The work of the Go master

The last empty corner was finally occupied by the bamboo sword forging.

"It was actually quite exciting. The two sides didn't fill all four corners until the 50th move," said Harushima Shika.

Generally speaking, the first four moves are to occupy the corners, but there are also cases where the third and fourth moves are to probe for a response in the corners, and the corners are only occupied in the sixth or seventh move.

It is extremely rare for a player to occupy all four corners of a game by the 50th move.

Reiko said, "If I remember correctly, the ancient Go master Shusaku also played a similar game. The two sides fought fiercely for more than a hundred moves, and both had time to take care of the empty corner in the lower right corner."

"It seems so, but I actually think it's more likely that they got too caught up in the action and forgot they hadn't taken over one corner..." Harushima Shika muttered to himself.

In her opinion, it was simply that Ke Zhiguang hadn't noticed that the lower left corner of the chessboard was empty for a moment.

On the chessboard, Ke Zhiguang paused for a moment, seemingly stunned, as he faced the 50th move made by Zhu Daoduan.

Why is that place empty?

Is this the skill of Brother Duanzi? Even under the pressure of 10-second rapid chess, he can still have a comprehensive view of the whole game.

Not to be underestimated!

Thinking this, Koji Hikaru frowned repeatedly, turned his legs to one side, and forced himself into his usual sitting position on the tatami mat where there was no chair.

Thinking, I began to sink.

Even though it's just an empty corner, forging a bamboo knife feels like getting a bargain.

—This corner is clearly empty, why doesn't he occupy it?

—Could it be that his strategy for this game is a big one?

To execute their tactics, they actually left a corner unoccupied—such confidence and far-sighted strategy...

Not to be underestimated!

As he pondered this, the bamboo swordsmith unconsciously began biting his thumbnail—a gesture born from his state of deep thought.

The thought process begins to converge.

"I... I have a feeling that these two clashed in some very strange place..." Harushima Shika's face twitched, and her eyebrows twitched.

The game continued peacefully, progressing, progressing...

Each ten seconds stretched into a long unit of time, within which the two men faced each other from a distant high place, each waiting for their chance to strike.

As his gaze swept upwards, taking in the entire scene at a glance, a sudden flash of inspiration pierced through Ke Zhiguang's mind, making his eyes twitch, as if Conan had discovered a clue.

This, this is...

On this seemingly ordinary and uneventful chess game, Ke Zhiguang discovered, discovered, an extraordinary variation.

A change chart that sends chills down your spine, yet is also incredibly inspiring.

If this variation can be successfully implemented, this game will likely become another masterpiece of the century.

However, it requires the cooperation of the opponent.

63 consecutive blocks, 65 long head, 67 capture! The strength of the pieces of both sides has come into contact for the first time!

Both players are masters of close combat; in Go terminology, they are known for their strength and ability to move close to their opponent's pieces.

A series of sparks flew across the chessboard, each move displaying decisiveness and ruthlessness.

"Come on, discover this transformation diagram, Forging!" From the metaphysical heights, Ke Zhiguang shouted to the bamboo sword forging on the other side.

The special effects of all the chess pieces coalesced into a challenge envelope, which Ke Zhiguang then slashed at the bamboo sword forging with a single burst of power.

As if hearing the shout, Bamboo Sword Forger reached out and firmly grasped the challenge letter in his hand.

He also saw the incredible variation that could span the entire chessboard.

Bold.

It is visually striking.

It's both exhilarating and terrifying.

Every chess player dreams of leaving behind such a masterpiece for future generations to admire.

However, there's no turning back once the arrow is released; once this challenge is accepted, there's no turning back but to see the changes through to the end.

Moreover, it's impossible to judge the gains and losses after the change. It could mean his entire situation collapses immediately, or it could mean Ke Zhiguang's crushing defeat. If it's a 50/50 situation, that would be great.

But in any case, once this variation is formed, everyone watching this game will be utterly astonished.

What should we do?

The surrounding scenery began to change dramatically, and the art style transformed into a bizarre, otherworldly aesthetic.

In the bustling city, he and Ke Zhiguang were located on two separate skyscrapers, looking at each other from afar. The colors of the sky became distinctly red and blue, just like the opening sequence of "Death Note".

“10、9、8......3、2、1——”

As the countdown was about to reach zero, Bamboo Sword Forge opened his eyes and slammed the chess piece down.

The pieces that had been captured earlier were forcibly dragged out.

To put it bluntly, this action is—

challenge accepted!

They nodded simultaneously and leaped from the skyscraper! Clamped to the crystal-like building, they plummeted downwards!

69 hit, 70 run, 71 hit again, 72 run again!

Four consecutive attacks resulted in a flashing "4-hit" message on the chessboard, accompanied by a sound effect similar to that of an arcade game.

The conquest begins.

The people around him gradually looked surprised and suspicious, and even the notarizer paused for a moment.

"That shogun, you can't get rid of him, can you?" Reiko asked in surprise.

"Yes, it can't be defeated; it will crash into the head of the demon sword in the lower right corner." Shinobu Shika nodded.

The capture of stones is the most basic concept in Go, commonly known as "the sheep's head." It is a concept used to introduce Go to children, who are taught about liberties and the most basic calculations in Go.

