![[Welcome to Sensei's Library!]](../../images/stone-hello.png)
StartingPoints
ReferenceSection
About
Paths ElementaryMoves1 PleaseReviewMe
Referenced by WhyDonTWeOpenAtTe... StartingPoints NamedPoints Priority MAsterdamSJournal
Homepages MAsterdam
|
First moves
Path: PleaseReviewMe
· Prev: ElementaryMoves2 · Next: BoardGeography
Difficulty: Beginner
Keywords: Opening, Go term
To a beginner, the 19x19 board looks huge. Where to play? How to choose from 361 possibilities? Open in the corner. Sure. Which one? Where? Is it important?
It helps to know that there are only four points on the whole board where even games actually start [1] most of the time. They are named points in the upper right corner.
Most (99% ?) of the first moves, , are made on these four named starting points. They also have systematic names derived from the linenumbers, but so does e.g. the 7-9 point, which is hardly ever played as a first move.
The second, third and fourth move may be a first move in another corner as well. But a local answer is also possible, as is (for the third and fourth move) a local reinforcement. Consequently those first moves in the corner can be made later. However,
Starting points -
Assuming most players adhere to the etiquette most of the time, these four points in the upper right corner are the starting points on the board:
![[Diagram]](../../diagrams/51/6a847e0a80a5fa78dd627311918da855.png) | Starting points |
- a: komoku - 3-4 point This move strikes a balance between territory and influence.
- b: hoshi - hoshi just means star point. There are nine of those on the board. When starting, however, only the 4-4 point is meant. The move emphasizes influence more than territory. In handicap games with 2, 3 or 4 handicap, 2 3 or 4 stones are placed on those points. In even games komoku and hoshi are clearly favourite as first move.
- c: sansan - San? is three in Japanese, so one could argue that this is just a systematic name, too. Anyway it is played often enough to justify a name of its own. The 3-3 point grabs corner territory immediately, but does not help development in the corner it is played.
- d: mokuhazushi - 3-5 point The move emphasizes influence above territory. The territory it does claim is on one side.
Starting points -
In handicap games all four corners may already be occupied by the handicap stones. If so, white mostly plays a low approach, or (less frequently, even if it is possible) immediately takes a side by playing at 3-10 or 4-10. Sometimes even if there is an empty corner left to play in, white starts with this low approach.
, and
When you are playing white in an even game and when you are playing black in a handicap game, your first move is the second move of the game. In an even game, most second moves are in an empty corner, too.
- When
is played in the diagonal opposite corner, black mostly chooses to play in one of the two remaining corners.
- By playing
in an adjacent corner, e.g. opposing 3-4 points, white gives black a choice for . This is played more often after at an asymmetric point. Next corner play:
Fifth move
Because of the very limited number of actually played moves, just a few combinations at one side of the board really matter, nothing too complicated for a beginner. Unfortunately up to now (july 1 2003) there is only advanced material on side patterns available at SL.
There may be an empty corner left, and it is possible to play in the middle of a side of the board, e.g. sanrensei. Anyway a second move in a corner will be made now or soon. Reinforcing a friendly stone is done with an enclosure (shimari). An approach to a single hostile stone in the corner is called kakari.
[Joseki|Learning joseki loses two stones strength]
Even further into the game the number of actually played moves is limited. Focus on what happens in one corner obviously blurs whole board vision, but the benefit is that it postpones the combinatorial explosion a little. The patterns of play that emerge have been studied for ages. The sequences of best moves for both (josekis), starting at komoku and at hoshi are the most relevant, and in both cases the low (see: board geography) kakari is played most often:
Joseki show actual moves. The fuseki exercises for beginners give a good indication of the reasoning applied to these moves. Looking at the types, or intended function of the first moves in the corner just a few sequences emerge.
corner - kakari or tenuki
-
kakari - extension, pincer, block, tsuke or tenuki
-
extension - extension or suberi
-
extension - tenuki or further extension
-
suberi - block
-
pincer - move out, counterpincer or double approach
-
block (mostly played in high handicap games) - tachi
-
tachi - extension or pincer
-
extension - extension or tenuki
-
pincer
-
tsuke - hane (or, sometimes, warikomi)
-
tenuki - double kakari
-
tenuki - shimari or large extension
For the question which joseki choice is best, considering the rest of the board see Pages that urgently need to be written by people who know a lot more than I do? and joseki context.
[1] This is what I was looking for when I first clicked Starting points.
mAsterdam
Discussion moved to named points
Path: PleaseReviewMe
· Prev: ElementaryMoves2 · Next: BoardGeography
This is a copy of the living page
"First moves" at
Sensei's Library.
2003 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
|