Chapter 516 Such a situation has occurred once in a thousand years, and its sorrow will last for eternity.

The chess pieces were placed one by one, and time passed second by second.

The atmosphere became increasingly oppressive.

"It's no use..."

Looking at the situation on the chessboard, everyone remained silent, as if they could see the light that had just flickered on the black pieces gradually dimming again, making their feelings even more complicated.

"Although Black is using a delaying tactic here to entangle White, the balance is still irreversibly tilting in White's favor..." someone murmured as they looked at the game.

That white stone at the top is too deadly.

What was originally a piece that was doomed to die has now been revived, regained its vitality, and become the move that decides the outcome of the entire game!

But that's how it should be!

White's move at the center point resonated throughout the entire board, with each move complementing the others. White then painstakingly planned and executed a grand strategy, which allowed the dead stone at the top to rise from the ashes. This dead stone deserves to live!

Everyone knows this.

but……

Seeing the black pieces being forced into a corner but still continuing to place their pieces, they were like a battered and bruised person under the overwhelming odds, gritting their teeth and persevering, knowing it was impossible but still doing it, trying to fight against fate and defy destiny.

This amazing spirit and fighting will inspired everyone.

As everyone gazed at the chessboard, a wave of melancholy and sadness washed over them.

clatter!

Black moves again!

Eleven columns, eight rows, charge!

"This move was also quite powerful; it can be said to be the strongest response in that area."

In a lounge at the World Championship venue, Araki finally spoke: "But... White can hold back."

Higashiyama Kaoru turned his gaze away from the television screen and looked at the chessboard in front of him, falling into silence.

Soon, on the television screen, the white piece was placed.

Ten columns and eight rows, turn!

The moment White placed its piece, Black placed it on the board again!

Seventeen columns and seventeen rows, turn!

Everyone in the lounge was stunned by this move.

Did you go back to the bottom right corner and try to turn it on?

At this moment, the white piece made its move again.

Sixteen columns and fourteen rows, charge!

Then, the black piece was quickly placed on the board, and the sound of it being placed seemed to travel through the television screen into the lounge and echo throughout the world!

clatter!

Sixteen columns and thirteen rows, paste!

quiet.

Time seemed to freeze for two or three seconds.

Upon seeing this move, even An Hongshi and Araki were stunned. Immediately afterwards, the expressions on the faces of all the top Go players in the lounge changed drastically!

"Black has captured the large white group in the lower right corner!"

He wants it in the bottom right corner—

"Incite a full-scale riot!"

Not just in the lounge, but the whole world is in an uproar!

Everyone's eyes seemed to be completely drawn to this chess piece, unable to look away even an inch!

In this game of chess, both sides launched fierce attacks, but by this point, the board was already mostly occupied, and the battle was bloody and brutal, yet no winner had emerged!

On the chessboard, the black and white pieces began to move swiftly, alternating and overlapping!

"White has actually started a riot from the bottom right corner!"

"When did it start..."

"Black's backbone has been broken, but it stubbornly persists in attacking White, fighting to the death!"

Everyone stared blankly at the chessboard, their minds completely blank from the intense shock; they were utterly stunned!

At this moment, inside the competition venue!

Su Yiming gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit, while Yu Shao's gaze was equally cold and sharp, filled with murderous intent.

clatter!

clatter!

clatter!

The sound of the piece being placed reverberated throughout the world!

Black has calculated every possible local variation, determined to turn the tide and save the collapsing empire!

…………

"Keep fighting! Keep fighting!"

"Black launched an unexpected and chaotic attack across the board, but White's move was equally astonishing. White used a ko fight to engulf Black's liberties!"

"Black is still being attacked along the first line, but... they are holding on very tightly!"

What will the ending be?

In the live stream, countless comments flew by; this game of chess had already captivated everyone's attention.

"I can't tell them apart, I simply can't tell them apart!"

"At this point, it's still completely unclear whether the market is in a favorable or unfavorable position; the situation is too delicate! It could change at any moment!"

At this moment, under the watchful eyes of the entire internet, another black piece was placed on the chessboard.

clatter!

