Wedge - when the approach is possible

    Keywords: Opening
[Diagram]
Exerting pressure: unorthodox enclosure  



When White plays the marked stone as a wedge, Black 1 is an idea to inhibit White at a. White b, Black c is interesting for Black. This is from an Edo period game in Japan. See 3473 enclosure for Black's left-hand corner.


[Diagram]
Coping with a Chinese enclosure  

The prevalence in contemporary Go of the mini-chinese formation means that players now often face a side position like this. White 1 is the favoured wedge. This goes against classical ideas, that an approach in the right-hand corner is larger.

[Diagram]
Emergent pattern 1  

This sequence has been developed in a number of recent games by Chinese and Korean players. White is trying to build a strong group to limit Black's framework on the left. Black isn't content with any normal enclosure. Black 2 at a is clearly possible - in fact experiments with 2 one, two, four and five lines to the left have been seen.



Update

[Diagram]
Black peeps at once  

Recently B1 has been played in order to try for more immediate advantage. In a game Pak Yeong-hun-Yi Se-tol 2002-10-31 White reacted with the contact play W4, to try for sabaki.

[Diagram]
White joins up  

Then White built some influence with the plays from W4 (Black 11 connects at W8, White 12 at a).


[Diagram]
Emergent pattern 2  

Also popular in recent pro games is B2, which leaves a clear weakness behind at a. So in this case W5 is comprehensible. to threaten to the right.

[Diagram]
Another forcing pattern  

This is a continuation being played now. The combination B1+B3 follows the logic 'force on the side you won't reinforce'. After White defends actively at W4, ahead of Black at a, Black plays tenuki: the play at black+circle means that Black already has a base in the left corner.

Charles Matthews


Wedge - when the approach is possible last edited by CharlesMatthews on May 24, 2003 - 11:31
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