4-4 point low approach, two-space high pincer, without side stone

  Difficulty: Advanced   Keywords: Joseki
[Diagram]

Double kakari

In the absence of the black stone on the side at the circled point, W3 is joseki: a double kakari here isn't an overplay. Alternatively, W3 may be played at the 3-3 point as shown further below.

[Diagram]

Double kakari (continuation)

After the double kakari, matters can be expected to take a definite course: up to W6 here is a very well-trodden path in joseki.

After that Black a and b are joseki continuations. Black c is no longer: this variation died a sudden death in 1992 amongst the pros. Klaus: Does annyone know why c is bad ?

[Diagram]

High double kakari

To play W3 high is also possible. Then B4 is still good shape. Next White at a may be the expected answer; but White directly at b has been played consistently enough in pro games since 1994.

[Diagram]

The 3-3 invasion

If White invades the corner to get settled, up to W9 is an common joseki. Alternatively, B2 can also be played at B3.

Most likely, Black nows plays tenuki. There is some question about Black's play here, if Black does add a stone.

[Diagram]

Honte

Adding BC is taught as honte.



[Diagram]

Usually sente

Adding BS is normally treated as sente by White, because Black's move next at a feels severe.

Therefore the exchange BS - White a is often seen here before Black takes the initiative to play in another area of the board. With the play at BS, Black is trying to confine the WC stone on a larger scale. Naturally, WC still has plenty of aji.

[Diagram]

Taboo

It is forbidden to strong players to think in terms of adding both BC and BS, though. This is Overconcentrated shape. See more at Honte / Discussion.

A compromise is for Black to play at a. This may have been invented by Kubomatsu in 1931. It gives Black a good next move here at b.




It turns out that white here can also play this way , from move 6 there are many variations , though the most common is show here .

[Diagram]

Double kakari (continuation)

[Diagram]

Double kakari (ChoHunHyun variation)

[Diagram]

ChoHunHyun variation (continuation)

The variation is expected to go this way If white 6 at a , black ends up doing a squeeze against white by playing b.

[Diagram]

ChoHunHyun variation (continuation2)



Guillaume Balaine

iopq: I saw this in a game between Cho Chikun and Yamashiro Hiroshi with colors reversed

[Diagram]

Jump out

Bob McGuigan: See catenaccio joseki for this variation.

Author: Charles Matthews


[Diagram]

Jump out & san-san

How should Black answer W5 ?

[Diagram]

Continuation

B4 seems to be overconcentrated White doesn't get many points.

White a : Black plays b and cuts White. White lives in the corner in gote.
White b : White connects in gote. AJP: better for white to connect at c instead.

[Diagram]

Continuation

unkx80: I think Black should consider cutting the White stones apart first.

[Diagram]

Continuation

I got trouble in a game with this... how should Black play ?

[Diagram]

Continuation

Kogo's variation

Anonymous: A Japanese 6-dan told me : Tenuki after W1.

Charles Black's tenuki after W2 I can believe.

Bill: I wonder about the Japanese 6-dan's comment. Maybe there was no WC stone in the position discussed. It is urgent here to attack rather than be attacked, it seems to me.

Bill: (A little later.) I did a search on GoBase. White's 3-3 invasion has occurred in very few games, as you might have guessed. When it has, Kogo's variation is typical, but without W5. (White plays tenuki instead.) Also, White often plays tenuki after B2.

unkx80: A likely reason why this "joseki" is rarely played out is because the one-space jump followed by the 3-3 invasion is not really following the flow in most cases - the feeling is that White wants to make moves both outside and inside the corner, which appears somewhat greedy. (Compared to the usual joseki where White directly enters the 3-3, White sacrifices the outside for a fairly large corner.) This results in a smaller corner, while the outside stones are somewhat heavy and subject to attack.

[Diagram]

Continuation

unkx80: If you must play on the left side, then B2 is a much thicker reply. a is way too thin.


This is a copy of the living page "4-4 point low approach, two-space high pincer, without side stone" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2007 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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