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

Chapter 298

"Now, every step we take is like walking on thin ice. The time it took us to take just a few steps here is more than the time it took to take hundreds of steps before."

After talking about Jiang Mobai's game for a while, Anjing switched the computer screen back to Yi Zheng's game, only to find that Chu Tianjiao had not yet made a move.

The camera zooms in on Chu Tianjiao, whose elbows are pressed tightly against the edge of the chessboard, his broad hands almost covering half of his face, and his index and middle fingers unconsciously fiddling with the black pieces that are still peeking out from the edge of the chess set.

Just by looking at the images, it's clear that Chu Tianjiao is under a lot of pressure right now.

Jin Wan took a sip of tea from the glass provided by her unit and calmly said, "It's normal. The battle between the two sides here will most likely determine the outcome of this round, so every step must be taken with utmost care."

Just like Chu Tianjiao had been trying to make the block above the first move, but Yi Zheng stubbornly held back to prevent him from forming an eye, even if it meant preserving the life and death of the upper left corner, all for the sake of this cross in move 108, which is the most critical point in the chess formation.

Based on my past experience, such complex battles will eventually evolve into a close fight where one player is just one breath away from winning. So it all comes down to who is the last one standing.

Victory or defeat hinges on a single breath; it's both frustrating and brutal.

However, it seems that Yi Zheng has a slight advantage at the moment, because he still has almost an hour left, while Chu Tianjiao has run out of time.

The cold, electronic notification tone arrived as scheduled: "Beep—10…9…"

The synthesized voice echoed in the quiet square like the first tolling of a death knell.

As Chu Tianjiao listened to the ten-second countdown, he knew he was about to enter the countdown phase and didn't have much time to think.

Chu Tianjiao really wanted to charge straight in, but he was worried that once Yi Zheng was established, he wouldn't be able to defeat him. If that happened, things would get really complicated.

There isn't much time to calculate right now. Although there's still a countdown time, we need to reserve some for the second half of the game.

Otherwise, if the situation is very close and there is no time left in the second half of the game, the probability of a reversal is also very high.

Thinking of this, Chu Tianjiao didn't want to use the countdown timer anymore and directly chose the second lane.

Yi Zheng, who had been sitting upright like a rock, visibly paused.

As he prepared to face the opponent's fierce onslaught, the white piece between his fingers had already quietly moved to the optimal "stand" position, like a sniper locking onto a target.

As a result, Chu Tianjiao did not charge?

Yi Zheng was stunned when he saw this step, and countless greeting animation effects flashed through his mind.

According to his calculations, if Chu Tianjiao charged directly over, and Yi Zheng stood still, the outcome of their fight here would be uncertain, and Yi Zheng wasn't in a hurry to start fighting up there.

However, after Chu Tianjiao's second-line sweep, the situation completely changed.

"No, take another look to make sure there's nothing wrong."

Chu Tianjiao's move actually confused Yi Zheng, forcing Yi Zheng to spend time proving that his move was a mistake.

Because of this, which was only visible to Yi Zheng from his perspective, Ding Zhen and Chu Tianjiao's appearance made Yi Zheng worry that there might be something he hadn't seen.

However, after five minutes, Yi Zheng still couldn't figure it out, and could only conclude that Chu Tianjiao had made a mistake.

Yi Zheng estimated that, according to what Ke Lao said, Chu Tianjiao's chances of winning had dropped from around 50% to at least 10%.

Simply put, the situation on the sidelines, which was initially a 50/50 stalemate, has suddenly turned into a major disadvantage for Black.

It only took one step!
Heinous villain!
Yi Zheng couldn't help but think: He's bad, I'm in the bag!
Sometimes, the outcome of the whole thing can be determined by just one or two steps.

If you're too timid at that step, you might be doomed; if you're too aggressive, you might also be doomed.

The focal point, which was tense and balanced like the meshing of gears in a precision clock, was instantly set off like a domino effect by the fall of this black piece!
But without a doubt, Chu Tianjiao gave Yi Zheng a perfect opportunity to show off his skills. Those guys from Northeast China are so hospitable! I'd feel bad if I didn't show off a little!

Yi Zheng hesitated again, then picked up a chess piece and placed it directly on the chessboard.

Move 110, White, extend!
Seeing the emerging signs, Chu Tianjiao didn't hesitate; at this point, he had no choice but to charge.

But by then it's too late to rush in!
"If we didn't seize the opportunity when we should have, we can't afford to miss this chance!"

Yi Zheng couldn't help but curl one corner of his mouth into a smile, but when he remembered what strange, crooked-mouthed dragon king TV series Old Ke had watched, he couldn't help but put his smile back down.

A crooked smile with one side of the mouth turned up is really ugly. It looks like a brand logo is stuck on your face, which affects your image.

Yi Zheng glanced at the chessboard, repeatedly confirmed that there were no problems, and then nodded. Finally, he placed his piece on the perfect spot that he had already calculated.

Move 112, White, cut!

"Excellent!"

Upon seeing this, Jin Wan, a 9-dan professional football player, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. With this move, Chu Tianjiao was completely immobilized.

Chu Tianjiao could see it now, and felt as if his whole body had been acupunctured, his whole body was a little numb.

Wan Jun's brute strength was unsettled, and he didn't know how to release it.

Because it's too late to rush down now, Yi Zheng can directly capture the two small black stones in the center. Once White makes eyes and lives, the thick black stones on both sides will instantly become isolated.

Thickness is relative; after all, nothing is thicker than a pair of two eyes.

"Forcing a fight won't work."

Chu Tianjiao couldn't help but rub his face; the problem was getting serious.

Yi Zheng also made a clear judgment: "Chu Tianjiao has no choice but to stick to him now."

As Yi Zhenghe predicted, no matter how unwilling Chu Tianjiao was, this was his only choice.

And once it's stuck, then...

"Take a breather."

Looking at the still incomplete formation on the board, Jin Wan, a 9-dan professional Go player, already knew what was going to happen based on his experience.

"This calamity seems to be slightly more advantageous to Chu Tianjiao."

Looking at the ko fight that had formed above, Anjing 3-dan couldn't help but ask, "Because now, the one-liberty-second move is Yi Zheng's move. Yi Zheng must still block on the right side to gain one liberty in order to kill the black stones."

"It seems to be slightly advantageous for Black, but in reality, this piece is far too heavy for Chu Tianjiao."

If he loses, he's completely finished. Even if he wins, Yi Zheng has ways to resolve things peacefully without harming himself.

This is getting complicated.

Jin Wan, a ninth-dan player, couldn't help but shake his head, already practically sentencing Chu Tianjiao to death in his heart.

Jiang Mobai appeared beside the chessboard at some point to watch the game: "Chu Tianjiao's brute force is useless, he's beaten like this."

"Alas, when it comes to sheer power, you'll have to see my overwhelming strength! I'll show you how I can crush a thousand armies with my bare hands!"

(End of this chapter)