As time passed, the excitement surrounding the Twin Stars Cup grew increasingly intense. Six days later, on the evening before the tournament's commencement, the anticipation reached its peak. Finally, the seventh day arrived.
The eyes of the entire world were focused on this impending showdown. Though no battle had yet begun, everyone seemed to sense an inexplicable tension and oppressive atmosphere in the air, like hearing the wind howl and spotting cranes—an omen of approaching conflict.
In New York, where it was already late at night, the young Go players at the New York Go Academy remained awake, gathered around computer screens with intense focus.
"It's about to begin," someone said, watching the countdown timer in the Twin Stars Cup live stream. Despite the match not having started yet, merely thinking about the upcoming game caused him to unconsciously hold his breath.
"Yu Shao versus Su Yiming," another young man nearby remarked with visible nervousness, unable to calm his racing heart. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "A year ago, these names were completely unknown to anyone... Yet now, just one year later, they've fought their way up from the Ranking Tournament, defeating countless formidable opponents along the way. Even Jiang Changdong and Fu Shunan lost to them in title matches."
His eyes remained fixed on the countdown as he added, "This kind of achievement is truly unprecedented. Now they stand facing each other at the very summit of Go's towering peak. What kind of game will they show us?"
......
......
At the Kansai Go Institute in Japan:
"Hurry! Run faster!" Two boys around twelve or thirteen years old sprinted down the hallway, their faces filled with urgency. "The Twin Stars Cup is about to start!"After running desperately, they finally reached the broadcast room. Without hesitation, the shorter boy threw open the door and rushed inside, followed closely by his taller companion.
The broadcast room was already crowded. When the two boys burst in, all eyes turned toward them.
"Pant... pant..." The shorter boy caught his breath briefly before looking up at the assembled group. "Has the Twin Stars Cup started yet? Who's playing black? Who's white?"
"Not yet," a young man answered, nodding toward the television screen.
Relieved to see the countdown still running on screen, the boy exhaled in satisfaction. "Good, we made it in time!"
"Are they professional players? Institute students?" someone asked, noting their unfamiliar faces.
"That's right," the shorter boy replied, patting his chest confidently. "Teacher Mura kept us reviewing games all day—we almost missed it. I'm not a professional yet, but it's only a matter of time!"
"Oh really? That confident?" someone teased. "Are you in Group A? What's your ranking? Becoming a pro isn't that easy."
"Group A... currently last place," the boy admitted sheepishly, but quickly clenched his fists with renewed determination. "But I'll reach the top soon!"
The taller boy adjusted his glasses and glanced at his companion. "Keep dreaming. You'll never beat me."
"Looking down on me, are you?" the shorter boy retorted, feigning anger. The room erupted in laughter at their antics.
Institute students in Japan were similar to aspiring professional players, just with different terminology. Divided into Groups A through D with monthly rankings determining promotions or demotions, Group A students were essentially professional Go players in training. These two were clearly talented students from the Japanese Go Institute—one struggling at the bottom of Group A while the other excelled at the top.
"Why are you so interested in the Twin Stars Cup? So afraid of missing the broadcast?" someone asked curiously.
"Of course I'm interested!" the shorter boy replied, his eyes shining as he stared at the screen. "Yu Shao is amazing! Watching his National Championship matches gave me chills. I'm his biggest fan!"
......
......
Pyongyang, Korea:
A group of young professional Go players stared intently at their computer screens, each lost in their own thoughts. As the match time approached, they all felt an inexplicable tension.
"I don't know why, but this match feels particularly significant... Both Yu Shao and Su Yiming represent the new generation of players. Now that they've both claimed titles and joined the ranks of top-tier players, could this match mark the official beginning of a new era?"
"Perhaps. Twenty years from now, when people ask when the new era of Go truly began, the answer might be this very match."
......
......
The stream was inundated with comments, but as the match time approached, the chatter gradually subsided. Everyone seemed affected by some intangible force, growing quieter and quieter.
Yu Shao!
Su Yiming!
All eyes were drawn to these two names. Everyone seemed awestruck by the grand narrative of this "era," silently waiting for the new age to unfold. The prolonged anticipation made the air itself feel oppressive—like the calm before a storm.
Finally, Yu Shao arrived at the Southern Go Academy. He walked straight through the academy's corridors, stopping before the Go room door, then gently pushed it open.
