The work of the Go master

Given that Yagami Kunikyo has more than 70% of the say, it's basically like he can decide when to fight.

So far, there is only a vague start time for the war, and no specific rules. It is possible that he will come up with another tricky rule similar to the Dragon Throne team battle.

"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I have a feeling that Koichi Hikaru will come up with something new in this Oshiro Go tournament," said Narita Shunji.

Yamaoka nodded: "Yes, I also believe that he can really win this title and become an unprecedented holder of two major titles."

"No, no, no, I meant doing something funny, not winning the championship... or rather, not just winning the championship." Narita Shunji shook his head in denial.

Noriyuki Sasahara immediately chimed in, "He's probably going to dismantle something again."

"That's right, this is it!"

“He destroyed a ship during the Dragon Throne battle, so as the counterpart to the shipwreck, it’s very likely that it’s an air disaster!” The two of them said in unison.

"No, no, no, playing chess on an airplane isn't very realistic, is it..." Yamaoka said, but what he was thinking was... if they really did end up playing chess on an airplane, he would never get on that plane!

"I meant airships. Don't you think airships are a great element for a disaster scenario?"

"To be honest, airship technology is already obsolete. Even if it develops for another 40 years, we'll only see it in fantasy works." A voice came from the side.

"Oh? Is that so? That's a real shame—no! Why are you here at work?!" Narita Shunji was so startled that he fell off the railing of the courtyard.

Instantly, everyone in the chess academy turned their attention to this side, and countless new chess players looked on with admiration.

Ke Zhiguang cut short his vacation and appeared here, with Qingdaolu also showing up.

"Senior! Please play against me!"

"Senior Ke Zhiguang! I've always been your fan, and even if I'm given a three-stone handicap, I'm still willing to go down!"

"And me, I've been studying the 'Old Man Pushing a Cart' game, the tortoise shell pattern, and in mahjong, I've been researching self-draws and so on!"

Harushima Shika snapped, "What's with that last one?! Get out of here!"

The atmosphere at the chess academy immediately became lively because of Ke Zhiguang's appearance.

Hmm... Although I had expected my appearance to cause quite a stir, I didn't expect my influence to be so strong.

Yamaoka looked at Koji Mitsuaki, his cheek twitching, and said, "You're already a 9th dan... and you're still coming to work?"

If it were anyone else who had reached the ninth dan, they might have pretended to be reserved for a few days before going to work, but if it were Ke Zhiguang, then without a doubt, he would be the kind of person who would forget even the company address!

"Ahem, let's get started on today's work. First... as usual, Yamaoka, you step forward!" Ke Zhiguang got straight to the point, pointing in the air.

"Why is it me again?!" Yamaoka angrily tried to flip the table.

"Well, I've recently developed a new tactic, and I'd like to have you try it out," Ke Zhiguang said abstractly.

Yamaoka understood the abstract meaning, and his brows twitched involuntarily.

Ke Zhiguang's meaning is roughly that... once a new tactic is developed, it's necessary to find a few players with slightly weaker skills to play it.

In the context of esports, if a professional player wants to practice a new hero, they will definitely create a smurf account and practice in lower-ranked games.

So let me tell you... well.

"Hey, when did you come up with this new tactic? Haven't you been doing nothing these past few days?" Harushima Shika asked.

"This... this is a tactic that I suddenly came up with when I had a flash of inspiration, but I haven't put it into practice yet."

"Damn it! You bastard, I'll say it again, you've been playing for so long, I don't believe you can come up with anything new!" Yamaoka bravely sat down in front of the chessboard.

"That's enough, stop now, A-Guang! You can't beat him!" A group of people came up and stopped him.

But many more people were chanting, "Go! Down with Ke Zhiguang!"

The atmosphere at the chess academy was immediately lively, allowing the newcomers to see how friendly the seniors were.

Guess first, pick a piece, take the black piece—a series of smooth and fluid movements to complete the game.

The first chess piece was placed, and darkness enveloped the stage.

The unicorn steed of the hill appeared on the other side, its mane burned bright red.

Finally, I can touch the chess pieces again.

I was worried that since I hadn't played a few games in so long, I might become rusty when I finally sat down at the board, so I decided to play a game of Yamaoka to warm up. But now it seems that was a completely unnecessary concern.

As expected, we should have just gone straight to Harushima Shika and dealt with him directly. We wouldn't have needed to come to the Go Academy; we could have gotten things done at home.

Ke Zhiguang adjusted his state through breathing and gently placed the piece.

Star position, star position, small eye, star position, the four corners are now occupied.

On the fifth move, Ke Zhiguang's hand paused for a long time in the chess box.

It's time to replicate the chess manual, "The Last Divine Move," that dropped when we opened the Gatanothor chest before, onto the chessboard.

That chess notation only had two moves: one was the star point, and the other was the 3-3 point.

The 3-3 point is the most basic opening move in Go. When a student finishes learning on the 13x13 board and moves on to the 19x19 board, the Go teacher will teach him this 3-3 point opening move.

There are two types of opening moves, A and B, both of which are completed in 13 moves. This is the most basic opening move in Go.

