4-4 point low approach low extension

    Keywords: Joseki
[Diagram]

Very common

This is the most common[1] response for Black, when White approaches at W1, if you look at contemporary pro games. Playing B2 on the third line is territorial, and the variations that follow are mostly to do with Black's initial 4-4 point making territory in the corner.

This play has been seen increasingly in the past decade.


White Slides into the Corner

[Diagram]

White Slides into the Corner

W3 is standard. B4 can be played at:

[Diagram]

Standard

These further plays constitute a standard joseki - perhaps the most common such pattern of all, now.

See also 4-4 point low approach low extension, standard joseki.

4-4 point low approach low extension, slide, 3-3 tenuki explains about the position in which White omits W3 - this is generally bad - and Black attacks at b.

4-4 point low approach low extension, slide, squeeze discusses black 2 at b, aiming for influence.

4-4 point low approach low extension, slide, outside attachment discusses black 2 at c, a modern, aggressive variation.

4-4 point low approach low extension, 3-2 contact play on the slide discusses 2 at a, which also isn't joseki.



Instead of the slide to 1, White can extend back on the side immediately, or play tenuki here. See 4-4 point low approach low extension, tenuki for detailed analysis. The tenuki play allows Black to attack with the diagonal attachment; evaluations of the severity of the attack seem to have changed in the 1990s, and nowadays White often does play tenuki. It is unusual for White to invade directly at the 3-3 point (see 44 Point, Low Approach, Low Extension, 3-3 invasion ): since Black's corner is not so large, this doesn't have high priority.

[Diagram]

Variation after the slide

The major variation occurs when Black blocks on the upper side, allowing White to play at a. Now Black is changing plan, giving up the corner for outside influence.

See 4-4 point low approach low extension, slide, pincer for this line. Also 4-4 point staircase joseki for a complex variation.

[Diagram]

Variation: Contact play

There is also Black 1 here (see 4-4 point low approach low extension, slide, attach), an old idea in the case of the one-point jump, but here really only played often from 1995 onwards. It is an attempt by Black to develop on both sides.


White Attaches

[Diagram]

Contact

It is also a standard manoeuvre for White now to play W1, perhaps in response to a black move in the direction of the circled point. White will play this way to build up strength or even to settle a group here. There are some well-known joseki variations: see 4-4 point low approach low extension, contact.


[1] DaveSigaty: I was interested in whether the slide is really the most frequent continuation against the small knight. It is the most frequent according to GoGoD CD, appearing about 40% of the time. Having said that, the most frequent strategy for White after the small knight extension is to tenuki with her next move. This is a little more frequent than the immediate slide. Once White plays tenuki, Black and White are about equally likely to play next in this area. Black has played conservatively with the small knight extension and White's original small knight approach is a resourceful stone so this may not be the most urgent part of the board. A significant portion of the final shapes, including the slide, occur after White or Black come back to this corner.

Charles Matthews Yes, I think the swing in opinion about the diagonal attachment attack (not just my prejudice, since Guo Juan talks about this) has led to a substantial use of 'kakari kikashi' by pros in recent years. That is, White plays the approach in the first diagram in order to get an answer (rather expecting the keima); and then treats this as a kikashi or probe. Anyway, such seems to have been the fashion.

Bill: Historically, I think that the large low extension has been the most common in high level play. In premodern times the low extension was considered too conservative, while the high extension was not territory oriented. It was GoSeigen who first argued for the low extension.

[Diagram]

Tewari

He pointed out that, with the marked stones on the board, this is an even position. Then B1 is a good move.

[Diagram]

Tewari (2)

Charles In a sense, don't you need to argue more: that B1 here isn't any more ideal?

That anyway would make the Go Seigen reasoning more interesting, in line with some of his other iconoclastic ideas. Making this large low enclosure looks good by classical, territorial standards.

[Diagram]

Tewari (3)

Bill: Well, the 3-3 is even more territorial, having fewer weaknesses than the large low enclosure. It does seem a bit low, however.


Myself, I do not see a clear preference for any of these plays.



[Diagram]

Old Joseki

You might see this... in games its very old joseki not played very much.. i used a and b for 11 and 12

[Diagram]

Not very common joseki

this is also old joseki, if white decides to go elsewhere then black can pincer a, white will respond with b. connecting at c for black does not work well.


This is a copy of the living page "4-4 point low approach low extension" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2007 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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