Chapter 503 Those who can calculate life and death are saints.
The competition venue.
At this moment, in the huge competition venue, there was only one chess table in the center, surrounded by crowds of spectators. Although the crowd was dense, it was extremely quiet.
"It actually flew."
Araki gazed at the chessboard, his expression shifting slightly as he faced this shoulder pass, lost in deep thought.
"Now that things have come to this, it's pointless to try and sneak attack on White's territory."
"Before the pincer attack, we should have first placed a blockade on the outside... No, if we had, he wouldn't have rashly stepped forward. Instead, he would have engaged me first, and the situation would have been different!"
Thinking of this, Araki took a deep breath, his eyes sharp, and picked up another chess piece, placing it on the chessboard.
"Let's start with a small move, maintain pressure on White, observe the situation, and see how he makes his move!"
clatter!
Eight columns and fifteen rows, Little Fly!
"He has also made some progress and is no longer in a hurry to attack. He also wants to expand his influence in the central region."
Seeing this, Su Yiming's eyes turned cold, and he also picked up a chess piece and placed it down again.
"Then let's first target the weakness of the black stones in the lower right corner, where they lack sufficient eye space, and put pressure on the black stones in the lower right corner!"
clatter!
Fourteen columns and seventeen rows, a huge jump!
"He didn't take off his shirt, he just jumped high."
Upon seeing Su Yiming's move, Araki instinctively clenched his left fist, sensing the danger lurking on the board.
Su Yiming has fought hard in the loser's bracket for many rounds, but he has also struggled in many difficult situations in the winner's bracket. However, Su Yiming has persisted in the loser's bracket until now, so in terms of form, he is actually in better shape.
However, Araki had a strong premonition that if he underestimated Su Yiming because of this, then the one who would lose... would only be himself.
"We must not be careless!"
Araki remained calm and composed, pondering the situation before picking up another piece and placing it on the board.
Soon, Su Yiming also picked up a chess piece and placed it down.
clatter!
clatter!
clatter!
On the chessboard, pieces are constantly being placed in alternating rows.
Soon, Su Yiming picked up another white piece and placed it on the chessboard.
Araki gazed intently at the chessboard, watching the white piece fall to the ground. The game of chess that Su Yiming and An Hongshi played yesterday seemed to flash before his eyes again.
After yesterday's match, since Su Yiming would definitely be his opponent in the final, he went home and immediately reviewed and analyzed Su Yiming's game in detail.
His expression grew increasingly solemn.
“Form is very important for almost all Go players. As long as you are human, it is difficult to avoid a decline in form after a series of intense battles. This is true for me, and it is true for Ahn Hong-seok.”
"Even Honinbo Shingo's decline in form was relatively smaller."
"He must be the same."
"By now, he must be exhausted and mentally drained. He's not like Honinbo Shingo, who can completely detach himself from the game while playing. On the contrary, he enjoys the subtleties of understanding the game from a single leaf."
Araki was quite certain of this.
He looked at Su Yiming across from him and could clearly see the visible fatigue on Su Yiming's face, the result of one hard battle after another.
But Araki could see that beneath Su Yiming's seemingly calm eyes, there was still a resolute edge flashing, even more so than when he had faced Su Yiming before.
"But something was supporting him—"
"It made him not give up even under these circumstances, but instead persevere and forge ahead, even surpassing his previous achievements!"
Looking into Su Yiming's seemingly calm eyes, one could see an astonishing persistence hidden within, which moved even Araki.
"To be honest... if he weren't my rival, I would love to have a good chat with him, have a meal together, and have a drink together. Although there is a big age difference, I might be able to become good friends with him."
"However, we are now adversaries."
"On this chessboard, there can only be one winner."
"My desire to win is no less than yours. Now, having fallen into the loser's bracket, I have nowhere to retreat either. What's supporting you? But—"
"It's not that I'm completely without support!"
Araki's eyes gradually changed. He seemed to see his own life in them, from learning Go to becoming a professional Go player, to making a name for himself, and finally to the fierce battles with An Hongshi.
Throughout his life, he has been striving towards the goal of becoming a world champion, but this goal, though seemingly within reach, has always remained elusive.
Araki lowered his head again, looking at the chessboard.
