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

Ten columns and eight rows, jump!

Rapid chess!

Kato Masao glanced at his "prospective disciple" and his expression shifted slightly.

Without hesitation, he immediately placed a piece.

Nine columns and thirteen rows, pounce!

Both sides immediately began making moves with lightning speed, engaging in a fierce tug-of-war.

The onlookers unconsciously held their breath, watching the chessboard with bated breath.

"Why do I suddenly feel... a tense atmosphere filled with the kind of tension that only occurs when masters clash?" A timid student couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice.

“That’s right…” Another person stared in shock at Hikaru Shindo, who was playing the game. “It feels like standing on the edge of an abyss. I have no idea why… but no matter what, it seems like Kato-senpai was originally in the lead…”

"But why did Kato-senpai choose an offensive approach?"

This question lingered in the minds of these teenagers, unanswered.

The only answer, perhaps, is known only to Masao Kato himself!

“Since we are under pressure to give you a handicap, we must attack to have a chance to win.” Kato Masao looked at the board calmly.

"However, I always feel that launching an offensive is extremely dangerous!"

"In that case, we must make the game a tough battle, and then decide the winner based on our observation skills!"

Kato Masao raised his head and looked at Shindo Hikaru.

"so."

"We must create an opening to lure the child into attacking."

"When he can't help but launch an attack, ready to fight to the death, that's when the white pieces' chance of survival will become apparent!"

That's right, this is the main reason why Kato Masao didn't choose a large-scale offensive, but instead concentrated his forces on one side to attack the Black Formation!

What White wants is for Black and White to engage in a direct confrontation!

Since we sensed an impending crisis when we launched the offensive, we decided to set up an ambush and lure the black pieces closer!

and……

This is not a trap that requires the other party's cooperation to fall into!

Rather... it's the only way for Kuroko to survive!

If the Blacks want to survive, they must fight back!

Then, Kato Masao reached into the Go box again and took out a Go piece.

The hand seemed to fall from a height of ten thousand feet!

The sound of the piece being placed clearly reached everyone's ears!

Fifteen columns, ten rows, town!

"We must launch the most swift and decisive attack to break into the black formation!"

"This way, the black pieces won't have time to defend and will only be able to choose to attack, using offense as a form of defense!"

This is why Kato Masao chose this method of attack!

A truly skilled chess player would never simply set up a trap.

Because with traps, if the other party doesn't fall for them, then in the end, you're the one who suffers.

Therefore, setting traps that the opponent is bound to fall for is what truly demonstrates a chess player's strength!

"Zhen! There's another move in the game?"

Upon seeing this move, everyone's eyes lit up, and they began to discuss it animatedly.

"Brilliant! No wonder Kato 8-dan chose to break through the entire board with a single point; it turns out he had a move in mind!"

"As expected of a peak 8-dan player! I had no idea there was such a move as Zhen!"

"That's right, this is a move that ordinary people would never be able to detect, but once it comes out, you can immediately feel the power of this move!"

"With one move, the Black piece's entire lower path was locked down, truly like a towering mountain suppressing the Black piece and rendering it unable to move!"

Everyone immediately became excited.

They all felt the power of this move; it was almost a decisive blow!

……

"town……"

Akira Touya frowned slightly as he gazed at the Go board, the cosmic stars before him still shimmering.

But for some reason, the starlight no longer seemed as dazzling as before.

and.

The guidance for the next step did not seem as smooth as before.

at the moment.

The twinkling stars sometimes pause for a moment when moving to the next cycle.

This is the first time Hikaru Shindo has experienced this situation since he discovered that the Go board he sees is different from others.

Perhaps this means... the game has become more complex?

otherwise.

With the terrifying computing power of the rotating star wheel, it can respond quickly.

"As expected, seeing Kato's eighth-dan move, that guy also felt it was troublesome!"

"Kato-senpai truly lives up to his reputation. His skill level is something I'll probably never be able to match in my entire life!"

Seeing that Hikaru Shindo was slow to respond as quickly as before, the crowd began to discuss among themselves.

"If Black wants to avoid White's attack, what other clever moves can it make?" someone asked the other students, looking at the chessboard and holding their forehead.

"A master call?"

The classmate next to him stared at the chessboard, pondered for a long time, then shook his head and said, "I can't see what Black can do. It seems the only solution is to adopt a counter-attacking strategy."

At this moment, Harada Ikegami stared intently at the chessboard and said, "However, since Mr. Kato is so keen to guide the game into a situation where each side attacks one flank, he must be planning something."

"That's right, Kato-senpai's thoughts are now obvious, but... what exactly is he planning?"

Following Harada Ikegami's train of thought, Akira Toya bit his lower lip and pondered silently.

Kato Masao's intentions were indeed too obvious; one could even say that his true intentions were as clear as day.

But so what!

Faced with this town that seemed to possess immense power, it seemed that the only thing Kuroko could do was to fight back and charge into the white formation.

At least, it seems we won't be at a disadvantage for the time being.

"No... White pieces can still jump over."

At this moment, Akira Touya, who had been pondering for a long time, finally spoke again.

Upon hearing this...

Everyone couldn't help but cast curious glances at Akira Touya.

"Fifteen columns, seven rows, pounce!"

Akira Touya's gaze remained fixed on the Go board as he said without turning his head, "If we make a desperate move, we can turn the tide and survive!"

Everyone was taken aback, and then they all turned their attention back to the chessboard, pondering the move that Akira Touya had mentioned, the "pounce".

Soon, someone had a look of sudden realization and exclaimed in shock, "Pounce? Indeed, that's a viable move!"

"I had no idea there was such a move! It's an absolutely brilliant idea!"

More and more people are understanding this move and appreciating its brilliance!

"Pounce" refers to the move of deliberately placing a piece in the opponent's tiger's mouth (the space between their thumb and forefinger), forcing the opponent to capture the piece while keeping their own pieces in a tighter position.

If Hikaru Shindo makes a move that sacrifices a stone, then the white stone will be one step slower in attacking the black territory, as it will be a tighter position.

And it is this one move that will completely change the course of the game!

Although Black sacrifices a piece, it can rely on its advantage of being one step ahead to quickly escape White's encirclement!

A slow step leads to a slow and stagnant future!

One step ahead, and you'll be ahead every step of the way!

The principle of "speed is of the essence" is perfectly embodied in the game of Go.

The so-called sacrifice of a pawn to maintain strategic advantage—that strategic advantage is speed!

As the saying goes, a skilled player focuses on the overall situation, while an unskilled player focuses on individual pieces. This saying has always been regarded as a golden rule by many chess masters.

In conclusion, strategic positioning is extremely important in Go.

Every famous Go game that has been passed down through the ages inevitably involves a struggle between pieces and influence!

This lunge was a clever use of momentum, allowing him to overcome the immediate crisis.

"That's indeed a brilliant move... Could that guy named Hikaru Shindo have made such a move?"

"If he launches a lunge, how will Kato, the eighth-dan player, respond?"

The surrounding teenagers couldn't help but feel curious.

Akira Touya didn't speak, but in his heart, there was actually one more thing he didn't say.

That is, if he can see this pounce coming, then Hikaru Shindo will definitely see it too!

Even Ikegami-sensei didn't see this move coming.

"But... Hikaru Shindo is different!"

Akira Touya raised his head and looked at Hikaru Shindo, waiting for Hikaru to make his move.

……