The Never-ending Road: Chapter 54 – Coming of the Lioness
By Leitbur
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"Are you sure it's all right for us to be doing this Asumi?"
Not bothering to lift her head, Nase smiled and replied, "Of course, it's not like we haven't done this a thousand times before."
"I know," Hikaru replied, "but tomorrow is your big day, your first official pro match, against Ogata no less. I'd hate to be the cause of your losing because I drained you of all your energy tonight."
Giggling at those words and the potential double meaning that anyone but Hikaru would have picked up on, Nase placed a white stone on the board. "No, actually it's strange but I find playing with you to be quite relaxing; there's a real calming presence in this room. Besides, it's not like we're actually studying games or playing a title match, this is just for fun."
Nodding with a peaceful grin, Hikaru set a stone of his own down then replied, "Yeah, this is fun. Go itself is fun."
Suppressing a slight giggle, Nase placed her stone down on the board. "Waya used to say that a lot when we were all insei. I guess it's true what they say."
"What's that?" Hikaru inquired as he responded to Nase's move with one of his own.
Lifting her head to gaze at Hikaru, Nase grinned and answered, "Great minds think alike." As her eyes returned to the board, Nase scanned the position. It wasn't the best position she'd ever been in, but then this game was more about mood and feeling than technical skills. Games like this, they were a special time, and carried special meaning. Not just because it was her time with Hikaru either; it was more basic than that. Friendly games against friendly faces, no pressure or worry over who won or lost, the freedom it evoked was like nothing else.
Creativity arose from such times, an openness of mind that was impossible to replicate within a grueling battle to the death. Oh sure, at times players would immerse themselves in the match, and dig deep to find that creative play that no one else saw coming, but a majority of the time it was games like this where such moves were born. Here and now, she was free of restraints, of troubling logic and calculations. Since there was no result to worry about, she could try things, moves and sequences that she'd never dare try to create in a game that mattered, too much would be at stake to risk on the whim of failed creation of a new variation. New joseki, players talked about creating them, thinking them up and playing them in some critical match to win them everything, but it was in simple, non-important games like this that new joseki would first find life.
Placing another stone down on the board, Nase glanced up at Hikaru once more with an evil smirk. Her move put pressure on Hikaru's group, threatening to cut them off from the rest of the board. It was an unusual play, especially since she'd played the tenuki a turn early, giving Hikaru the possibility of invading the upper right corner more deeply than he had already. The difference was that if he chose to invade she'd be able to penetrate his defenses in the lower right due to the favorable position her last stone gave her. Thus it was a calculation for him to decide on, which would he find more beneficial, taking her corner and losing his own in return, or defending his corner at the expense of losing the chance to capture hers.
Watching Hikaru as he sat and pondered the position, Nase had to admire his powers of concentration, and the thought he put into moves like this, even if they were in a friendly game like this. It was likely this passion and devotion to the game that had allowed him to rise to his current position so quickly.
Ka-Chi.
So he'd chosen to defend first, interesting. Reaching for the bowl, Nase moved to finish defending her own corner now, pausing a moment as her fingers rubbed the surface of the stone, feeling the texture on its smooth, cool surface. This wasn't the first time she'd ever played on a board made of kaya, but given the location and temperament of the game it still felt out of place. Her eyes slid from the game to the goban resting next to the dresser. Normally they'd be playing on that board, Hikaru's board. In a way saying that in itself was peculiar since technically both boards were now Hikaru's board, as was that third, older board sitting off in the corner on the other side of the room between his closet and the window. That wasn't how Hikaru saw them though, and so perhaps his references to each board were rubbing off on her now too.
Placing another stone down on the board, Nase couldn't help but find the distinct sound of the stone on kaya wood to be slightly distracting. She was so used to the familiar 'klak' of Hikaru's other board, but they'd decided to play on his grandfather's old board to prepare for her game against Ogata tomorrow. After all, while there was no possible way that they could replicate the conditions within the Yugen no Ma here in Hikaru's room, they could at least use this board. Of course the third board, the 'Torajiro Board' as Hikaru referred to it, would have worked just as well, but Hikaru had established quite forcefully with his words that no one played on that board, ever.
