BQM 260

    Keywords: Question

RiffRaff: I am a Double Digit Kyu, probably in the 13-14k range. In a recent two-stone handicap game on DGS, I came across an opponent who seems to love the 3473 Enclosure (keeping in mind that DGS allows handicap stones to be played anywhere). I hadn't really come across this before, so I started off pretty much staying away from these enclosures and building my own Sanren Sei formation. The question then was where to begin with invasion and/or reduction on all these large scale extensions:

[Diagram]
guerrilla27 vs. GleepWurp DGS  


My initial attempt at it:

[Diagram]
First attempt at reduction  


And... I'm not sure I like where this is going already, even keeping in mind that I'm down two handicap stones. Is there a decent way to "punish" these loose enclosures? It feels like black is playing too fast and loose here.

[Diagram]
Weak, slow, but...  

Bill: First, a word about this enclosure. By itself it is weak and slow at the same time, which seems pretty bad, but Black can shore up the weakness with B1, and now Black's position is just slow. In addition, if White were to invade at a it would be like a severe one-space pincer followed by tenuki -- not a good idea for White, as a rule.

Therefore, thoughts of punishing this enclosure directly may become a trap. For instance, in the First attempt diagram it looks like White is shoring up Black's weakness while making a weak, attackable group. This enclosure is already weak and slow. Patience is the right attitude.

[Diagram]
Patient development  

W1 looks like a good play, developing White's framework while further weakening Black's bottom left corner. There is still room for a wedge on the bottom side.

As usual with questions on the opening, I have some critique of /earlier play.

Charles Against my natural style, I begin to think W1 would be interesting. The area with the circles seems currently not to hold any good play for White.

dnerra: That is an imaginative move! I like it, however to me it feels like an admission that the marked black stone took a pretty good point. In fact, I think W5 should rather have been played on the right side.

Charles Bear in mind that this isn't an even game! White has a long way to make up, still. There are miai of the invasions at the square-marked points. These are easier with central influence, (there are ladders). It is true that W5 at black+circle would have been good play.



Velobici: W5 at black+circle does not appear standard. It is neither a five space extension on a open side of the board nor a proper corner approach to the Black star point in the lower right corner. Is W5 at black+circle a good play due to this being a 2 stone handicap game?

Bill: W5 at black+circle is standard with a star point vs. a facing enclosure. It leaves a two space extension towards the enclosure, and is close enough to the star point to prevent an ideal base for Black. See /earlier play.

Velobici: Thanks, Bill. Seems that I am misapplying BQM259. In BQM259, there is also a six space extension as there is here, but there is not enough space for the two space extension due the earlier moves in BQM259.

Bill: Well, the six space extension there is also a three space pincer. It's an excellent play.

BTW, I created /earlier play for discussion of earlier play. How about moving some of this material there?

[Diagram]
For the sake of argument  

Charles Another aspect. These are reasonable plays; I don't know if they're best. But now we can see that White's formation on the right side is really good (efficient). The extension W4-white+circle is good and if White plays a it seems even better. (Is this a tsume?) In any case White should be happy.


BQM 260 last edited by Dieter on July 5, 2008 - 12:48
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