I decided in this game I will try to stick to my normal style, which is very influence orientated, so that I can try to work on some of the weaknesses that have become apparant in faster games. In particular I want to focus on finding the correct balance between influence and territory, as too often I choose to trade large territories for relatively worthless thickness.

My first move is 4-4, in keeping with my desire for an influence orientated game. I'm hoping for a chinese opening, but that will depend on what Kirby does.

The 4-4 point in general
I like playing 4-4 openings, especially if I'm white. Part of the reason may be because I started off using the 4-4 when I first started playing. It's a symmetrical move, and people tell me that it's flexible

The 4-4 point as white
On a more strategic note, when I'm white and my opponent has started with the 4-4 like this, I don't really like playing the 3-4 in any of the corners, because it gives my opponent a chance to either have an ideal approach, or to play in the third corner before I do.

Here is an example:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 2 . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . a b . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I don't really like the sequence above, because I feel like is placed well in relationship to my stone. If I take the last empty corner, black can have an approach at a or b that works well with his corner stone. Of course, I could take the initiative and approach the top left corner first - or I could even enclose my own corner, but then black can stake out the bottom right corner.

I think that if I played this way, and immediately approached the top left, it's playable, because if black takes the bottom right corner, I can have two moves in the top left, which is the same as if I played first in the top left - but if that's the case, I have still given black the chance to chose the placement of his first top left corner move...

I guess it's just a matter of style, but I don't like playing the 3-4 as white here for these reasons. Similar reasoning can be applied to why I don't like the 3-4 here in other corners.

Why not other moves besides the 3-4 and 4-4?
I like the 4-4 because it's symmetrical. The 3-3 is also symmetrical, but I don't like being in such a low position. I haven't experimented with the 5-5 much... Maybe I'll do so in a later game. 6-6 is probably a little out there

Why on the diagonal?
Why did I chose the bottom left corner? Different styles of games might emerge if black plays in diagonal corners or if he doesn't. I don't like giving black this choice. I have no real preference toward black having a diagonal opening or not having a diagonal opening... I just don't like giving him the choice. If there's the small chance he doesn't like non-diagonal openings, I've hurt his morale a bit already

Conclusion
In this type of a board position, I like playing the 4-4 in the bottom left corner as white.

Not really anything to say here, still aiming for the chinese fuseki

Splatted has played one of my favorite black openings, although I typically play at Q3. Many of you are probably aware of the Kobayashi openings and their variations.

A possible followup (after white tenuki/pass):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm3 Diagram A
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . b . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

with black playing at a or b next. This sequence gives black some nice options if white approaches the top left corner. If the game goes down this route, then I might elaborate more on some possible variations.

Since I kind of like the kobayashi sequences for black, I might consider taking pre-emptive action and pincering a white approach to my bottom left stone. I'm still not totally decided, and I'm OK with that since black hasn't even decided to approach, yet.

In any case, I feel like playing in the bottom right corner is the biggest, since I can get the first move there, and I have responses ready for black approaches to my bottom left corner.

If the black had chosen this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm3 Diagram B
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

then I might consider approaching the top right stone instead of playing in the bottom right corner... My feeling is that the bottom right is still bigger, but I would more actively consider an approach move to the top left in this scenario. This is because a normal approach works well with my bottom left stone in this scenario:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm3 Diagram C
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

whereas in this actual game, the approach in the top left isn't as great for white, in my opinion:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm3 Diagram D
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , W . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In the sequence above, black has several options, and pincering white, for example, works well with his top right stone. My two stones aren't working as well together... So in the case of the actual game, I think that taking the open corner is the best choice, particularly considering that I might even choose to take the bottom right corner even if black played a move that was more tempting to approach such as the one in Diagram C.

Now that I've decided to play in the bottom right corner, which move is the best? I think I'll play another 4-4 move. It doesn't provoke black to approach the corner that much, and makes me comfortable for the same reasons I outlined for my last move (in the last post).

Ok, Kirby has played two 4-4 stones, so the chinese might not be a good idea. I think playing for influence will give him a lot of territory, and it will be difficult to make up for that. I'm guessing he predicted my chinese, and so play double 4-4 to counter it. (I wish I had thought of that in my other game ). I've decided to play a shimari instead, with the intention of focusing more on territory.