Sitting back slightly as she waited for Hikaru to move once more, Nase exhaled lightly. Sometimes in these games she wished he'd play a little bit faster, by instinct even, and for awhile that was exactly how he would play, but for the past few weeks, ever since Waya left for China, Hikaru had seemed to be contemplating everything, even while having fun. It was all due to Ko Yeong Ha, that she knew. Hikaru had showed her the article, and the passion and suppressed anger in his voice had told her just how insulting he had found it. Not that Nase was particularly happy with the article either, but it seemed to hold a more significant place within Hikaru. Of course, players like Ko Yeong Ha were a very far ways away from Nase, so maybe her feelings were those of separation. After all, even if she was furious over it, there was nothing she could do about it. Not only was she not yet strong enough to handle a player like that, but she wouldn't even get the chance anytime soon. Even if she were to make it into the Hokuto Cup, Ko Yeong Ha would have to get bumped to the 3rd Board just for her to have a chance to play him, and the odds of both those things happening were astronomical. No, Japan's answer would come from one of the two young prodigies, Akira Toya or Hikaru Shindo.
Returning her thoughts to the game at hand, Nase sighed as Hikaru was still deep in thought. Gripping the fan in her left hand tightly, Nase frowned at her opponent and friend. It was annoying and humorous at the same time, particularly because she knew what Hikaru would have done before if she were taking this long, she'd seen him do it many times before. Pausing in mid-thought, Nase pondered that idea for a moment. Was there any reason she shouldn't do it to him, just as she knew he would to her? Grinning evilly once more, Nase set her mind to the idea. Several moments later, a sound reached Hikaru's ears.
Ton. Ton.
Ton. Ton.
Glancing up from the board, Hikaru eyed Nase contemptuously, his brow contorted. As he did so the new pro burst out laughing, nearly falling back at the look he was now giving her. Frowning, Hikaru just replied, "Oh yes, laugh it up, so funny." With those words he placed his stone.
Her laughter settling down into a mild giggle, Nase slid open her fan and hid her still grinning lips behind it, staring down at the board. That was even better than she'd expected. Inhaling and exhaling before making her move, Nase had to agree with the great mind across from her; this game, Go, it certainly was fun. And with some luck, tomorrow's game would be too.
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"So, you're playing Hatanaka-sensei in the Honinbo League this week huh? Do you want to get together and review some of his games this week?"
Shaking his head as the pair walked through the Go Association Building lobby, Akira replied, "No, I'll be fine. It's not like I haven't played Hatanaka-sensei before you know."
Smirking at that, Hikaru replied, "Yeah, but the last time the two of you played he beat you pretty handily. He is the Meijin you know."
Frowning, Akira responded, "Yes but you know as well as I do that loss was a year ago, and I've gotten a lot better since then. Besides, neither of us has much time right now, don't you have your Oza 1st prelim match on Wednesday?"
Nodding with a slight sigh, Hikaru answered, "Yeah, and then my first Tengen Tournament game the next day, and my Toyota Cup prelim match on Friday. The Go schedule sure is getting hectic."
Chuckling as he pressed the button to the elevator, Akira quipped, "Yes well that's why I chose not to take part in the Shinjin-O Tournament, same with Kurata. After all, it's hard to play your best all the time if you're playing four games a week."
Frowning contemptuously, Hikaru shot back, "Well the Shinjin-O is pretty spread out, the first round takes place over like three or four months, so it should be fine."
Shaking his head with a slight chuckle, Akira condescendingly answered, "That's so like you to come up with something like that. And what are you going to do in a couple months time when the Agon Cup and NHK Cup starts? Not to mention that if you can make it into the Toyota Cup it'll be starting in March too! You'll be in the Oza 2nd preliminaries by then too, no more low Dans, and once we get promoted in April we'll be in the Gosei tournament too! My goodness Hikaru, you really should think ahead on these things, you don't have to enter every tournament out there."
