Go: Is the portable old man the nine-time champion?

Chapter 215 Being Handsome Is All That Matters
"His small eyes are facing outwards? As expected, I've also aroused his fighting spirit."

Jiang Mobai looked at himself and AlphaGo, who now occupied the remaining two corners respectively, and felt that his provocation had worked.

The opening moves are generally not worth watching, since any beginner knows that you can't start with the center point and the top point. It's normal to play any star point or small point. Anyone who has studied openings a little knows that you should play Chinese style or Kobayashi style, and pay attention to the configuration of both sides.

While it's unlikely that there will be anything amazing at the start, and it's impossible for everyone to gasp in surprise from the very first move, unless you play 1-1, then everyone will exclaim that you're crazy.

However, based on the direction of the opening strategy, one can still discern the player's intended direction for the game's development.

For example, when AlphaGo opens its small eye sockets outwards, it clearly has a fighting spirit.

This was also Jiang Mobai's expectation; he wanted AlphaGo to have a thorough and enjoyable battle with him.

Jiang Mobai believed that only by fighting could they have the best chance of defeating AlphaGo, rather than playing defensively and hoping to use the advantage of going first and not being able to close the gap to defeat AlphaGo. Doing so would only lead them into the trap set by the opponent.

In a word.

fighting! Cool!

Forget everything else, just do it!

Jiang Mobai was quite confident in his abilities. If he couldn't beat AlphaGo in a situation where he was in a strong position, then there would be nothing more to say.

That just means AlphaGo is invincible, I'm impressed!
So Jiang Mobai didn't hesitate at all and immediately hung Xiao Fei on Xiao Mu, while Elder Ke also didn't hesitate at all and immediately clicked off the three in the upper right corner.

Faced with Jiang Mobai's unknowing "invitation to Mi Dao," Elder Ke simply ignored it and accepted it.

After all, Old Master Ke knew that even if he helped Jiang Mobai up, Jiang Mobai would not be able to get out.

After the 3-3 point has appeared repeatedly in professional Go matches over the past year or two, and with variations played by players like Ke Lao and Yi Zheng, many professionals have begun to summarize some basic joseki variations.

For example, basic things like canceling the glue stick to make it longer, or the large cross shape.

At least more and more professions are beginning to recognize that the 3-3 pattern is a valid variation.

Both sides played a 3-3 point joseki in the upper right corner, which is still quite common in professional Go today, and then began to occupy larger areas elsewhere.

Move 28, White, clamp!

Master Ke's move was not only a pincer attack on the two white stones in the lower left corner, but also a prelude to the subsequent developments of the three-three opening in the upper right corner.

Jiang Mobai naturally understood this as well, and came to the middle to add a move, drawing the opponent back one step.

Yi Zheng stared at the chessboard on the computer and silently began to think about where to make his next move.

Yi Zheng's approach to watching games is not just about learning, but also about reflecting on how he would play in a game and comparing his own moves with those of Master Ke.

It's not just about imitation; it's about integrating and drawing on the strengths of others.

Yi Zheng silently pondered in his mind. He could dismantle the edge from below, or fly upwards from the left to start building a formation. These were all basic techniques.

But then, Mr. Ke spoke up.

"Sharp punch!"

"what?"

Yi Zheng was taken aback by these words, wondering what Old Ke was talking about. "Sharp charge? What are you going to charge at right now?"

Looking at the bewildered Yi Zheng, Old Ke added, "The Seven Sharp Points are aimed at that one of his seeds that is called 'Zheng'."

"???"

Yi Zheng was even more confused after hearing this.

Hey buddy, what do you want?
Are you trying to ruin Go?!
Is the move "seven-file sharp attack" something a normal person could come up with? Is this a move that a human could make?

This step has nothing to do with whether or not to levy taxes. What do you mean by moving your hand towards the middle?
He certainly looks very handsome and dashing, like a celestial being descending from the heavens. But no matter how you look at it, he doesn't seem like a skilled fighter. It's completely unclear what his purpose is.

