Hello. I've been wondering how to get the most out of the following shape weakness that seems to occur sometimes if white doesn't reinforce. Can anyone help? How should black play against white resistance? I have played around with some options and found a few moves that don't work for white and some that seem to work. So I am a bit confuzzled:=)

This seems like really basic stuff, so yeah...



PS: It's more common to play that shape when he plays keima in response to kakari and then attach at 3-3, but this shape appeared in a recent game of mine so I just used it.

The N4 push and then the L2 attachment seems to be the most promising, but I can't find anything that actually works for black (seems like black can live inside if he really wants to, but the damage to the surroundings is too costly when black doesn't have a stone at S2).

I've been killed in similar situations in my games too, so I hope someone can provide a working sequence

It feels hard because of black's weakness around s4. I thought joseki was 7@ S2?

First off, it is important to note that Black failed to play S2, which means that white is not nearly as weak here as he could be.

The normal way to play would be:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W is normal after the one point jump
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . , . . . . 1 , X . . |
$$ . . . . 7 . . . . 5 3 4 . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------+[/go]

Or, if white originally played the keima:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W After the keima, this is normal
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . |
$$ . . . , . . . . 1 , X . . |
$$ . . . . 7 . . . . 5 3 4 . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------+[/go]

Either way is very different from the diagram you posted.

Now, lets explore how to attack this weakness under normal conditions..

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B With present, black invades. What if ?
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . X . |
$$ . . . , . 2 . . O , X . . |
$$ . . B . O . 1 . . O O X . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------+[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B Black cuts white to pieces.
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . 2 7 . . . X . |
$$ . . . , . O 1 8 W , X . . |
$$ . . B 6 O . X . . W W X . |
$$ . . . 4 3 5 . 9 . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------+[/go]

With the sequence to , black cuts white into pieces. Certainly, things look dangerous for and the stones. But black also has an attack on the left:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B Attack.
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . 4 . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . 3 O X . . . X . |
$$ . . . 7 5 O X O O , X . . |
$$ . . X O O 6 X . . O O X . |
$$ . . 1 O X X . X . . . . . |
$$ . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------+[/go]

This is the basic attack sequence on the left. First, threatens to connect, then if white stubbornly resists, black captures his stones. White has collapsed completely.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W Attack.
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . 1 O X 2 . . X . |
$$ . . . . . O X O O , X . . |
$$ . . X O O . X . . O O X . |
$$ . . . O X X . X . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------+[/go]

But, if white defends the cut, then his stones on the other side collapse...

With the othe joseki, a similar line would work.

SO, lets see about your specific position:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B Black's position is weaker
$$ . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . 0 2 7 . . . . . |
$$ . . . , . O 1 8 O , X . . |
$$ . . X 6 O . X . . O O X . |
$$ . . . 4 3 5 . 9 . . . a . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------+[/go]

With the black stone at a missing, the question is whether white can play like this.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B White fights
$$ . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 9 8 . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 7 6 5 X . . |
$$ . . . . . O O X 1 4 . 3 . |
$$ . . . , . O X O O 2 X . . |
$$ . . X O O . X . . O O X . |
$$ . . . O X X . X . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------+[/go]

The fight might develop something like this. This looks unwinnable for white.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B White fights in the corner
$$ . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . O O X 1 . . 7 . |
$$ . . . , . O X O O 3 X 6 . |
$$ . . X O O . X . 4 O O X 8 |
$$ . . . O X X . X 5 . . 2 . |
$$ . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------+[/go]

The alternative is for white to play the corner, where something like this might occur. Both black and white live.

Of course, this corner fight can develop in different ways, but it is never easy for either play. For example, Black could play 2-2 immediately, and perhaps connect under:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B White fights in the corner
$$ . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . O O X . . . . . |
$$ . . . , . O X O O . X . . |
$$ . . X O O . X . . O O X . |
$$ . . . O X X . X . . . 1 . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------+[/go]

Either way, Black's failure to play here earlier has made it hard for him.