His teeth grinding silently as the pair exited the elevator, Hikaru eyed his rival with contempt. It was probably wrong of him to feel that way, after all this was likely just Akira venting to someone who would understand, especially given that Akira's schedule was even worse off than Hikaru's, and he'd forgotten to mention the Fujitsu Cup prelims already going on and the Ryusei Cup prelims starting next week. Hikaru had the Tengen Main Tournament, the Shinjin-O, and a number of preliminary matches, ranging from Honinbo and Meijin 2nd prelims to Oza and Judan 1st prelims. Akira however had the Tengen Main Tournament, the Honinbo League, the Oza Main Tournament in March, the Meijin 2nd prelims and Judan 1st prelims. Still, Akira didn't need to put it all the way he did.
Exhaling heavily, trying to let as much hostility drain out of himself as possible, Hikaru said, "You know Akira, you didn't have to come watch this game today. Given how busy your schedule is no one would blame you."
Chuckling slightly at Hikaru's attempt to console him, Akira smiled and replied, "No, it's all right. Maybe I'm just getting fed up with people asking me about Father. This should be an enjoyable change to watch."
Nodding as they rounded the corner bringing the monitor room into view, Hikaru replied, "Yeah I'm looking forward to it too. Asumi and I were playing last night and she seemed pretty pumped. This should be fun."
Akira's eyebrow lifted curiously at Hikaru's use of Nase's first name. He hadn't done that before, what could have caused such a change? Before he could inquire however Hikaru opened the door to the monitor room and froze. The smell of cigarette smoke swept out of the room, and as Akira peered into the room to see the source he too froze in surprise and shock.
From within the room a cackling laugh emanated, followed moments later by, "Well look what we have here, if it isn't the two rivals. Amano said you'd be here Shindo, but your rival too… heheh, interesting…"
The pair of young pros throwing each other quick glances, they then proceeded to enter the room, Hikaru in the lead. What was Kuwabara Honinbo doing here? The old pro was seated on the right side of the table three seats in, slouching back in the chair as he puffed on his cigarette and observed the two rivals circle around opposite sides of the table. Unzipping his coat as he made his way around behind Kuwabara, Hikaru moved to the coat rack off in the corner to hang it up, taking Akira's coat over the table a moment later while Akira took his seat at the small table in front of the television monitor. A minute later Hikaru took his seat across from Akira, and the pair turned their gaze to the Honinbo.
"My my now," Kuwabara quipped with a grin, "don't the two of you just have the most serious looks on your faces."
"Well," Hikaru replied, "I guess we just weren't expecting you to be here is all Kuwabara-sensei."
Chuckling at that, Kuwabara replied, "Yes I do that to people sometimes. When you get to be my age of course few things will surprise you, although given how young the two of you are, I'm sure you make up for it with vitality."
Akira frowned. The old man hadn't bothered to answer why he was here at all, not that Akira was going to be rude enough to inquire directly. In many ways though Akira supposed why didn't matter, he was here and that was it, trying to deduce an explanation out of Kuwabara Honinbo would just be a headache anyway.
"You still didn't say why you're here Kuwabara-sensei." At Hikaru's words Akira's head just dropped in surrender. Leave it to Hikaru to ask the question oblivious to how much it wasn't his business to ask.
Chuckling at Hikaru, the Honinbo replied, "Sharp aren't ya boy. Well how about I throw the question back at you. After all, it seems unfair for you to ask me without stating why you're here first wouldn't you agree?"
His brow contorting, Hikaru answered, "Well Asumi's my friend, I wanted to come and show my support."
