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large knight extension from 4-4
Difficulty: Advanced
Keywords: Opening, Joseki
This answer to White 1 was the common play in Edo-period Japan, and throughout the old development in China. It was played much less in the twentieth century. It has been making something of a comeback in the twenty-first. The ideas involved are different from those with the other extension responses. White takes into account that Black might take a big corner with one more play here. White a is therefore played early. Otherwise White b is reasonable; tenuki is also a major option. White at c was the old Chinese play, now effectively obsolete.
In this case the slide with White 1 isn't seen in high-level play[1]. With the black extension stone on the marked point, Black's stones are more efficiently placed. What was acceptable to White when Black's extension was to a is here unacceptable.
In many recent games the 3-3 invasion has gone this way. Black plays 6 to deny White's hane, rather than at a.
It could be that both players are satisfied with this kind of result. The marked white stone is weak but not closely confined. [1] One related place where the slide is seen:
This has been, well, an orthodox development of the orthodox fuseki over recent years. White slides at 4 despite Black 3. This is seen especially in case the enclosure is the large low shimari, with the marked black stone moved to a.
In fact it is normal for Black to invade at 1 here immediately, rather than answer at a.
White is presumably happy with this result. White's strong group makes up for Black's efficient left corner; because the right corner is a loose formation and White knows that she will fight there in the future. (This result was seen in a game Yi Se-tol vs. Seo Pong-su.) This interpretation is a manifestation of a basic principle of framework theory: it is an advantage to build a strong group on the edge of the opponent's framework. This is a copy of the living page "large knight extension from 4-4" at Sensei's Library. ![]() |