[Welcome to Sensei's Library!]

StartingPoints
ReferenceSection
About


Paths
GoProverbs
AspectsOfSacrifice
ForcingAndInitiative

Referenced by
BasicTechniquesOfGo
AttachCrosscutCor...
ChessWhizAgainstL...
MigeruVsAlexWeldon
35PointLowApproac...

 

Add a second stone and sacrifice both
Path: AspectsOfSacrifice   · Prev: ThrowIn   · Next: CraneSNestTesuji
Path: GoProverbs   · Prev: EvenAMoronConnectsAgainstAPeep   · Next: UseContactMovesForDefence
Path: ForcingAndInitiative   · Prev: Fujite   · Next: AShapeComplaintSolution

    Keywords: Proverb

This is a proverb nobody ever explained to me, so I'm not sure that it doesn't apply to something altogether different. But I use it to remember the sequence below, so this is at least one possible interpretation.

Consider the following sequence (discussed by Sakata Eio in his book "The Middle Game of Go").

[Diagram]
Crosscut

Black has just played the crosscut at B1. Sakata calls B1 vulgar style in the context of the discussed game, but that is another matter. There are plenty of occasions where this sequence is perfectly OK.


[Diagram]
Add a second stone

It is clear that BC is going to be captured. Nevertheless Black adds another one, in accordance with the proverb. White answers at W2 to keep the stones captured.


[Diagram]
Kikashi

The thinking behind Black's line of play becomes clear in this diagram. Black has sente forcing moves at B1, B3 and B5. Compare this with an atari at B1 without adding the extra stone: White would capture (a ponnuki), and that would be the end of it. Adding the extra stone increases the liberties of the black group. As White needs more moves to capture it, Black gets more kikashi moves.



Note that Black must play B5 fairly soon, even though it smells like aji-keshi. This kikashi slows White down by a whole move, i.e. changes a white move at a from sente to gote.

--Stefan


I think the whole point is that you are creating aji. Aji of one stone is less potent than a two-stone group that requires at least two more moves to kill, and can later reveal itself to be dangerous. All this for an extra move! 'Abandon' is maybe not the right word, but as it's impossible to completely figure a game out to the end, there's no way of knowing what those two stones can do, until it's within the near(er) future.

--Stevert (somewhere 'tween 10 kyu and 4 dan)


[Diagram]
Good shape for White

If White captures B1 by playing the marked point, it's too easy for White. This is true for now or later. But if there is a Black stone at the marked point, then when White captures eventually the shape isn't as good. In fact later in the game when aji usually comes into play, the white stones may not survive.



[Diagram]
Options

Dieter: Let's look at three options. a, b and tenuki.


[Diagram]
Kikashi

If Black at B1 here, B3 can play tenuki. W4 ends in gote. Later there is the alphabetized endgame.


[Diagram]
Gote

If Black does not play tenuki, he ends in gote. We can expect White a, Black b, White c in the late endgame.


[Diagram]
Gote

Black gives up the possibility of tenuki and ends up in gote anyway. In the endgame we can expect Black a White b Black c.


[Diagram]
Tenuki

If Black plays tenuki, W1 can be sente.



Path: AspectsOfSacrifice   · Prev: ThrowIn   · Next: CraneSNestTesuji
Path: GoProverbs   · Prev: EvenAMoronConnectsAgainstAPeep   · Next: UseContactMovesForDefence
Path: ForcingAndInitiative   · Prev: Fujite   · Next: AShapeComplaintSolution

This is a copy of the living page "Add a second stone and sacrifice both" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2003 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.