They would also give a mnemonic, "Spread your wings and point three threes," which means that when the opponent's star position extends a large section to the left and right sides, like a bird or beast spreading its wings, you can point three threes.

But if you start by playing a single three-three combination, the teacher will punish you.

Because this is inherently an unequal opening pattern, although the side that plays the 3-3 point may enjoy capturing the corner and gain the initiative in the local area, it will make the outer pieces very solid. By building such a strong position for the opponent in the opening stage, the opponent will be overjoyed.

But this "Last God's Move" is indeed the only move, with the single point at the 3-3 point.

It's strange, really. I've been studying game records for so long, but I've hardly ever come across any opening moves. All the records focus on mid-game battles and endgames, where amazing moves happen when pieces are in contact.

The methods used in the planning stage were not mentioned at all, as if they were hidden in a fog.

This single-point 3-3 move is the only glimpse that is visible in this fog.

Incidentally, this was indeed the last game record it produced.

After the game record was revealed, everyone's score display disappeared completely, as if their mission had ended.

It copied so many chess records and wrote so many incredible moves, but its ultimate purpose was simply to convey this move of playing the 3-3 point to itself, which shows its extraordinary significance.

Now, there are only four months left until the start of the Imperial Chess Tournament. The capital of Yagami has already revealed its hand, and Nidhogg's shadow looms over the city.

Nidhogg, Ragnarok, the end of the world, the end of destiny—a series of associations that evoke a very bad feeling, and a crisis is imminent.

Therefore, you absolutely must choose this "three-three" combination; it might just be the ultimate secret weapon.

Whether in the opening or the middle game, once you seize an opportunity, you should give it a try.

The chess piece had been poised in Ke Zhiguang's hand for a long time, and with a heartbeat in time, the piece was drawn out!

*Thud*—The chess piece landed on the ground with a crisp sound, causing everyone to crane their necks and freeze in place.

On the chessboard, a black stone is placed precisely at the 3-3 point on the white star point, becoming the most eye-catching spot in the entire game.

The jaws of the people around them all fell off.

Yamaoka's face darkened, as if his intelligence had been insulted.

Ke Zhiguang maintained a calm and thoughtful expression.

A frantic murmur began to emanate from the surrounding area.

"W-what? The fifth move, placed directly on the 3-3 point?"

"Is this what they call a new tactic—the use of optical tubes?"

"Damn it! Come on, Jingguang, don't let him look down on you!"

Yamaoka boldly blocked the move, proceeding according to the standard opening sequence.

However, Ke Zhiguang's process got stuck, plunging him into a new round of contemplation.

The moment that piece was placed, he saw... a long, spiraling ribbon of data, like a galaxy, rising from that piece, momentarily giving the entire chessboard a sci-fi visual effect.

Unprecedented special effects.

Suddenly, memories began to replay, going back to a long time ago—all the way to April of last year, when I knocked on the door of the school's Go club. In that inaugural game, my opponent was a classmate named Hasegawa, whose exact name I've forgotten.

Before that game, I had not received any systematic Go training, and I had only learned a few simple opening moves by asking Mizuki at the last minute.

This includes point 33.

Shuicheng's explanation at the time was that if you don't know how to play, just play the 3-3 point to guarantee a living group, but Ke Zhiguang misheard it as... "Got it, play the 3-3 point at the start!"

So I actually clicked it, successfully using a feigned weakness to lure out my opponent's overconfident trap, and crushing them in one fell swoop right from the start. (Whispering: It's a pity we've already passed the stage of feigning weakness to take advantage of others; the satisfying bonus is gone now.)

If I remember correctly, a special effect line appeared on the chessboard at that time: "[The secret of playing the 3-3 point, how many people can discover it?]"

This is really... this foreshadowing has been planted for over a year! It's been planted since my very first official game!

It's like watching Persona 4; who would have thought that the gas station attendant who appeared for less than two minutes at the very beginning of the first episode was the mastermind behind everything!

After regaining his senses, Ke Zhiguang felt completely stunned by the display of skill.

The secret... what exactly is the secret of 33?

Ke Zhiguang suppressed his doubts and continued to play his moves methodically for the time being.

One move, two moves, three moves... thirteen moves, the pattern ends.

A standard 3-3 point opening appears in the lower right corner of the board, with Black's second-line blocking move and White's tiger's mouth move on the outside to finish the game.

A solid, thick wall was built on the outside, radiating across the entire chessboard like a muscular man.

Everyone around remained silent, trembling with fear.

"If I'm not mistaken, it seems like the side that took the initiative to play '3-3' is at a huge disadvantage, isn't it?"

"Yes...yes, perhaps we should stop him?"

"But...but he's Ke Zhiguang..."

If someone else had chosen this "three threes" (a nickname for a person), it would likely have drawn a lot of criticism, but since it was Ke Zhiguang, it can only be explained as "he had his own ideas."

As we all know, matters of competition are often about the person rather than the issue, such as the intuition behind item builds.

Ke Zhiguang pondered this part for a long time, and his lips made a squeaking sound.

Something doesn't feel right.

"Sigh, whatever, let's try another one." Ke Zhiguang thought for a long time, then simply gave up and used his first move to place a 3-3 on another star position on the hill.

"So what kind of tactics are these?!"