The whole world fell silent!

The Tesuji!

A brand-new variation, appearing with stunning momentum, caught everyone off guard—it defied all imagination and shook the world to its core!

Inside the Handtalk Room, Zhuang Weisheng slightly lowered his head, his dark eyes locked on the reflection of the white stone on the board, as if he could see the mysterious light radiating from the game.

“...So that’s how it is.”

“The situation has turned against me—or rather, it’s already dire.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

And yet, despite being cornered and pushed into this kind of desperate situation, a complex emotion welled up inside Zhuang Weisheng’s heart.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Yu Shao across the board.

“This... might be exactly what I was hoping for.”

“Of course, I want to win.”

“But on the other hand, I want to see what kind of moves you’ll come up with. I want to see a game that reveals the secrets of the universe—a move that goes beyond anything I could play.”

“It’s incredible.”

“Even as your opponent, I can’t help but be in awe of these godlike moves.”

“To witness such a game—and to be a part of it—even if I’m stuck in a losing position... it’s a joy I can hardly contain.”

Beside them, the recorder and two referees stared at Zhuang Weisheng. The earth-shattering turn in the game had shaken them so deeply, they still hadn’t snapped out of it.

“Teacher Zhuang Weisheng...”

They had no idea what he might be thinking right now, looking at the current board position.

“The mysteries of Go are infinitely profound. Even if I played my whole life, played thousands of games, what I see would still be darkness.”

“The stronger your skills, the more you understand Go, and the deeper your reverence for its subtlety becomes.”

“If Go has a hundred parts, I’ve barely grasped seven or eight.”

“Does Go truly have an answer?”

“And if it does... can we even find it?”

Zhuang Weisheng withdrew his gaze from Yu Shao and looked back at the board.

“It’s here.”

“What I’ve pursued—ten, twenty, thirty years...”

“It’s right here—”

“In this one game.”

“I see it...”

“You finally see it... the answer to Go...”

“It really does exist!”

A long time later, Zhuang Weisheng finally calmed down, banished all stray thoughts, and focused his full attention on the game.

The match wasn’t over yet!

Time ticked by, second by second.

Soon, twenty minutes had passed.

And yet no one showed the slightest impatience toward Zhuang Weisheng’s prolonged contemplation. Everyone understood exactly what he was facing—a move so revolutionary it overturned the fundamentals of Go, shaking the entire world—an almost irresistible pseudo-Tesuji!

In the face of such a board, most players wouldn’t even be able to stay composed. Zhuang Weisheng choosing to continue playing after such a long pause was already an act of remarkable courage!

Five minutes.

Eight minutes.

Nine minutes.

Time flowed relentlessly like sand in an hourglass.

Thirty minutes passed, and still, Zhuang Weisheng hadn’t made a move.

In a Tokyo apartment, Higashiyama Kaoru and a group of professional players silently stared at the computer screen, not blinking once, wordlessly waiting half an hour!

“What will Tengen Zhuang Weisheng choose to do?”

Someone’s heartbeat pounded uncontrollably as they stared at the game on the screen, their mouth dry.

“Yu Shao really gave the world a breathtaking performance in this match.”

“But Tengen Zhuang Weisheng—he’s a miracle-maker too!”

...

...

“Even though white clearly has the upper hand on the board, black’s situation isn’t hopeless.”

“But if he keeps holding back, it’s a dead end.”

Zhuang Weisheng stared intently at the board, silently calculating all the possible variations and outcomes.

“After he tenukied and defended successfully, my attack fell apart.”

“That seemingly clumsy move turned out to be brilliant.”

“Even my splitting formation... has now become redundant!”

His expression grew increasingly serious.

“If I reinforce slowly and play solidly, the battle line will stretch out—but once things settle down, the only way to catch up is if the opponent makes a mistake.”

“If I don’t reinforce and start a complex fight, my current formation is too loose. If black goes all-out on the attack, I could lose everything!”

“There’s only one path if I want to turn things around.”

“If I win, the situation is reversed!”

“If I lose—there’ll be nothing left but bones!”

Finally, after a long silence, Zhuang Weisheng made up his mind. He opened his eyes.

