BQM 211

The whole board  

dia. [1]: So here's the initial position. Black plays , so now it's White's turn. I'd say the game looks better for Black, mainly because is bad shape, but it isn't hopeless yet, in my opinion. Here are the moves that followed in the actual game.

Real game continuation  

dia. [2]: My stance, in the book, is that is fine as a peep (maybe the timing is wrong, but that's the kind of thing I need to teach myself, not others... way too advanced for the players I'm aiming at). is questionable, since Black has ways of counterattacking, but makes it into an effective probe, since Black now owes a move here. and are the kind of mistake I'm cautioning against, however. Although they do divide Black into two weak groups (three, counting the one on the left), they also create a new weak White group, while also leaving the corner weak. Both players now have three groups that are not clearly alive, but Black's are, overall, stronger than White's, so White will probably get a bad result from this fight.

Instead, I suggest that White should reinforce either the corner, or his weak group to the left, while threatening to run out with . If Black then plays at a to fix the problem, White can reinforce the other side as well.

However, there's a question of move order. I had three ideas, and I'll present them in chronological order.

First idea  

dia. [3]: Originally, I was going to suggest playing , inducing Black to defend at so that White could then move out at . I suggested instead of a low extension because it has more influence on the central fighting, and instead of a faster way of moving out because of the aji of Black a.

However, it's too optimistic, I think, to imagine that Black will simply play . The White group is weak enough that Black can attack first and go back to defend later if necessary.

Second idea  

dia. [4: I thought about simply reversing the move order. If would be enough to induce , then White could go back to without risking a counterattack. Furthermore, now that Black's top side group is secure, could be played low, so as not to leave an open skirt if Black gets to play first on the right side.

However, might be a little too far away to force . Black might instead make a double kakari in the top right and try to deal with that way.

Third idea  

dia. [5]: here would be much more likely to get in response. It isn't as good as the diagonal move, since it ends up closer to the strong Black group and further from the weak Black group, but getting in response to still gains more than is lost by the / exchange. Here, you'd probably want to play high again, to help a little more and prevent a leaning attack. If Black would counter-attack with a double kakari in the previous diagram instead of playing , maybe this is better.

Dead or dying?  

dia. [6]: tderz: (3d) I support Rich's view that an early attack at is globally so enjoayable. For the same reason White defended (around) there in diagrams 3, 4 and 5. Going back one step in the argumentational chain, it makes in dia. ^[2] so unreasonable (there you have your good example for creating 2 groups). After , black does not seem to be able to attack with in this dia. (6), so he should defend, but why with the kosumitsuke (in dia. ^[2])? This only strengthens White (White could also tachi at a in dia. ^[4] = b here; locally this is a very bad exchange for Black). I would think of only playing in dia ^[4], leaving out the - exchange.

Second idea - differently  

dia. [7]: tderz: If White defends now with a, Black can play b (hope no aji left) or c equalling the second idea in dia. ^[4].

Second idea - differently  

dia. [8]: tderz: Could one start more efficiently and reply to first with ? Let White chose now between e, Bf, Wg, therewith inducing Bk - and White h, whereby she must watch her weakness i.
Black would make it to complicated for himself, creating own weaknesses. If Black played -Bf, he should be able to play n as well - or leave it all together.

BTW, why did Black reply to in dia. ^[2] the way he did?

better game continuation  

dia. [9]: a and b are miai - who is interested in connecting underneath on the 1st line with d? (Be)
White has effectively weakened herself (-- is stronger than in dia ^[2] vs. the white stones in the direction c). White must run away with c now.
Tewari: Any white invasion at f = in dia. ^[2] seems now even more obviously premature (no aji around left, B attacks at c).

The whole board  

Andy: Difficult for white. Whatever white was trying to achieve in the upper left has gone wrong and white needs to act quickly to stabilize her group, since white can't get sufficient compensation by sacrificing it. I would start with to undermine black's weak group on the left, then try for some immediate central expansion, treating either or as light when black exploits white's bad shape (). This looks like a bad shape/blown joseki lesson rather than a two-weak-groups lesson to me.

Alex Weldon: Thank you everyone for your comments. Some responses, in no particular order:

• To those who think that (in diag. 1) in response to is bad, I agree. I also say so above, and in the draft of my book.

• To tderz, who suggests simply using (in diag. 1) as my example of two weak groups, I would argue that it is the running out with and that creates weak groups. , although bad in this case because Black can counterattack more strongly than just playing the kosumi-tsuke or contact on top, is the sort of move that's often used as a sacrifice. If that was White's plan, would still be a mistake, but a different level of mistake than I'm talking about.

• To those who think (in diag. 1) should be answered differently. Good point. I'll make mention of it, but that doesn't make useless. It's still a kind of probe, creating endgame aji if Black answers the way you suggest. I agree that it's a bad move, though, since answering on top does remove a potential forcing move for White.( in Andy's diagram).

• To everyone who suggests the peep of in Andy's diagram. I thought about it, but it seemed dangerous to me.

The peep is dangerous?  

I thought Black could resist like this, but upon looking at it more carefully, it seems to me that it's likely to result in a capturing race in the corner that White can win, so Black can't play this way.