Infinity Starting with Hikaru no Go

Page 59

Chapter 87 I...lost... (Third update)

Snapped!

Snapped!

Snapped!

......

The game of chess continued as Fujiwara no Sai and the young man exchanged moves.

Once the game entered the middle stage, those watching the game began to lose their understanding of the game and the overall situation.

This is a bit like an elementary school student watching a high school student solve a problem; they are completely bewildered and can't understand it at all.

However, although the people watching the game couldn't understand it, they didn't find it boring at all. On the contrary, they felt that the game, which seemed like a book written in the sky, contained profound principles of chess, which made them unable to help but immerse themselves in it.

In this state, some people even had the illusion that they saw the figure of Touya Meijin in both Hikaru Shindo and the young man.

It's as if this game of Go is between two Meijin Touya...

No, it's like two top-tier Go players of the same caliber as Meijin Touya are playing against each other.

This illusion gave them a jolt, while simultaneously making them deny their own ideas.

After all, the idea was simply too absurd.

They simply didn't realize that what they perceived as an illusion was actually the truth.

Unlike them, Hikaru Shindo knew more, so he was able to see and feel more.

In Hikaru Shindo's perception, Fujiwara Sai's current state was completely different from when he played against Chen Anxia.

When playing chess with Chen Anxia, ​​Fujiwara Sai gave Hikaru Shindo the feeling of a Confucian general who was imposing and commanding on the battlefield.

The current Fujiwara Sai not only lacks the overwhelming momentum he displayed when playing against Chen Anxia, ​​but also the commanding confidence he exuded during their game.

Even Hikaru Shindo saw pressure, heaviness, and hesitation in Sai Fujiwara's Go.

'It's like...Sai was hesitating about whether his move was right...'

This sudden thought that appeared in Hikaru Shindo's mind startled him.

Then, Hikaru Shindo gently shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind.

In Hikaru Shindo's memory, Fujiwara no Sai was always so refined and composed, and always had his own confidence in Go.

Therefore, the idea that Fujiwara no Sai lacked confidence in his own game is, in Hikaru Shindo's view, a false premise.

However, Hikaru Shindo was unaware that Fujiwara Sai was indeed beginning to feel insecure about his own game and was starting to hesitate.

Although Fujiwara no Sai once transformed into Honinbo Shusaku and never lost a game when playing black.

But that was in the era before the tie-motif.

In the current era of komi (komi is a unit of measurement for points), if Fujiwara Sai plays black again, he will face a pressure of five and a half points.

If the skill difference is significant, that's fine, but if the skill difference is not significant, then under the pressure of five and a half points, using the Shusaku style is not very suitable.

After all, the core of the Shusaku style is actually to wait for the opponent to attack, and then seize the opportunity to strike.

However, White has a five-and-a-half-point advantage from the very beginning.

This means that White can choose a safer approach; as long as White maintains its five-and-a-half-point advantage, it is essentially securing the victory.

At the same time, this also means that Black can no longer wait for the enemy to tire itself out, but needs to choose a more aggressive move to ensure that it can close the gap of five and a half points from White, or even overtake White.

While playing against Chen Anxia, ​​Fujiwara Sai truly felt the limitations of the Shusaku style he created in the modern era.

Even if he had brought the Shusaku style to its peak, or even elevated it to a higher level, in that game of Go.

However, Fujiwara Sai knew that if Chen Anxia hadn't chosen an aggressive approach in the Demon Blade Battle, it would have perfectly suited his Shusaku style, giving him a significant advantage.

Therefore, the game would not end with a triple ko, and Chen Anxia would most likely win.

This made Fujiwara no Sai realize that if he wanted to continue to uphold the Shusaku style, it was not enough to simply refine it to its ultimate form; he also needed to update and reshape the Shusaku style to adapt it to the times.

However, although Fujiwara no Sai had this awareness, he did not have enough time and opportunity to realize it.

Now, in the process of playing chess with the young man in front of her.

Fujiwara no Sai had a vague feeling that he saw his own Shusaku style reflected in the young man's playing style.

More accurately, it's what I've been hoping for: the updated and revamped Shusaku style.

Both approaches involve taking a high-level perspective, repeatedly analyzing the situation of the game, and focusing on the overall balance.

However, the two are different.

Because the core of the young man's chess strategy was not the Shusaku style of waiting for the opponent to tire themselves out and going with the flow, nor did it give people a sense of superiority like the Shusaku style, nor could it use this to gain an advantage over the opponent in every move.