Yi Zheng didn't argue, he just made his move. After all, this was Master Ke's game, and he was just a mere mortal, so he shouldn't say anything more.

However, Yi Zheng couldn't help but scratch his head and look at the chessboard. He thought about it carefully for a long time but still couldn't figure out what was so good about this move.

Not to mention Yi Zheng, Jiang Mobai on the other side of the computer was also full of question marks. What was the intention behind this step?
AlphaGo definitely doesn't make random moves; there must be a deeper meaning behind them!
However, Jiang Mobai didn't know the deeper meaning behind AlphaGo for the time being. He stopped thinking about it because there were many things about AlphaGo that he couldn't understand.

Moreover, Jiang Mobai and his team were playing a fast game, with only five minutes left before a one-minute countdown. There wasn't much time to think, so Jiang Mobai immediately moved to the bottom to force out the white pieces that AlphaGo had previously attacked.

While listening to Master Ke's instructions on how to place the pieces, Yi Zheng couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him.

"What's so good about this Seven-Road Sharp Point? I really can't see it!"

Yi Zheng racked his brains but still couldn't figure out what was so good about this move. It was impossible to predict the future landscape now, or that this piece would play a big role like an ambush later on.
This is almost impossible, because the second half of the game is completely unpredictable. You can't have whatever situation you want. The opponent's missteps or other clever moves can completely change the situation and lead to a future that no one knows.

It's fair to say that even if you were to travel back to the beginning of a match after finishing one, the outcome would still be uncertain, because your opponent would also change their strategy after you changed yours, and the future would be completely different.

In this situation, being able to predict what will happen in the second half of the game isn't calculation; it's foresight!
Although Yi Zheng believed that Ke Lao's calculation ability was indeed unparalleled, predicting the future was a superpower...

However, it seems quite normal for a ghost like Old Ke to have superpowers...

But surely Mr. Conan doesn't have superpowers, right?

Looking at Yi Zheng, who was still puzzled, Old Ke replied very seriously, "Don't you think he's handsome?"

“It’s really handsome.”

A single piece placed high on the seventh line is practically a spacewalk.

It's safe to say this isn't human Go!

Upon hearing this, Old Ke simply shrugged and said, "That's settled then, as long as he's handsome, that's all that matters!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zheng turned to look at the serious-looking Old Ke with a completely bewildered expression. "You mean, you did this just to look cool?"
I'm going to work early!

I'll fuck you!

Are you even human?!
Yi Zheng had countless curses he wanted to utter. Right now, everyone in the comments section was speculating about what Ke Lao's intentions were behind this unexpected move, and Ke Lao's answer was simply to show off.

Looking back now, Yi Zheng realizes that after this game ends, many people will probably still be speculating about the intention behind this move, what role it played, and might even write short analyses.

Even many professional players will write various commentaries on this game and give all sorts of evaluations of this move, whether good or bad.

But they never imagined that Old Ke's move was just to show off.

Who could have thought of this!

"Aren't you afraid of crashing? You're really getting cocky!"

Yi Zheng was at a loss for words. Did letting Ke Lao win against Li Junhe give him so much confidence? He even dared to play this kind of game!

The opponent is, after all, China's number one player, ranked second in the world, and the reigning Chinese Go Saint! He's just a player in his early twenties, in the prime of his life!

Old Ke dares to play these fancy tricks now? Unbelievable, utterly inconceivable!
They've gotten too cocky! They've really gotten too cocky this time!

Upon hearing this, Old Ke shook his head: "Being handsome is one thing, but this move won't lower the win rate by two or three points. I'm very careful! Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so conservative."

Watch closely, now comes the real show! I'll stick it on and fly it outwards, swallowing those two little black guys in the bottom left corner! I'm going to claim the left side!

PS: Please give me your monthly votes, brothers!

(End of this chapter)