Fuseki Not Taking Free Corners

The normal patterns of parallel fuseki and diagonal fuseki cover the most orthodox type of development, in which Black and White each occupy empty corners during the first four plays of the game.

There are other types, namely

• White 2 is an approach
• Black 3 is an approach
• Black 3 is an enclosure
• White 4 is an approach
• White 4 is an enclosure.

Plus two others: early play on the side, early play in the centre (for example Black 1 at tengen).

Everything has been tried. The advent of komi made it less likely that White would feel the need to approach a corner early. It also made it rarer for Black 3 to be played as an enclosure, though Hashimoto Utaro for one never gave up on this style.

Charles Matthews