Eyeing Hikaru keenly as a mischievous grin slid across his face, Kuwabara rebutted, "Is that all? I heard that you were giving her private lessons and helped push her through the Pro Exam. I find that interesting, especially with young Toya here as well. After all, what could be so interesting about this young girl that it would draw the attention of… oh what did Amano call you… ah yes, the two 21st Century rivals."
Blinking, Hikaru glanced at Akira who looked equally as dumbfounded as Hikaru. Neither seemed to know just how to respond to Kuwabara's words. "Umm, that is I…"
Blowing a puff of cigarette smoke up into the air, Kuwabara interjected, "Don't be so tongue tied kid, I'm just checking to see what all the fuss is about. Besides, if this game is enough to get players like the two of you interested, then it should be enough for my interest too right?"
"I suppose so." Akira replied cautiously, still feeling a bit off guard over everything.
"Well then, let's enjoy the match shall we, it should be starting soon."
At those words the door opened and Hikaru caught Komiya's voice saying, "So yeah, I'll be playing Hatanaka Meijin next week. I'm actually kind of excited, getting to…"
His voice trailed off as he and Sato stared at the occupants of the room dumbfounded. A room with Kuwabara Honinbo and the two princes, Akira and Hikaru, was a most intimidating sight to walk in on. Puffing at his cigarette, Kuwabara grinned and said, "Well, if it isn't young Sato! How are ya my boy? That was quite a fun little match we had the other day huh?"
Gulping as he felt a drop of sweat forming on his brow, Sato replied, "Umm, Kuwabara-sensei… what um, are you doing here?"
Cackling, Kuwabara replied, "Why, to remind you about your promise to caddy for me next month of course!"
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Walking down the hallway behind Ogata Judan Gosei, Nase was trying her best to breathe naturally. The photo op had been worse than she could have imagined, each flash of the camera making her feel that much more exposed. Perhaps she should have spent another ten minutes with her hair, or chosen a nicer outfit. Sure, her black contour-wear shirt and white skirt were nice and all, but it hadn't really occurred to her how many people might be seeing her in it as their first impression until a few minutes ago. At least her shoes matched.
No, the photo op was over with, behind her and was what it was; she had no control anymore over her appearance or how she might be seen by others in it. All she could control now was her Go, the type of game that would be presented. Last night's game against Hikaru seemed like a distant memory now, and the sound of her heart beating only echoed louder in her ears as she drew closer to the Yugen no Ma.
Passing by the door to the monitor room, Nase eyed it longingly. Hikaru was in there, along with Komiya, Sato, Waya, and Isumi. That was the fun room, where everyone was sitting back and laughing and enjoying each other's company, ready to discuss her game as it played out. She'd never played a game where her moves were being discussed even as she played them, not that she'd have to listen to the commentary. Still she was certain that in that room there wasn't any nervousness or unease, well maybe Sato with Hikaru in the room, the idea of being in a room with Hikaru still apparently rattled him a little.
Turning a corner and heading down the next hallway, Nase spotted it, the entrance to the Yugen no Ma. She'd been in here before, but never as an actual player; it was time to see if her simulated Yugen no Ma match last night with Hikaru had been any preparation for the real thing. A moment later as Nase stepped into the hallowed room she received her answer; not one bit at all.
The serene wonder of this room, the history it had witnessed, each stone's 'ka-chi' on the kaya board, all of it resonated in the atmosphere, rushing in on her all at once like gravity, falling in on her world with crushing force. It had taken her a moment to realize that she hadn't frozen in place as she thought but had instead made her way around to the board. Perhaps her body was more prepared than her mind was, a scary prospect given the mental component of Go.
Ogata meanwhile had already made his way over to his seat and lowered himself down on the cushion cross-legged. While it was true that there was no rule forcing a player to sit in seiza, in this room and the atmosphere that it innately held to sit any other way just seemed wrong to Nase. Lowering herself down onto her own cushion now, Nase took a deep breath and gazed at the board. The 19x19 lines that she knew so well, yes this was where she needed to keep her mind now, this was her domain.
