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How To Respond To Kakari In a four Stone Handicap Game
I'm about 7k and still impressed how fast the advantage of four stones melt away in games against shodan players... Diagram 1: a, b and c are ofter described as the best ways to respond to the marked white stone, especially in handicap games. While a might be the most secure play, I don't like it as it strengthens the white stone. b is better for influence and c is better for quick territory. AvatarDJFlux 3k: c doesn't guarantee any territory at all: having played the marked stone, W can still invade san-san. A play at c is just more solid and less attacking than b. The choice is a matter of taste and of the surrounding position: if W has a strong position down the left side I would like to play the more solid c than b. You may also consider playing a Hasami (pincer) to the left of W's kakari. But how to choose the answer in terms of whole board strategy? I recently played this (Diagram 2) following local joseki and the proverb that it is never wrong to respond to kakari. But was I correct with respect for the whole board? What are the next big points for black?
This is a copy of the living page "How To Respond To Kakari In a four Stone Handicap Game" at Sensei's Library. (C) the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0. |