03. Direction of Play... and Bad Habits (1).pdf

The Game of Go

http://www.361points.com/articles/3/1/

Direction of Play... and Bad Habits (1)

by Sorin Gherman

White to play next.

This game is in the fuseki stage. Most of the moves we make in the beginning of the game have a

profound impact, they shape the whole game to follow. One should be very careful especially when there

are several choices - choose a bad move and you'll have a painful game.

Think for yourself where you want to play next with White, and why. Try to come up with at least 2

fundamentally different moves, think of pros and cons for each separately, then compare them and make

your final choice.

Dia 1

Let's narrow the discussion down to two choices now, A and B, both in the lower-left. There are two weak

groups there, while everywhere else there are only large moves, no urgent moves. When there is just one

weak group that's already a sign of an important area - while two weak groups close to each other means

that the area is really steaming hot.

The contact move at A is a "leaning move" - White wants to get out in the center and strengthen himself.

The capping move at B is pretty standard in this position: White wants to get out into the center while

attacking Black.

So, which one would you choose? Don't forget to think of a few continuations in each case - just choosing

moves statically isn't good enough.

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2008-03-10 21:43

The Game of Go

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Dia 2

Let's start with the capping move. This is what I played in the game, by the way - it is my "reflex move" in

this type of running race

Locally this is not a bad choice - after all, White gets the initiative, and gets into the center first while

attacking Black.

The bad news is that White is chasing Black towards the right hand side (Black will answer around A),

which is all White's potential area. It's not a good idea to chase your opponent towards your own potential

area - because you are ruining your potential.

Dia 3

Let's look next at the contact move. It is natural for Black to play hane with 2, White extends with 3 and

Black connects at 4. Where does White play next? Keep in mind our conclusion from the previous

diagram: White's potential is on the right hand side.

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2008-03-10 21:43

The Game of Go

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Dia 4

White 1 in Dia 5 is the right direction of play . White has just built thickness on the left with his contact

move (at the expense of making Black thicker on the left hand side, too) - it is time to put it to good use

and attack the weak Black group by driving it towards the White thickness, and expanding the White

potential area on the right at the same time.

Dia 5

Conclusion

Judge globally first, start thinking from the big picture.

Don't fall prey to your own bad habits: "reflex moves" have to pass the thinking test before actually

being played.

Further study

The Direction of Play by Kajiwara Takeo

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