Other People Comment on JamesA vs BlueWyvern

As the purpose is to find what people really think about the game, I believe that there should be a place somewhere where commentaries are welcome.

Dieter: White 4: I'm going to let you guys play; but I just want to mention that I have only some very vague ideas about the first moves. I am certainly not able to make any judgment on whether to play 3-5, 4-5 or 3-4. I see some distinction between sansan and hoshi though. Hence, I am amazed at the amount of thought you put into those moves.

HolIgor: Move 5: In general I agree with Dieter that up to the move 57 everything is divination and the game is seldom lost. At least at my level (IGS 4k*), I don't have a clue. There is only vague advice from stronger players.

In the situation after White 4 though, there is one great piece of pro advice to follow. If your opponent plays 3-5 or 4-5 enter komoku as early as possible. So, the first thing to consider here would be komoku. Is it possible? I think that at the moment there is no pressing point elsewhere on the whole board. So, my play would be komoku at c accepting the fight. White would have to choose between pressing Black down, which gives Black a base on the left while the arising wall would face Black's shimari in the lower right, i.e. would be facing the wrong side. Good situation for Black. White can chose taisha joseki which Black should challenge. Or White can play a double kakari, which again is a fight and people say that, when playing with komi, it is Black who should seek fights.

JamesA: Thanks for the comments, people - I agree with Dieter, I would definitely like to discuss the game as it goes along.

I also used not to think about the first few moves much, but then I read 'The Direction of Play' by Kajiwara, and I now try to put effort into working out which direction the stones should work in. I probably get it wrong most of the time, but it's worth a try! I only distinguish between the various corner plays on a simple level: the higher the stone, the more influence it exerts in that direction and the less territory it makes in the other. For example, here the black stone exerts great influence towards a, but can be invaded at b, c or d, so takes no territory in the corner. Also, it exerts very little influence towards e.

3-5 point  

On HolIgor's point, I agree that Black should think about invading immediately, although it does let White dictate the game for a while. As White, I would respond with a double kakari. I think the fight will be fine for White, as White has a stone on the top left hoshi.