Chapter 591
He's still a child
Lin Ruo's next move didn't seem like a good thing, since logically, after the initial setup, the two sides would clash back and forth.
However, Lin Ruo then adopted the principle of avoiding battle. When White gained influence, he took territory; when White gained influence, he took territory. Given that he already had an advantage in the opening, he adopted this steady and cautious approach.
Tang Weixing had no reason not to suspect that the other side was trying to slowly outmaneuver him through strategic maneuvering.
start again?
Although he hadn't specifically studied Lin Ruo, he was familiar with many of the Samsung Cup matches, such as all of Lin Ruo's games against Park Jung-hwan and Shin Jin-seo.
Lin Ruo's approach is generally based on steady and reliable judgment, so today seems to be no exception.
In that case, how could Tang Weixing let his opponent continue so easily?
After actively seeking open spaces and playing several moves in the lower left and lower right positions, it became clear that the lower left side of the board was beginning to extend into the center.
Tang Weixing immediately launched an attack, directly breaking upwards in the central area in an attempt to expand the airspace.
Since you've attacked like this, Lin Ruo will definitely not recognize you and will break off the engagement immediately.
After White captures a piece, Black extends its territory again.
After taking these two steps, Lin Ruo was quite satisfied, because he was able to smoothly connect the middle abdomen to the lower left and perfectly preserve the combat power of the middle abdomen.
At the same time, if White secures the lower side, he can also use this route to seize territory on the right side.
However, Tang Weixing believed that the situation was not like that.
Because he then chose to grow upwards from the middle of his abdomen.
It was this piece that slowed Lin Ruo down considerably, and then he began to stroke his chin and think.
Because there's a breakpoint on the left, if I don't address it, I'll inevitably find myself in a dilemma.
Lin Ruo's idea was for White to move first and then move to block and resolve the crisis, but White's sudden extension was a bit beyond his expectations.
If White blocks the cut point on the left to protect its territory, it can easily join forces with the extension in the center and extend upwards on the left as well. Then, the three stones near the center will be vulnerable to being attacked from both sides and thus broken through.
Then, without a doubt, the entire central region would instantly lose its ability to sustain combat operations.
However, what seemed even more difficult for Lin Ruo at this moment was that even if he managed to cut off the attack, the opponent still seemed to have more than one possible finishing move.
Because White can push out from the lower center point, the two stones parallel to the three stones in the center will also die. It seems that in this case, Black will only lose one less stone.
The real problem is that the middle area at the bottom is actually a bit empty. Without these two stones, White can press down without restraint, and the territory at the bottom will obviously enter a phase of extreme expansion.
"I didn't expect Lin Ruo to fall into the trap so quickly..."
Off the field, Yang Dingxin couldn't help but shake his head when he saw this. He hadn't let Lin Ruo fall into a trap even once in the entire game yesterday, but Tang Weixing actually did it right from the start today.
This surprised him a bit, but he was also impressed, as the pit was indeed very well dug, better than any pit he had dug yesterday.
The good thing is that the pit was incomplete before Lin Ruo made his move.
In other words, you can only see the trap if Lin Ruo makes a move and then White fills in the gap; otherwise, you really can't see much of it.
Since the break on the left clearly distracted Lin Ruo, she could easily fall into the trap when it was extremely inconspicuous.
“So how do we play now? The threat is two-way. If we don’t handle this well, things could get really messy,” Liao Yuanhe said, pondering from the side.
The experienced Yang Dingxin quickly came up with the best solution: "Can we abandon some ground and turn downwards in the central area to preserve our combat opportunities?"
This way, there's still a possibility of fighting for ground downwards or extending to the right. In his view, going back to the left to fill the gap would be the most foolish decision.
"This is indeed the best opportunity to respond. At least there is still room for maneuver. White's extension will not be as effective. However, the cut on the left will definitely give the opponent an opening."
This choice is quite easy to see, but seeing Lin Ruo still thinking in the room, Liao Yuanhe suddenly felt something was wrong and tentatively asked, "Do you think Lin Ruo might want both?"
"If you want both, what's the best course of action?" Yang Dingxin countered.
Indeed, with Lin Ruo's abilities, he should have figured out the right path much earlier, but he was still pondering it. Yang Dingxin had to admit that Liao Yuanhe was half right.
They believe Lin Ruo has noticed the downward turn in the middle abdomen, but Lin Ruo doesn't think it's the best method, which is why there hasn't been any obvious movement until now.
Could we really find something better? Is continuing to think about it just a waste of time?
Instead of dwelling on these useless thoughts, Yang Dingxin chose to engage in thoughtful reflection.
The two people outside the game buried their faces in the chessboard at this moment, and only looked up at the same time when Lin Ruo made this move.
Lin Ruo made his next move, and the result was indeed different from what Yang Dingxin had expected; he did not make any downward turn in the middle of his body.
