Whiteboard Sunday – First Joseki #5
Source: malweth
Hello again, this is Whiteboard Sunday #5. We’re slowly coming to the end of our topic — the “First Joseki”. There are many more variations, but soon let’s move on to something else. What will it be? You can ask for joseki, openings, direction of play or any area where you’d like to be more comfortable.
Dan players may not learn as much from this column, but kyu players should benefit. In other words, this is for you kyu! Please leave your requests in the comment section below the article.
Diagram 1 — 4th line
This time I want to change a little basic shape in our “first joseki”. Here black 3 is played on the 4th line instead of the 3rd line. What is the basic difference between moves on the 3rd and 4th lines?
- Black has a weak spot at A. Black’s territory is open. White can play at A and aim to break into black’s corner. Goodbye territory.
- When the territory is open, expanding it is much easier. Black can play a big extension at B and still have solid shape.
- When one has a stone on 4th line, escape to the center is much easier. That is why black doesn’t fear white’s move at A.
Diagram 2 — Basic Shape
OK, armed with some basic knowledge about the difference between the 3rd and 4th lines, it’s time to look at our diagram for today’s Whiteboard Sunday. Diagram 2 shows a situation which happens a lot in real games. I added two white stones in the upper left corner to make the white invasion more severe.
If you manage to master this situation from Diagram 2, then the invasion at 1 won’t be a burden to you anymore. Let’s examine what black can do.
Diagram 3 — Greed
Black can try to play a severe-looking move at 1 in Diagram 3. At first this looks like a tesuji. Unfortunately, white won’t fight like hell when he can just build life on the side. After white 8, black has lost all territory on the upper side and leaves a weakness at A.
If only black could use the wall efficiently! But the two white stones in the upper left corner are reducing black’s thickness to zero. This variation is a disaster for black.
Diagram 4 — Tsuke
Black can also play the most natural and most popular move. Black’s tsuke — contact play — seals in the white group. White has 3 standard responses: A, B and C. Let’s start with white A.
Diagram 5 — Hane
A famous baduk proverb says “Respond to an attachment with a hane”. In this situation, hane is an unexpectedly bad move :( Black’s shape only gets thicker.
Diagram 6 — Extend
Another very common answer by kyu players is the extension to 1 in Diagram 6. The purpose of this move is to make life on the side without a fight. Unfortunately, black has a nice tesuji. Double hane at 4 is a sacrifice tesuji.
Black defends his territory, and white gets a ponnuki on the second line. The real value of the ponnuki is very small; the two white stones in the upper left corner are too close to it. White has failed again.
Diagram 7 — Wedge
White 1 in Diagram 7 is an actual tesuji. This move is very strong. Of course, there is some drawback with this move. White needs the ladder to be favorable…
Diagram 8 — Ladder
If white can get a good result, it’s all thanks to the ladder. If the ladder is good for black, white will get a very bad result.
Diagram 9 — Variation
Black can try to play the atari at 1 in Diagram 9 instead of connecting with 3 in Diagram 8. This variation also gives white a chance to capture one black stone. This situation looks almost the same, but it isn’t…
Diagram 10 — Iron wall
White gets a lot of forcing moves and builds the almighty iron wall. This is a very bad result for black. Black 1 in Diagram 8 is only possible if black is good in the ladder.
Diagram 11 — Black only choice
When the ladder is good for white, the only good answer to the wedge at Diagram 8 is the atari from the outside in Diagram 11. This and the following moves will be the topic of the next Whiteboard Sunday.
Diagram 12 — Black to play
Like always, I have problem for you. This problem looks difficult but it should be very easy ;p (If the problems are too hard, please let me know in a comment or message).
I want to publish problems from real games. Sometimes they may not be as easy, but they are worth the time to study them.
Related posts:
- Whiteboard Sunday – First Joseki #3
- Whiteboard Sunday – First Joseki #2
- Whiteboard Sunday – First Joseki
After a holiday absence i came back to your column. I like this lesson. Once I was searching for 3 space invasions from different pro games, or books. I collected other board situation and now it is veri interesting to compare. In your examples some moves are different and now i see why.
In game http://eidogo.com/#1ltb8r:0,42 move at O4 is places instead P2 as in your example, but at your’s double hane is possible. At the game i found it is not. Dealing with invasions was for me as a patterns to remember. Now they are starting to be patterns to understand.
In your game example you show special case. In the post I placed stone at F17 far away from the invasion.
If F17 would be at H17 than invasion would be very severe and very hard to handle.
I love your explanation, 9kyu here, I can understand it but, if it is possible, please show the solution to the problems you gave us =). I solved it but I am not sure whether it is correct or not.