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ShinFusekiHo

 

cross hoshi
   

[Diagram]
Diag.: cross hoshi


This formation as an opening Black 1-3 is known as cross hoshi (Japanese tasukiboshi). A major example for tasuki fuseki. It is considered one of the ideal openings, with a maximum of rapid development - but of course White can thwart it by playing 2 in the diagonally opposite corner to 1. See Beauty and the Beast for discussion in relation to Chen Zude and the rise of the Chinese fuseki.

HolIgor: Why would White want to thwart this variation? Analysing my games with Kombilo I was surprised to find that I usually win againt tasuki fuseki. See KombiloAnalysisOfHoligor.

Charles Matthews I think you'll find that playing the 4-4 point at D4, rather than D16, was the standard pro strategy at times, for example 1970-1975. It depends rather whether White is more concerned to counter cross hoshi, or the Chinese fuseki.

DaveSigaty: As Charles points out, these patterns vary over time depending on what the pros are struggling with at the time. Here is a GoGoD CD (July 2002 version) search on W's replies to an initial B hoshi for the period 1998 to date.

[Diagram]
Diag.: Continuations

Just the 4 continuations shown account for 2054 of the 2076 games with a first play on hoshi. Currently W seems less worried about blocking the tasuki fuseki since "c" and "d" together represent about 2/3 of all games.

Statistics:

 2076 matches, B: 53.3%, W: 46.7%
 Wc:    1090, B53.0% - W47.0%
 Wa:     603, B52.2% - W47.8%
 Wd:     348, B54.6% - W45.4%
 Wf:      13, B84.6% - W15.4%

The difference in Black's response to "c" and "d" above is interesting.

[Diagram]
Diag.: Continuations against Komoku

Against W's komoku ("d" above), B plays parallel more often than diagonal but the two most frequent replies have been the diagonal plays at "c" and "e" shown here. The five replies shown account for 342 of the 348 games.

Statistics:

 348 matches, B: 54.6%, W: 45.4%
 Bc:    81, B60.5% - W39.5%
 Be:    71, B50.7% - W49.3%
 Ba:    70, B64.3% - W35.7%
 Bb:    65, B50.8% - W49.2%
 Bd:    55, B43.6% - W56.4%

[Diagram]
Diag.: Continuations against Hoshi

The seven replies shown tally 1074 of the 1090 games. Of these the diagonal replies amount to only 48 and diagonal hoshi only 2. Clearly current professional practice does not employ diagonal fuseki against the W hoshi ("c" in the original search above), especially not diagonal hoshi.

Statistics:

 1090 matches (1090/0), B: 53.0%, W: 47.0%
 Bb:    447, B54.1% - W45.9% 
 Bc:    424, B53.1% - W46.9% 
 Ba:    145, B44.8% - W55.2% 
 Be:     31, B51.6% - W48.4% 
 Bl:     15, B80.0% - W20.0% 
 Bh:     10, B70.0% - W30.0% 
 Bm:      2, B100.0% - W0.0% 


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