Even Game Joseki

British Go Journal No. 10. December 1969. Page 3b.

Part 6

John Diamond, 3d

Komoku : the High Attack, Part 4

Diagram 28

Diagram 29

The one-point pincer of 2 is now a very popular play. It aims at preventing a White expansion along this side. This is obviously of special importance when black has a corner position in the lower-right corner. In doing this black must be prepared to give up something in return for preventing whites extension. This usually means giving up sente and a wall of influence along the left side.

The most common joseki is that of Dia 28. After white 3,which is played as a sacrifice stone, moves 4 to 7 are forced. For move 8, Black has two basic choices he can play as in Dia 28, placing more emphasis on influence, or at in Dia 29, with more emphasis on the corner, but slightly to Whites advantage.

Diagram 30

If he plays 2 in Dia 29, then 3 is Whites best move. Should white protect his stone immediately, then Dia 30 will result, and the corner exchange is even. The result of Dia 29 is to whites advantage because blacks position in the corner and along the side is not large at all in comparison with whites influence.

Continuing from move 8 in Dia 28, moves 9 to 12 are forced. With 13, White has two alternatives, the one in this Dia and that in Dia 33. 13 here places the emphasis on the left-hand side and 14 to 16 complete the joseki.

Diagram 31

Diagram 32

If Black plays 14 at 1 in Dia 31, then Whites best move is not at 2, which is answered by 3, and black is better off than in Dia 28. Instead he should play as in Dia 32, which produces a result similar to that of Dia 33, but black is less well off.

Diagram 33

Diagram 34

13 in Dia 33 is only playable if black 2 in Dia 34 does not threaten A and B simultaneously. That is, if the ladder formed by black playing at A is in whites favour. If this is not so, then 14 to 16 are best, and the order of 17 and 19 is immaterial.

Diagram 35

Diagram 35b

After this Black again has two major alternatives. One of these is 20 in Dia 33, which forces the remaining moves in the Dia, and, as can be seen, is simple and concentrates on the left side. The other alternative is that of 2 in Dia 35, which provokes a difficult fight. Black 6 can be played as Dia 35b*. Neither of these variations is recommended unless a deeper study of the position than is possible here is made.
* [ Dia 35b was textual description in BGJ. ]

Dias 36 and 37 show the different effects that the joseki in Dias 28 and 33 have in a typical situation with a single stone in the lower right corner.

Diagram 36

Diagram 37

A white play at A in Dia 36 would not be a good move because blacks wall would allow him to pincer this stone severely and thus put it at a disadvantage. Also whites position has a weakness which he must protect later, for the sequence black at B, white at C, black at D; puts black in a strong central position.

In contrast to Dia 36, White 1 in Dia 37 is a good move because of the strong White wall.