Click!

His hand reached into the bowl, picked up a stone.

Eyes locked on the board.

In front of the whole world, the stone landed slowly.

Column 14, Row 4—Jump!

...

“A jump?”

Seeing the move, a long-haired Japanese player blinked in surprise: “No reinforcement?”

“I see now.”

Higashiyama Kaoru quickly discerned the deeper meaning of the move and said gravely, “This jump carries profound intent. Black jumps away here to feint in one direction and strike in another—it’s an open strategy, but white can’t deal with both threats at once!”

“But in doing this, once white frees up their hand, black will be in danger!”

Someone gasped, stunned: “Black only got one sente out of this! And gave up the chance to reinforce!”

“Black must be planning to use this sente to seize initiative at every step and then—”

Higashiyama Kaoru took a deep breath and said, “—and ultimately, crush white with that one sente!”

The room fell silent.

“This is insane!”

A moment later, someone stared at the screen in disbelief and cried out, “How is that even possible? White just needs to turn slightly and black collapses!”

“I think... we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

Suddenly, Takahashi Yuki, who had been silent all this time, spoke without even turning his head: “Since Tengen Zhuang Weisheng chose this path—”

“Let’s see how Tengen Zhuang Weisheng plans to perform!”

On the board, the black and white stones began to fall again in rapid alternation.

As the match entered a true life-and-death battle, the internet also exploded in discussion.

“Black really did seize sente—and absolute sente at that. And sente really does matter. There are plenty of games in Go where a faster move wins the whole board! Speed is a fundamental truth!”

“But to rely on just one sente, gain initiative at every step, and ultimately crush white—that seems impossible!”

“You’re wrong. Maybe that’s true for others, but this is Zhuang Weisheng!”

“You know what Weisheng means? From the brink of death, comes new life! Hasn’t Teacher Zhuang Weisheng made countless shocking comebacks from desperate positions?”

“Even so, not even Teacher Zhuang Weisheng can manage this. It’s too outrageous. White only needs to defend. Once they free up a hand, they can absolutely demolish black’s large dragon!”

“Black is all in!”

“This is a fight with no second chances!”

On the board—

Black and white intertwined!

Go is the art of black and white, the art of life and death. Black and white intertwine on the nineteen-line grid, weaving the dance of survival and destruction.

But as most expected, relying on just one sente to save the game was incredibly difficult. For several consecutive moves, white’s attacks gained no advantage.

Inside the Handtalk Room, both players dropped stones at lightning speed.

Tension filled the air, thick and oppressive.

Zhuang Weisheng’s expression remained calm. As Yu Shao played a move, he quickly picked up another stone and dropped it in reply.

Snap!

Column 8, Row 14—Fly!

“He tenukied to there?”

Seeing this move, everyone’s face was full of surprise.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Under the eyes of the world, the stones kept falling. The crisp sounds echoed, as if the two were composing a stirring symphony on this Go board!

And after Zhuang Weisheng’s tenuki, black’s moves became increasingly bizarre. Everyone watching the game found their expressions changing fast!

“Wasn’t it always ‘urgent points before large areas’? Weren’t we taught that ‘influence shouldn’t be used to take territory’? And ‘gold corners, silver sides, grass belly’?! Why is black ignoring all of that?!”

Someone couldn’t contain their shock and yelled, “I don’t get it! What is this?!”

Even Higashiyama Kaoru looked completely bewildered.

“Black could’ve easily extended from the lone group on the left and used his thickness to fight. Instead, he chose the Double Swallow formation in a big area...”

He muttered in disbelief, “The attacks are too soft, he keeps losing initiative, letting white reinforce a massive territory without interference.”

“All black gained was some vague center framework—and he sacrificed stones to do it!”

“Isn’t black’s situation getting worse and worse?!”

Around the world, commentators were just as confused by the breathtaking turn of events on the board.

Inside the Handtalk Room, Zhuang Weisheng slowly raised his head and looked at Yu Shao, his eyes like torches.

“There’s no time!”

“Since I tenukied and provoked a complex battle, once white frees up a hand, they’ll retaliate—and very likely capture my large dragon!”