While Fujiwara no Sai could see these things, he could not truly understand the principles behind the young man's moves.

Fujiwara no Sai could only sense a faint sense of crisis from the young man's moves, but he couldn't pinpoint the source of that sense of crisis.

Fujiwara Sai knew that a crisis was lurking on the chessboard before him, in places he had not yet noticed.

If I don't get out of this crisis soon, the longer it goes on, the more dangerous it will become for me.

This is also the main reason why Fujiwara Sai began to have doubts about his own game.

It was precisely because of this hesitation that Fujiwara no Sai frequently entered into long periods of contemplation.

Throughout this process, the young man remained calm and composed, as if his mind was completely unaffected.

The game had unknowingly entered the late middle stages.

After Hikaru Shindo placed another piece, the young man seemed to have no hesitation as he slowly reached into the Go box and picked up a white piece.

Then, under everyone's gaze, the young man raised his hand holding the chess piece high onto the chessboard.

The next moment, a white streak of light flashed before everyone's eyes.

Snapped!

The crisp sound of the piece being placed unconsciously drew everyone's attention.

boom!

At that moment, they seemed to see an incredibly terrifying storm sweeping across the chessboard and rushing towards them, making them feel suffocated.

At the same time, they realized that the eye of the storm, the source of this storm, was the very white piece that the young man had just placed on the chessboard.

Meanwhile, Fujiwara no Sai, who was at the eye of the storm, ignored the howling wind that tossed his clothes and hair, and stared in awe at the storm before him.

Only at this moment did Fujiwara no Sai realize something and see a glimpse of the principles the young man had applied in his chess game.

In Fujiwara no Sai's eyes, the white piece that the young man had just placed was merely a prelude.

As for the real storm, it had already taken shape before the initial spark appeared.

However, although I was somewhat aware of it, I couldn't truly discover it, nor could I prevent it in advance...

Deeply shaken, Fujiwara no Sai fell into a long silence.

Although the game could continue, Fujiwara no Sai had already foreseen the final outcome.

The result will be that I lose this game by a margin of four and a half to six and a half points.

Finally, Fujiwara Sai spoke, uttering three words in a dejected tone.

"I...lost..."

......

Chapter 88 The Name of Qingyuan, the Will of Light! (First Update)

Fujiwara Sai's surrender was heard only by Shindo Hikaru.

Upon hearing Fujiwara Sai's surrender, Hikaru Shindo was stunned, his face showing shock, disbelief, and incredulity.

In Hikaru Shindo's eyes, Fujiwara no Sai is the soul of Go who has survived from the Heian period to the present day, and should be an invincible existence in Go.

But now... this invincible chess master has actually... lost.

At that moment, Hikaru Shindo had the illusion that his faith had collapsed.

Instinctively, Hikaru Shindo turned his head to look.

Turning his head, Hikaru Shindo saw Fujiwara no Sai, whose face was full of loneliness, as if he were detached from the world.

Hikaru Shindo had never seen Fujiwara no Sai like this before, and he looked somewhat dazed, softly murmuring "Sai..."

In a daze, Hikaru Shindo couldn't help but recall Fujiwara no Sai, who was spirited, confident, and composed, with an overwhelming aura, when he played chess with Akira Toya and Anxia Chen.

At that time, Fujiwara no Sai made Hikaru Shindo deeply realize just how charismatic the legend who had created an era truly was.

But now, Fujiwara no Sai, who once transformed into Honinbo Shusaku, never lost a game with the black pieces and created the Honinbo Shusaku era, is tasting defeat for the first time in this era.

Moreover, he tasted defeat while playing black.

'This feeling... must be awful...'

In his heart, Hikaru Shindo couldn't help but murmur softly.

The young and naive Hikaru Shindo seemed to grow up suddenly at this moment, realizing that this feeling meant that Honinbo Shusaku and the Shusaku school had been eliminated by the times.

Then, Hikaru Shindo took a deep breath, looked at the young man sitting opposite him, and said, "I lost this game."

Those watching the game all heard Hikaru Shindo concede defeat.

After a moment of silence, the onlookers couldn't help but start to stir and discuss.

"Admit defeat? How is this admitting defeat?"

"The game could clearly continue, shouldn't it?"

"That white piece just now seemed to foreshadow a storm. Could it be some brilliant move?"

"Perhaps, the child saw through a secret that we didn't, which is why he conceded defeat."

"This game was so brilliant, it's just a pity that the level was too high, I couldn't understand it at all."

"Who is that young man? How could he beat that kid? Is he a professional Go player?"

"I don't know, but it must be a profession."