Hikaru no Go: I taught you Go, and you made the Kisei cry?

Kato Masao, who clearly had a close relationship with Ikegami Harada, replied with a wry smile, and without waiting for the other party to greet him, he familiarly found a chess table and sat down on his own.

He casually pulled a newspaper from his pocket, pointed to the headline on the front page, and said:

"Did you read today's morning paper?"

"These old bones of mine, now, have completely ruined my reputation in my later years..."

Harada Ikegami took the newspaper with a puzzled look, and after just one glance, he was stunned by the headline!

"Mr. Kato...is this...is it true? You, really..."

His eyes widened in disbelief, and Ikegami Harada swallowed hard, saying:

"Defeated by a twelve-year-old Chinese chess player?"

It's more than just a defeat.

Kato Masao shook his head with a wry smile:

“I was in his hands for ninety-nine moves… no, I should say it was the twenty-seventh move that I completely lost the ability to defend myself.”

"This title."

Kato Masao tapped the newspaper on the table:

"Actually, they've already been very accommodating to me..."

"In fact, if you really watched last night's game, no one would consider me and that boy to be players of the same level."

At this point, a lingering fear crept into Kato Masao's cloudy eyes:

"That boy, he's practically inhuman..."

"His playing style is sometimes more domineering than that of Honinbo Jowa, and sometimes more subtle than that of Ota Yuzo. He can be both gentle and ruthless, and at crucial moments he can strike swiftly and deliver the most fatal blow to his opponent."

Kato Masao concluded with a look of utter horror:

"In short, I couldn't see a single flaw in this person's hand. It was as if he could see through every move I made. Only when I made my move would I suddenly realize that it was exactly where he wanted me to make that move."

"I was just like that, by him..."

After a moment's thought, Kato Masao finally came up with a suitable word:

"Guided by him, the entire game was completed."

After saying this, Kato Masao's back was completely soaked with cold sweat.

to him.

It seems that even recalling last night's experience requires immense courage.

Harada Ikegami remained silent. He understood this feeling of despair all too well. Years ago, when he was still a professional 7th dan player, he had already experienced this feeling from someone else.

The feeling of powerlessness from being completely controlled by others completely disheartened him, and he withdrew from the Go world to become a Go teacher.

only.

The chess player who had dealt him a major blow is now in a long coma due to excessive drinking.

Therefore, it doesn't seem quite like Mr. Su Yuan's masterpiece...

can.

The land of China.

Besides Mr. Su Yuan, are there really any other chess players this strong?

Like Kato Masao, Ikegami Harada also fell into a deep silence.

Time passed by, second by second.

a long time.

Kato Masao finally spoke again, breaking the oppressive silence.

"Ikegami-kun, how about you help me review the events?"

As he spoke, he took out a copy of the game record that he had already transcribed and handed it to Ikegami Harada for review:

"Just imitate White's playing style and repeat yesterday's game with me... I want to see if I have any chance to turn the game around yesterday."

it is good.

Faced with his old friend's request, Harada Ikegami naturally did not refuse. He immediately took out a Go set and began to set up a Go board with Masao Kato.

"For my first step, I placed a bet on four out of four."

Kato Masao recalled for a moment, and then placed his first black stone on the right side of the board, at the star point.

Stars?

Ikegami Harada carefully studied the game record for a long time, and then, following THESAI's moves, placed his first white stone on the board.

Hey.

Sixteen rows and sixteen columns.

A similarly solid first-hand star.

The chess pieces, placed on the chessboard, gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the window.

Without pausing, Kato Masao pondered for a moment before offering his second move.

Harada Ikegami also responded.

Da da da.

Soon, both sides made three moves, firmly occupying three key points.

This is the most conventional start today.

Three moves in total, occupying key points, vying for dominance.

"Here, White begins to launch an attack."

Harada Ikegami stared at the chess score, a strange light gleaming in his eyes.

After a moment's hesitation, he made his move again.

Hey.

Fourth move, White piece, small eye!

The white piece moved up one space from the position of the black star.

The white stones shone brightly.

"It was this small eye technique that put me under a lot of pressure back then..."

Kato Masao stared blankly at the small eye, feeling as if the opponent was a giant dragon lurking in the abyss, watching all directions and suppressing the game.

At the same time, Harada Ikegami also said:

"White's move is indeed very aggressive... We should think about it carefully..."

Kato Masao was stunned, as if he hadn't heard Harada Ikegami's reminder.

His hand involuntarily reached into the chess box, and before his eyes, the chessboard seemed to transform into a dark, long tunnel.

He groped and moved forward in the darkness, trying to find that glimmer of light that represented life.

But in the end, I placed the piece according to my strategy from last night.

The black chess piece falls to the ground.

Sixteen columns and five rows.

"Hmm? Sixteen columns and five rows, hanging high, jumping?"

When Harada Ikegami saw Kato Masao's move, he made a surprised "hmm," seemingly extremely astonished by the move.

In his memory, Kato Masao was always best at defense, and the number of times he used a high-hanging position to attack with komi was very few in his opponent's career.

but.

It seems that he defeated his opponents every time he used the high-hang technique, right?

Harada Ikegami recalled Masao Kato's professional record and realized that he had never lost a match due to an offensive battle.

Looking back now, if we remove the preconceived notion that someone is good at defense, it seems...

His true trump card, the one that Kato Masao truly relies on, is his head-on, head-on fighting style!

As a former professional player, Harada Ikegami naturally knows that every top Go player has their own hidden moves.

Among these, the most famous are the "Shusaku-ryu" style created by Honinbo Shusaku and the "San-San-Hsing-Tengen" opening by Go Seigen.

These hidden techniques share a common characteristic: they would never be easily used by the founders.

but!

Once the precious sword is drawn, it will surely intimidate the opponent...

Blood splattered everywhere!!!

"So, in order to deal with that mysterious THESAI, Mr. Kato has used all his trump cards..."

Harada Ikegami was trembling with fear, stealing glances at Masao Kato, his heart filled with utter horror:

"Even so, Mr. Kato still lost to Thesai in last night's game?"

Harada Ikegami's heart trembled, and he reached his fingers into the Go box again, his eyes gleaming.

His eyes were focused on a single point on the chessboard.

That position was the response given by THESAI after calculating the changes in the small white stone and the high black stone.

The chess piece was placed again.

White pieces, high clamp!

The chess pieces landed on the chessboard with a resounding thud.

Across from the chess table.

Kato Masao stared blankly at the move, momentarily lost in thought, before his breathing became rapid.

"High clamp...that's the move, this move is..."