Chapter 1132: An inconceivable way of playing: The Cosmic Style!

Translator: Legge Editor: Legge

In Japan and Korea.

Some of the Go websites were holding a simulcast of the game.

"Nani?"

"Quick, come and see this!"

"This opening is super godly!"

"The Chinese have shown their might!"

"The AI is losing really badly now!"

"That's impossible. Didn't that guy called Zhang Ye suffer a miserable defeat yesterday?"

"Just watch and you'll understand!"

Shortly after the game started, and in less than a dozen moves, Peter had been forced into a compromise and had to give up several points just like that. What did this mean? Anyone who knew a bit of Go would most definitely be astonished!

In all the centuries of recorded Go history and even further back, in its development until the modern times, all the different types of strategies had already been analyzed and studied thoroughly. All the different playstyles had already been seen before as well. Unless it was a game between a pro Go player and an amateur one, there wasn't much likelihood that a large disparity would grow between the two sides within just a dozen moves. Even if there was, it wouldn't be so clear-cut. It would only start showing itself gradually as the match progressed. If such a great disparity really showed up within just a dozen moves, it would go without saying that it was sure to be a game between an expert and a beginner.

But Peter was clearly not a beginner. Much to the contrary, it had defeated the top three Go players of the world, so that made it even more astonishing to everyone!

It didn't even take a dozen moves!

Zhang Ye had done it in less than ten moves!

This upset a lot of people's understanding of Go!

Some people even thought, If anyone could successfully learn this playstyle of Zhang Ye's, then wouldn't they become invincible in terms of the opening of a Go game?

But little did they know they had misjudged it.

The Apollo Opening 1 . Even in his previous world, this opening was not that popular. In fact, hardly anyone still used it. It was almost never played anymore because this type of opening had been researched and analyzed by many people. All of its variations and ways to fight it had been thoroughly explored. Moreover, the Apollo Opening had several fatal flaws. It was never seen as a mature or stable opening. But why did Zhang Ye dare to use it? Because this world has never seen it before. Therefore, they wouldn't know how to crack it!

Zhang Ye was harassing Peter like this specifically because it had no records of this opening!

Indeed, this strange opening had allowed him to gain an advantage right at the start of the game!

Zhang Ye followed up in hot pursuit as he immediately made an attack next!

Peter defended against the move.

Zhang Ye took the chance to occupy a position.

Peter could only bump in response.

However, he did not manage to complete the Apollo Opening. Because of Peter's compromise, he did not manage to get to the final killing move. But Peter's compromise had created an opportunity for Zhang Ye.

In the commentary booth.

Yu Yingyi said excitedly, "Professor Zhang still has an utter advantage!"

Chen Ying 7-dan had been feeling quite tired as she had not slept for the entire night. But with this game's opening, she was injected with energy, as if given an adrenaline shot. She yelled, "Yes! After another five moves from both sides, Professor Zhang is still pressing Peter with his play! Peter is in a very passive state. It has no way to deal with this for the time being!"

Yu Yingyi said, "So if they continue to play, will he win?"

Chen Ying replied, "Hmm, you can't put it that way. Peter's standard of play has already been witnessed by everyone. It once reversed a disadvantage on the board and emerged victorious. Also, we're only in the opening. What'll happen later is difficult to predict. There's also something that we ought to pay attention to. See, Peter might have lost quite a few points over here and here in the opening, but this opening by Professor Zhang is not that good either. We still have to see how it develops from here. Black's fifth move, there, is still very vulnerable to being attacked."

Then, less than two moves later, Zhang Ye suddenly hesitated.

He tapped the table as he considered his options for a while before playing.

In response, Peter made a good move by extending one of its frameworks. It helped Peter counterattack and was a very clever move. It was so clever that even many of the Go players watching TV could not help but praise it!

