The Bathroom Move
Tap, tap.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan had just left the studio and was heading toward the restroom beside the corridor.
A staff member arranged by the organizer could be seen trailing after him.
I followed quietly, yet keeping a steady distance behind.
At the entrance to the restroom, the staff member stopped.
“……It is the principle under tournament regulations not to accompany players inside the restroom for the sake of privacy.”
His voice was low and measured, his eyes flicking between me and Lu Quanyi 9-dan sharp with clear vigilance.
“We have been instructed to accompany you to confirm any conversation or signal exchange between players. Please understand.”
It was a short, firm explanation, formal in tone yet carrying an undercurrent of pressure.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan washed his hands without a trace of discomfort, then flicked the water from his palms.
Without a word and without emotion, he turned and walked away.
Steady footsteps.
He left the restroom without a single tremor.
Interesting.
I watched his retreating figure in the mirror above the sink, then followed a beat later.
The hotel corridor leading back to the studio.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan walked straight ahead without once turning his head.
The staff member followed behind him.
I could feel the supervisor maintaining a consistent distance as he trailed after me.
Back in the studio, we sat in our seats as if nothing had happened.
The game resumed.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan looked down at the board.
Tap.
He picked up a stone and placed it down quietly.
I counted the move in silence.
……As expected.
It was exactly the move I had anticipated.
It was also the best possible move available at that moment.
The moment I confirmed it, the tension and suspicion I had felt in the restroom melted away naturally from my mind.
Only the game.
I began to immerse myself in this match once more.
I picked up a stone.
Tap.
A black stone settled onto the board.
The opening was successful.
It had given me thickness, yet I had gained in efficiency.
From a positional standpoint, the two eyes ahead looked favorable.
I had to hold onto this small advantage and develop it.
Tap.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan then jumped his stone one space toward the center.
Shaking.
An ambiguous spot.
A subtle shift.
It was not simply an attempt to stabilize in the center.
It was an intention to attack and counter at the same time while securing efficiency.
Leaving aside the cheating suspicions, there had not been a single idle move.
A fighting knight that has realized human-like AI Go.
Park Ji-man had defined Lu Quanyi 9-dan’s style that way.
No nurturing, but a fighting Go that followed calculation and expectations more faithfully than human intuition.
Emotion did not emanate from each stone.
A stark, dry feeling.
Yet that single move pierced deeply.
Go that is the opposite of mine.
I used AI as a reference but did not follow it blindly.
Human intuition.
I preferred Go that fused AI precision with human instinct.
In the middle game, I would boldly play moves with low AI win rates.
Because the opponent is human.
AI could not be applied.
If I responded with perfect precision, it could even become a losing move.
But because it was human, I could never escape the psychological shake from my own moves.
That was my Go.
And this game was no different.
The early and middle game were the times when my shaking style shone brightest.
Whether I would be eaten or not was the turning point.
Tap.
I switched to offense.
Stone against stone.
They clashed intensely as both sides boldly invaded each other’s territory, fighting for control of the board.
A completely different flavor of Go.
The tension created by that collision hung taut across the entire board.
Tap.
I continued the moves rapidly.
A counter after the invasion that had started on the right side.
A dangerous move focused not on stabilizing my stones but on invading white’s eyes.
Tap.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan placed his stone in a diagonal pattern.
A move to create an escape route while protecting efficiency.
A moment that required a choice.
……Should I play loosely and live, or push harder one more time?
The first option was stable but would lose a stone.
The second carried greater risk but offered more reward.
It was a section that demanded precise reading.
At that moment, Lu Quanyi 9-dan quietly stood up.
……Again?
I watched his retreating back heading out of the studio without moving a muscle.
I looked down at the board.
At this stage, survival was easy if I simply played safe.
But that would mean surrendering the initiative.
I picked up a stone.
There is a way to live.
With conviction.
Tap.
My stone landed on the board.
A move that abandoned the existing escape route, threatened white, and expanded.
It was only one more step deeper, but the risk was correspondingly greater.
The moment I placed the stone, I immediately pushed my chair back.
According to the rules, I could only leave my seat when it was not my turn.
This was the exact timing.
Without hesitation, I stood from my seat and walked toward the corridor.
Quiet footsteps echoed beneath my feet.
……I won’t let you go alone.
On the board.
And off the board.
The invisible game continued.
* * *
YouTube channel “Park Ji-man’s Baduk in”.
Just before, live viewers had surged past 83,000.
Even now, the viewer count continued to climb.
The Ciel Bank Cup World Masters finals.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan of China, who was under suspicion of cheating.
And Kim In-ha, who had participated as an amateur and reached the finals of the world Go tournament.
Their matchup had become so sensational that even fans who had left the game came back.
“No way, already leaving? It’s still the opening. This is way too fast, isn’t it?”
Park Ji-man shook his head in irritation.
