BQM130

Dieter: In answer to , can we say that is too low and slow ? I've been playing this move, which looks like honte, taking away White's base while making territory, but two times in a row now the attack of or a has made me lose control of the game. --Dieter

Actually, a pattern search on gobase shows me 24 games with the minimal quadrant containing all stones before . In only 2 cases, Black tenukies, in one case he runs out at c and in all other cases he plays , whether or not preceded by a forcing sequence at b.

The thing is, when White next pincers at , Black's stone isn't light at all. It looks like Black will always run out and when he plays this variation (in fact already when playing the two space high pincer) he's already prepared to run out with this stone.

My mistake is probably that I have been treating this stone lightly, where it is actually heavy. Opinions ?

Stefan: My personal database search confirms this: 9 continuations at versus 6 others. White then almost always attacks at or d, followed by Black jumping out. The conclusion seems to be that you shouldn't play the two space high pincer if a jump from this stone (running battle?) is disadvantageous.

Charles Um - firstly White normally plays only in positions where there will be a chance to attack later. That is, rather presumes that a running fight on the upper side can be good for White. Otherwise White probably should try a lighter method (two-point jump out), or to settle with the ogeima.

Then, in the contemporary joseki, is very often omitted. Until is played, White has a sabaki option at in the corner.

So, I don't find it so surprising that in pro games, if is played, White has a good attack on . In a sense White has already paid for that attack.

It was a small sample (surprisingly); but was a more popular attack, aiming also at the slide to the circled point.

Then is good shape (Black at b, White at c are pro moves, too).

I suspect that with played, Black may later be able to play and to try for sabaki here.

In any case on the fourth line leaves some kind of weaknesses. In one game Black jumped right out to d, next.

Going back to the starting position, the widest path I found to be this:

And then no clear continuation.

It looks to me like this is one of those positions where the pros are working with a different set of ideas. I mean, and here are both much more flexible than the suggestions above.