Instead, it broke down.
The white stones made a cut at the intersection of the bottom points in the center, a move that was truly eye-opening.
On the contrary, the light in Tang Weixing's eyes seemed to disappear by more than half at that moment.
Smiles can shift, and so can deep thoughts; now it was his turn to fall into a long period of contemplation.
"That move was divine!"
Zhang Xuebin was already in awe in the live broadcast room. He hadn't been able to see the situation clearly before, but after Black made that cut move, he suddenly felt enlightened.
Yes, Black's position has suddenly become much clearer; this is a true reversal of fortune.
Because now, Black has the advantage...
"With this cut, White can't do anything. We have to kill this stone!"
“If Black doesn’t force a kill, Black can expand its territory downwards, thus exchanging it with the small portion of the base that was lost on the left.”
Zhang Xuebin's analysis was only half right, and that alone was clearly not enough to make the White stones, who originally held the initiative, lose their advantageous position.
The other unspoken point is that this move prevented Black from extending its territory.
You grew on top, but I broke off at the bottom.
If you dare to capture my three pieces, I can use this move to turn the tables and combine with the two black pieces on this side to capture the pieces next to you.
If you want to take my two stones, I can also use this break to launch an attack on you with the three stones on the other side.
Okay then.
You can elaborate on the breakpoints, and I'll elaborate on the rest. We can switch roles anyway.
Having painstakingly devised this plan, Tang Weixing was naturally unwilling to accept the idea of exchanging pieces. He chose to take the initiative and capture the black piece first.
Lin Ruo naturally had a way to deal with it. Since he dared to cut, he would not let White solve this problem so easily.
You can eat me, but my influence will spread.
Lin Ruo, remaining calm, first made a quick and easy move by turning downwards from the side. This was the best move that Yang Dingxin and the others had just considered. Now, by making this move, she had at least gained control on the right side and replenished her forces.
After White captured the cut stone, Lin Ruo immediately returned to the left side to protect the cut point.
With the threat on the left gone, and because the stone turned downwards here, the significance of White's previous extension is naturally greatly reduced. At this point, both sides can only engage in mutual attacks around this turning point.
They started a siege-like situation, each surrounding the other.
Just as both sides had exchanged several moves, and many thought the game was about to enter a siege-style competition, Tang Weixing, unwilling to give up, unleashed his killer move.
Clearly, in a duel between masters, no move is wasted.
Earlier, when both sides were cleaning up the bottom and middle positions, Tang Weixing deliberately made a subtle move to tighten the liberties of the large black group in the lower part of the board. Then, he made several more moves to ensure the absolute safety of his central group.
Therefore, Tang Weixing, feeling that Gao Chen was safe, immediately turned around and launched a fierce attack on the black group of stones.
Go directly back to the bottom right corner.
This move, seemingly a retreat to White's base in the lower right corner to consolidate territory, is actually aimed at Black's lack of liberties, preparing to launch a strong attack.
Plan carefully before acting; make multiple uses for one move.
Yang Dingxin, watching from outside, nodded in approval. Although Tang Weixing was no match for the Chinese Weiqi League, there was a reason why he was able to reach the finals of the Samsung Cup.
The current situation is indeed a bit too good.
Even if he were to play a single game against Tang Weixing, Yang Dingxin believed he would most likely lose.
From the troubles these few steps created for Lin Ruo, Yang Dingxin could see a truly sophisticated intention, far more imaginative than the traps Lin Ruo had dug.
No wonder Lin Ruo sometimes falls for their tricks.
This move alone poses a significant threat; if Black makes even the slightest misstep in its next move, it could lead to utter ruin.
However, Lin Ruo is Lin Ruo after all. He is called "God Lin" by millions of people for a reason.
Having a clear grasp of the situation, Lin Ruo immediately flew to the bottom center, slightly to the right.
Want to provoke me to death? No way.
Seeing that his plan had been exposed, Tang Weixing stopped pretending and launched an attack on the large black group from below.
Lin Ruo immediately adopted an offensive strategy, targeting the problem of the large white group on the left side having limited liberties.
You think I'm aggressive on the right and want to attack me, right? Well, sorry, I also think you're aggressive on the left, so I'm going to attack you too.
Therefore, Lin Ruo's next move was to shift the blame westward, directly spreading the flames of war to the left.
The two sides then engaged in another fierce back-and-forth battle, and Tang Weixing realized that no matter what he did, he could not kill the large black group.
Conversely, the fire spreading to the left has the tendency to burn the dragon on its left side to death. Isn't this like trying to steal someone else's things but failing and then returning to find that your own house is about to be completely looted?
If that's the outcome, then it's not a question of whether there's a loss or not; to borrow a phrase from a certain general, it's a complete loss of face!
