The work of the Go master

"It really is only five days, but he at least knows how to play large chessboards. If you have time, please help him with some pointers. Consider 1000 yuan as tuition." Harushima Shika said indifferently, putting on an air of not knowing Keiji Hikaru.

Yoshida's hands were itching to get started.

Actually, he didn't want to play chess with Ke Zhiguang, not mainly because the stakes were low, but because he was a bit timid. He was self-aware of his own chess skills and wouldn't easily sit down at the table until he understood his opponent's strength.

The reason he dared to play chess with the White-tailed Fox was because the fox gave him a handicap of a few pieces.

1000 yuan is still money, who wouldn't want to earn it?

“Since Ms. Harujima has said so, I have no choice but to take some time to instruct you.” Yoshida perked up and sat down opposite Keiji.

this......

Did the "Challenge Questionnaire" really work?

Koji Mitsu and Harujima Shika behind Yoshida exchanged a glance.

Harushima Shika nodded and gave Yoshida a thumbs-up from behind.

The gist is perhaps—

"Help me take this guy down."

Ke Zhiguang got a general understanding.

Perhaps this guy named Yoshida was so unpopular in this Go room that even the staff wanted to punish him.

Ke Zhiguang also gave an OK sign.

Yoshida also placed a 1000 yen note in his hand, matching the amount of the bet by Keiji Hikaru. Obviously, this copy of "Jump" was excluded from the bet.

Both sides had banknotes on their sides, a setup somewhat like middle-aged women playing mahjong, where the money had to be on the table.

Harujima Kazuya watched Keiji's face from the side, pursing her lips in deep thought.

From Wednesday evening to now, Sunday morning, it has indeed been less than five days.

Even though he had only been playing Go for five days, Harushima Kaori had the illusion that he had been playing Go for a long time. So much so that when she was helping him with his game records, she overlooked the fact that he was still a novice.

—Come on, let me see what you can learn in five days.

Guess the result first, Ke will play light and black.

"My turn, first strike!"

Of course, I didn't shout it out.

Black's star point and small eye point counter White's two-star point, corner approach, and small knight's move, following the established pattern.

The bamboo rat also appeared on Yoshida's plate. Although it is a rodent, it looks unexpectedly cute. As for the specific species... maybe it's a bamboo rat?

But after only a few moves, the "Basket Mouse" was suddenly startled and hid under the table.

The basket mouse was frightened by the lucky cat.

[Thinking Frustration Level +10%]

[Spoon-over rate +30%]

[Affected by off-market activities +20%]

A series of negative buffs were applied to the basket rat's head.

Ke Zhiguang was stunned and turned to look at the lucky cat on the counter.

So this lucky cat is actually something that inflicts debuffs on people?

I have a feeling that I've discovered some incredible secret.

Chapter Seventeen, Eighteen and a Half Eyes

To be honest, it's not entirely incomprehensible. It's like carrying a Guanyin statue to ward off evil spirits and also as a save point in a horror game; or carrying a Guan Yu figurine to increase your fighting power and even form a sworn brotherhood.

Placing a lucky cat figurine will naturally help catch mice.

This logic is both logical and bizarre.

"Please wait a moment, I'd like to see this lucky cat." Ke Zhiguang suddenly stood up.

"Huh?" Yoshida was completely bewildered. What did this have to do with the lucky cat?

"Just consider it a prayer, for good luck."

Upon encountering the lucky cat, new instructions appeared.

[Spiritual Object: Maneki-neko (Lucky Cat)]

【Function: A tool that brings good fortune to the Go room, but it can also affect the performance of certain types of players】

[Additional note: This only affects your stats, not your actual strength.]

It turned out to be the case.

In any sport, the athlete's performance is crucial. Even athletes in their prime may occasionally have a bad day or two.

The same applies to Go players; there are also differences in their performance, whether they are in good form or not.

No athlete would ever feel that defeating an opponent was unfair just because the opponent was not in good form.

If anyone is to blame, it's that the shop's feng shui is incompatible with Yoshida's birth date and time.

Placing a lucky cat here doesn't affect the balance.

Ke Zhiguang politely bowed to the lucky cat before returning to the chessboard.

When he returned, he found that the white pieces had made a low approach to his small eye, and Ke Zhiguang immediately pressed forward with a pincer attack.

Yoshida didn't bother to think too much and flew up without hesitation.

