3-4 point low approach shoulder hit

  Difficulty: Intermediate   Keywords: Joseki
[Diagram]

shoulder hit hamete

B1 in response to white's low approach is a hamete and is referred to as the Drooping Lotus. It's one of the oldest named hametes in go. If White responds correctly, Black's result is slightly inferior.

[Diagram]

pushing through

Pushing through with W2 is the obvious response. After B3, white has two ways to cut, a and b.

Cutting with a is a mistake, and white will get a bad result. Cutting with b is correct.


Continuation

[Diagram]

correct response

The normal continuation sees both players getting influence. Black keeps sente, but white's shape is somewhat thicker than black's shape. This is considered slightly better for white.

Later, a is large.


Falling for the trick

[Diagram]

cutting on the wrong side

If white cuts with W4, play continues like this. After W10, both players have influence, like in the correct continuation, but black's shape is thicker here. Also, due to the liberty filled by B5, black now has a tesuji at a to claim a big corner.

[Diagram]

the tesuji

The tesuji B1 allows black to claim a large corner.

[Diagram]

resistance is futile

White might be tempted to resist like this, but it ends in disaster.

[Diagram]

After B17, white has four liberties (at a, b to approach, c to atari, black+circle to capture), so white cannot play d to kill as she will lose the semeai.

White can continue with e, but that also does not work.

[Diagram]

White has little choice but to live and ends up with too many problems.


This is a copy of the living page "3-4 point low approach shoulder hit" at Sensei's Library.
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