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Capture the Cutting Stones in Joseki 1
Keywords: Joseki
The Go proverb is "Capture the cutting stones".
Some players may be familiar with this 5-4 point joseki. Black will sooner or later decide whether to take the corner territory or outside influence.
It is really Black's decision and not White's, because White must capture the cutting stone in order not to get an inferior result.
If White resists, Black captures a stone in a ladder. White will be forced to live very small in the corner and Black gets magnificent outward thickness. This is not an even exchange.
Black can get the outside influence by cutting at the other side, forcing White to capture the cutting stone. The big difference with the previous diagram is that White lives already by the ponnuki. You could say White has sente. This is a fair exchange.
Again, White gets a cramped shape by resisting, and will have to defend at a or spoil the aji in the position, by playing b. Compare this to the ponnuki White makes in the "corner territory" diagram.
There is more discussion on the second page This is a copy of the living page "Capture the Cutting Stones in Joseki 1" at Sensei's Library. ![]() |