I had expected it, but I had not anticipated him leaving so early.
Park Ji-man sighed briefly.
“……I can’t. The regulation that blocks transmission inside the restroom should have been announced at least half a year ago. We would have had to consult with the Chinese and Japanese Go associations. Even if it’s next year, we couldn’t do it this year.”
It was a blow to Korean Go fans, but there was nothing to be done.
We wanted to fine him but could not.
Anger spread beyond mere regret in the chat.
At that moment,
“Eh, eh? What? In-ha just moved!”
The image of In-ha quietly leaving the studio was broadcast live on screen.
Park Ji-man ran his fingers through his hair.
“No way, he’s going to the bathroom at this timing? To monitor? In-ha, is that really true?”
For a moment, he was too shocked to speak.
Once he confirmed it was true, he shouted in excitement.
“Wow! Insane. He really followed. In-ha, are you a genius? No, how did you even come up with that idea?”
Park Ji-man leaned forward toward the monitor.
He explained while spitting out words.
“What’s smart about In-ha is that if two players go to the restroom, there’s a risk of manipulating the game. According to regulations, a supervisor must always accompany.”
He took a breath and continued.
“Last year’s national team match? The Chinese team relaxed, and the players exchanged a few words in the restroom and got warned. No eye contact allowed.”
Having once served as national team director, Park Ji-man knew the regulations inside out.
“……Let’s think about it. I went to the bathroom to cheat. But my opponent and the supervisor were standing right behind me? This is psychological pressure that’s no joke. I want to, but I can’t.”
At that moment, the studio screen captured Lu Quanyi 9-dan and Kim In-ha entering again.
“Whoa. They’re walking in together openly. In-ha, what are you exactly? You’re playing with the opponent’s head from above!”
The game resumed.
Lu Quanyi 9-dan placed a stone.
Tap.
Park Ji-man, who had been following DeepStone’s changes, exclaimed in excitement.
“Eh? What is this? Where did this move come from! This spot is not an AI-recommended move.”
After the seat leaving, Lu Quanyi 9-dan’s Blue Spot accuracy had been 100%.
This was the first time it had been broken.
The chat burned hot once more.
Even Park Ji-man, whose mood had lifted, continued his commentary with enthusiasm.
“Look. In-ha is two eyes ahead thanks to the early joseki variation. Lu Quanyi is completely being dragged along.”
It was still early and middle game.
It was too early to be optimistic.
But holding the initiative and leading into the middle game was clearly In-ha’s doing.
In the end, the move Lu Quanyi 9-dan chose was a winning move.
Tap.
The moment he removed his hand from the white stone, Lu Quanyi 9-dan stood from his chair.
“Eh, eh? Again, going to the bathroom at this timing?”
Park Ji-man’s expression turned sour.
Black had invaded and was invading white’s eyes.
But it was a situation that could become dangerous depending on white’s response.
It was a moment that required precise reading.
“……In-ha. If you make a mistake here, it’s really over. You have to be careful. Wait, but then I can’t follow you to the bathroom?”
Park Ji-man was at a loss, unable to decide.
Anyone could see it was a spot that could become the turning point.
He knew better than anyone that a wrong response could not be reversed.
At that moment,
Swish.
Kim In-ha’s hand slowly crossed the board.
Deep breath.
Cautious gesture.
And a black stone placed without hesitation.
Tap.
The moment he saw the move, Park Ji-man shouted.
“Whoa, you’re playing here? You’re insane, In-ha! What are you exactly? AI? Or do you have two hearts?”
The moment he removed his hand from the stone, the image of Kim In-ha quietly standing from his chair appeared on screen.
Park Ji-man shouted as if he were about to spit.
“He’s going to the bathroom after that!?”
The scene of In-ha following Lu Quanyi 9-dan out of the studio.
The board was ignored.
A confident expression on his own moves.
Park Ji-man felt goosebumps rise on his arms as he watched.
……He really is insane.
He forcibly calmed his excitement.
“The reason this is amazing is that pro players usually say they look at the moves behind 50 or 100 moves, right? But in pro level, that’s not important. The next sure move. If you can read that, you’re world-class.”
Park Ji-man took a short breath.
But his voice quickly rose again.
“But In-ha saw it. Not just one move behind… but two moves behind.”
The spot where black was placed on the board.
A move that jumped back to the diagonal of the opponent’s diagonal.
If you have no confidence, you can never play that spot right now. He stood up immediately. This is proof that he is reading two moves ahead of Lu Quanyi.
Park Ji-man took a deep breath.
His own excitement was being suppressed.
He looked back at the monitor and spoke again.
“Hah… Everyone, I will boldly declare. I will say it with the resolve to be hated. Today, In-ha won this game?”
Park Ji-man took a breath.
And slowly, with conviction, he said.
“From now on, you will not be able to remove the name Kim In-ha from the top of world Go. Remember. Today is the beginning.”