"If you want to beat him, you have to settle the score with real skill!"
"No other external factors can affect the outcome of the game!"
With a click, Araki picked up another piece and placed it on the board.
clatter!
The chess piece is placed!
"Therefore, we must not be careless!"
"I must win this game no matter what; there's no room for me to lose!"
soon--
The crisp sound of a piece being placed rang out as another white piece landed on the chessboard.
Araki reached into the chess box again, his eyes fixed on the chessboard, his mind racing with countless possibilities for the game.
"I need to observe the situation and see how he makes his move. I cannot rashly engage with him, but I also cannot let the situation become too peaceful. As long as I attack, there will be weaknesses. When he can no longer hold back and reveals a weakness, I will lure him into a trap!"
"Bite down hard on Bai Zi's throat! Don't give Bai Zi any chance to react!"
A fierce glint appeared in Araki's eyes!
"We must act with overwhelming force!"
Araki took out another chess piece and placed it with lightning speed!
clatter!
Fourteen columns and eighteen rows, turn!
"He chose to switch to the second lane."
Su Yiming stared at the chessboard, his mind racing as he calculated the subsequent changes. The board was becoming increasingly complex, making it difficult to even judge the situation!
If you want to delve into the calculations, it's probably even more terrifying!
But the two of them will make this their battlefield and fight it out here!
"Force the black pieces to this side—"
Su Yiming finally picked up a chess piece and quickly placed it down: "Then, give the white piece a final push from behind!"
No sooner had the white stones been placed on the board than Arakino seized the opportunity to trap the black stones, placing his own stones with a powerful sense of pressure.
This sense of pressure is not fake; it is created by the impenetrable speed of the moves and the inherent strength and unpredictability of the move itself!
Araki was indeed an extremely strong opponent, exceeding his expectations. Every move Araki made sent chills down his spine. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost to Araki before.
Now, this is the second game between him and Araki!
Su Yiming's expression grew even colder, and he quickly picked up a chess piece.
"Attack the center from here again and put pressure on the Black camp!"
clatter!
The chess piece is placed on the board!
…
The people around them watched the two making frequent moves, their faces filled with undisguised astonishment.
"It's going down so fast!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
"The market is becoming increasingly complex, yet they're betting faster and faster?"
But soon, they were completely captivated by the exciting exchanges in the game, and had no time to think about anything outside of the game.
Not only those of them at the scene feel this way, but so do the viewers around the world watching this game!
"White's move directly into the hole, disregarding the risk of being entangled and attacked by Black, is too bold!"
It was late at night in New York. A blond, blue-eyed middle-aged man in pajamas stared intently at the chessboard. When he saw another black piece fall, his heart skipped a beat, and he cried out.
Seeing Su Yiming make this move, even though he was just an observer and there were no American players involved in the game, so it had nothing to do with his interests, he still felt immense pressure.
If even he is like this, what about the white pieces?
"White's touch is a severe move, completely disregarding Black's counterattack. If Black were to push here, it would divide White's large group and launch a counterattack directly, making the board situation quite complicated and putting both sides in danger!"
"If Black connects, the originally intense situation will be greatly eased. However, Black may be taken advantage of by White if it is not careful. For Black, either choice will be a difficult decision!"
"The subsequent development of the entire board depends on Black's response to this move; the two possible outcomes will be completely different!"
Finally, the black piece made its move!
Meanwhile, in Berlin, Germany, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy with chestnut hair exclaimed upon seeing the white piece just placed on the television screen, "Walk out here? Dad, didn't you say it was either a block or a connection? There's a third option?"
Beside the boy, a middle-aged man who looked similar to him nodded, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and said in a deep voice, "Yes, I actually saw that move."
"I just didn't think Black would make that move, but I didn't expect Black to actually do it."
The middle-aged man exhaled a puff of smoke, his expression grave, and said, "The 'hanging' position is excellent; it's where the market's ups and downs occur. Moreover, after the hanging, the white dragon will be divided into three pieces, but the price is—"
Inside a Go club in Rome, Italy.
"The only large group of black stones at the bottom will have eye problems!"
