(;FF[4]SZ[19]GM[1]AP[GOWrite:2.2.20]CA[ISO8859-1]ST[2]AB[dp][pd]DT[1650~]RU[Old Chinese]GN[GuoBailing]KM[0.0]RE[W+]C[Why watch repeats of American television programs when you could be viewing great go battles of history? Turn off your television set, get out your go board, place the stones according to the diagrams, and enjoy a world of drama, mystery and suspense!

In this series of articles I'd like to look at some classic games from the past three hundred years. We won't be delving too deeply into the finer points of pro play--much of this is still beyond my own understanding--but I hope to give you some feeling for the different personalities and styles, and point out some interesting moments.

Tonight's episode brings you two great Chinese players of the 17th century.

In the black corners we have Guo Bailing, author of the classic problem collection "Guanzi Pu".

In the white corners, Zhou Lanyu, famous for his fast play and for using the attach-and-extend joseki.

At this time, Chinese games always began with stones on diagonal star points (except for handicap games). The style of play is very different from modern go\: many of the moves look naive strategically, but there can be no doubt about the players' fighting strength and fearlessness!]PB[Guo Bailing]PW[Zhou Lanyu]AW[dd][pp]US[GoGoD95]
;W[qf]C[Another difference is that sometimes white moves first!]
;B[pf]
;W[pg]
;B[of]
;W[qe]
;B[qd]C[Nowadays the attach-and-extend joseki is often taught to beginners as a "simple" way to play. We all know that white shouldn't be in a hurry to push through and cut--but it's easy to forget that if white does break the rules, the result is far from simple!]
;W[og]
;B[ng]
;W[qi]C[Now that white has defended the cutting point, you might expect black to do likewise--but Guo Bailing isn't scared of a little cut!]
;B[oh]
;W[ph]
;B[oi]
;W[pe]
;B[oe]
;W[od]
;B[qg]C[This cutting stone provides black with a vital ko threat later on.]
;W[rd]
;B[rc]
;W[rg]
;B[mf]
;W[me]
;B[le]
;W[pb]
;B[re]
;W[rf]
;B[sd]
;W[md]
;B[ld]
;W[nf]
;B[ne]
;W[nd]
;B[nf]
;W[lc]
;B[kc]
;W[mb]
;B[lb]
;W[mc]
;B[kb]C[Here it looks impossible for white to live--but white bravely sets out to try and kill the black stones!]
;W[qb]
;B[lf]
;W[gc]C[If white takes the corner instead, black's outside thickness is overwhelming.]
;B[ob]
;W[oc]
;B[nb]
;W[qc]
;B[rb]
;W[pc]
;B[rd]
;W[ma]
;B[ra]
;W[sb]
;B[pa]
;W[qa]
;B[na]C[An approach-move ko\: because of white's outside liberty, black has to ignore two ko threats to win. However, the proverb says "there is no ko in the opening"--white doesn't have any big threats.]
;W[oa]
;B[qj]TR[qg]C[Making use of the marked stone.]
;W[rj]
;B[pa]
;W[cq]
;B[la]
;W[oa]
;B[pi]
;W[qh]
;B[pa]
;W[dq]
;B[nc]C[Black's corner profit is 32 points, and black also has an imposing wall. It seems incredible that white is able to get back into the game from this position.]
;W[qk]
;B[pj]
;W[pk]
;B[cp]
;W[ep]
;B[bq]
