Submarine

    Keywords: Go term

An unsupported play on the second line. Usually inside or on the edge of the opponent's framework. A supported play on the second line is a slide.

Other names include mole play (supposedly from the Japanese), and "Subway Go", said by Takemiya of Kobayashi's style[1] . The hem play is like this:

[Diagram]

White's hem play

On the edge of an open skirt, you see.


Submarine plays are usually trying first for quick life. Certainly they concede influence.

[Diagram]

Black plays for influence

W1 is the skirt approach. Black might also respond at a.


White plays this way, probably, to gain life in a black framework, avoiding the diagonal attachment. B2 here won't kill the white group (the 3-3 point is still open), but is a good play for central influence.

Submarine plays accord with the current fashion for a sharp, territorial style (the 'Korean way').

[Diagram]

A submarine play



This is a submarine technique that appears quite often in pro play.

[Diagram]

Continuation



If the game goes this way, White has managed something interesting by getting Black to answer the 3-3 invasion at B4, rather than W5.

(Question moved to Quick Questions.) Thad: I have often heard that there exist a class of middlegame joseki that begin with a submarine move. Does anyone have a reference?


[1] Rich "Subway go" as I understand it is a reference to Kobayashi's perceived efficient play without aesthetic qualities, and has no relevance to the submarine move.

BlueWyvern I heard this also. "Subway Go" because it gets you where you need to go but you don't see any of the sights.


This is a copy of the living page "Submarine" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2007 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
[Welcome to Sensei's Library!]
StartingPoints
ReferenceSection
About