Infinity Starting with Hikaru no Go

Page 6

At this moment, Shinsuke Ichiyanagi was only thinking about conquering the lower left corner of the territory.

The crucial move has been made; the gate to the corner of Black's pieces has been breached. Now, all that's needed is for White to lead its army in a full-scale invasion to completely seize Black's corner territory.

According to Shinsuke Ichiyanagi's estimate, he could capture all the black stones in the lower left corner in at most three moves.

As for occupying the lower left corner, it was already a foregone conclusion for Shinsuke Ichiyanagi.

Therefore, what Shinsuke Ichiyanagi really wanted to do was to make all the black stones in the lower left corner dead.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shinsuke Ichiyanagi continued with his plan, placing his stones in the lower left corner, intending to crush the struggling black stones there.

To be honest, Chen Anxia, ​​who had not even begun to learn Go, couldn't understand Ichiyanagi Shinsuke's intentions at all.

After that "flash of inspiration" just now, Chen Anxia never expected that this flash of inspiration would continue to appear.

Therefore, Chen Anxia directly picked up a black piece, preparing to place it where he wanted.

Just as Chen Anxia's black piece was about to touch the chessboard, the voice in his mind rang out again, telling Chen Anxia once more a placement point completely different from what he had expected.

The voice that reappeared in his mind made Chen Anxia's right hand, which was about to place a piece, suddenly stop.

Once or twice could be attributed to chance, or a flash of inspiration, but after three times, Chen Anxia realized that the voice echoing in his mind was probably not just a fleeting moment of inspiration.

'So, is this voice in my head my cheat system?'

'If so, how do I trigger this cheat?'

'If not, then what is this sound?'

......

A variety of thoughts flashed through Chen Anxia's mind, causing her to become completely flustered.

At the same time, Chen Anxia's sudden stop in placing a piece caused Ichiryu Shinsuke to frown slightly, wondering what Chen Anxia was up to.

Not only Shinsuke Ichiyanagi, but also the members of the Go club watching from the sidelines were puzzled, wondering why Chen Anxia had suddenly stopped.

Only Yuko Miki knew that Chen Anxia's sudden halt in his move was related to her.

Because Chen Anxia's move was different from his own.

As expected, Chen Anxia will soon change his move.

Just as Miki Yuko had predicted, after a three-second pause, Chen Anxia suddenly changed his move, placing the black piece in the 12th row and 4th column.

There was already a black stone in the 12th row and 5th column.

Anyone who has studied Go knows that placing a piece next to one's own existing pieces towards the edge of the board is called "Li" (立).

It was this move that caused Shinsuke Ichiyanagi's expression to change slightly. He looked at the board with some surprise and uncertainty, and stopped his move to place a stone in the lower right corner.

In Shinsuke Ichiyanagi's view, after Chen Anxia made this move, the influence of Black's stones on the outside subtly changed.

The two black stones placed side by side echoed the black stones Chen Anxia had placed in the 8th row and 5th column in the previous move, forming a basic defensive Go pattern—a two-in-three split.

The conventional "two-in-three" formation is deployed on the third and fourth lines near the edge, in the corners of the land. It utilizes the technique of building strongholds to enclose empty spaces, creating defensive fortresses to serve as positions for invading the corners.

Chen Anxia's move at this moment, a "two-split-three" strategy, was a high-position split-three played in the central area of ​​the fifth line, which is different from the conventional "two-split-three" strategy.

However, once the two-in-three formation is formed, it can easily become a living group of stones if left unchecked.

Shinsuke Ichiyanagi didn't know whether Chen Anxia did it intentionally or unintentionally, but regardless of whether it was intentional or unintentional, Shinsuke Ichiyanagi would definitely not allow Black to have a chance to live.

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as Shinsuke Ichiyanagi directly took the white pieces and chose to invade the black stones, attempting to destroy the black stones' chance of survival.

This white piece, imbued with Shinsuke Ichiyanagi's will and gathering the subtle aura surrounding him, landed heavily on the chessboard.

Whether it was a misperception or not, the club members watching from the sidelines felt a sense of oppression after seeing Shinsuke Ichiyanagi make that move.

In Yuko Miki's eyes, this sense of oppression was even more direct.

As the saying goes, "a storm is brewing," and Yuko Miki knew that this white piece, which seemed to have descended from the heavens like a divine warrior, heralded an imminent great battle.

In another world, Miki Soji, playing white, replicates Shinsuke Ichiyanagi's move on the chessboard in front of him.

The white piece landed in the 10th row, 3rd column.

Upon seeing this, Miki Soji said in a deep voice, "This is indeed a good move. Choosing to attack from the third line instead of from the fourth or fifth line to break into my high position."

"However, it's too late to infiltrate now..."

As he spoke, a glint appeared in Miki Soji's eyes, and the aura that had been hidden within him finally erupted at that moment.

Meanwhile, Miki Soji continued, "Yuko, remember this well: the struggle in a game of Go is nothing more than two things: one is territory, which is the real land occupied by the pieces, and the other is influence, which is the external influence built by the pieces."

"Land is very important; in the end, victory or defeat depends on the amount of land one has."

"But momentum is equally important, because it can be used to fight, to create a grand strategic situation, and to attack or defend."

"Those with power can take advantage of the situation to launch an attack and gain benefits, which can eventually be converted into real assets."

"With more conversions, the side with the advantage gains a distinct advantage."

"With less conversion, the stronger party loses."

