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BlockOnTheWiderSide
FusekiExercise11A...

 

Block on the wider side - discussion
    Keywords: Opening, Strategy, Question

Charles I'd like to raise a point about the direction in which to block after a 3-3 invasion behind the 4-4 point, in the case of a six-space extension.

That is, positions like this:

[Diagram]
Obvious to block at a?

Supposing a black stone also at one of the circled points, then the block on the wider side proverb tells you to play at a.



Now blocking at a is unlikely to be a bad play - it should always be quite efficient. It might however not always be an ideal play. After all, a wide extension could be too wide. And in the most standard joseki after the invasion at WC, White does end in sente. So perhaps some more concrete analysis is called for, in a given position.


What turns up in a database search is this:

[Diagram]
Blocking the 'wrong' way

In all the examples I saw from pro games in recent times, B1 played in the narrow side as here led to this result (Black 11 at b to capture the corner).



Now as all sneaky players know, there is some bad aji left in Black's position near the circled point. Therefore perhaps the positioning of BS isn't too close.



This is a copy of the living page "Block on the wider side - discussion" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.