Don't peep at bamboo joints

  Difficulty: Intermediate   Keywords: Shape, Proverb
[Diagram]

Bamboo Joint

The black structure is a bamboo joint. W1 peeps at it. A peep threatens to cut something, but a bamboo joint cannot be cut with the next move. Thus, peeping at a bamboo joint is a wasted move.

[Diagram]

Like a wall

Here, W1 throws itself against a wall. This is worse, because it loses a liberty immediately, but the idea is more or less the same: a bamboo joint is almost as strongly connected.


On a higher level

The proverb in fact warns against moves that are not peeps at bamboos as such, but will inevitably become if you read a little further. In particular peeping at both sides of the bamboo must be avoided. Here is a nice illustration of this proverb:

[Diagram]

Avoid the taboo

White W4 here is called a trick play in a Korean book. That seems unfair. But the point is that Black might play at a in answer. Then after W6 to B9, Black would be peeping at both sides of a bamboo joint, which is taboo. One peep may be acceptable, but with stones at B9 and a it can't be that both are efficient.

[Diagram]

Joseki

Actually the correct joseki here avoids (postpones) the other peep, too. Black should play this way, so that the kikashi B7 is available. This does something to cover Black's weak point at b.



This is a copy of the living page "Don't peep at bamboo joints" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2007 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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