The Newbie (a story)
In the story of Hikaru No Go there is famous scene where a young boy who is nearly professional loses to another child who has never played Go before. Little did the experienced player know, but the newbie had the help of an ancient Go playing ghost. I've always wondered at the shock and awe the losing player must have felt in that moment...
It was just another Wednesday for the Evanston Go Club when a curious newbie arrived to try the game for his first time. Long time club member Mark happened to be free, so he sat the young man down to explain the rules. After a short while they played some first-capture Go. The newbie started at 5x5, Mark attached, newbie wrapped, and Mark cut. All normal so far... until the newbie extended his cut stone and followed up with a complex sequence ending in a ladder and the death of Mark's stones.
Mark wasn't too fazed, although this is likely the first time he'd lost to a beginner, flukes do happen. So they began another round of first-capture Go; but this time Mark wasn't going to get caught up in such a fight. The newbie opened on the 3x3 and Mark played solid moves building a large wall that aimed to encompass 70% of the board. The poor newbie was sure to lose this game if only because he would soon run out of safe places to play. All normal so far... until the newbie invaded, connected under the wall, and then played out yet another successful ladder.
The young newbie asked to try the real game, insisted on using the larger board (13x13) and refused to take handicap stones while playing as black. Mark was familiar with the brash ignorance of the uninitiated and felt bad for the prideful young man he was about to crush. But even so, Mark isn't the type to hold back. A few moves in, the game was somehow looking good for the newbie. Mark found himself in yet another ladder and black had managed to take three of the corners. But white had a plan. He played a ladder breaking approach and the newbie fell for it by responding locally!
Mark pulled his stone out of the corner and skillfully played the key killing moves to ensure the death of black's group. This game was in the bag! Having captured the whole corner and 6 stones in a ladder, whites solid thickness radiated influence out over the board. There was no way a newbie could come back from such a disadvantage. All normal so far... until the newbie played a complex cross cutting sacrifice sequence which allowed black to swallow 3/4th of the board which he then secured with a perfectly timed net, all of the sente endgame moves, and some expertly played life and death that killed the invading stones.
By this time the other club members had taken note of this strange newbie and his silent teacher. Others had stopped playing their own games and instead watched this one as it progressed toward the end. And when the final score was tallied the newbie had somehow won by over 10 points! The newbie gratefully thanked his teacher for the game. No one else knew what to say. Nothing like this had ever happened before!
As it turns out, this “newbie” was none other than the author of this story, AGA 2 kyu Devin Fraze, who was passing through Chicago for the evening. Not wanting to hurt any feelings I revealed my true rank and my intentions to have a little fun trying to recreate the famous Hikaru No Go moment. We laughed at the odd scenario we found ourselves in and I actually had to further convince Mark that I was who I said I am. (The mind is an odd thing and I assume it took some effort to reinterpret the last 30 minutes.)
So if anyone else is curious as to how Akira Toya might have felt after loosing to the young Hikaru Shindo, pay a visit to Chicago's Evanston Go Club and ask.