The Strong Player Plays Straight The Weak Plays Diagonal/ Discussion

white spoils black's shape  

Consider this.

follow-up  

White has this follow-up, which creates two cutting points at a and b.

what about this shape?  

It's harder for me to think of an example showing the problem with this shape. Maybe more stones have to be added than in the above example, but this is the thing I would be trying to understand by reading Minue's page.

Straight  

or a is good. It applies pressure on the stone.

Diagonal  

, a or b is weak. It hardly applies any pressure on the stone. Both and a make a play on a compromised diagonal. Try not to make plays that improve the status of stones your opponent has already played.

Diagram  

Velobici: Diagonals have cutting points. Cutting points make the position more complicated and plant the seeds of future reading errors. Diagonals seem to add two liberties (labeled a in the diagram), but threatening to cut removes two liberties. Black can restore the prior number of liberties (labeled b) by playing which makes a straight shape from the marked black stone.

By contrast, playing , , is a turn; straight shape from to . A turn is often powerful and show why pushing from behind can be so bad. White has induced Black to play the turn. If cut, each group must live independently or kill the cutting stones. Assuming the attack is launched from/to strength, then one of the attackers two groups is already strong, while both of the defenders are weak.

Straight shape does not have cutting points and adds two liberties per move (labeled c). Yang Yilun emphasizes the usefulness of straight shape in defense.

Diagonals (hane and keima) are good for attacking. Straight shape is good for defense. To attack successfully, one must start from an advantageous position. For each move played the weaker party can gain strength faster for the weaker party must start with fewer stones, or fewer useful, effective stones. Straight shape helps to create such positions (wall).

kb: This page needs to be clarified and renamed. Consider the following joseki:

white spoils black's shape  

The diagonal play aims for both a and b (joseki is Ba, Wb).

This joseki is clearly not what the intent of this page is (straight shapes are stronger than diagonals), but the page title is certainly misleading. It is important to note the play would not be joseki if it was not setting up miai (e.g. without the / exchange it is not), but these are completely different principles.