The work of the Go master

But he soon felt the pressure coming from both sides.

Ke Zhiguang and Zhu Daoduan worked in perfect unison, unleashing a barrage of attacks from Xuan Yuzhi using their folding fans.

"You two..." A barely perceptible blue vein throbbed on Xuan Yuzhi's forehead, and his fist gradually hardened.

"I swear that the competition will be conducted in accordance with the principles of fairness and impartiality." Everyone recited this, creating an incredibly powerful atmosphere.

After the applause, Xia Fuying officially announced: "This battle of renowned generals has officially begun!"

Amidst a storm of camera shutter clicks, flames burst forth.

......

......

After the start of the competition was announced, the chess academy quickly became crowded with people.

The leaders and the 9-dan players chatted and laughed together as they entered the VIP room to enjoy the fruit platters and snacks that had been prepared in advance.

Xuan Yuzhi quickly drove away.

Today's competition was held inside the chess academy. Everyone went to their assigned seats according to the number plates they had been given beforehand, and the chess academy gradually quieted down.

Ke Zhiguang arrived at his seat, where his opponent for the day was already seated.

Atsuki Oki, 8-dan, was defeated by Koji Mitsuaki in early December, which is how Koji Mitsuaki won the Tokyo TV Quick Go Cup.

“We meet again, Koji Mitsuaki.” Atsuki shrugged his muscular shoulders.

"It's a pleasure to see you again on the field, Oki-senpai."

Hmm... this nickname always gives me a Jay Chou vibe.

"Alright, we've competed for the championship before, let's skip the formalities. Your success back then prevented me from having a proper holiday with my child." Atsuki Oki cracked his neck, making a popping sound.

“Then please come and take your revenge, senior.” Ke Zhiguang naturally returned the courtesy.

Before the official start of the match, there was a period of waiting. The two sat at the table to adjust their state and feel the light from the window.

During this time, a waiter from inside the chess academy brought a plate of snacks and drinks and placed it next to Ke Zhiguang, saying it was a gift from the leader who had given Ke Zhiguang his business card earlier.

Ke Zhiguang, of course, happily enjoyed it and thanked the leader.

"You're really quite composed. Are you so confident you can beat me? The last time you defeated me was in a rapid chess tournament, while the first round of this tournament has a reserve time of up to 3 hours, which is my area of ​​expertise," Atsuki Oki asked with a smile.

If it were an ordinary player of the same age, they might be unhappy about Koji Hikaru getting free snacks, but Oki Atsuki, being a married man, just smiled calmly.

"That's wonderful. There's nothing more satisfying than defeating someone else in their area of ​​expertise. Besides... I've made quite a bit of progress lately," Ke Zhiguang replied calmly, his juice glass never leaving his hand.

After a month of training and preparation, and countless instructions on optional missions, Ke Zhiguang believes he has made considerable progress and learned a great deal during this period.

During the day, I would grind points at the chess academy, and in the afternoon, I would clock out early and then go to the school to grind a few more points. My daily maximum score could reach 225 points.

In the evening, I would practice music on my computer until 3:30 a.m., and then use the power of the cozy little house to quickly regain my energy so that I could be at work refreshed and energetic at 9 a.m.

The more you study these game records that are hailed as divine moves, the more you feel their relevance to your own game, and the more you understand their power.

It's time to unleash my power, like a blow that breaks free of chains.

"Now, let's start guessing!" the command came over the loudspeaker.

The chess players, who were chatting and laughing in front of the chessboard just a moment ago, immediately became serious and entered a fighting mode.

Atsuki Oki also decisively reached into the Go box and grabbed a handful of Go pieces.

Guessing the odds, guessing correctly, playing black.

"You've gotten the black pieces again. Will you continue with your Light Flow?" Atsuki Ōki asked, still feeling a bit unsatisfied.

Recently, more and more people have started to choose this move. Some statistics show that in recent times, this style of play has accounted for as much as 30% of formal professional chess games.

No problem. After all, in its previous life, the Mini China style was popular from the mid-1990s to the first decade of the new century, proving its enduring appeal and durability.

Its characteristics include efficient layout and rapid formation of a battle situation, making it one of the representative works of violent Go.

Therefore, registering this genre in advance using one's own name is indeed a wise move.

Although there was no financial gain, it was still a lot of fun.

"We will continue on this path, but with slight changes," Ke Zhiguang replied after a moment's thought.

"Alright, I hope this isn't just a pre-match smokescreen."

After the pieces were placed, both sides immediately fell silent. The four corners were occupied, and the fifth move was still on Ke Zhiguang's side.

Hanging at the corner, Xiao Fei guarding the corner, everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

The seventh move – is placed.

Atsuki Oki's expression remained calm, indicating that Koji Mitsuaki was still a man of his word, and that he meant what he said about exposing someone.