I don't really like black's choice of move here. Enclosing the corner is definitely a big move, but it seems to make the left side a hot spot of activity, with me to move...

The Left Side Complements Black's Enclosure!
A lot of people are probably familiar with this formation:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . X . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

This formation is pretty good for black because the stones on the top and left side complement the corner enclosure... But let's suppose that black has to choose only one or the other - the top or the left stone. That is:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm3 Diagram A
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm3 Diagram B
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . X . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

Between Diagram A and Diagram B, which is better? I like Diagram A better because the influence of the enclosure radiates down the left side more than on the top. You might say that a stone on the left side ideally complements black's enclosure.

The Left Side is Big For Me, Too!
So considering the discussion above, a move on the side star point for black would really be great for him... So with that reason alone, it'd be good if I could find a way to prevent it.

But that's not all! Moves on the left and side star points complement my bottom 4-4 stone as well. The 4-4 stone has the ever-so-referenced weakness of the 3-3 invasion, but it can often work well in radiating influence along the sides. I think that the 3-4 enclosure, such as the one my opponent has played, radiates a lot of influence toward the sides. My 4-4 stone doesn't radiate quite as much, but it still radiates a lot of influence...

So, playing on the left is big for me, and big for my opponent. It seems like a good place for me to play, then!

Why Not Other Moves?
So I've kind of given a perhaps biased-sounding argument about why I should play on the left side. What about some other possibilities?

Here's another move I might consider if I were thinking of alternatives:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm3
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This move has merit in that it is a good approach to the top right stone, and it also works well with my bottom right 4-4 stone. I don't think that I like it as much as playing on the side as well, because of a couple of reasons.

First, some very basic josekis end in gote for me, allowing black to take advantage of the left side before me:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . 1 . . 3 . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . 2 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . a b . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

For example, in the sequence above, I end up with gote after , and then black has the choice of playing a, b, or c - and all of these moves take advantage of the influence that's being radiated from the top left enclosure. I don't like this!

Even if I try to force a different joseki, black always has the option of tenuki-ing, and playing a, b, or c directly... The way that it works with the top left inclosure is just too good, I think! I don't like this!

I could also try the san-ren-sei:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm3
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . a b . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Again, I don't like this. Black can still play a through c to take advantage of his top left enclosure. I just don't like that black can do this so easily!

So I guess that I am not good enough to say definitively that a play on the left is "the only move", but I really, really prefer playing on the left, for the reasons mentioned above.

So Which Move on the Left?
So I want to play on the left. How do I decide which move to play on the left? Well, let's look at some possibilities that come to mind.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . c d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . a b . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . e f . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

The moves a through f above all attempt to negate black's potential with his enclosure on the top left. I guess we could break these moves up by two characteristics:
1.) Are they high or low (i.e. 4th line or 3rd line)?
2.) Are they the appropriate distance?

So let's start off with the first characteristic. Do I want a move that is high or low? A high move has the advantage of potentially giving me more influence. I've talked about influence a lot, so that's something I seem to like, eh? A low move, on the other hand, makes it easier to make actual territory. Why? Because it's closer to the side of the board so I can enclose points off easier.

So which is appropriate here? Moves b, d, and f are all high moves. Since they're high, I might play them in an effort to get more influence. So let's just assume that I decide to do that, and play a high move. What could white do?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm3 I chose b
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . y . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Let's say I play move b. If I play here, black could later play a followup in an area around x, for example. The area around x is pretty good for black to play, for one, because it works well with his top left enclosure... But also, it threatens a potential followup at y.

This doesn't mean that, if black played x, he will necessarily play y immediately if white tenukis, but the potential for playing along that side exists.

So first of all, this is not necessarily a bad way for white to play, I think... But I'm not sure that I like it. From all of my jabbering about influence, you may think that I care more about influence than anything else. But I also like making points with territory. In the diagram above, I feel uncomfortable leaving the possibility of y for my opponent. It may be perfectly OK with some people to let this happen, but I don't really like the feeling of letting my opponent have the future opportunity of y.

Therefore, I would want to protect the area along the side at some point so that black didn't get to play y. I'm not sure when I would do this, but I would do it when I felt it was big enough... But since it bothers me so much, I feel bad about having played two moves in the same area to begin with.

Go is about efficiency. If I'm bothered by this kind of thing, I probably shouldn't play a high move to begin with.