"This is a case of not only failing to launch an attack but also being attacked instead."
In the Wild Fox live stream, Zhang Xuebin seemed to see a familiar scene again: when you try to attack Lin Ruo, Lin Ruo will show you what a real attacking match is.
Clearly, this is all too obvious now.
Zhang Xuebin has remained calm in the face of this extreme counterattack, but the netizens in the live broadcast room are not so calm.
[Another one trying to go on the offensive. Let's get rid of the next one. You think you can go toe-to-toe with our Lin Shen? How dare you!]
[Report, there's no next one. This person has cleared the Forest God dungeon.]
[What are you waiting for? Raise the trophy!] [As everyone knows, going toe-to-toe with our Lin Shen is always a death sentence. A friendly reminder to future chess players: be cautious with aggressive play, or you might end up with tears streaming down your face.]
[Actually, Lin Shen has toned it down quite a bit now. You see, before, he would finish off his opponent in seventy or eighty moves, but now, he won't finish in less than a hundred moves.]
Hey, now that we've entered the workforce, even our Lin Shen has learned about human relationships. It's really impolite to get completely destroyed by someone else's melee attacks; you have to be flexible, otherwise it'll be hard to get by.
What do you know? We're all family. Our Lin Shen just doesn't want to go all out.
In short, going head-to-head with Lin Ruo is a sure path to certain death.
Tang Weixing clearly realized this, and at this point he no longer dared to think about slaughtering any more of the black group of stones. He quickly moved to the lower left corner to make a move to save his own group of stones.
But how could Lin Ruo let him have his way? You think you can just not fight if you don't want to? That would be giving you too much face.
Lin Ruo definitely wouldn't agree.
He chose to continue attacking, maneuvering the black pieces to push forward, leaving the white pieces with no choice but to block.
Black plays again.
After a few more moves, making sure that he had left a series of deadly moves here that could be used to launch a comeback against the large white group, Lin Ruo then calmly returned to the right side to make his own large group live.
Tang Weixing, who was terrified, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost thought that Lin Ruo was going to have a showdown with him here. Fortunately, he withstood the pressure and did not allow the black pieces to continue to expand their advantage.
Otherwise, Lin Ruozhen would have knocked him off his horse right here.
With Black returning to save the large group of stones, the second phase of the battle between the two sides came to a small end.
At this point in the game, Lin Ruo's advantage is even greater than in the first stage.
However, it wasn't that big.
Based on AI win rates, the current win-loss ratio between the two sides is still 6:4.
Tang Weixing, who defended the dragon and forced Lin Ruo to retreat, still has a chance to win the game, and the chance is not too small. So, the outcome will obviously have to wait until the third stage.
The key to victory or defeat undoubtedly lies in the open space above.
Because this area is currently vacant, like a wilderness waiting to be conquered by both sides, occupying this territory is clearly the key to future development.
So when Tang Weixing failed to gain any advantage down below, his first thought was to expand his territory up above. Thus, he decisively set out to claim land and raise sheep so that he could make a plush coat for himself when winter approached.
Lin Ruo naturally had no reason to let it go. You want to go up and eat pork, right? I want to come too, let's share the pork together.
However, it's impossible to divide them equally.
Just as Lin Ruo was holding a sickle, Tang Weixing was holding a stick.
The fact that Black has an advantage on the bottom side will definitely have a radiating effect when it moves to the top side.
Therefore, Lin Ruo should rightfully receive more.
If Tang Weixing disagrees, then Lin Ruo will only ask, "Is your fist bigger than mine?"
My fists are as big as sandbags!
This is where the problem arises. Tang Weixing wants to acquire more land, but he can't face the punches of his opponents head-on. What if his face gets smashed?
Since direct confrontation was not an option, Tang Weixing had no choice but to resort to dishonest tactics.
Next move.
White extends its territory above Black's stones that have jumped up to claim land.
This move may not be of much use in the short term, but it makes the attitude very clear and what they want to do is obvious.
You practically put your mouth right next to Lin Ruo's ear. You easily deflected my two previous attacks, and you always managed to gain an advantage as the defender.
Fine.
I'm not attacking this time.
Lower your head and adopt an absolute defensive stance. Go ahead and try to mess with me. If you can kill me with this, then I can only let you have a good laugh.
What else can he do? If he can't win, he has to surrender. But before that, Tang Weixing will do everything in his power to resist.
When Lin Ruo heard Tang Weixing say this, the excitement she had been hiding suddenly came, and she rubbed her hands together, ready to rush forward.
You said it, so here I am.
So, in the next move, Black directly enlarged its territory on the side and launched an attack.
Seeing his opponent attack without saying a word, Tang Weixing's first action was naturally to cover his face to prevent being hit in vital areas.
Therefore, White's next move is to clamp down on the lower point, trying to protect its territory in the lower right corner as much as possible.