Chen Ying's expression shifted. "Good move! Peter's absolute strength can be seen in this move alone! It was no fluke that it could defeat so many of the world's top Go players. Now that Professor Zhang's attack has been defended against, Peter is unleashing a counterattack! It is Professor Zhang who will be finding it difficult from here on out!"

The American representative heaved a sigh of relief and smiled.

The atmosphere turned tense once again!

Zhang Ye clicked his tongue. It looked like he wouldn't be able to finish off PeterGo with just the opening. That would be too unrealistic.

Zhang Ye had to counter with a stand.

Then, Peter played its next move in the corner!

Chen Ying said with a sinking voice, "It's Peter's turn to play its opening! After this position here has been occupied, Professor Zhang's position over there is not going to be easy to expand. Although Professor Zhang is still ahead in the scoring, his opponent is catching up in the momentum. If he doesn't handle the situation well, he might just throw away that lead!"

Both sides played their stones.

It could be seen that Peter no longer needed the long thinking time that it took to consider its moves during the opening. It was playing fluidly now and had entered into the part of the game it was good at and most familiar with. Peter did not need much processing time as it rapidly made its moves. All of them were quite strong plays that caused a lot of trouble for Zhang Ye!

Wu Changhe said, "This is bad!"

Dan Donghe said anxiously, "The momentum has swung the wrong way!"

Xiang Rong 9-dan said, "Let's see how he's going to deal with this! We're now headed into the critical part of the game!"

Hu Liang yelled, "Come on!"

Yes, it had come to yet another critical juncture!

Zhang Ye's choice here was going to be very important. If he chose to fight Peter in the corner, he was bound to lose badly as his opponent had finished setting up its opening. But if he were to avoid fighting in this corner, it would be very difficult to play later on. Zhang Ye's opening was not exactly that good and its weaknesses were already starting to show.

Everyone at the venue was waiting in anticipation!

The home viewers were also waiting!

How would he play from here?

Where would Zhang Ye play his next move?

Zhang Ye narrowed his eyes. If he took Peter head on, things would not be any better than it was yesterday. In this case, considering that Peter's Go play was at the peak and how it could process far more variations than humans, he would inevitably lose to Peter's data if he played on like this. It might start playing some of those moves by Xiang Rong 9-dan or the like, then predict Zhang Ye's playstyle with big data analytics on his moves. Zhang Ye couldn't get dragged along by PeterGo anymore. This bro will not give in and play those moves you're familiar with!

OK!

Let's do this then!

I'll show you what I'm capable of!

Zhang Ye gripped the mouse, then chuckled as he played his move!

This stone was actually played on the upper side at a high position 2 !

Peter was probably stunned. It made a knight's move in return.

Zhang Ye calmly clicked the left mouse button and placed another stone on the Go board at a position that no one could understand!

For a moment, countless people were once again dumbfounded!

Wu Changhe cried out, "Dammit! What is he trying to do this time?"

Xu Han stared dumbstruck. "This…What kind of move is this?"

"What kind of playstyle is this?" Hu Liang asked as he looked to Xiang Rong 9-dan.

Xiang Rong looked at the screen as he shook his head while smiling wryly. "I've never come across a move like this either."

Chen Ying explained in surprise, "What is this? The choices that Professor Zhang made are beyond everyone's expectations. Those two stones seemed to be played with the intent of controlling the center of the board!"

Even Yu Yingyi could see that something was wrong. "Why didn't he fight for the corner?"

The fellow Go players watching TV were floored!

"Fuck!"

"What sort of a strategy is that?"

"What kind of a new fucking playstyle is that?"

"This has absolutely got to be a blunder!"

"You don't intend to fight for the corner?"

"What's the point of fighting for the center?"

"Seeking Death Style?"

"Incoherent Style?"

"Why do you keep playing moves that are so illogical!"

Zhang Ye's mother was also getting anxious, "What's going on with Little Ye? Are his moves no good?"

His father said, "Those couple of moves were impossible to understand!"

"Ah?" His mom was starting to get nervous about the board state.

No one could understand it!

The fellow Go players could not understand it!

