Shusaku's hazama

  Difficulty: Advanced   Keywords: MiddleGame, Game commentary
[Diagram]

Shuusaku's hazama

In this game against Gennan Inseki, Shusaku (black) plays B1: a move that serves to cap the white stones on the left and split them from the white stones on the right. It is also a fragile hazama tobi, but since he already has a strong wall on the left, he makes it work.

[Diagram]

Shuusaku's hazama, continued

White W2 and W4 split this diagonal jump and threaten to capture, but Black B3 and B5 expands diagonally, threatening the white stones on the right, putting pressure on the cutting stones, and threatening to expand into the center even if cut. After Black 5, white must defend his stones on the right. Next, B7 extends the wall and threatens to kill. Black B9 cuts.

[Diagram]

Shuusaku's hazama, completed

White captures Black's new cutting stones, but after B9, white's original cutting stones are dead. Both black and white have a limited amount of territory on the top now, but Black has far more influence towards the center. Black has also created a barrier between white's stones on the right and left, and even if White later connects under, he has far less territory than he would have. Black's original hazama tobi has succeeded.


This is a copy of the living page "Shusaku's hazama" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2014 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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