A young man in his early twenties looked at the chessboard in front of him and frowned slightly: "You could say this is an even more powerful move than a 'ban' (a move that involves blocking), but the cost is too high. In most cases, no player would make this move!"
"Completely unexpected, Arakino-sensei really went all out."
A young man next to him nodded, looking at the chessboard with a puzzled expression, and said, "Does Black really think he can make his group live? Right now, Black's big group doesn't even have an eye!"
"So soon they're going to decide the winner?"
He was somewhat incredulous: "This is less than eighty moves. This kind of large-scale battle is aimed at deciding the outcome in one battle."
He looked up at the television screen: "How will White respond to Black's move, the 'hanging' move?"
Inside the competition venue.
Su Yiming stared at the chessboard in front of him for a moment, then finally picked up a chess piece and gently placed it down.
clatter!
Eight columns and fourteen rows, so long!
Su Yiming stared intently at the chessboard, waiting for Black's next move, his gaze filled with a chilling intensity!
"We must fight to the death. Although my white stones will be divided into three pieces, the large black group at the bottom is also lacking in eye space. As long as we force this large group to die, with such a large difference in territory, black will have no chance to catch up!"
"It's nothing more than fighting to determine a winner!"
Su Yiming's eyes shifted, and he quietly clenched his fist.
He was well aware, of course, of how dangerous and difficult it was to fight head-on with Black and go all out.
To be honest, whether it was more than a hundred years ago or more now, Araki is the most calculating player he has ever encountered. It is not a wise move to fight head-on with such a player.
However, his forte is large-scale warfare, which is synonymous with offense. It requires both calculation and brute force to fight. If he abandons large-scale warfare and uses other tactics instead, it would be even more unwise!
His strategy was predetermined: when facing Araki, he could only resort to violence to counter violence; there was no other way!
The way of chess is like the way of swordsmanship; one who has no killing intent cannot win.
On the chessboard, only those who can calculate life and death can be considered saints!
A moment later, a black piece was placed on the chessboard.
Su Yiming's eyes reflected the chessboard, and he immediately picked up a chess piece and swiftly placed a white piece.
clatter!
Seven columns and ten rows, Little Fly!
Araki gazed at the densely packed chess pieces on the board, pondered for a moment, then took out another white piece from the chess box and swiftly placed it down!
clatter!
Five columns, ten rows, doubles!
On the chessboard, the killing intent was now fully revealed!
"That doubles move was brilliant!"
Everyone around stared at the chessboard, their breath catching in their throats.
"If Black escapes to the left side, White will not simply capture the stones, but will instead make a small knight's move. If White escapes, it will be almost impossible to bind and kill White's large group of stones!"
"If Black escapes to the right side, White can cut off Black's large group of stones at the bottom, which will also be in danger. If White makes a careless move, it is very likely that Black will kill one of Black's groups first!"
Everyone was a little nervous, staring at the chessboard with trepidation. Some people even had sweat on their backs, their eyes glued to the board, not daring to blink.
Shortly after, the black pieces fell again.
"top!"
Upon seeing this move, Higashiyama Kaoru's expression changed, and sweat appeared on his forehead. He said, "This is also a strong move, and it serves two purposes. It not only resolves the doubles but also threatens to start a ko fight!"
Soon, Su Yiming also placed a white piece.
Immediately afterwards, the black piece fell again.
Tap, tap, tap...
As both sides made their moves, everyone, even those just watching, felt an immense sense of pressure. The fighting spirit on the chessboard had infected the entire audience!
"Black's sharp move just now was a skillful attempt to open up eye space, but White's next touch is also a tactic to break through the eye!"
They watched as the two men took turns placing pieces, exchanging blows and countering each other's moves, until their mouths went dry.
Soon, Arakino placed the black stone between his fingers again.
"It's jumped over here..."
Su Yiming stared at the chessboard. When he saw this move, his face showed no surprise, but his eyes were cold.
“He couldn’t find the eye position to make my large group of black stones live below, so he simply stopped looking for it and wanted to attack my large group directly.”
"If he tries to capture my key pieces, I'll sacrifice a piece and fight him to the death!"
"If he tries to break through, I'll press down, using the cooperation of other pieces to completely bind the large black group at the bottom!"
"We must kill the large black group!"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