"Is this your first time in the Yugen no Ma?"
Nase lifted her gaze to the smug smile on Ogata's face. "As a player it is. I've recorded a few games here as an insei, but that's all."
Nodding, Ogata replied, "Well don't let that bother you, it's all right to be a little nervous, it keeps us on edge. Don't forget, this is the first time I've played a Shinshodan match as a top pro, so we're both new to this. Just enjoy the game."
A short burst of laughter came from off at the scorer's table, and Nase found herself smiling as well. "Enjoy the game, that's what Hikaru said too."
Ogata's eyebrow perked up at Nase's comment. "Hika… you mean Shindo? You know Shindo?"
"Yes," Nase replied, feeling her courage begin to rise at the sound of Hikaru's name, "we used to be insei together, and we both go to the same study group."
The slight tightness that had begun to form in Ogata's chest evaporated into nothing. Yes how silly of him, she would know Hikaru from his days as an insei. It wouldn't be like she played against him regularly, or that her knowing him immediately made her a player to watch out for like Hikaru or Akira. She might very well be part of this new wave he had seen coming for a few years now, but she was not Hikaru Shindo.
Reaching out to take the bowl with the white stones, Ogata removed the lid and set it down neatly next the bowl. In many ways he found himself torn over this match, as it was his first in this series as a top pro, and he really didn't like the idea of losing the first such match, regardless of its complete lack of meaning. On the other hand though, to go all out against a new pro, it seemed harsh and cruel, but then so was the world of Go. Gazing at her calmly, Ogata noticed that her breathing had slowed. So she was calming down, settling into a proper balance to play the game. Off in her left hand he noticed a white fan gripped tightly, as if she were holding onto it for dear life. Heh, seemed like the fad of carrying fans was coming back into style, the younger players imitating Hikaru Shindo and others. Well, it was almost time to see what promise this new pro carried with her, to see just what type of Go she would display.
Almost on cue the announcement came in that it was time to start the match. Lowering his head, Ogata said, "Onegaishimasu," and waited as Nase did the same. Stillness filled the air, an almost tangible void like the eye of a hurricane, the room itself waiting in eager anticipation for the battle to commence. It did not need to wait for long, as with an inhale and exhale from Nase her right hand reached out across the board and placed the stone down on the upper right star point. It had begun.
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"Sorry we're late, we…" Waya started as the door to the monitor room burst open, his voice silenced a moment later by the sight of Kuwabara Honinbo's head turning to gaze at him along with those of Hikaru and Akira. The surprise lasted only a moment though as Waya recovered and stepped into the room flanked by Isumi.
As Isumi stepped into the room his gaze too met that of Kuwabara Honinbo who grinned and called out, "Well if it isn't the mighty Isumi! How are you boy, getting plenty of exercise as I suggested to you?"
His cheeks reddening as he made his way in, Isumi replied, "I umm, no sir."
"I see," the wily old Honinbo mused, "well the youth today, they seem to do everything their own way anyway, so I suppose it's all right."
"Yes sir."
Waya meanwhile had begun to make his way over toward the main table, taking the seat closest to the door on Akira's side, not wanting to sit himself next to the Honinbo or Akira. He'd noted that both Komiya and Sato had relegated themselves to the corner table, apparently unwilling to even sit at the same table as Kuwabara. In some ways, Waya had to admit that they might just have the right idea. Isumi meanwhile followed Waya and took the seat between Waya and Akira, having no problem sitting next to Akira; the Honinbo was another matter though. What could allow Hikaru to sit there next to the holder of the Honinbo title as if nothing was wrong was beyond him, perhaps just something he'd have to sum up as Hikaru being Hikaru.
As the pair finished taking their seats Hikaru, whose attention was stuck between the monitor and his newly arrived friends, said bluntly, "So what took you two so long?"
Grinding his teeth at Hikaru's inquiry, Waya held back the urge to put into words the thoughts swimming in his head. Didn't he realize that last year he'd completely missed Isumi's Shinshodan match? "We… got detained."
