Big Sacrifice To Get A Wall

  Difficulty: Advanced   Keywords: MiddleGame, Tesuji, Tactics

Chinese: -
Japanese: 締め付け, シメツケ(shimetsuke)
Korean: -

There is a rather standard sacrifice that comes up in several situations, which allows someone to build an impressive wall. The basic shape is this one:

[Diagram]
 

B8 is a move somewhere to the left, which prevents the marked stones from living

[Diagram]
 

White sets up a semeai with the geta W13. The marked white stones are the sacrifice, they do not have enough liberties to the left to win the semeai.

There is either already a white stone at a, or white can add it in sente, so that black cannot break out of the geta

The end result will give white an impressive wall.


Table of contents

Real life applications

Nineteen point trick play

One of the most famous examples is the 19 point trick play:

[Diagram]
 
[Diagram]
 
[Diagram]
(W24 @ B19)  
[Diagram]
 

B3 is the trick play. W4-W8 fall for it. W14 kills the corner, but that was black's intent all along. Black sacrifices and ends up with an impenetrable wall.

B33 is usually not urgent, and black can keep it in reserve as a ko threat.

4-4 ogeima enclosure

This same sacrifice pattern is found in this standard 4-4 enclosure

[Diagram]
 
[Diagram]
 
[Diagram]
 
[Diagram]
 

B1 is a standard invasion when black has nearby support. W4 goes all out to capture black, but that is what black was waiting for. After W14, the position starts
to look familiar. White wins the semeai in the corner, but black's sacrifice has given him an impressive wall, worth much more than the corner points.

Note: At W20, white cannot break out into the center because of the black atari at a.

3-4 high approach, keima joseki

The pattern occurs often with invasions of large knight move enclosures:

[Diagram]
 
[Diagram]
 
[Diagram]
 
[Diagram]
 

Another standard joseki situation. Again, the presence of the marked black stone makes the invasion B1 possible. The further pattern should be familiar by now.

EDIT: It looks like this section is wrong and the sacrifice technique doesn't actually work. See the discussion page.

3-4 high approach, one point jump joseki

[Diagram]
 
[Diagram]
 
[Diagram]
 
[Diagram]
 

Another joseki variant, similar to the one above. Because of the low position of the marked stone, black cannot squeeze by cutting at W22, but B21 is still quite effective.

As always, B27 is not urgent and can be kept in reserve.

EDIT: It looks like this section is wrong and the sacrifice technique doesn't actually work. See the discussion page.


Big Sacrifice To Get A Wall last edited by hnishy on May 22, 2018 - 11:22
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