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Two shodans Twenty-five moves Seven mistakes
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On this page I'd like to discuss a tournament game of mine against a fellow shodan. In the top right corner I deviated from joseki to see what happens but also with a second agenda. In the ensuing corner sequence of 25 moves, we managed to produce no less than seven mistakes and probably more, for those seven were the ones our fallible shodan eyes saw.

What martial art has their black belts perform at an error rate of 28 % ??? This is at the same time most disturbing and very motivating. Here comes the analysis.

[Diagram]
The game

Pincering W1 with B2 seemed to use the black thickness properly. White jumps out at W3.



First mistake: B4 is possible, but the ensuing joseki gives a strategically bad result.


[Diagram]
Diagram 1: Black is not so good

White 11 at a. Black takes territory but there is aji in the captured stones, namely when White gets a stone at the circled points. If B10 at b instead, White c gives Black a feeling of overconcentration. Of course, this error is not nearly as grave as the blunders that are to come. Black still has a game.


[Diagram]
The game (2)

Second mistake: B4 entails a local loss, but in fact it is consistent with my hidden agenda: push through at a. So, not such a bad mistake after all. However, if W7 now at b, her territory will be superior to Black's influence.


[Diagram]
The game (3)

Third mistake: W1 works locally but also increases the corner aji and Black will now cut at a more effectively (see later). At the time of the game I thought W1 did not work and I drew out my stones, which is actually good because of the aji. W3 correctly states that she will capture the corner.

Diagram 2 shows how Black gets the most out of this position.


[Diagram]
Diagram 2: not a bad result

W4 is best. B1 creates too much aji for her to stretch. Black then plays kikashi at B5 and gets nice outward thickness.


[Diagram]
The game (4)

Fourth mistake:

B1 does not work. Diagram 3 shows why. Moreover, there is less aji in this stone.


[Diagram]
Diagram 3: a well known corner tesuji

W8 at WC. This becomes a two-stone edge squeeze.


[Diagram]
Diagram 3 bis: continuation

White wins the capturing race by one liberty.



[Diagram]
The game (5)

(B4 at WC) Sure enough White makes a fifth mistake and now Black has his chances. See Diagram 4:


[Diagram]
Diagram 4: strange things happen ...

B1 is tesuji. Whatever White tries, after B9 she has to protect the cut at a, upon which Black gets ahead in the capturing race with b.



[Diagram]
The game (6)

Sixth mistake: Black chooses the wrong 1-2 point. Luckily, he has still his chances. See Diagram 5:


[Diagram]
Diagram 5

The first-line hane of B3 enables Black to get ahead in the capturing race, or get an overall advantage, or take everything in ko. See Diagrams 6, 7 and 8.


[Diagram]
Diagram 6

B3 at BC, W4 at W2


[Diagram]
Diagram 7

Black links up and will most probably capture one of White's groups. The only resistance White has is diagram 8:


[Diagram]
Diagram 8

(B5 at BC, W6 at W4, W8 takes ko at BC)

So early in the game, there is no ko (there are no ko threats in the opening).



[Diagram]
The game (7)

Seventh mistake: Finally, I decided not to take any risk any more and forewent the first line hane. I pushed through at B1 and up to B7 I obtained substantial central thickness in exchange for a big corner. Numerous blunders would follow however, eventually leading to a well-deserved loss.


Dieter



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This is a copy of the living page "Two shodans Twenty-five moves Seven mistakes" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.