As he spoke, Miki Soji slowly pinched a black stone with his right hand and continued, "In this game, although Black has lost territory, the scattered black stones on the board are accumulating external influence that could change the outcome of the game."

"But this external force is like a soldier without a general, scattered and weak."

"What I need to do now is to become the general of these soldiers, lead them, and forge them into an invincible elite force!"

Immediately, the black stone in Miki Soji's hand, carrying Miki Soji's will and gathering his momentum, fell precisely onto the chessboard like a meteor falling to earth.

Snapped!

......

Chapter 9: In the name of the Chess Saint, I respond to you!

The voice echoed in his mind again, making Chen Anxia's expression even more solemn. Without hesitation, he grabbed a chess piece and was about to place it in the position indicated by the voice.

Chen Anxia was now certain that the voice that appeared in her mind was not a flash of inspiration.

As for what it is, Chen Anxia doesn't know yet.

However, all Chen Anxia needed to know right now was that this voice could help her defeat this annoying brat in front of her, and that was enough.

Indeed, Chen Anxia, ​​who originally dared not hope to win the game, suddenly felt a strong desire to win after these voices appeared one after another.

Snapped!

With a crisp sound, the black piece landed precisely on the chessboard.

'This move...this move...'

Shinsuke Ichiyanagi stared blankly at Chen Anxia's move.

Chen Anxia's move was not a response to Ichiryu Shinsuke's attack, but rather a change of heart, placing a stone in row 16, column 15, which is the high-scoring position in the upper right corner.

The small eye is a point near the edge of the star position, while the high eye is a point far away from the edge of the star position.

Chen Anxia originally had a piece placed on the star position in the upper right corner.

Currently, these two black stones placed side by side echo the black stones that Chen Anxia placed earlier in row 12 and column 15, forming an unconventional two-in-three split formation.

Although Chen Anxia's move of establishing two and splitting three will not immediately threaten the white stones that have invaded the upper right corner, it will not even consolidate the precarious position in the upper right corner.

However, Chen Anxia's strategy of splitting two into three has already built a defensive fortress.

If White does not take any action, Black is very likely to use this defensive fortress as a stepping stone to reclaim the lost territory in the upper right corner.

'Is this... a coincidence? Or...?'

Shinsuke Ichiyanagi's heart was wavering.

However, Shinsuke Ichiyanagi quickly calmed his wavering heart.

Because Shinsuke Ichiyanagi firmly believed that, no matter what, he would be the winner of this game, and that would not change.

Without further hesitation, Shinsuke Ichiyanagi picked up a white stone and placed it in row 17, column 17, at the 3-3 point in the upper right corner, directly invading the heart of the black territory in the upper right corner.

Instead of playing it safe and reinforcing his position, Shinsuke Ichiyanagi made a move that aggressively declared war on Black again.

At this moment, the black and white pieces seemed to transform into two armies, one building a fortress for defense, and the other waving flags and beating drums, ready for a major battle at any time.

For a moment, on this battlefield of chess, the silent smoke of battle, accompanied by a tense and oppressive feeling, was constantly spreading.

From some point onward, everyone watching the game unconsciously held their breath and didn't dare to utter a sound.

Even Yuko Miki was completely captivated by the game, constantly observing Black's moves, hoping to glean insights into her father's principles of Go.

In another world, Miki Soji once again replicated Ichiyanagi Shinsuke's three-three move.

Upon seeing this move, Miki Soji did not hesitate at all, immediately placing the stone with fluid and graceful movements that were pleasing to the eye.

Miki Soji's move was still not a response to Ichiyanagi Shinsuke's declaration of war. Instead, he placed his move in the upper left corner, making a two-space high approach against the white stones at the upper left star point.

This move, a two-space high-hanging move, means it lands on the same row as the white stone in the upper left corner star position, separated by two points.

Moreover, this move, with its two high-hanging stones, forms a large jumping pattern with the black stones already positioned in the middle of the upper area, creating a mutually reinforcing pattern that allows for both offense and defense.

Seeing this, Shinsuke Ichiyanagi frowned, his expression constantly changing. He picked up a white stone but hesitated to place it.

Shinsuke Ichiyanagi never expected that the black stones, which were originally scattered in the upper left corner, would be connected after this move of hanging two spaces high.

At this moment, in Shinsuke Ichiyanagi's eyes, the black piece in the upper left corner was like a sick cat that had transformed into a lion that was gradually showing its fangs.

No, to be more precise, the black piece in the upper left corner was a lion from the very beginning.

However, before this, the lion had been sleeping and pretending, which is why it looked weak and powerless.

Now, the lion has been awakened...

Seemingly noticing his spying, Shinsuke Ichiyanagi saw the lion suddenly raise its head and let out a domineering roar at him.

"Roar!!"

The sound waves surged, echoing in Shinsuke Ichiyanagi's ears as if they were real, and actually made Shinsuke Ichiyanagi feel afraid.

This fear humiliated Shinsuke Ichiyanagi's proud heart and enraged him.

Suddenly, Shinsuke Ichiyanagi looked up at Chen Anxia, ​​his eyes fixed on her, and gritted his teeth as he said, "Why are you pretending to be a novice? Are you trying to humiliate me?"

Before Chen Anxia could reply, Shinsuke Ichiyanagi showed a resolute expression for the first time and said firmly, "No matter what you want to do, I will be the winner of this game."

"And you are destined to become my stepping stone on the path to becoming a chess master."