4-4 point one-space low pincer, one-point jump

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Table of contents Table of diagrams
Jumping into the center
Still joseki?
Another move
Black's alternative
Severe
Follow-up (Black 11 at a)
White's answer
Fighting (Black 11 at a)
Fighting - A question of response to Black 1 here.
Fighting - A question of response to Black 1 here.
Fighting - A question of response to Black 1 here.
No alternative
Similar
Pro game play
19x19 diagram
Whole board flow

Reference diagram

[Diagram]

Jumping into the center

The intention of W1 is to stop Black from getting a framework on the left side. It leads to a rather complex joseki, but professionals regard it as slightly better for Black. Black will defend his left-side position with a or b.


The old joseki

[Diagram]

Still joseki?

After B1, W2 is regarded as correct. The sequence to W10 is regarded as joseki, but the general feeling among professionals is that this is slightly better for Black, because coming back to defend at W10 is too slow.

W10 is too slow because it is unnecessary. If black pushes to cut off WC (with a black play at W10 followed by pushing through) white can complete her outside wall with a play at a and still get good use from WC by making life in the corner with a play at e. On the other hand, if the exchange of black f for white g has been made, then white does need to go back and protect her investment with a move around W10.

In pro games, W10 has not been played recently - it has to some extent been replaced by White at a, which has been refined by White b, Black c, White a. But often W10 is d, then tenuki. Charles Matthews

There is an interesting discussion on what Charles refers to in Go World 100 (or 102).

The order of moves in this variation is not strict. Black may play B5 before B3, or after B7. However, see "Black's fight" below.


Influence and aji

[Diagram]

Another move

Because the result in the previous diagram is considered unsatisfactory for White, other possibilities have been attempted for W10.

One of them is W1 here. If next Black plays B2 and B4, White quietly connects at W5. After B6, White still has the invasion at a to look forward to. It is unlikely that White will die if she plays there, but she does run the risk that it is too small to play now. The play at a is basically a very large endgame move, and should therefore be kept for the late middle game.


Black's attachment

[Diagram]

Black's alternative

Black could also play B1 here. W2 used to be considered joseki. The result is equal to the previous joseki, except for the B1-W2 exchange. Unfortunately for White, Black might well use stronger weapons...

Instead of B9 in the previous diagram, Black could play the crude but severe moves of B1 to W8 first. White's four stones are under attack, and if there is a black stone around the middle of the left side (which often there is when this joseki is played), she probably has to search for life with W10.

[Diagram]

Follow-up (Black 11 at a)

White can live in the corner, but because she has to play W6 to do so, Black can take control of the center with B7 and B9. Black is clearly better off in this diagram.

[Diagram]

White's answer

Because the previous diagram leads to disaster, W2 is considered correct. After W4, fighting in this area comes to a temporary halt. Sometimes W4 is omitted. White could try to exchange White a for Black b before playing W2.


Black's cut

[Diagram]

Fighting (Black 11 at a)

Black's third possibility [1] is the combination of B1 and B3, which leads to strong fighting (if B3 is played at W4, we get a transposition to the joseki above). Black should not play this way if the ladder at b works for White, but if it does not, and there are black stones in the neighbourhood to help him, this could become very painful for White.

[Diagram]

Fighting - A question of response to Black 1 here.

Rui Naiwei suggests in Essential Joseki that Black 1 is not good simply because black cannot protect A and B at the same time. Has this thinking been outdated? Remillard

RFrohardt: In The Direction of Play, Kajiwara discusses this joseki and makes the same remark about Black 1.

[Diagram]

Fighting - A question of response to Black 1 here.

LukeNine45: How should white respond to this then? It seems if she takes care of some of her stones, it will hurt the ones on the other side?

[Diagram]

Fighting - A question of response to Black 1 here.

RFrohardt: None of my books discuss what would happen after Black 3, although my opinion would be that after the exchange up to White 8, White can still be happy. Not only does he have a secure group on top, but a play later at a or b could be trouble for black. White also still has the invasion at c and can sacrifice the marked stones which are still light. However, I'd be curious how a stronger player feels about this exhange.

LukeNine45: Thanks! I guess what I've been playing isn't so bad after all! :)


Alternatives for White

[Diagram]

No alternative

After B2, there is no real alternative to White a. White b is too mild (Dieter: I remember though that Kobayashi Satoru was a strong advocate of this move, disfavouring a), while exchanging W3 for B4 is considered bad because White loses the option of invading at the 3-3 point. This exchange should only be made if White intends to build a base on the upper side, but doing so has been made a priori impossible by BC.

[Diagram]

Similar

The variations after B2 are similar to those after Black a, although there are some differences. One of those is that W3 is considered not completely out of the question in this position, because White has more difficulties living in the corner, so giving up that option is less of a problem.

See also the go bloopers page, on the 'misplaced slide'.


[1] This cut line has been played frequently in recent pro games; it really needs its own page.


The Joseki at work in pro games

[Diagram]

Pro game play

This joseki was revived and tried many times by Cho and Lee 9ps in their famous successive title matches during 1990's. As a result of their experiments, it was modified substantially.

Commonly, this is used in black's 2 hoshi opening, meaning this black's move is rarely used in other openings. Following 3 diagrams show most common and normal sequence of this joseki.

This joseki can not be seperated from whole-board opening strategy like many other comtemprorary josekis. This means, showing the sequences of this joseki with local diagrams doenst make sense.

[Diagram]

19x19 diagram

B3 was cho 9p's new move which was different from the traditional one. In old version, instead of B3, defending b's weakness with B5 right after W2 had been common sequence.

B3 is a move which try to make use of black's 2 hoshi formation in right side. So called, whole board thinking...

[Diagram]

Whole board flow

When black approaches White's upper left corner with B1, white can not ignore it and instead capture the black stone on the left side. Thus, B1 ~ W6 is a very natural flow of stones, nearly a necessary order of moves.

And with W7, B8 moves, this joseki is completed.


See WhyIsThisNotAStarPointJoseki for similar sequences. I'd like to know why they're not joseki (or are they?).


Authors;

  • Andre Engels, 2D Europe (but feel free to make corrections or additions)

This is a copy of the living page "4-4 point one-space low pincer, one-point jump" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2005 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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