There's already so little land left, and if you hit me again, how am I supposed to make a living?
He had to protect it, so he had to protect it every inch of land. If he let it out even a little bit, it might not survive the harsh winter.
But you can't just protect all the time, right? After all, you can't keep protecting forever. You can't expect your opponent to get tired and give up.
How could that be? Do you think the person on the other side is a Bodhisattva?
Well, I'm sorry, but in Tang Weixing's eyes, it's hard to say whether Lin Ruo is a bodhisattva or not, but at this moment his heart is definitely black.
Therefore, this move also preserves the means to attack Black.
Logically, Lin Ruo should have increased his offensive efforts at this point, but influenced by his recent habit of playing a torturous game, Lin Ruo believed that changing his offensive approach was the best course of action.
Because Tang Weixing focuses entirely on defense, pure offense may not be effective in a short period of time.
Therefore, Lin Ruo chose a method that was guaranteed to be effective: guerrilla warfare.
You're going to play defense, huh? Then I'll harass you.
Whether you win or lose is hard to say, and whether you'll gain any advantage later is also hard to say, but it's definitely going to mess with your mindset.
Before that, Lin Ruo first pretended to attack and moved closer.
Seeing that Lin Ruo was about to attack, Tang Weixing decisively moved up to prepare to support her.
At this point, he still thought Lin Ruo would naively fight him for three hundred rounds. He thought, "Come on, I've prepared an impenetrable defense. Today, I'll see just how capable you really are."
Then he saw it.
However, this scene seemed to be somewhat different from what he had expected, so Tang Weixing was naturally dumbfounded, and even rubbed his glasses to make sure it was real.
Because he saw Lin Ruo back away.
Yes, Black was clearly preparing to attack in the previous move, and had even drawn his sword, so what's with your sudden withdrawal and step back?
This is the scene Tang Weixing witnessed. After his white pieces moved up, the black pieces did not choose to attack him, but instead chose to make a large knight's move in the upper back.
What kind of tactic is this? I advance, you retreat; if I retreat, can I advance? They're playing strategy now, aren't they?
After all that foreplay, it seemed like it really was just foreplay. Tang Weixing suddenly felt like he had been emotionally deceived.
I've already taken my pants off, and this is what you show me? That's quite classy.
"It's really gotten out of hand, huh? This is bad."
In the WildFox live stream room, both the streamer Xia Xia and the commentator Zhang Xuebin burst into laughter.
Because they think this step is so childish, you know? There's really no such thing as playing around like this; it's purely messing with people's mentality.
However, Lin Ruo seems to have a reason for doing this, as the viewers in the live stream had already listed it out.
【Our Lin Ruo is still just a child, it's okay for her to play like this.】
[Yes, Lin Ruo is only eighteen, younger than everyone in the live stream. What else could she be but a child?]
[Lin Shen just wanted to put on a little skit for us during the break from the competition. Just enjoy it. What you'll see next is a chase, a tangle of emotions, going on and on.]
[Fine, Tianya? If I were Tang Weixing, deceived in love, I would have flipped the table and beaten Lin Ruo up long ago. After beating her, I'd still ask her what she was up to.]
Ahem...
Anyway, no matter what.
It would be unreasonable for Tang Weixing not to be famous at this time.
More importantly, there is already a gap in the actual situation. If Lin Ruo continues to act recklessly like this, he will definitely lose when the score is tallied later.
What can we do then?
Tang Weixing decided not to hold back and see how Lin Ruo would perform next. He chose to go up to her, meaning he was begging Lin Ruo to hit him.
Lin Ruo hit him, but it was a fake hit.
Later, Black first came down to the bottom and pretended to attack. When White also came down to fight back, Lin Ruo immediately returned to the top and climbed up.
Tang Weixing was completely stunned again. This time he finally understood that the other side was really hitting and moving around.
But because of his move, the upper right corner now has a chance to become a living group.
Who can I complain to about this?
This feint attack is so clever; you'd think he was the creator of the idiom.
Tang Weixing was now somewhat troubled. Black was going to establish a base in the upper right corner after going around in circles, which meant that his camp had been destroyed.
So how can he still be a turtle?
Therefore, Tang Weixing's next option is to first invade the white camp near the center on the upper side, seeking an effective way to break through the enemy's territory and hoping to even out the unfavorable situation.
This move was very effective because it carried a strong offensive capability.
It can be said that the card is openly demanding that Lin Ruo choose one of two options: either defend the territory above or defend the large dragon below.
Regardless of which step Lin Ruo chooses, it doesn't seem to be a good thing, because Tang Weixing will have corresponding means to seek benefits.
In other words, this forces Black to choose between incurring a loss or incurring a loss.
Do you want a small loss or a big loss? (End of Chapter)