I thought it would be interesting to go back and look at ancient games, courtesy of GoGoD, and try to ascertain ancient ideas in the opening and see how they were modified or discarded. OC, this will involve some interpretation, and, hence, the possibility of error.
Here is a partial game record dated 196 A.D. OC, it may be a later reconstruction or forgery.
It illustrates some ideas that are still around.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Keima approach, ogeima response
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
The game was played with setup stones, and White played first. It seems that the keima approach to the 4-4 stone has always been popular. And the ogeima response was popular well into the 20th century. We do not see it so much these days, but that does not mean that it is bad, or even inferior. It gives the opponent a lot of play, however.
is still joseki, albeit rarely seen. It is obviously not territorial, but aims at the bottom left corner.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Wedge
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
is a wedge, a play that is still with us, too. The wedge tells us that the ancients had the concepts of miai and of a base, as Black can form a base with a play at either "a" point.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Each side makes a base; Black approaches the White corner
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . 9 . 0 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 6 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
approaches
, making a base at the same time. Then
makes a base. The kick,
, makes Black slightly overconcentrated, but we know that there was no concept of overconcentration until the 17th century. The kick offers some protection for the White corner.
is neither territorial nor moyo building, but takes aim at the White corner. We still have this kind of play, as well, and not just against the ogeima response, but against the one space jump and the keima, as well.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wcm11 Moves 11 to 14
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$$ | . . . . . . O . X . . 4 . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 3 O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . 1 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
takes aim at the Black corner, and Black defends with sente. (The corner is still a bit thin, though.) Then
makes a base on the top side.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wcm11 Surprising wedge
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . X . . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . O . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
approaches the top right corner. Then
is another wedge. That surprised me. Why not a pincer?
gives White the opportunity to make a base with
, and with sente, as
makes a base, too. The miai seems to me to favor White.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wcm19 Sacrifice
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 6 7 . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . X . . X . 1 . 4 3 . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . 2 . X 5 . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
is a rather nice sacrifice, don't you think? As a result, White invades the corner and connects his stones with sente.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wcm27 The last play of the opening
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . X . . X . O . X O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . X . X O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . O . . . . . . . . . . 2 X . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . O . . . 3 . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
With sente in hand, White plays the kick,
, and then plays the ogeima response.
is the last play of the opening, but I doubt if that concept had any significance to players of that time. OTOH, if White had made a base on the bottom side with
, Black could have gotten the last big play of the opening with an extension on the right side.
Looking at this game, and other ancient games, I think that the concept of the base had great importance then. It is still important, OC, but not so much, I think. In particular, the wedge,
, is slack by today's standards, but guaranteed a base for Black on the right side.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wcm27 Bases
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . W . B . . B . O . X O . . |
$$ | . . . W . . . . . , . . . X . X O . . |
$$ | . . W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . B B . . . . . . . . . . . . W . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . B . . . . . . . . . . . . . W . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . W . . . . . . . . . . . . . B . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O W . O . . . . . . . . . . B B . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W . . |
$$ | . . . B . . . . . , . . . . . W . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . B . O . . . W . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
I have marked the bases made by each player in this opening.