Chapter 14:Legend vs. Prodigy

“Haha, you see all sorts of things when you’ve been in this game long enough.”

Pilgyu Park, 9-dan, chuckles warmly at the girl sitting across from him, young enough to be his granddaughter.

It’s only the preliminary, not even the main tournament, yet the crowd feels like it’s for the quarterfinals.

Several familiar pros are here to witness the game firsthand.

Cameras for the live broadcast are set up everywhere, with staff bustling about minutes before the match begins.

Despite the unfamiliar environment, the girl shows no signs of nervousness.

“For the sake of this old man’s pride, go easy on me, Master Ryu. Haha.”

Having defeated three active pros, the small girl before him is already on par with a professional.

Pilgyu Park addresses her respectfully, tossing in a light joke.

“Yes! It’s truly, truly the honor of a lifetime to learn from a revered master like you!”

The girl flashes a bright smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Haha, if a young one like Master Ryu knows me, I guess I haven’t lived in vain.”

“Let’s play our best Go, with no shame in a single move.”

“Yes! Of course!”

The standby signal comes.

Cameras start filming the board, and the timekeeper announces the match’s start.

From the pre-game stone draw, Seoa Ryu takes black.

Her timer, set to two hours, begins ticking down second by second.

Waiting for her first move, Pilgyu Park glances at the girl.

No trace of fear or hesitation—her eyes are filled with pure exhilaration.

Some players and Go enthusiasts call Go a game of etiquette and virtue.

Pilgyu Park doesn’t care for such lofty ideas.

In a game of winning and losing, manners are secondary.

At its core, Go is a fierce struggle, a battle to outwit or be outwitted.

In that sense, the girl is ready.

She’s mentally armed, prepared to challenge her opponent at every turn.

After his match with Junyan Li, 6-dan, yesterday, Pilgyu Park reviewed Seoa Ryu’s game records.

Those who underestimated her were swiftly overwhelmed, caught off guard by her sharp tactics.

‘If I’m not careful, I’ll be outplayed in an instant.’

Over decades in the Go world, Pilgyu Park has faced countless challengers.

What allowed him to endure was always respecting his opponents.

Regardless of her age or appearance, the fact that this girl sits across the board demands respect.

Her first move is the upper-right star point.

Pilgyu Park responds with the upper-left star point.

She plays a small knight’s move in the lower-right.

Pilgyu Park fills the remaining corner with a star point.

Fifth move.

She extends straight from the lower-right small knight, securing one corner.

Sixth move.

Pilgyu Park invades the third line on the right side’s center.

Seventh move.

Unyielding, she claims the left side.

Eighth and ninth moves.

Pilgyu Park and Seoa Ryu each extend two spaces, securing the right and left sides.

Up to white’s 16th move, invading the upper-right alongside the right-side stones, the game unfolds steadily.

“Hmm…”

A bold move comes at black’s 17th.

Pilgyu Park lets out a low hum.

Ignoring the white stone in the upper-right, Seoa Ryu attaches a stone in the lower-left corner, aiming to claim the bottom side.

Each move is swift and decisive, like a sudden strike.

Pilgyu Park ponders, then fortifies the lower-left before surrounding the upper-right.

Soon, a tight encirclement forms.

But instead of building a stronghold, Seoa Ryu throws up a hasty defense, then shifts to the left side.

‘Arrogance, or confidence she can hold her ground?’

Pilgyu Park begins calculating.

Black holds key defensive points but is outnumbered.

The position is tightly surrounded.

Her defense is flimsy, with multiple weak points.

Without hesitation, Pilgyu Park targets the most critical vulnerability.

Seoa Ryu switches to offense, attacking the invading stones.

As the invaders maneuver, a gap opens in her defense.

As if she’d planned it, she executes a precise escape.

In exchange, she loses the right side, but it was already mostly white’s territory.

Compared to her gains on the left and lower-left, the loss is minor.

‘She outmaneuvered me.’

She never intended to hold that weak position.

It was a feint to buy time while her main strategy unfolded elsewhere.

The sturdy base below secured her escape route in advance.

‘Clever tactics.’

Even after his successful attack, the board feels uneasy.

‘….’

She’s a worthy opponent.

Pilgyu Park feels a smile form.

Known for his aggressive style in Korean Go history, he’s second to none.

Though he took a loss, he holds the initiative.

He shifts the battle downward, launching an assault.

A barrage reminiscent of his prime.

The fight, starting at the bottom, spreads, soon reaching the center.

The center is a vast, uncharted realm, even for pros.

Corners and sides are narrow.

Through study, their patterns can be predicted.

But the center is wide and dynamic, shifting with every surrounding stone.

It’s an untamed frontier, like a boundless sea.

Some call players who prioritize central thickness “Cosmic Style.”

In the vast center, there’s no fixed path.

The moves you make carve the path forward.

Black and white stones clash in the open expanse.

They intertwine like armies locked in a tense standoff.

Each move probes for weakness, testing the opponent’s resolve.

Black advances, white counters, each side vying for control.

The board becomes a battlefield, with neither yielding ground.

Seoa Ryu’s stones press forward, relentless.

Pilgyu Park feels the pressure mount, like a tide closing in.

‘I won’t be swept away.’

He counters fiercely, pushing back against the onslaught.

Her stones hold firm, tightening their grip on the center.

The board grows tense, each move a calculated strike.

His focus wavers under the strain.

But Pilgyu Park refuses to yield.

In the chaos, he finds an opening.

With a final, precise move, he targets her weakest point, aiming to turn the tide.