Just as he was about to respond, his expression suddenly changed.

—No, this is not the flow of light.

The piece that should have been placed to the side of the star point was actually moved slightly one space towards our own small objective.

It really is just a "slight change".

Such tiny differences along the way can easily go unnoticed.

—So this school of thought should be called... the Stream of Distorted Light?

Atsuki Oki was puzzled.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Alright, let's continue playing chess today!

"Oh? Ke Zhiguang has come up with a new trick on the chessboard again?" The astute camera crew quickly caught this news, and the camera lens quietly moved over.

The chess academy has a very spacious area with large gaps between seats, allowing cameras to move around quietly.

In the center of the frame, Koji Hikaru maintains a calm and composed sitting posture, while opposite him, Atsuki Oki adopts a posture of anxious contemplation because of this move.

It's just the planning stage, and the differences along the way won't cause too much change—of course, this only applies to the path of left and right swaying. If it's the path of up and down fluctuation, then the variables will be much greater.

Therefore, this move... is just a gimmick!

After clearing his mind, the fog surrounding Atsuki Oki suddenly dissipated.

On the eighth move, a piece was thrown into the area below Ke Zhiguang's star point.

The Light Stream has been around for a few months now, and many research associations are keen to invest a lot of time in this style, studying local offense and defense. They can't say they've completely cracked it, but at least they have basic countermeasures.

Just as "when faced with a difficult situation, play a small trick," when indecisive, one should choose one option over the other.

Forced into position, then launched into the air, then countered with a sharp turn, the local shape was finalized, followed by a rotation of the four corners, and the chessboard was quickly cut into several opposing fortresses.

Although both sides had three hours of preparation time, they played very quickly, neither wanting to fall behind in terms of momentum.

28 pulls, 29 bends, 30 tiger wrench—

—Shhhhh! (Oh no!)

The moment the piece was placed, Atsuki Ōki's hand jerked violently, as if struck by an electric current.

Although he made the move, the electric current it emitted also pierced him solidly.

Casual chess.

From a local perspective, this is the expected final step in the standard opening sequence, but from a global perspective, it may not be a good move.

—At times like this, all you can do is pray that your opponent follows suit.

As soon as he finished thinking about it, Ke Zhiguang had already drawn the chess piece and raised his arm as if he were raising a knife.

Break it!

Atsuki Ōki felt like he was about to vomit blood.

—It really downloaded instantly!

The mournful sound of metal joints being forcibly twisted emanated from the chessboard, and sparks immediately flew from the thick white stones.

Two black pieces, like restless pebbles, got stuck at the meshing point of the gears, making the whole machine struggle to breathe.

However, if we were to use another move to remove these two stones, the overall efficiency would be too low.

The game reached a stalemate, with White's time ticking away alone on the clock.

Atsuki Oki lowered his body and stared intently at the Go board.

5 minutes passed.

10 minutes passed.

Then 15 minutes later...

While the other person was deep in thought, Ke Zhiguang was able to sneak in some drinks and snacks.

To be honest, this kind of three-hour chess game isn't very friendly to him. Sometimes, even when he's thinking about the game, his mind will suddenly wander to what to eat for dinner.

Therefore, while the other party was deep in thought, I quickly took a break from my busy schedule to relax for a bit.

The "Transformed Light" style, officially called the "Transformed Chinese Style," is characterized by its disregard for outstretched pieces and a greater focus on efficiency in the corners.

For a period of time in my past life, the Mini Chinese style was played every day, and it could be played out in five out of ten games. Eventually, someone got tired of it and simply shifted the pieces to the small eye side, which eventually created a completely different situation. This style was also known as the modified Chinese style.

The translation is: ...First, we need to secure a solid base. As for that undervalued piece, take it or leave it. We should make the most of our resource management tactics.

It seems to be quite effective now.

Atsuki Oki is deeply mired in a period of deep contemplation.

Inside the VIP box, the leaders and senior 9-dan players watched the game with composure and great interest.

"This is Kezhiguang, which you've been very optimistic about lately?" said a professional manager dressed in well-tailored designer clothes.

“Yes, his games have been incredibly fast and efficient lately. Look at his time now, he’s only used 15 minutes, while 8-dan Oki has already used almost half an hour,” a 9-dan player replied.

"One of the Five Heroes of the New Era, is that how you all describe him?"

"It's just a title that a small group of editors at 'Between Black and White I' came up with, but it's actually quite accurate, and there really aren't any more outstanding young people than those five."

"Has he ever endorsed any products? For example, I'd like to put a milk endorsement deal on him; he probably wouldn't refuse, right?"

Endorsing high-protein products like milk, which are beneficial for intellectual development, is common practice in the chess world.