"Waya overslept." Isumi provided, causing an accusing glare to shoot from Waya in Isumi's direction as Hikaru gave an amused chuckle.
Before Waya could move to defend himself however the door opened once more and Amano stepped in, followed by his photographer. Though he said nothing, his eyebrow had craned up his brow slightly at the sight before him. After his conversation with Kuwabara last week he had actually been expecting the old pro to be here along with the rest of the players assembled within the room, all of them that was, save Akira Toya.
Making his way over to the seat next to Kuwabara as there were only two other seats remaining, Amano said, "So, Kuwabara-sensei, here to check up on Miss Nase?"
Holding his cigarette firmly between his index and middle fingers, Kuwabara grinned wryly and answered, "Something like that yeah. You know how it is, hear a rumor that piques your curiosity, and the next thing you know you're here watching these young kids play."
Chuckling at the Honinbo's remarks, Amano turned his attention to Akira and said, "That true for you too Akira, keeping an eye on Nase?"
Shrugging, Akira replied, "I suppose. I've played her a couple times, and since Hikaru was coming I just decided to show up."
Eyeing the young pro levelly, Amano watched Akira for a moment longer before turning his vision to the monitor. There was more to it than that, he'd bet anything on it, but experience with both Akira and his father told him that any further attempts would not produce further results. It was therefore best to leave things at that. "Hmmm, not many moves so far, looks like Nase's building up her moyo on the right side."
"Yes," Hikaru responded, not bothering to turn and face Amano, "she's played all three star points on the left side, now the question is whether Ogata will do the same or-"
"He played the low approach," Akira interjected as Ogata's hand streaked across the screen to place his stone at 14-3, attacking the upper right corner. It was a standard approach, often responded to with either a pincer or a low extension at 17-6, depending on the player's preference. So the question was simply how would Nase respond.
They didn't need to wait long, and the move had everyone staring at the screen in surprise. The 15-5 point, the diagonal, she'd opted to play the diagonal to counter Ogata's approach. Amano suddenly found himself nearly out of his seat as he sputtered out, "Is that… Shusaku's Diagonal?"
"No," Hikaru answered bluntly, "just similar. Shusaku's Diagonal is played off a 3-4 point, this one is off the 4-4 point, there's a huge difference."
Akira nodded, adding, "It'll invite a corner invasion, but it's definitely interesting."
Amano, finding his seat again, replied, "But I thought Shusaku's Diagonal doesn't work anymore. How will it work at the 4-4 point."
Chuckling as he leaned forward toward the monitor and puffed at his cigarette, Kuwabara answered, "You forget, the diagonal is slow because of komi. In this game the komi's reversed, so the diagonal is possible. But young Toya's right, it'll invite a corner invasion at that point."
"But Ogata hasn't invaded yet." Akira pointed out. He was right, Ogata had yet to play a response to Nase's diagonal.
"Maybe the move threw him off," Waya suggested, "I know it'd make me sit back and think it over for a minute."
"Possibly," Akira acknowledged, "If he does invade at 17-3 she'll likely cut his stones at 16-3, perhaps add a pincer in at some point."
"It could be a trap," Hikaru offered, "entice him to invade rashly then cut him off. That corner likely won't yield more than ten points or so for Ogata, so it might be better to play away at this point, see how the rest of the board plays out first."
Before anyone else could respond however Ogata's hand appeared over the board as he placed his stone at 17-3, invading the corner. Nase immediately responded with a play at 16-3, and Ogata returned in kind. Leaning back in his chair, Kuwabara exhaled sending a gust of smoke out over the table. So Ogata had dove in and taken the bait, quite interesting. While it was certainly true that one needed to capitalize on the opponent's mistakes, Kuwabara also believed that it was prudent to be wary of anything that his opponent offered him. Hikaru had been right, that corner exchange could be bad for white, it all depended on how the stones played out. One thing was certain though, he had been right to come and watch this young girl play, for no other reason than she was at least interesting.
