Thanks "Beyond Forcing Moves"

Uberdude · #1

I've recently been re-reading the book Beyond Forcing Moves. I first read it when I was around 10k and don't remember much about it: I think it was rather advanced for me then. Now I'm 3 dan and have found it excellent (apart form the pagination mistake!) and full of nice examples of good kikashi technique.

I'm thanking this book because it was largely down to the chapter about the peep of :w4:

below that I won my recent game in the European Team Championships. I won't go over all the variations here (buy the book!) but the key point is white needs to peep here now to prevent black resisting with the counter peep at a before the stakes are higher on the side. If black can get in the counter peep and white is forced to solidly connect, then this peeping stone has a significant impact on cuts that can appear just above a. In fact in my game rather than playing :b3:

for territory I chose b instead for influence, but I then ended up connecting under for territory due to white's choice of q11.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c Correct timing of peep $$ ------------------ $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . X . . . . | $$ . . . . . , X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . O . . | $$ . . . . . b . 3 . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . 1 . . | $$ . . . . . O . 2 . | $$ . . . . a . O . . | $$ . . . . . O X . . | $$ . . . . 4 , X . . | $$ . . . X . X . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ ------------------[/go]

Here's my game. My opponent peeped too late so I could resist with the counter peep and the strong move of o4 when white pushed and cut. After that he could have accepted a slightly bad local result but overplayed and just kept digging himself into a bigger hole and I had a one-way route to victory (though of course it's all too easy to lose even these sort of games!).

logan · #2

Congratulations Andrew : )

From your game it's easy to see how professionals can topple amateur dan players just by knowing one or two more correct sequences in a game.

How were the rest of the chapters, and did the book deliver on increasing your understanding of forcing moves (kikashi)?

Uberdude · #3

Here is some explanation about why the counter-peep is so effective. In the position below white would like to make the honte capture of :w1:

(tenuki is also possible, but then if black connects his stone white has many cuts), but then black has a powerful push and cut, White cannot capture this cutting stone, so might try the peep now, and if black docilely connects at a then white captures with b. But of course black won't connect, he will save his cutting stone and fight.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wc Dangerous cut $$ ------------------ $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . X . . . . | $$ . . . . . , X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . O O X . | $$ . . . . O X O X . | $$ . . . . . 1 X . . | $$ . . . . 3 2 X . . | $$ . . . b 4 O . O . | $$ . . . . . . O . . | $$ . . . . . O X . . | $$ . . . . 5 , X . . | $$ . . . X a X . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ ------------------[/go]

So that's why in the game white peeped, if black connects then white has fixed the cut in sente and can capture the stone (thanks to :w1:

black's cut fails with a-b-c-d-e-f).

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wc White happy, fixes cut $$ ------------------ $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . X . . . . | $$ . . . . . , X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . O O X . | $$ . . . . O X O X . | $$ . . . . . 3 X . . | $$ . . . . b a X . . | $$ . . . d c O . O . | $$ . . . f e . O . . | $$ . . . . . O X . . | $$ . . . . 1 , X . . | $$ . . . X 2 X . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ ------------------[/go]

Knowing this, I fought back with the counter-peep. If white just connects then black connects, and if white captures the stone black's push and cut works again. This is because in the diagram above when black played at e white played on the outside at f and black couldn't cut due to shortage of liberties. But by getting in the peep earlier, black has made white play on the inside rather than outside so his cutting stones are safe.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wc Black happy, cut works again $$ ------------------ $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . X . . . . | $$ . . . . . , X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . O O X . | $$ . . . . O X O X . | $$ . . . . . 5 X . . | $$ . . . . 7 6 X . . | $$ . . . . 8 O . O . | $$ . . . . 2 3 O . . | $$ . . . . . O X . . | $$ . . . . 1 , X . . | $$ . . . X 4 X . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ ------------------[/go]

So maybe white tries answering black's peep by blocking above, this way if black then defends below, there is no cut after white takes the stone:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wc White's dream $$ ------------------ $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . X . . . . | $$ . . . . . , X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . O O X . | $$ . . . . O X O X . | $$ . . . . . 5 X . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . 3 O . O . | $$ . . . . 2 . O . . | $$ . . . . . O X . . | $$ . . . . 1 , X . . | $$ . . . X 4 X . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ ------------------[/go]

However, this is weak play from black, he doesn't need to defend solidly at :b4:

as white didn't defend solidly against the peep. Instead black can save his single stone making miai of p11 and p9, allowing him to cut and effectively capture 3 white stones (maybe white can save them, but they are very heavy so sacrifice is best). White then pushes and has a choice which side to cut.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wc Black's resistance $$ ------------------ $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . X . . . . | $$ . . . . . , X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . 6 O O X . | $$ . . . . O X O X . | $$ . . . . 5 4 X . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . 3 O . O . | $$ . . . . 2 . O . . | $$ . . . . . O X . . | $$ . . . . 1 , X . . | $$ . . . X 7 X . . . | $$ . . . . 8 . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ ------------------[/go]

