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FocalPlay
FocalPlays
JunctionLine

Paths
GeneralOpeningPri...
AllAboutInfluence

Referenced by
VitalPoint
DoublePurposePlays
FrameworkTheory
StrongGroups
PushingBattle
YourOpponentSGood...
MutualDamageInThe...
EndUpInTheCenter
UseOfKikashiToBui...
ChineseGoTerms
PushingBattlesInJ...
35PointHighApproach
33PointDistantHig...
BlackSheepRengo2003
FusekiAdviceThatH...
Game33
UsingJapaneseTerm...
ClosedSideClosedMind
BQM33
HolIgorStrugglesW...

 

Focal point
Path: GeneralOpeningPrinciples   · Prev: Work   · Next: DoNotCreateTwoWeakGroups
    Keywords: Strategy

The largest point is at the boundary of your moyo and the opponent's moyo

Points of this type are often called focal points.[1] The idea is that on the boundary of Black's framework and White's framework, a play by Black will improve Black's framework and at the same time reduce or threaten White's framework.

Therefore these focal points are big points because they are double-purpose plays. They are often played in the opening as secondary big points (and are frequently the solution to whole-board problems with quiet positions).


See StrongGroups for an example and discussion.


[Diagram]
Go Seigen - Inoue Kohei



Game played 1927-11-25: Go Seigen as Black played at 1 in reply to the marked white stone blocking off the side. This is considered both excellent timing, and a clear-sighted focal play (Black has no need to invade on the right).

Quite a move for a thirteen-year-old to come up with. Go Seigen was still in China at the time.


[1] Comment: That seems strange to me. There is nothing focal about such points. They are not at any focus, but at the frontier between moyos. I would call them frontier points or boundary points.
-- Bill

Charles Actually, as I now realise, such parts of the board should have many sector lines converging on them; in that sense they are focal or nodal.


Charles This terminology in English goes back a number of decades. Any Japanese or other term?

Bill: I usually see them referred to as tennozan, the name of a famous hill, which is also used to indicate a/the strategic point.

unkx80: I suspect tennozan is 天王山. =)

Bill: Yes. Thanks for the characters. :-)

unkx80: Then it is written exactly the same way in Chinese. =P



Path: GeneralOpeningPrinciples   · Prev: Work   · Next: DoNotCreateTwoWeakGroups
This is a copy of the living page "Focal point" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.