Let alone professional chess players, even a preschooler who has studied for a little over a week wouldn't make a mistake, they just need to spend time calculating.

But for professional chess players, this is a result that can be calculated at a glance.

However, there are exceptions. For example, in episode 6 of "Go Master", Jiang Liuer and Jin Weiyuan, the head of Xijin Go Academy, who is known for his top-notch dragon-slaying skills, went head-to-head. The special effects were all over the place, with dragons and dragon-slaying axes, giving people a feeling of how powerful they were.

When you look at the board, it's just a very basic ladder move, isn't it? With such a basic concept, how could the two of them fight so fiercely? Is this how you slay a dragon at your Xijin Chess Academy?

But the current situation seems to be unfolding according to a similar script.

79打吃！80再跑！81打吃，83继续跑！连击的数字已经到10了，10hit！

The special effects of the attacks were so intense they almost made the chessboard explode. Every strike was a clash of blades with Shura, and the firelight illuminated the two men's faces as they fought for their lives.

Starting from the upper left of the chessboard, the two seemed to twist and intertwine, as if they had activated the Lotus Flower in the air at a height of 10,000 meters, and were falling to the ground together.

Starting from the upper left corner of the board, it rotates diagonally towards the lower right corner, passing through the center point (Tengen) along the way, representing the maximum distance on the board.

“This is, a live sign…” Harujima Shika moved her eyes in surprise.

Although a failed capture attempt will have dire consequences, with double-target attacks covering the entire board and leaving it in ruins, a live capture attempt is indeed a viable strategy.

"There is a famous game in medieval Go called 'Living Capture,' which is a game between Shi Xiangxia, one of the Go Saints of the Middle Ages, and Zhang Zhenxi. In that game, Shi Xiangxia built a strong position on the entire board through living capture, and then annihilated Zhang Zhenxi's dragon of nearly 40 stones. It was an amazing tactical concept."

On the board in this game, the end of that live ko is the very place where the Demon Blade joseki was first placed in the lower right corner. That place is a bomb, and the purpose of the live ko is to detonate this bomb and capture a huge territory of 80 points in one fell swoop.

A Muramasa demon sword is stuck at the bottom of the skyscraper, waiting for the moment it will be pulled out.

No one expected that the initial Demon Blade opening, although it did not involve a flying knife, was itself a knife—relative to the entire chessboard.

"So, can this game also be recorded in the history of famous games?"

"Pretty much... Damn it, he got away with it again!"

Everyone watching the game on TV was stunned. The referees even stood up, adjusted their glasses, and made sure they weren't seeing things.

"A lively, lively naming contest!"

The last piece of the living form was swept down by Ke Zhiguang in the form of a beam of light!

97 moves! A slap in the face to the White's opening move in the previous Demon Blade opening!

With her final move, Biao Lianhua slapped her opponent into a pile of dirt!

In that metaphysical world, the Muramasa Demon Sword reappeared in Koji Hikaru's hands, and as it fell, it slashed at Shura!

The shockwave from the sword shattered the art style of the otherworld, uprooting buildings. Both sides finally retreated back to the real world, beginning to survey the entire chessboard and calculate gains and losses.

A giant white python swept across the city, destroying surrounding buildings and leaving the entire city in ruins.

However, in the lower right corner of the board, the black pieces have built an astonishing fortress, like a survivor's stronghold in a post-apocalyptic world.

After letting the flames of war burn silently in the city for a while, and having weighed the gains and losses, Bamboo Sword Forge straightened his back and let out a soft sigh.

"I lost, so let's leave this game's score as it is, clean and brilliant." After saying this, Taketoto stood up, and the clock next to him was turned off.

The referee paused for a moment before announcing, "Ke Zhiguang wins this round."

"Thank you for your guidance."

The sound of countless cameras rang out all around, capturing the chess players and the game in the same frame while they were still there.

Reiko said in surprise, "Eh? You've already given up? I thought after such an amazing battle and tactics, the two of them would play for a long time."

"This is actually a good thing. Even though Black played for so long and had many weaknesses, those remaining stones were actually quite useful. If the game had continued like this, White might have lost by more than 60 points. Resigning now and making it a clean and exciting game record is indeed an ideal choice," said Shiro Harushima.

This is also one of the uncertainties in rapid chess. Players have a little time to calculate, but absolutely no time to calculate the gains and losses after a major exchange. They often have to wait until the pieces are completely on the board before they can figure out whether they are winning or losing.

Before the lotus flower fell to the ground, no one knew which side was bleeding more.

Of course, for such an artistic game as "live checkmate" to be presented on the chessboard, both sides need to reach a tacit understanding and actively engage in the artistic creation together. If one side flips the table, the work cannot be completed.

"Ultimately, the record of a game of Go needs to be completed by two people working together," Harushima Shika suddenly said in a low voice, her eyebrows slightly lowered, as if her mood had been somewhat fluctuating.

But Reiko didn't sense this emotional shift and asked with her usual cheerfulness, "So, Princess Harushima, what are some of your most satisfying game records so far?"

This statement also has another layer of meaning: which competitor satisfies you?

That's of course...

—Let's get down to business! Let's get down to business!