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British Go Journal No. 41. May 1978. Page 19.

Part 2 The Taisha

Mark Hall

Part 1 of this series is on page 18 of BGJ 40.

Mark Hall helps you to handle some hazardous joseki.

Diagram 1

When black enters the corner at 1 in Dia 1, white 2 starts the Taisha joseki, which has a fearsome reputation for difficulty and complexity and is therefore sometimes favoured by stronger players who look forward to outplaying their weaker opponent quickly.

In Dia 1 Whites objectively best course would be to either extend up the side to A or to attach to black 1 and settle himself immediately in the corner. Perhaps he plays the Taisha because the white stone in the upper left will make most of the ladders favourable to white.

I recommend black 3 as his best answer. White will probably play 4 or one point below, and Black jumps to 5.

Blacks shimari in the lower left corner is now very well placed and the three White stones are under pressure from the Black position in the top right.

Diagram 2

Diagram 3

In Dia 2 white tries to avoid this bad result with 1, but black attaches with 2 and then makes a bamboo joint with 4, heading out towards the centre. White has two weak groups to defend and black must get an attack against one of them. For example, if white connects at A, black will extend his shimari to about B and the white stones are heavy and easy to attack.

Some of you may be worried by white 1 in Dia 3, which does indeed lead to some complications. But after the sequence to 6, white has only achieved a very inferior variation of the normal Taisha. Provided Black plays calmly and keeps his corner alive, White can only expect trouble again with two groups to handle.