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BQM48
  Difficulty: Advanced   Keywords: Problem, Question, Opening

In The Power of the Star-Point by Shukaku Takagawa I stumbled over following problem:

[Diagram]
Diag.: Black to play. White's unreasonable second approach move.




My top priority always was to move out to the center with one of the moves a-c. Where I usually attached to the stronger stone. But the correct solution surprised me.

[Diagram]
Diag.: Correct Solution: Challenge White to a fight

After this a complicated sequence will follow with the outcome that Black lives in the corner and White will have two split groups.




Until now I thought that Black 1 is a bad beginner move. So my question is, what do you think of this Black 1? Is it probably a matter of style? Or is this position a special case which recommends the aggressiveness of Black 5?

Thanks for your help -- LordOfPi

Scartol: At a workshop at the US Go Congress several weeks ago, there was a Dan-level workshop that I somehow ended up in. During that workshop, this scenario came up, and the instructor (whose name escapes me at the moment) said that if Black has the two pincer stones (I've marked them in the original diagram), then it's advisable to seal the corner and split White's groups.


Dieter: The Belgian representative at last year's Korean seminar reported that this defense at 3-3 in this position (double extension, double approach) was highly recommended and typical of the Korean strength with emphasis on fighting and accurate reading.


Charles Matthews If the corner doesn't die, and if both outside white groups are weak, then the position must be good for Black. One weak group between two of the opponent's weak groups is a typical position of advantage. So much so that pros probably have a particular reason to play into this situation as White.


There are no games exactly matching this position in the GoGoD CD but here are the two cases where the descent into the corner has been used in this corner position. --DaveSigaty

Kitani (Black) versus Maeda Nobuaki, 1935-05-29 in the spring Oteai.

[Diagram]
Diag.: Moves 15 to 24

[Diagram]
Diag.: Moves 25 to 34

The situation in the upper left has stabilized for the moment. Final game result was Black's win by resignation.


Go Seigen (Black) versus Hashimoto Utaro, 1936-10-07 (date published) in a Tokyo Mainichi Shinbun tournament. Game result: B wins by resignation.

[Diagram]
Diag.: Moves 16 to 25

[Diagram]
Diag.: Moves 26 to 35

[Diagram]
Diag.: Moves 36 to 39

Here too things have reached a temporary conclusion in the upper left.



I hope it's OK for me to tack on a related question that came to mind while reading this one. Is the drop back and split technique viable in this situation? I have been getting this double approach almost automatically from a certain opponent these days and I need a more effective method in dealing with it. --BlueWyvern

[Diagram]
Diag.: Drop back and split?


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