3-4 point high approach, two-space high pincer, outside attachment

  Difficulty: Expert   Keywords: Joseki
#toc3 #toc2 #toc1
[Diagram]
Outside attachment  

With the attachment at W1, White is actually challenging Black to a fight. Black can reject the challenge with a, or accept it with b or c. In particular Black c (the Magic sword) can lead to long and complicated variations.

Table of contents Table of diagrams
Outside attachment
Lower Hane
Lower Hane, Hane again
Lower Hane, Extension
Lower Hane, Extension 2
Upper hane
Upper Hane, Main line
Upper Hane, Mistake
Upper Hane, Mistake, cont'd
Magic Sword


Lower Hane

[Diagram]
Lower Hane  

After the exchange of B2 for W3, black can play either a, which involves a ladder, or b, which is more common with the pincer.

[Diagram]
Lower Hane, Hane again  

This B4 leads to a position that is also known without the pincer. White can cut at W5 to take the corner, or at W7 to take the outside with a ladder.

See also: 45Point43ApproachOutsideContact

[Diagram]
Lower Hane, Extension  

B4 is rare when the pincer has not been played, but in this position it is quite common. White attaches at W5, and Black defends at B6 or B8. Because of the pincer, White has little room to make a base here, so jumping out at W9 is common, after which B10 stops White's hopes of a counter-attack.

[Diagram]
Lower Hane, Extension 2  

Charles The other way is B1 in response to white+circle, which is natural suji, not allowing atari. Then W2 is agreed to be better shape here than at a which suffers Black b. This line occurs in pro games.


Upper Hane

[Diagram]
Upper hane  

Cutting with B2 is a fierce play, and White might well suffer greatly if she makes a mistake here.

[Diagram]
Upper Hane, Main line  

This is the main line for this joseki. White takes the corner, giving Black thickness. After B6, black can later play a or c in sente, requiring white to defend the corner. Exchanging white a for b to stop black from playing a in sente is usually not good as white is pushing from behind on the second line. On the top black has the sequence Black c, White d, Black e and White f as a forcing sequence.

[Diagram]
Upper Hane, Mistake  

Playing hane with W9 is a mistake. Black plays B10, after which a and b are miai for black.

[Diagram]
Upper Hane, Mistake, cont'd  

Exchanging White a for Black b is too great a loss, so White can only play atari with W1, sacrificing two stones. Black gets a lot of territory on the upper side; white's only compensation is that she has sente, and thus played one stone less in this corner. To see why this is bad, compare this with diagram 2 of the small avalanche. This sequence is identical to that one, but all black stones are one line higher.


Magic Sword

[Diagram]
Magic Sword  

B2 looks like bad shape (after W3, White has the Hane at the Head of Two Stones shape), but it is still joseki. Black invariably cuts with B4, after which the position is known as the magic sword of Muramasa, a joseki which shares with the taisha and the onadare a reputation for complexity. See magic sword for this position.


3-4 point high approach, two-space high pincer, outside attachment last edited by Unkx80 on December 31, 2006 - 17:52
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