Inside, the elegantly furnished room contained only a Go table, two chairs, a long table for the referee and recorder to rest, and... a calligraphy scroll hanging high on the wall. The scroll bore four dramatically inked characters: "Sit and Discuss the Way."
Beneath this scroll, seated at the central Go table, Su Yiming turned his head the moment Yu Shao entered, fixing him with an intense gaze.
"We meet again," Yu Shao said, looking back at Su Yiming with complex emotions.
"This will be our... fifth game."
Their first match had been during the High School Go League, when Su Yiming was no match for Yu Shao—though even then, his tenacious resistance when cornered had been remarkable, the skill gap was obvious.
The second game occurred during the Ranking Tournament. That match had been somewhat unfair—Su Yiming had already declared defeat after playing the Great Avalanche formation, and his subsequent Ghost Blade move led to an even more crushing loss than their first encounter.
The third match took place during the Yingjiao Cup. Though Su Yiming had clearly improved significantly with deeper understanding of Go strategy, there remained a gap in their abilities, and he ultimately lost by three and a half points.
Their fourth match was during the team captain selection tournament, where Su Yiming unexpectedly deployed the Great Storm Joseki—a formation Yu Shao knew intimately from AI games. Yu Shao's superior familiarity with this strategy led to another loss for Su Yiming. Yet the fact that Su Yiming could recreate this AI formation in a world without Go AI had deeply impressed Yu Shao.
All four previous matches had ended in Su Yiming's defeat. Though they were well-acquainted opponents after so many encounters, each time they met, Yu Shao felt like he was facing a completely new version of Su Yiming.
Now, their fifth match had arrived. What would the outcome be this time?
Su Yiming slowly rose from his seat. "Yu Shao," he said, "you've finally arrived."
"I'm here. Have you been waiting long?" Yu Shao responded.
"Not long. To face you, no wait is too long," Su Yiming replied, shaking his head.
Yu Shao couldn't help but chuckle at this, but before he could speak, Su Yiming continued.
"The fifth game," Su Yiming said abruptly.
Yu Shao paused, waiting for him to elaborate.
"We've played four official matches," Su Yiming said, his piercing gaze locked onto Yu Shao. "I lost all four. This... is our fifth game!"
Nearby, the two referees and recorder started slightly, then turned to observe Yu Shao's reaction.
......
......
Hearing Su Yiming's words, Yu Shao remained silent, simply studying Su Yiming's dark eyes as if trying to discern his innermost thoughts.
After a moment, Yu Shao finally responded with a quiet, "Mm."
Then his own gaze suddenly sharpened, his entire demeanor radiating an intimidating pressure that was hard to confront directly.
Their stares met and clashed midair, neither yielding an inch—a true confrontation of equals.
"In official matches, we've played four games," Yu Shao said, his voice echoing through the Go room. "I won all four. This... is our fifth game!"
Time itself seemed to stretch and freeze in that moment.
After a pause, Su Yiming finally broke eye contact and sat back down. Yu Shao also moved forward, striding to the opposite side of the table and taking his seat.
The recorder and referees had remained silent throughout. Watching the two players now seated across from each other, their minds were in turmoil.
Beneath the "Sit and Discuss the Way" scroll, the two players faced each other without words, yet an intangible pressure gradually filled the room.
As Su Yiming had said, Yu Shao had won all four previous matches. "Will this title match be different?" one referee wondered, a thin line of sweat forming on his forehead.
"This match is destined to draw worldwide attention. Who truly has the upper hand?" the referee mused silently. "For them, is each other's existence a blessing... or a curse?"
Just watching them sit opposite each other, he could feel an immense pressure—a solemn, almost sacred atmosphere.
"Regardless, their existence must be a blessing for all who love Go. More than the outcome, perhaps what everyone truly anticipates is—what kind of performance will they deliver on this board? The answer is about to be revealed."
Finally, checking his watch as the hour hand reached ten, the referee stood slowly. Looking from Yu Shao to Su Yiming, he suppressed his swirling emotions and announced solemnly, "Time's up!"
"This match will use the alternating colors system—colors will be determined by nigiri for the first game and swapped for the second. Each player has three hours of main time with one-minute byo-yomi overtime. Black gives 7.5 komi."
Taking a deep breath, he continued, "The Twin Stars Cup—"
"Begins now!"