will be very difficult, no?"
In the live stream, comments flew by as viewers felt mixed emotions.
In the Go room.
Yu Shao calmly studied the board, not placing a stone for a long time.
He knew conventional wisdom said white's formation was now unshakable. Once offense and defense reversed, black—having lost the initiative—would face the bitter consequences of weaknesses created during the fierce attack.
This was even more dire than white's earlier predicament—a thousand, ten thousand times worse.
Or perhaps, already a hopeless position.
"But..."
Yu Shao's mind recalled Su Yiming's words to him before:
"Not seeking fame for eternity, but striving for achievement in this lifetime!"
Perhaps now was the time to realize those words!
Yu Shao's right hand finally reached into the stone container.
Stones clacked against each other.
His fingertips picked up a stone.
The next moment!
The stone descended!