Chuckling inwardly, Kuwabara watched on as he relaxed in his seat. What would this girl show him next?
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Author's Notes:
Hello everyone, sorry that it's been so long since I last updated this story. Then again, if you've been reading the side stories than it hasn't really been that long at all. I had to get those done before I could come back to this, and life hasn't been too kind to me lately. My son was born on September 7th, 7 pounds 8 ounces, and I have yet to meet him. This is because my ex neglected to let me know when she went into labor, or that she had after the fact. It wasn't until a sign announcing the birth was posted on her mailbox three weeks later that I learned of it, and her family is refusing to allow us to see the baby on the argument that we have yet to get a blood test. I also have not tried to personally go over there as I have a strong fear that if I show up her father will shoot me. I'm not kidding. Thus it looks like it'll be something for the lawyers to sort out (note the total lack of enthusiasm in my voice when I say that sentence). So, as you can imagine, my life is depressing and it's hard to get motivated to write.
Enough of that sad stuff though, and I promise I won't bring it up again as it's not really relevant to the story. So Nase's Shinshodan match has begun. I had originally planned to finish it all up in one chapter, but I added the opening scene at the last minute, mainly because I didn't want this chapter to be a carbon copy of Sato's side story from a scene point of view. Then there were other issues that needed to be addressed, and suddenly we get to the Diagonal and its eleven pages long with a good eight more pages likely of game to go. So I decided to cut it short here and finish it next chapter.
Terms:
Tenuki: I termed this previously, but I thought I'd do it again. This is another way of saying what Hikaru said above, playing away. The idea is to play a stone away from where a local battle is occurring, often to gain position or acquire sente. The reasons for playing a tenuki are many, compounded by when in the game it occurs. A more common reason is to play a tenuki once a group has attained life, or cannot be saved.
Ryusei Cup: This is a minor lightning Go tournament based on an eight section paramus format. This means that in the beginning each player in each section is given a ranking from lowest to highest. The two lowest then play a match, and the winner then plays the next lowest ranked, and the winner of that plays the next lowest and so on. The eight section winners will then play in a single knockout tournament to decide the winner. Winning the Ryusei Cup gives an instant promotion to 7 – Dan (although no player has yet benefited from this), and pays 5 million Yen ($43,000). The current titleholder is Cho U.
Shusaku's Diagonal: The main and key feature of Shusaku opening strategy, it was utilized by Shusaku and by many others until the inception of the komi rule. At that point it was replaced by the pincer as the pincer was seen as faster and thus easier to make up the komi lead of white. It is a very powerful move, particularly due to the many ways it can respond to white. Recently the move has begun to come back into fashion, although more commonly as a play for white, particularly in China and Korea. It should be noted that while it bears his name, Shusaku isn't the inventor as it had been played a few times before him. However he took it from a seldom seen move and developed it into a staple of the game during his time.
Nase's Diagonal: This is an actual joseki, albeit extremely rare. I call it Nase's Diagonal only to let you know what I'm referring to since it's technically a 4-4 point low approach diagonal joseki. It was invented in the early 80's by Takamiya Masaki, although it didn't get popular until the mid 90's or so, and is also known as Takamiya's Diagonal. Since the move was invented in the 80's it does take komi into account. The corner invasion is common, although the cut Nase makes is less common, often used instead to block off the right side of the board for little territorial gain. The move was used in a 1996 Meijin finals by Takamiya against Cho Chikun, and in Game 2 it was successful in helping Takamiya win the game, forcing resignation after about a hundred moves. A month later in Game 4 Takamiya tried it again but Cho Chikun had figured out how best to respond to it and went on to win Game 4 and the series.
