When Jing Yu first received the game record from the exchange panel, before it displayed the solution, his opinion of the match was basically the same as Zhou and Su's.
What "miraculous reversal"? It looked like a straightforward game—any mistake by either side would result in an immediate loss. And even with perfect play, Black still lost by half a point.
But that's the beauty of Go. Whether it's a human or a computer, no one can exhaust all the possibilities on a Go board. That would mean calculating 3 to the power of 361—a number beyond comprehension.
A player's understanding of what's possible in a match—whether it can be won or not—is shaped by their past experiences. But just because the human mind deems something "impossible"... does that make it truly impossible?
Take this match, for example. Everyone thought the position was unwinnable. But was it really? Even if you exhausted every move, are you sure there's no way to turn it around?
Who dares say they can imagine every possible move across the 361 intersections of the Go board?
If only by exhausting all possibilities could one discover the single move that turns defeat into victory—then that move, perhaps, could truly be called a 'Divine Move'.
Jing Yu wasn't sure if the game record he received was one of those cases, but he did know this: with his talent, even in his next life, he would never be able to play such a move.
Pa!
Hikaru's fair fingers tapped down a stone—one move—placed in a spot no one had expected.
"Hah? There?! Is he insane? That's suicide! Blind play!"
Zhou Zhengguang burst out laughing, but before he could finish his sentence, the Hikaru in the drama quickly made another move, as did Sai. A second stone—again placed in a completely unexpected location.
What the hell? Two blind moves in a row?
Black was already behind by half a point. With these two reckless moves, wouldn't he now be down by eight or nine?
Zhou Zhengguang blinked, but still took a closer look at the board. Then, suddenly, a jolt of electricity seemed to flash through his mind.
That first move Hikaru played... on this new board state, it felt different now.
That single stone grew larger and larger in Zhou Zhengguang's vision—until it completely drowned out his awareness.
His mind began to involuntarily simulate the follow-up sequences.
All the Go knowledge he had accumulated over decades surged forward, instinctively analyzing Hikaru's move from the drama.
"This… this is…" Su Lin's eyes widened.
He, too, sensed that something was off.
In the drama, Sai was just as stunned.
At the same time, professional Go players all across the country, watching 'Hikaru no Go'—especially the higher-ranked ones—were also among the first to realize something had changed.
The stone… felt alive.
Every possible sequence they could imagine was being eliminated one by one—until only one remained.
The move that Hikaru placed at the beginning of the sequence… was the keystone that tied everything together.
Zhou Zhengguang and Su Lin stared blankly at the board, as if their souls had been pulled out of their bodies.
"Black… won an extra point in the lower left corner fight," Zhou muttered, his voice trembling, eyes full of disbelief.
Su Lin glanced at him and nodded, his hand trembling slightly as he lifted his water cup.
Both of their hearts were pounding faster than usual.
They had always believed that as long as you were human, you'd be bound by things—thoughts, experience, history.
But what shocked them about this move was that when they tried to follow the logic behind it, they realized—
It wasn't bound by any of those things.
The higher a player's skill, the more they're trapped by their experience—and the less likely they are to discover this kind of move. But those with weaker skills simply don't have the calculating ability to predict the outcome of such a complex idea dozens of moves ahead.
Even now that the two of them understood the meaning behind Hikaru's first move, they were still left speechless.
Illusion—yes, it felt like an illusion.
Even though the following moves revealed the full value of that initial stone, both of them believed—even if they played Go for another lifetime—they would never come close to having even a moment of the mindset it took to conceive that move.
'The Divine Move'.
To play that move, even for just a fleeting second, one's mind had to transcend the limits of humanity.
A god.
In the drama, Sai sat there, devastated.
His inner monologue began:
"Now… I finally understand."
"Heaven allowed Hikaru to see the game between me and Koyo Toya, to let him comprehend this move… That's why I was granted a thousand years of life!"
With just that one line, a wave of unspeakable sadness crashed down on the hearts of every 'Hikaru no Go' fan watching.
"Wait, that's the 'Divine Move'? Can someone explain it to me? Is it really that incredible?"
"Where are the Go masters in the group? 'Radish God'? 'I Can Eat 10 Red Bean Buns on the Street' God? 'I Like Biting Dogs' God? Why are you all silent?"
"What's going on? Why are all the Go experts in the chat suddenly quiet…"
"So that's what it was! Damn… how do you even think of a move like this? This kind of thinking—can a human even come up with it?"
"I'm seriously moved! That move was beautiful!"
"It's like art. The reversal was stunning."
"Honestly, I don't get it. Wasn't Hikaru just throwing random stones? Why did Sai suddenly look like he had just lost everything?"
"Because he did lose. According to Hikaru's sequence, Black only loses by half a point. But losing to a move like that… there's no shame in it."
"Wait, really? He actually lost?"
"You guys don't have enough skill to see all the follow-up variations, but yes—Sai lost. As for the 'Divine Move'… I don't know what exactly qualifies, but once I understood the consequences of this move, all I could think was—this move is so freaking brilliant. So brilliant that even if I played for a thousand years, I'd never come up with it."
"Same here."
"The 'Divine Move'! That's what it is!"
"I don't know if it is the 'Divine Move', but I'm sure of one thing: I've played Go for decades and watched countless pro matches—I've never seen a move more beautiful than this."
From this moment, 'Hikaru no Go', Season 2, Episode 8 took a dramatic turn.
"Hikaru… I think I don't have much time left,"
Sai's eyes were filled with sorrow.
Even those viewers who didn't understand the game could feel, through the storytelling, that Sai's fate was drawing to a close.
As for those who did understand the game, they spent the entire episode completely immersed in simulating and analyzing the variations of that 'Divine Move'.
The whole episode focused on Sai's complicated emotions after witnessing Hikaru's revelation.
Was he happy that Hikaru understood the move?
Or was he jealous?
He had searched for that move for a thousand years—and yet, it wasn't he who found it.
The answer to the question he had chased for centuries did exist—but it wasn't his answer.
Sai's inner turmoil and heartbreak were conveyed to the audience through the screen.
"I've got goosebumps all over," Zhou Zhengguang exhaled slowly.
It took him nearly half an hour to calm the pounding in his chest.
The game layout was still displayed on the board in front of him. He looked at Su Lin.
"Tonight, the two of us… let's really dig into the possibilities of this move."
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Su Lin replied, taking a deep breath.
'Hikaru no Go' – Season 2, Episode 8
Final rating: 6.93%
It ended at 9 PM.
But the stir it caused—
Had only just begun.