Taisha Joseki
The taisha joseki ( is taisha) is a famous 3-5 point pattern known as the "joseki of a thousand variants" and is commonly regarded as one of the most difficult joseki. Even professionals sometimes make mistakes in this joseki; and new variations are found on regular basis.
- Taisha Main Continuations
- Ways to avoid the taisha
- Question about avoiding the taisha
- Taisha tenuki variations
- Taisha five-way junction
The pages referenced above discuss the taisha when it arises in 3-5 point joseki. Note also, however, that the taisha can arise in 3-4 point joseki as well. In that case, can follow a white three-space pincer at one of the circled points. See 34PointLowApproachThreeSpaceLowPincerTaisha and 34PointLowApproachThreeSpaceHighPincerTaisha further discussion of pincer variations.
through
is one standard variation of the taisha.
Now a possible continuation is Black a, White b, Black c.
Charles You could call this the taisha proper. When people speak about avoiding the taisha, they mean not having to play this position from the side of White.
AvatarDJFlux: the Taisha really does have hundreds of variations. According to Ishida, at the position below, Black can choose between a, b, c and d. Each of these, in turn, can lead to other 5 or 6 variations, and so on geometrically...
Please bear in mind that all these variations need favourable ladders at every possible place, so in order to challenge your opponent with the Taisha you'd better check your zig-zags...
lavalyn: Which of course means that opening at tengen suddenly acquires new meaning - a ladder-breaker for every corner! Who needs to check the opposite corner of the board...?
DJ: Very often the taisha is used to start right away a colossal fight that would spread all over the Goban. No wonder kyu players like me are scared by such joseki. Luckily, the taisha has simple variations too: if you don't feel like going for complications and blood-thirsty fights, you still have many ways to avoid the Taisha!
In the 1980s this was seen as bad, because it simplified the game too much, taking the beauty of subtlety away from Go: at that time complicated joseki like Taisha (or even the Nadare Joseki) were therefore seldom played.
Today it is just the opposite: the simplification of the game is seen positively (as far as I know especially by Korean players), because it skips the difficulties of the chuban (middle game) and brings the game directly to the yose (endgame) stage, where it is easier to perform calculations. These considerations affect where Go is going. -- DJ
In fact, today the Nadare Joseki is very popular but the Taisha is still seldom played. Maybe because the 5-3 opening move is unusual in modern go? -- phenomene
Page created by Dave Sigaty