And probably the rest of the professional Go players around the world could not understand it either!

In Go, practical benefits are largely focused upon in play. That is to say, the mainstream way of playing would be to start off on the third line for the opening so that territory could be built up at the sides of the board and the corners. Everyone usually played this way. Most victories were usually decided upon by the fight for territory at the sides and corners where the most hotly contested divisions on the Go board were. This was the most researched and studied area in Go!

As a result, these couple of moves by Zhang Ye had simply left everyone feeling incredulous!

An opening that focused on surrounding the center? Ignoring the corners? Aren't you an oddball for playing these moves!

What are you doing?

Do you mean to give up?

Then why don't you just resign? Why do you have to…

No one could sense the danger, not even Peter. There was no such playstyle in its dataset. This was something that no one had ever seen before!

Peter was still playing its moves according to the usual logical process!

Zhang Ye calmly placed a stone at another high position. This high position stone was actually not fighting for the corner territory. In fact, it had nothing to do with it at all. It was still surrounding the framework in the center of the board. Or perhaps, Zhang Ye was trying to surround the entire Go board!

This time, Peter hesitated for two minutes before playing its next move.

Zhang Ye smiled. Then he placed another stone at yet another high position without even thinking!

I know that you must have never come across such a playstyle!

Now that my opening is complete, let's have a good game!

Chen Ying was unable to give any further commentary. She could not at all understand what was going on!

To many of the top professional Go players in the spectator room, they could only look at the screen in confusion. Seeing the stones being played move after move, they were all puzzled!

Peter countered with an extension!

Zhang Ye played at yet another high position!

Peter bumped!

Zhang Ye pushed on with his high position!

A "three star points in a row" was joined up!

After several dozen more moves!

There was suddenly no reaction from Peter!

At this moment, a lot of people finally realized that something was wrong!

Yu Yingyi said in surprise, "This…What is going on?"

Chen Ying was so astonished that she had broken out into a sweat. "Why has Peter been pinned down? What is happening? Just, just what is happening in the center?"

She was dumbfounded and couldn't understand what had happened. Meanwhile, Peter seemed to have been relegated to a passive state!

Hu Liang exclaimed, "Heavens above!"

Xu Han stared with wide eyes. "How? How did it turn out this way?"

Many pro players were stunned!

The netizens also started crying out!

"Holy fuck!"

"My titanium dog eyes have been blinded!"

"What am I seeing here?"

"Is…is this some kind of sorcery?"

"What kind of spell did Zhang Ye cast?"

"He has regained the lead! Zhang Ye has PeterGo pinned down again!"

Before this, they had thought that those careless moves of Zhang Ye's would definitely have thrown his entire opening into disarray. They felt that he would definitely suffer a crushing defeat to Peter. Because in their opinion, as long as Peter firmly occupied the corner frameworks, there should have been no surprise to this game. In the dozens of moves played so far, they had seen for themselves just how messy Zhang Ye's opening had become and could not see a proper style to it. But at some point in time and after one of his moves, they discovered to their sudden horror that the one who was forced into a dead end turned out to be Peter! They didn't know how or when, but more than half of Peter's stones were suddenly surrounded by a "big net" that Zhang Ye had "cast" over the board. The other half of its stones were also blocked out by Zhang Ye. Peter's framework and territory in the corner were gradually surrounded by Zhang Ye instead!

This "big net" was simply terrifying!

It could encircle the inside!

And it could also defend the outside!

And if Peter tried to invade, Zhang Ye would be able to kill off its approaches immediately!

For the rest of the time, Zhang Ye wouldn't even need to fight against Peter. He could just spend his moves on weaving an even tighter net!

Two stars in a row!

Three stars in a row!

Four stars in a row!

This never before seen playing style had shocked everyone!

1. https://senseis.xmp.net/?GanSiyang

2. Fourth line on the Go board refers is referred to as "high" https://senseis.xmp.net/?KnowYourLines

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