The star point is one of the first moves one learns to play in the corner. Beginners start with this because it is easy to find. On the board it is marked by a dot. Unfortunately when one’s strength increases, it is more clear that using it isn’t easy an task. Many strong players say that if you’re playing the star point you must be flexible. Of course this is right, but it’s easier said than done. I think these 5 principles will help you understand the issue of flexibility with star points.

Don’t overlook an opportunity to play the pincer

White must play 1 in Dia.1, because it is a good combination of a pincer and a two space extension on the side. After this black will play at san-san and the game will turn into a territory vs moyo game.

If white misses white 1 in Dia.1 and plays 1 on Dia.2 he will suffer a big loss after black 4. This gives black a very comfortable situation on the bottom side and the white marked stone is very weak. Even if white plays the extension to O3 his group will be under severe attack.

Of course after black 2 in Dia.2 white can play the pincer at 3 in Dia.3, but then black will play 4 forcing white 5.  The black position is more or less similar to Dia.1 but white lost his chance to build a moyo on the bottom side and has also lost sente, so black can play a big point with black 6.

Don’t be in hurry

This time in Dia.1 white plays a very calm move in answer to the black marked stone. After this black plays 2-4 building a territorial framework on the left side. It looks to be a very comfortable position for black, but in fact it isn’t. Black’s shape is very thin and invasions at A and B will be very big problems in the future.

This diagram shows that in the opening there is no hurry to play a pincer in your opponents framework. In fact, playing a pincer here would only help black start a fight in comfortable surroundings. If you don’t have any weak groups it is very hard for your opponent to transform his territorial framework into real territory.

Block from the more valuable side

When your opponent enters your corner with 3-3, you must chose a side to block. The first question is which side is more valuable. To answer this question, consider these simpler questions:

1. On which side do I have more stones?
2. Are the stones on this side on the 3rd or 4th line?
3. If I block from this side will I be able to extend my moyo?

If you have 4th line stones on one side and a chance to create a huge framework, you should not hesitate to block from this side. Of course this is only a theoretical situation. In a real game the situation is more complex but remembering these 3 questions will help you to make the proper decision.

If black plays at 2 in Dia.2 he will suffer a lot after white 10. His marked stone is now in the wrong place. It doesn’t make a territorial framework at all. This stone and F17 are a very weak group.

5-5 aims for influence not for territory

This diagram is from a pro game played on 14 August, 2003 between Lee Sedol and Mok Jinseok. After white 1 Lee Sedol plays a forcing move at 2 and then plays at 4 to utilize the 5-5 stone for influence.

There is another way to use the 5-5 stone – playing first at R4 and then playing at 4 – but I think it is wrong. This kind of approach is a little questionable because if you play 5-5 you should aim for influence not for territory.

Beware of the counterattack

Here at the end I want to give advice for players approaching the star point. White 1 is the standard approach to a star point, but then black can invade with 2. If you don’t know a lot of joseki this kind of situation can be very hard for you, so before playing any loose extension you must prepare a backup plan. White 3 for black 4 and then capturing one stone with 5 is exactly this kind of plan.

It’s not just a problem for loose extensions. When you attack you must always beware of possible counterattacks. This kind of situation can get messy. Unless you’re behind or you have a strong position, there’s probably no reason to complicate things.