For the same kind of reasoning as move "b", I also feel bad about d and f. Playing high along the side here gives black a chance to play on the third line and make me feel like playing a second move in the area - which is something I don't want to do if it's possible.

Therefore, I feel better about playing a low move in this area.

Among the low moves, which do I like best between a, c, and e? I like a the best. It strikes a balance between the top left enclosure and my bottom left white stone. If black tries to play between a and my bottom left stone, there is a lot of room for me to make a base along the side (I haven't decided if I'll actually play this way, yet, though):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

Black can still pressure the top side of a, but then I can play "q" or "s" below to get some nice potential on the bottom left side (again, I'm not sure if I'd play this way for sure, yet):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . W , q . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

If I play one move above "a", the stone is a bit disconnected from my bottom left stone. It might be OK to play that way. I don't have a terribly strong feeling about it, but I prefer "a" slightly.

If I play one move below "a", a defense to the 3-3 invasion that faces my move might be over-concentrated:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . a , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 5 2 O 4 . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . 7 1 3 . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Above, the stones are kind of crunched together and inefficient, so I probably wouldn't block at 2 if black did the 3-3 later (depending on the future board position). But if I DID want to block in this direction, I'd be happier if the white stone were a bit higher.

Considering this, both a and c seem better than the marked stone in the diagram immediately above. With only this factor in mind, maybe c is even better than a in terms of efficiency.

However the difference on this point is small in my opinion, and "a" is not as distant from the bottom left 4-4 stone as "c" is. This is a bigger issue to me, because the main point for me in playing on the left side from the beginning of this analysis was to play in an area that was big to both black and white.

"a" seems to meet this purpose best.

I did consider playing K4 to split his groups, but I felt like there are still other big points he could be satisfied with while I wouldn't be able to gain that much from it.

I think that my opponent's last move was pretty good in that it works well with his top right stone. Hence, my first thought was to pincer the stone to muddle the relationship between his approach and his top right star point stone. But, I thought about it, and I don't really like it when he does a 3-3 invasion following my pincer.

For example:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm3
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 7 . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . 5 O 3 6 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . 4 2 8 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

If I block from this side, he's kind of disrupted the relationship I have with my bottom left stone. It's not bad, I guess, but I am not sure I like it as good as some of my alternatives.

By the way, I don't like blocking on the other side of his 3-3 invasion in this case, because I don't have a stone along the bottom side. He could play there after the 3-3 invasion since he'll get sente, and then my wall isn't as effective.

So I decided upon the move that I did. I won't give away too much for now, but I have plans for a couple of his possible responses.

Not really anything to say, just say about this.

As stated earlier, I had a plan of attack for a couple of black's possible responses. This is one of those responses

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm3
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . c . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . O . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . a . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I could passively respond with a move like "a", but then black can play something like "b". Sure, it's gote for him, but it works well with his top right stone. I don't want that! I want to muck up the connections between black's stones, so I'm going to try to do so with this move.

I could try a move like "c", but I've done that a lot in the past. The move that I chose seems like fun, so I want to roll with it

I'm just playing joseki

While this is presumably exactly what is going on in his head, it should be mentioned that this attitude is a major block for further development. This is the source of the proverb "learn joseki to get two stones weaker".

It would be better to show the next moves one expects (yes, you may draw on your joseki knowledge, but joseki are not a reason for a move but a result), and then point out what becomes interesting afterwards.

This move flows naturally with white's attachment on top of my stone. By setting up a base on the left side, I counter the effectiveness of his corner stone.

Again, continuing the joseki

This move threatens to split up some of the black stones. It gives white a small amount of side territory. If I continue along the right side and black ends up getting this point, it feels like my white side stones are not as effective.

This is joseki, I need to stop him cutting. He can still cut at Q6, but that looks less severe. (Eit: This is more my attempt to understand the joseki than the reason for my move. I do look at alternatives, but much more briefly than I would for other moves. Subsequent joseki comments are likely to be the same.

I want to jump out ahead of white. It would be bad if black were given the opportunity to press me down at R9. In the future, I'd like to do something about the bottom white stones, because black has potential to attack them.

More joseki: White's jump allows me to strengthen the two (now three) stones on the fourth line.

I played here to prevent black from cutting off my stone in a ladder:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . , O 3 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 1 2 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . O . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]