Compromised diagonal and dropping back

  Difficulty: Expert   Keywords: Joseki, Ko, Shape

This sort of pattern on the side is quite common after an invasion:

[Diagram]

White drops back

You could call W3 a dropping back idea; it is certainly also a getting ahead idea. In this case Black doesn't cut with Black a, White b, Black c because White d is a tesuji of the flying-off kind.



To play W1 at a is clearly slower and heavier, even though it has more effect on Black too.


Here is a very special case of this shape.

[Diagram]

An unusual shape

This choice of B1 (instead of Black at a, in the 3-5 point low approach one-space low pincer) is an example of a play that is recorded in joseki dictionaries, but rarely seen in pro games.



From what is said at weak player's diagonal, one can understand the rarity: Black at a is very natural from the point of view of shape. Of course B1 can be called a lighter play.

This example game in which B1 was played (Kori Toshio?-Kajiwara Takeo (B) 1982-03-04) is a good example of Kajiwara's style. We join it at Black 33.[1]

[Diagram]

Moves 33 to 40

Presumably W2 is intended as a sort of inducing move. Black wastes no time playing B3 at another key point of White's diagonal.

[Diagram]

Moves 41 to 50

Kajiwara was nicknamed 'the drill' for his maximum attitude to local play: B5 is a good example. A ko results.

[Diagram]

Moves 51 to 60

Black wins the ko. This leaves White needing a move to live in the lower right.

[Diagram]

Moves 61 to 70

[Diagram]

Moves 71 to 80

Another ko: Black trades away the upper right.

[Diagram]

Moves 81 to 90

Here B5 (dropping back with a diagonal play) shuts White in, rather than chase him out into the centre.

[Diagram]

Moves 91 to 100

[Diagram]

Moves 101 to 110

[Diagram]

Moves 111 to 120

By W10 (move 120) this is the endgame. Black won by resignation, at move 213.

Charles Matthews


[1] The opening plays were these:

[Diagram]

Moves 1 to 10

[Diagram]

Moves 11 to 20

[Diagram]

Moves 21 to 30

[Diagram]

Moves 31 to 32


This is a copy of the living page "Compromised diagonal and dropping back" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2014 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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