“Now—the moment has come!”

“This is what you’ve been waiting for, isn’t it?”

“White no longer has pressure in the lower area. Now’s the time for white to strike! If white’s going to attack, this is the best chance!”

“Right here, we settle it!”

“No time left—if we keep dragging this out, and I reinforce my black stones, your advantage will vanish!”

“So come on!”

“I’m ready!”

“When white tries to kill black—that’s when black’s path to life will appear!”

Across the board, Yu Shao stared intently, calculating endless variations in his mind.

A moment later, Yu Shao finally picked up a stone and slowly placed it.

Click!

Column 7, Row 9—Tesuji!

...

“White has launched the attack!”

Everyone watching felt their hearts sink, as if hearing black’s death knell.

Black’s formation was too scattered, almost ready to collapse. Especially now, with white sweeping in at full strength, black seemed doomed to be crushed.

“It’s over. Even Teacher Zhuang Weisheng can’t turn it around from here.”

“There’s no way. One sente to gain initiative everywhere and flip the game? That’s too much.”

“It’s impossible for every move to be absolute sente. Some have limited value. If white sees greater value in attacking black, they can simply ignore it.”

“There’s nothing more that can be done. Teacher Zhuang Weisheng has already done his best.”

In the live chat, comments flew by, most agreeing black was now in a losing position.

White’s momentum felt like the sky collapsing. With black’s scattered formation, there was no way it could hold.

Everyone watched with complicated emotions, silently staring at the game, hearing the crisp clicks of each move in their minds.

“Black’s move—turn?”

Suddenly, seeing black’s turning move, everyone paused for a beat. Before they could process it, white responded, and they had to refocus.

Click!

Click!

Click!

Black and white continued to fall alternately, and as the move count grew, people’s expressions changed—dramatically!

“What the h**l?!”

Someone stood up, stunned, staring at the screen. “Why can’t white finish black off?!”

Not just him—more and more viewers noticed something was off, and were shocked.

“White’s attacking moves should’ve been devastating, but they seem awkward and clunky somehow?!”

“Why? I don’t get it!”

“Black’s formation was so loose—by all logic, white should’ve crushed it easily. But black looks like it’s on the edge... yet still standing?!”

...

In Tokyo—

Higashiyama Kaoru and the others stared at this brutal black-white clash, speechless, unable to take their eyes off the screen.

The netizens couldn’t see it, but as high-dan professionals, they now understood the mystery and cunning hidden in the board!

“We were wrong!”

The long-haired youth murmured in shock, “All of us were wrong!”

Silence. Everyone knew what he meant.

Yes.

They were all wrong.

From beginning to end, Zhuang Weisheng never intended to seize just one sente and use that to gain advantage at every step and ultimately defeat white through speed.

Zhuang Weisheng’s ambitions were far greater than they had imagined!

He was playing the big game!

Those tenukis, that seemingly strange avoidance of reinforcing territory, that choice to make a loose formation instead of attacking directly—it was all to prepare for the moment white struck. That was when the setup would shine!

Black was luring white in—and no one saw it!

Or rather, black wanted everyone to think he was just aiming for sente. But in truth, black was waiting for white to step in.

This kind of strategy hid a deadly trap—and they never noticed!

At that moment, another black stone appeared on the screen.

Click!

The sound of the move echoed across the world.

And the online chatter abruptly stopped!

All the confusion, all the uncertainty, all the doubts—finally had an answer!

That move, along with all the earlier tenukis, all the prepared stones—connected, forming a response. From the jaws of death, black revealed a path to life!

Everyone stared, frozen, at the board. Now, with the truth laid bare, they finally saw Zhuang Weisheng’s true intent.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

For a moment, everyone felt dazed. Seeing this intricate position, this astonishing vision and courage, a single figure emerged in their minds.

That figure who once held the Ten Titles for twenty years.

That figure who founded the Weisheng Style, defeating every master who stood in his way.

That figure seemed to rise from the Go bowl, gently placing a stone on the board—

And the sound of the stone landing echoed across the world.

“Zhuang Weisheng!”