Thanks to black's counter peep, he can answer white's inside cut with the strong move of pushing up at o4. White can capture the stone on the second line (note the good exchange of :w3:

for

first), but black squeezes and captures some stones on the side ( :w10:

then a then b), connecting his corner and central stones. This is a disaster for white, who will have a hard job managing all his eyeless groups.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wc White cuts inside and fails $$ ------------------ $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . X . . . . | $$ . . . . . , X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . X O O X . | $$ . . . . O X O X . | $$ . . . . O X X . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . O O 0 O . | $$ . . . . X 6 O a . | $$ . . . . 8 O X b . | $$ . . . 2 O 3 X . . | $$ . . . X O X 4 . . | $$ . . . 5 X 1 . . . | $$ . . . . 7 . . . . | $$ ------------------[/go]

White's only other possibility is cutting outside, but thanks to black's counter-peep this ends in disaster too. After :w10:

then a then b black has miai at c and d so white is stuffed.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wc White cuts outside and fails $$ ------------------ $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . X . . . . | $$ . . . . . , X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . X O O X . | $$ . . . . O X O X . | $$ . . . . O X X . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . O O . O . | $$ . . . b X c O . . | $$ . 0 . . 3 O X . . | $$ a 9 8 2 O . X . . | $$ . 6 7 X O X . . . | $$ . d 5 1 X 4 . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . | $$ ------------------[/go]

I hope you found this sort of step-by-step explanation of critical timing of each move lucid. This is the style of the book and I really like it (indeed the last 2 sequences are taken verbatim from the book). Sometimes books make wishy-washy statements about the judgement of a position, and whilst this sort of vague strategic thinking is of course a key and enjoyable part of Go, you won't find it here. With the discussion of kikashi it's much more precise: this move should be played now because of this sequence ends in this good position, not now or this sequence ends in this disaster. I don't want to get into a boring definitions discussion, but one of the key points made in this book is that a kikashi is not just a forcing move, it is a useful forcing move.

There are in fact 2 more recent games of mine where I found inspiration from this book, I'll write about them later.

Dusk Eagle · #4

Thanks for the writeup Uberdude; this book looks very interesting. Unfortunately, after Googling around it seems like it's a rather hard book to obtain.

tchan001 · #5

Slightly OT but still about "Beyond Forcing Moves"

I read an old post from rec.games.go about this book and a comment from Michael Redmond.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.game ... 2%26&fwc=2

Quote:

5. Jeff Shaevel
View profile
More options Feb 7 1995, 6:58 pm
Michael Sullivan (m...@panix.com) has the stones to write:
> [re: Beyond Forcing Moves]
> I bought this at last year's US congress and had it sitting on a table
> while I was watching a game in the parlor. Michael Redmond wandered by,
> noticed it, and asked if he could take a look. [...]

*a-HEM*
Unless I'm hallucinating, that was *my* copy of the book he
was reading. I was napping in the lounge and awoke to
notice that my book was gone from the table where I left it.
At first I was startled to think that someone would have
actually taken it, but was further startled to see Redmond
Sensei sitting alone nearby reading it.
After a while a small crowd gathered and someone asked
Mr. Redmond if was planning to writing a book anytime soon
(anwer: no; he has too much playing to do at the moment).
He talked about the difficulties of getting diagrams accurate
when I asked if there were any in Beyond Forcing Moves.
After he pointed out the error he found, I asked him if he
would be so kind as to write the correction in the margin
and sign it. He did, and it was one of many treasured
memories of my first Go Congress...
============================================================
Jeff Shaevel Austin, TX :-)

)-: comedy/tragedy
shae...@guest.apple.com actor/musician/Go player (AGA 1D)
shae...@io.com (Web page under construction...)

Does anyone know the correction as pointed out by Mr. Redmond. Perhaps someone knows Jeff Shaevel and can get him to tell us what the corrections should be.

shaevel · #6

tchan001 wrote:

Slightly OT but still about "Beyond Forcing Moves"
Does anyone know the correction as pointed out by Mr. Redmond. Perhaps someone knows Jeff Shaevel and can get him to tell us what the corrections should be.

Yes, Keith Arnold does and let me know about this posting.

The correction is on page 155 and the inscription is written in the margin to the right of Dia. 5:

"White 2 at 6 (B7, W8, B9, W2. [signed Michael Redmond]"

Note: Lack of closing parenthesis is as written. To add to the story as presented, the reason the top of errors in books came up was because while the group of us were chatting, Mr. Redmond was by himself "reading" the book very quickly, absorbing the pages rapidly. However, I noted out of the corner of my eye at one point he stopped and carefully flipped back one page, forward one page, back again, etc., a number of times. That's what prompted asking if there was something unusual in the book. He said that while the placement of the stones in the diagram seems to be correct, he didn't think the actual move order presented made sense.

Cheers,
Jeff Shaevel

Thanks "Beyond Forcing Moves"

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