Time seemed to stretch out at that moment!

Eight columns and six rows, turn!

"Black has made a deadly move!"

At this moment, someone couldn't contain himself and shouted, "With that move, Black has broken into White's territory, actually inflicting damage on White in the tiger's den inside White's formation! Black has gained the initiative!"

On the other side, someone couldn't help but exclaim, "In that case, the white pieces here might really be forced to their deaths and then killed by the black pieces!"

clatter!

clatter!

clatter!

The sound of the piece being placed echoed in everyone's ears; the moment it was placed was imprinted in everyone's eyes!

Gradually, as more and more pieces were placed on the chessboard, the empty spaces became fewer and fewer, the voices of discussion grew quieter, and the world fell into a deep silence once again.

finally.

The large white group in the lower left corner was forced to its death by the black pieces.

But at this moment, the whole world was extremely silent!

They never imagined that Black could launch a sudden attack from such a dead end, and they never expected that Black, after being almost crushed by White, could actually fight back and destroy White's large group in the lower left corner.

But what they didn't expect was—

White managed to break through Black's territory through exchange and invasion, thus killing White's large group of stones, but gaining the advantage of having dead stones.

Therefore, with White holding a slight advantage, the game entered the endgame battle!

The outcome is still undecided. The two sides will likely fight to the very end, battling until the last half point before a winner is finally decided!

…………

Tap, tap, tap...

On the chessboard, the pieces are still being placed.

Inside the lounge at the Phoenix Cup World Championship venue.

Looking at the chessboard, An Hongshi suddenly said in a strange tone, "I haven't played against Yu Shao yet, and I was a little disappointed... But now, I'm actually relieved."

Upon hearing this, the other professional Go players in the lounge were all stunned, and some turned to look at An Hongshi in surprise.

“Those two, at least for now, are already above me.” An Hongshi stared at the television screen, his gaze distant, and said, “I am inferior to them.”

Immediately, everyone's eyes widened, but Araki's expression remained unchanged as he sat in place, silently gazing at the chessboard in front of him.

"Although I'm reluctant to admit it, I do see the gap."

An Hongshi paused, raised his hand, and looked at the thick calluses on his fingers.

"On the other hand, as a chess player, seeing such a game is also very exciting for me."

"To be able to see this game of chess in my lifetime is both a blessing and a curse."

"...It is because of these kinds of players and games that I feel that my journey to becoming a professional Go player has not been in vain."

A smile appeared on An Hongshi's face: "I haven't played against him in this competition yet, which means I still have some time to prepare for our match."

"I still have time to catch up with this gap."

Upon hearing this, everyone was completely stunned, staring at An Hongshi in disbelief.

But a hint of sadness flashed in Araki's eyes.

"The more you understand Go, the more you realize how profound and mysterious it is."

An Hongshi let out a soft breath, looked at Araki, and asked, "Araki-sensei, you must feel the same way, right?"

Araki remained silent for a long time before finally nodding and saying, "Indeed, after playing Go for so long, I feel that the more I understand Go, the more I realize that I don't understand anything at all."

They had already seen the endgame.

We saw the future.

…………

Inside the reporter's office at the Nambu Chess Academy in Gangneung.

Ding Huan and the other Go reporters all held their breath, their eyes glued to the Go game on the television screen.

"Ding Huan".

Ma Zhengyu smoked his cigarette in a sullen tone, staring at the final endgame battle on the computer screen. Suddenly, he looked up at Ding Huan and called out, "Ding Huan."

Ding Huan was finally brought back to his senses by Ma Zhengyu's shout. He turned his head and looked at Ma Zhengyu with a blank expression.

"Regarding this game of chess... have you thought about how to write this article?" Ma Zhengyu flicked his cigarette ash and asked.

"Uh? No."

Ding Huan shook his head, thought for a long time, and then said with a wry smile, "Chairman Ma, to be honest, I feel... what I want to say has already been written in this game of chess."

"Yeah?"

Ma Zhengyu paused for a moment, took a drag of his cigarette, and slowly exhaled before asking, "If this game were to be given a final evaluation, it would be called 'A game like this appears only once in a thousand years, and will forever remain a source of sorrow.' What do you think?"