;W[br]
;B[bp]
;W[fq]
;B[ar]
;W[cm]
;B[eo]
;W[fo]
;B[en]
;W[fn]
;B[em]
;TR[fq][pp]W[cj]C[It seems that players of this era weren't interested in large frameworks. The large space between the marked stones isn't interesting to them--there will be plenty of time to invade it later--it's much more fun to squeeze into the smallest possible space and start another fight!]
;B[cf]
;W[ef]
;B[cc]
;W[cd]
;B[bd]
;W[be]
;B[bc]
;W[ce]
;B[eb]
;W[fc]
;B[bf]C[And now black sets out to attack against the two white stones below!]
;W[ad]
;B[ac]
;W[ae]
;B[eg]
;W[fg]
;B[eh]
;W[ch]
;B[df]
;W[ff]
;B[bi]
;W[ci]
;B[bh]
;W[dg]
;B[bj]
;W[ck]
;B[bk]C[White can't kill this group directly, because of the shortage of liberties of the six white stones above (see variation to next move). ]
(
;W[dc]C[Now black can't keep both broups alive.]
(
;B[cg]C[If black defends the corner instead, the stones below will die.]
;W[ej]
;B[fh]
;W[gh]
;B[fi]
;W[gk]
;B[gi]
;W[db]C[With the capture of this corner, maybe white has caught up.]
;B[dl]
;W[fl]
;B[cl]
;W[iq]C[By modern standards this move is overconcentrated (too close to white's strong wall), and probably should be at or near 'a' instead. But between these two players, we can be sure that if white did play 'a', black would invade somewhere to the left!]LB[lp:a]
;B[nq]
;W[or]
;B[oq]
;W[pq]
;B[nr]
;W[pr]
;B[kq]
;W[no]
;B[gp]
;W[fp]
;B[ko]
;W[io]
;B[ir]
;W[jq]
;B[jr]
;W[hr]
;B[lr]
;W[nk]
;B[nm]
;W[om]
;B[ol]
;W[ok]
;B[on]
;W[pm]
;B[nn]
;W[pn]
;B[oo]C[This threatens to cut at 'b'. White finds an indirect way of defending.]LB[rk:b]
;W[mi]
;B[rk]
;W[ri]
;B[po]
;W[qo]
;B[qn]
;W[ro]
;B[pl]
;W[qm]
;B[ql]
;W[rm]
;B[nl]
;W[nh]
;B[mk]
;W[ni]
;B[rl]
;W[hh]
;B[hi]
;W[il]
;B[ih]
;W[hf]
;B[ek]
;W[fj]
;B[dj]
;W[di]
;B[ei]
;W[dk]
;B[dh]
;W[dj]
;B[el]
;W[gj]
;B[ij]
;W[jo]
;B[kn]
;W[jm]
;B[sm]
;W[rn]
;B[hg]
;W[gg]
;B[ig]
;W[ib]
;B[ee]
;W[fe]
;B[cr]
;W[dr]
;B[bs]
;W[ll]
;B[ml]
;W[lm]
;B[gr]
;W[hs]
;B[hm]
;W[hn]
;B[jn]
;W[im]
;B[in]
;W[ho]
;B[he]
;W[if]
;B[ic]
;W[hc]
;B[id]
;W[jf]
;B[lk]
;W[km]
;B[ln]
;W[ji]
;B[ii]
;W[kg]
;B[ik]
;W[ki]C[This looks like a strange move, not affecting any territory. However, old Chinese scoring used a "group tax", where two points are deducted from the score for each group on the board. Therefore a move connecting two groups together is worth two points. Likewise for black's next move.]
;B[kj]
;W[jd]
;B[jb]
;W[hb]
;B[jc]
;W[de]
;B[ge]
;W[gf]
;B[ds]
;W[er]
;B[jp]
;W[ip]
;B[kp]
;W[ie]
;B[hd]
;W[af]
;B[ag]C[Because the game is unfinished, we don't know the exact score, but the record says that white won. In the estimation of this author, it's very close, with white only one or three points ahead. (With Chinese scoring and no komi, the winning margin will always be an odd number, unless there is a seki with eyes, or some other unusual position.)]
)
(
;B[db]
;W[cg]
;B[bg]
;W[bl]
)

)
(
;W[cg]
;B[bg]
;W[bl]
;B[af]
;W[ak]
;B[aj]
;W[ah]
;B[ed]
;W[dc]
;B[ec]
;W[db]
;B[cb]
)

)