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Ear-cleaning tesuji
Path: Tesuji   · Prev: YoseTesuji   · Next: EdgeWrapSqueeze
  Difficulty: Intermediate   Keywords: Tesuji, Shape, Go term

[Diagram]
Ear-cleaning tesuji

W1 is the ear-cleaning tesuji, forcing Black to protect with a, b, c, or d.

In Japanese, mimi-souji.

Does anyone have better examples? Or a theory as to where the name of this tesuji came from?



Charles Great name - evocative. I've never encountered this before. Hope I never have to respond at a or b!

Evpsych: Are c and d better?

Floris?: Well, c and d are certainly better shape but unless allowing White to stretch by playing them forcing me to make bamboo isn't a good exchange for White (it certainly makes White stronger) I would find it quite hard to decide where to play.

[Diagram]
Angle point

Charles Looking at the shape issue here, there are a few points to be made.



  1. If you look at BC, BS and WC, you see that WC sits on the 'angle'; even if Black plays the circled point, no eye here.
  2. This shape would therefore be better for Black with BC at a, weakening WC.
  3. This shape would be even better with BS at a.
  4. In that case, we probably do have White b, Black c in the near future for a bamboo joint; but this is strong for Black, who can then move out easily in several directions.

Evpsych: I take that as a yes (?). My 11k idea was that the kosumi is stronger because an attempted cut seems to gain less for White than an attempted cut of the alternative shape. OTOH, shape is probably more important.

Charles Context is, as usual, important. Assume first White is attacking here. Then White's attempts to cut are irrelevant (won't happen any time soon) - but Black presumably must connect somehow. In that case the connection with BC is shapeless.

If on the other hand White is on the defensive you perhaps look longer at White's forcing plays. But then WC wouldn't be played this way, in most cases. White normally gets more by playing WC at BS.



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