Motare

  Difficulty: Intermediate   Keywords: MiddleGame, Tactics, Strategy

Motare is an attacking technique. An approximate English translation is leaning attack. See the below diagram for an example.

Black leans on a relatively strong group, making it even stronger in the process. However this shifts the balance of power between the Black corner stones and the single White stone at the top of the board in Black's favour. Black can then proceed to attack the weak white group at the top of the board.

--Stefan

BillSpight:

A good metaphor for motare: To take a step with your right foot, put your weight on your left foot first.

A few examples:

Aiming at WC, Black leans against the other one.


[Diagram]

Defense against a pincer

White has played a pincer against the lone black stone. Black leans against the white group in the corner, solidifying his position. Now he is aiming at WC.


An example from a real game, Sakata (Black) vs.Kitani (White):

[Diagram]

Sakata - Kitani

B1 and B3 threaten to slice up the bottom side.

[Diagram]

Sakata - Kitani (ii)

White resists staunchly, but Black builds up thickness in sente. Now B6 attacks White's central group, driving it towards Black's new strength. White will have a difficult time of it. (In fact, White resigned without making a second eye.)


Note how often motare involves contact plays. That's because contact fights tend to make both sides strong.


Sazn:

Common leaning attack situation

[Diagram]

19x19 diagram


signal9: Forgive me for being slow, but could someone help me understand who is leaning on whom in the above diagram? Am I seeing Black isolating White's stones for control of the top?

Charles B6 is the key move here, leaning on White to prepare the attack on White's other group.


BobMcGuigan: It should be mentioned that the leaning moves work because the person being leaned on must respond or suffer a loss. A beautiful example of a leaning move is W5 in the second diagram in FM1, a game between Takemiya and O Rissei.


This is a copy of the living page "Motare" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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