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BQM45
   

Heres a question I had. I got into this mess in a game and didn't know how to respond to the marked stone. I have a shimari on the bottom left, if that helps, and there are no other stones on the left.

-AndrewB

[Diagram]
Diag.: Black to Play - Optimal Play Sought


lavalyn: Black is certainly alive.

[Diagram]
Diag.: Black to Play - passive

Alive but VERY passive: two eyes, at a and b. But White is developing (small, but not insignificant) on the left.


[Diagram]
Diag.: Black to Play - A little more aggressive

White remains low and undeveloped while Black develops thickness and an escape to the centre. Black, while nearly certain to live, cannot be considered unconditionally alive yet (the infinite pass definition).


[Diagram]
Diag.: Black to Play - What White probably expected

Given the extreme closeness to the Black thickness, the marked white stone would likely have been treated as kikashi however, seeking this kind of response. If the top was big this may have been playable for White.


DaveSigaty: We need to understand that the original white play threatens nothing. Black's thickness at the top is overwhelming. Black need not answer locally. Black should be looking across the whole board to find his next play.

Dieter abundantly agrees.



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