Now onto questions. Hikaru will turn 17 on September 20th, a good ways away in the story. Akira is actually younger than Hikaru, as his birthday is December 14th, 1988, almost three months after Hikaru was born. As for Hikaru's height, I know he was 5'1" at the start of the manga, but how tall he is now I don't know, nor do I wish to guess. I'm sure I could do some advanced mathematics to figure it out, but I'm not going to bother, since the image of him shouldn't change in your head if he turns out to be one height over the other. As for how much pro players make, I covered that in Chapter 30, so just look it up there.
It wasn't a deliberate use of a plural, I wrote it in ten minutes, so cut me some slack. It should be singular, tale that's told. Nice catch though.
Sorry, no Akari at Nase's Shinshodan match. Technically the match is taking place in an area that's off limits to the public, so only institute employees, pro players and insei are allowed there. Arguably a member of a pro player's family would likely be given permission, such as Akira before he went pro (I doubt anyone would turn down a request from the Meijin) but it's hard to say for sure. I suppose Hikaru could request that they allow Akari to watch, but she'd likely feel as though she's over her head, and feel like she didn't belong. After all, insei and new pros even can feel intimidated by the presence of top players, so you can imagine how an amateur would feel. Not around Hikaru obviously, but the others could be a problem. Besides, Akari has a Go tournament next Sunday and she needs to be preparing for that. Yes, we will be seeing more of the Toyota Cup, but I won't say how much more.
Hikaru and Akari are not a couple, that's just what the people in Akari's Go Club believe. Akari has tried to set the record straight, but they don't believe her, thinking she's just being modest, so she's given up trying to deny it and letting them think what they want.
Where is this story going? Why into the future of course. Ok, so I'm being corny, but I can't really tell you the answer to that without spoiling things now can I?
Yes, I know quite a few places you can find a crystal ball, the easiest would likely be at Diagon Alley, although I can't guarantee their accuracy. One of the palantiri might work well too, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Now to the questions from New Star Rising and Chapter 4 of Traveling a Chinese Road. Yes, Kuwabara is indeed attending Nase's Shinshodan match. Yes, Waya and Isumi did get back in time for the match, as demonstrated in this chapter as well.
Have Nase face Qian Lei in the Hokuto Cup? My goodness, what you people won't do to get some girl on girl action in this story. For them both to make it in would be a long shot, but I can see why it would be desirable, show the strength of women in Go. We'll just have to see I guess.
Yes I do tone down the technical aspects of the game, so I'm sure that to the actual players a lot of this seems dumbed down or simplified, but my worry is not in losing those who can play, but in leaving behind the players that don't play. Sure I can write out the moves so that they get the sense of the battle, I just don't want to make them feel inferior or anything, and that's why I'm concerned that I'm starting to get too technical.
I have a belief that every person, and by correlation each character, is the main character of their own story, and are just as deep as any other character that appears, no matter how much or little they appear in a given story. Hikaru bumps into someone on the street, and after that we never see that character again. Doesn't mean that person doesn't have their own background, story, life, dreams, and so on, just that we'll never hear it. It's this concept I take into my work when I create an OC, and so of course they appear to be well developed. Qian was created on the fly, yet I quickly begin to develop who she is because if she's flat and one-dimensional you'd never believe she's an actual person.
A Komiya side story? Don't let the other readers hear that request, they'll go crazy with fear of how long the next delay to the main story's update will be. That said, there will likely be at least one more side story, although I can't say who or when just yet.
Note: For those of you who do play Go, I have been spending time lately on the KGS server under the Username Leitbur, so if you want to play a game against me, hop on and ask for a game if you see me on.
Ok, so next chapter huh? Well more Shinshodan, and the TNR debut of Oka and Shoji! Who will win the match, how will Hikaru and Akira react to everything, will Kuwabara remember Nase's name, and what has Akira so shocked? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
A lot of nice reviews, from all the stories so I thank you all for them, they were well received. Hopefully we'll be seeing more reviews, as they are the cream in my writer's coffee (even though I don't drink coffee), the olive in my martini, that smile that makes one feel like a kid again. R&R!
