本书以中国南北朝时齐、梁兴替为背景，刻画了主人公褚霄的围棋成长经历。全书以真实的历史人物、事件和时间为纲，再把虚构的人物、故事穿插其间，巧妙地以棋事、棋制推动情节，交织、映显历史与文艺形式的变革，塑造、刻画帝王至平民的人物群像。作者以传统史传的结构，传奇的笔法，描绘成一幅围棋勃兴时期的南朝历史画卷。全书骈散相间，诗文交映，是首部围棋题材的文言历史传奇小说。
This book is set against the backdrop of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, specifically the rise and fall of the Qi and Liang dynasties, and depicts the protagonist Chu Xiao's growth experience in the game of Go. The entire book uses real historical figures, events, and timeframes as the framework, interspersed with fictional characters and stories, skillfully using the game of Go and its rules to drive the plot, interweaving and reflecting the changes in history and literary forms, and shaping and depicting a cast of characters from emperors to commoners. The author uses a traditional historical biography structure and a legendary writing style to create a historical picture of the Southern Dynasties during the boom of Go. The book is a mixture of prose and poetry, and is the first historical novel of its kind with a theme centered around the game of Go.