Just as Ke Zhiguang was about to place his piece and climb out... his hand stopped in mid-air, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

Maybe we can use that.

What I learned from "Analysis of Scam Tricks" —

He moved the pieces two spaces to the left, thus creating two gaps.

"Ok?"

Yoshida's expression changed slightly because of this unusual move.

A dark aura descended, and a murky, white noise drifted over, as if one were walking through a swampy, dark forest.

The [Basket Mouse] also lay beside Yoshida's hand, staring nervously at the chessboard.

Harushima Kaoru, who was watching the game from the side, choked up a little, covered her face and rubbed her forehead.

Ke Zhiguang's move is a famous deceptive move, a starting move that scores "18.5 points".

It first appeared in 1842 when Ota Yuzo, one of the Tenpo Four Masters, played against Shusaku, the last ancient Go master of Japan.

Although Shusaku, who was only 13 years old at the time, did not fall for the scam, the consequences of the successful deception were so terrifying that they instilled great fear in people.

Moreover, due to the unique nature of the board, it is highly valuable for teaching, and its classic status is comparable to the Monkey King hitting the Water Spirit in TI8, to the point that this deceptive move has its own name.

Yoshida's surprise lasted less than a second before he made his move with lightning speed. In his view, if he continued with this move, the black pieces would automatically fall apart.

—As expected, he's just a guy who's only been learning chess for five days.

The motions—pumping, bending, sticking, sticking again, clamping, and standing—all flowed smoothly and logically.

Break through -

Click!

Yoshida pondered for a long time. If he wasn't mistaken, this seemed to be a battle of wits, requiring calculation of the race between their energies.

If it's going to be a direct confrontation, he'd have to throw a downward strike himself, and then...

During his long period of contemplation, Harushima Deer shook her head and walked away, going to the counter to drink her milk in peace.

This person has already fallen into the trap; they're thinking inside the trap, not outside it.

Ten minutes later, a smile suddenly appeared on his lips as he grabbed a chess piece and slammed it down!

—My breath is even longer!

Ke Zhiguang made his move without making a sound or showing any sign of hostility.

Turn, block, break, roll—everything unfolded exactly as Yoshida had calculated.

Jump, spike, stick, and then board – the outcome of the fight is obvious; he just barely manages to kill his opponent in one fell swoop!

Pull it out in one last breath!

Five black stones were plucked off the board with a clatter, each stone seemingly worth 200 yen in Yoshida's mind.

but--

Something feels off.

Yoshida composed himself and raised his body slightly, making the entire chessboard seem clearer.

this......

The black stones are way too thick on the outside!

The moment he saw the chessboard clearly, several thick walls slammed down in front of the [Basket Rat], trapping it inside like livestock.

In Go, territory is divided into two parts: territory and influence. Territory is the territory that has already been enclosed, while influence is the potential territory. The so-called joseki (standard opening sequence) is basically an exchange of territory and influence.

But the sheer thickness of the wall before Yoshida was truly spectacular, unlike anything he had ever seen before. It rose from one road to six, and on the other side was seven, with a small bend in the wall. It was an impenetrable, super-thick wall, without a single break in its entirety. Even the first road was welded shut. This was just too absurd!

Looking at it this way, the corner he ate himself seems really insignificant!

Yoshida shook his head, thinking he should be more optimistic. After all, he had captured five stones, which was worth ten points. Adding in other points, it should be quite a lot.

At least... at least 25 mesh, right?

Besides, this was originally a black corner, but now it belongs to white. Thinking about it this way, it's not just not a loss, it's a huge gain!

Just as I was trying to comfort myself, Shizuka Harushima, while tidying up books at the counter and drinking milk, spoke up: "This is a famous deceptive move, 18.5 points. It's called that because in this corner, White only occupies 18.5 points. It looks big, but it's actually only this small."

"Only...only 18.5 points?" Yoshida's jaw almost dropped onto the chessboard, and [Basket Mouse] was also stunned.

"If you don't believe me, you can count the points. Make sure to include the black stone you captured earlier. Many fake Go teachers always overlook this stone when explaining this trick, ending up with 17.5 points," said Harushima Shika indifferently, neither mocking nor encouraging. Although some stakes were placed in this game, it was nominally a training game, so it was fine to offer some explanations that wouldn't affect the subsequent progress of the game.