…………

Time marches on with each move of the piece.

As the endgame progresses and fewer pieces are played, it means that the game is drawing to a close.

Quiet.

An astonishing silence.

On the chessboard, the black and white pieces are intricately intertwined, each move seemingly dripping with blood and tears. This game has reached its most brutal point.

Therefore, an overwhelming sense of sorrow welled up in everyone's chest, leaving them speechless and only able to stare blankly at the chessboard.

clatter.

clatter.

clatter.

The major endgame moves have already been completed, and half of the minor endgame moves have been played. The final outcome of the game is about to be revealed.

…………

Inside the lounge at the Phoenix Cup World Championship venue.

Zhuang Weisheng turned his gaze away from the chessboard and said with some emotion, "I will never forget this day, this world championship, even until the day I die."

All around, Kimura Go, Higashiyama Kaoru, Zhu Huai'an, and the others fell silent, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Yes.

In their view, the game was over.

Unlike before, both sides have finished the major endgame moves, and now it's just minor ends and single passes. Unless someone makes a decisive move, there's no possibility of any major upheavals in the game. This time, it should really be over.

This game of chess—

Thinking about every move in this game, everyone felt extremely complicated, as if they had countless things to say but didn't know how to begin.

"Teacher Zhuang Weisheng, perhaps in ten years, no, not even ten years, just two or three years, this World Championship will be considered a battle of 'epoch-making change'?"

Honinbo Shingo picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and said with a slightly teasing tone, "Two players under the age of twenty have reached the highest stage of the world championship, while we have all been defeated."

"But haven't you already slept with Yu Shao yet?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Weisheng smiled faintly: "I'm different. I've already played against Yu Shao once, and I even lost."

"I have been working on improving myself during this period, looking forward to competing with him again. But now it seems that I still have many shortcomings and I must take another step forward."

"It seems that I'm just as lucky as you, Coach An Hongshi, in this World Championship. My rematch with Yu Shao will have to wait until later, which keeps the suspense alive."

At that moment, Araki suddenly stood up from his chair, and everyone immediately turned to look at him.

"This game is about to end."

As Araki walked out of the lounge, he said, "I'm a little hungry, I'll head back now."

"Wait a minute, Mr. Araki."

Just then, An Hongshi called out to Araki.

Araki stopped in his tracks and turned to look at An Hongshi with some confusion.

"Araki-sensei, why did you suddenly make a comeback? Was it for the world championship?"

An Hongshi shook his head and said with a smile, "That is indeed a pity. This year, we encountered two monstrous newcomers. If it were a world championship a few years ago, with Araki-sensei's current skill level, he should have already won the championship."

Upon hearing this, the others also looked at Arakino with curiosity in their eyes. They had no idea why Arakino had suddenly made a comeback. Not to mention them, even Honinbo Shingo, who was also a Japanese Go player, did not know about it.

Araki looked at An Hongshi in silence for a long time, then suddenly smiled and finally said, "If anyone else asked me this question, I would definitely say it was to win the world championship."

“But since it was you, An Hongshi, who asked me… I can tell you.”

Araki paused, then continued, "While there are other reasons, they are insignificant. The more crucial reason lies in—"

"I want to play chess."

…………

clatter!

Another white piece was placed, striking the board with a resounding clang, but Black quickly responded with a counter-move.

When the white piece landed on the board again, this time, the black piece did not make another move.

Three minutes later, under everyone's watchful eyes, a fist reached into the center of the chessboard and then slowly released.

Da, da.

Two black pieces fell from the palm onto the chessboard.

In the debriefing room of the Korean Go Association, a young professional Go player murmured, "It's over."

silence.

At this moment, silence is more powerful than any words.

The world expressed its respect for this game through silence.

Everyone felt as if they had been transported to another world, and their hearts were filled with mixed emotions.

Including komi, the final outcome of this game is—

Black lost by one and a half points.

…………

P.S.: Please vote for me next month! Thank you, dear readers!

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)