"Hikaru is determined to move carefully, step by step, up the ladder of professional go. He pours his energy into it, striving to get closer to his ultimate goal--playing the Divine Move. After many games he finally gets to play a 7-dan, who turns out to be someone he's confronted before, though not in competition. Their mutual animosity fires their competitiveness, pushing them to play with maximum intensity."--Page 4 of cover.

Akira is beginning a new school year at Kaio Middle School. With his daunting reputation as the Toya Meijin's son, Akira finds he must prove himself to more than a few mean and jealous classmates. And with the help of upper-classman Yuri Hidaka, Akira finds the confidence to persevere in his hunt to beat Hikaru. Meanwhile, Hikaru is having a hard enough time just trying to find a third teammate to play in the Haze Middle School Go Club. A possible...

"Hikaru's classmate Ochi has won enough games to guarantee his place among the top three players who will pass the pro test. Hikaru, on the other hand, still needs to win more games, and he'll soon face his friend Waya and Ochi himself, who has been preparing for their match with Akira's help! When the dust clears, who will be left standing?"--Page 4 of cover.

Hikaru learns his rival, Akira, has landed a place on Japan's team for the Hokuto Cup and battles for one of the two remaining spots, while the Go world is shocked by Akira's father's retirement.

"Hikaru is in the toughest battle of his life when he faces Ko Yong Ha, Korea's top player in the Hokuto Cup tournament. The stakes, however, aren't for personal glory but for something far deeper, something that differentiates a mere game from a way of life. Hikaru knows what this means to him, but will he understand what it means to the new wave of go players and, indeed, the game of go itself?"--Amazon.com