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Yosu Miru
    Keywords: Proverb

A Yosu Miru is a play made in order to see how the opponent reacts. Often, after a Yosu-Miru, the opponent must choose between one of two/three options open to him, and you should have planned your game so that none of these options are beneficial to him.

(I will have to look up a good example in a book, I think ...)

--MortenPahle

GoranSiska - How about the following example.

[Diagram]
Diag.: A classic example of a probing move.

--Morten: Indeed a classic example, but it would be useful to show the alternatives and how black can profit from both...



DieterVerhofstadt (1k) continues

[Diagram]
Diag.: Possible answers for black

Possible local answers for Black range from A to D. I'm less sure about D, so I'll discuss the other three here in more detail.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Block the probing stone from the outside

White crosscuts and plays kikashi with 5 and 7. Then she jumps out lightly with A, if this was a reducing manoeuver, or she leaves the situation for the moment and tenukis. Later in the game, the stones at 3, 5 and 7 will affect events at the top and center.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Reinforcing the outside

If Black thinks the outside is important, he will remove all outward aji, by playing at 2 himself. Naturally, this leaves the aji of White living in the corner with A. See the TripodGroup. With Black's territory reduced from the inside, white can now play a gentle reducing move, in case Black builds a moyo at the top.

DaveSigaty: W may also push more aggressively at b. If B answers at c, W plays a threatening to live with a better result than the tripod group. If B answers instead at d, W plays c and escapes on the outside. This is discussed in The 1971 Honinbo Tournament, chapter 13.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Blocking the probing stone from the inside

Black 2 chooses to protect the corner. Either White continues with A, probably reverting to answer 1, or plays tenuki. The aji of 1 enables white now to invade deeper than if Black had answered with 2 at a.

DaveSigaty: Another continuation for W is the clamp at b. In Strategic Concepts of Go Nagahara gives the continuation B c, W d, B a, and W e. By removing the stones at 1, 2, c, and b, Nagahara shows by tewari analysis that B has played at a in answer to W's probe at d - an unfavorable exchange (in the position shown in the book).



Alain: The attachment under the kogeima shimari is often given as an example for probing move. Here is another one which, I hope, will make the concept clearer.

[Diagram]
Diag.: An example in a "real game position"

Black 1 is an example of the yosu-miru technique. Before deciding how to continue the joseki on the lower left (a or b), black probes white's intentions with 1.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Variation 1

If white plays at 2, black will play 3 and 5. If black had followed the joseki before playing at 1, white would have played at the marked point, aiming at the invasion point a. This does not mean that playing the joseki without exchanging 1 for 2 before is worse than playing 1 (It was played in numerous professionnal games). Black 1 is just a way to resist white's plan.



[Diagram]
Diag.: Variation 2

If white plays the large knight move, black plays this variation of the joseki and, again, white 2 is not ideally placed for invading at a.

AlainWettach



The Ultimate Yosu-miru?

Kitani 4p (white) vs Go 3p

[Diagram]
Diag.: B 1 Yosu-miru?

June 1929 - This was the first meeting between Kitani Minoru and Go Seigen. Go had only been in Japan for a few months and reportedly had to ask around to find out if it was OK to start on tengen. His intention was to play manego which could be considered the ultimate yosu-miru technique - Black plays as shown and waits to see what White will play :-) Here is the continuation.

DaveSigaty



This is a copy of the living page "Yosu Miru" at Sensei's Library.
(C) the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.