Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm12 Pincer, then mainline variation
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . O . . . . a . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . 1 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , O . . |
$$ | . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . 3 . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Otake played the pincer, . Then Elf recommends the solid connection, . extends on the bottom side, and then plays a counterpincer. From the pre-AI perspective, White can be satisfied to have prevented Black from making an ideal extension on the right side, and plays elsewhere.

However, the bots do not consider that extension to be ideal, and often omit it. In this case, instead of at , Elf's choice is and after White extends to , for Black to make the enclosure at a instead of extending on the right side.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm12 Cut, mainline variation
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . O . . . . . . . 7 . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X 5 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 6 . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Elf prefers the cut. Then pulls back and stands. After , attaches at R-16 instead of invading at R-17, presumably to prevent Black from blocking that invasion at R-17. I expect that the White extension on the top side is one reason for that decision.

Don't know what Otake would play, but expect Elf says he should have cut.

Speculatively:
Current position:
1. It's well-known now that Q6 is bigger than normal. The W corner gets very thick and this helps create follow ups on both sides that B finds it hard to remove with just one move. It is like the Q3 Q6 shimari except B has made some bad exchanges, removing its main weakness.
2. Otherwise either 3-3 is natural.

Opp to play
1. Connect Q6

Past:
1. B shouldn't have let W get Q6, so W should be ahead. D14 seems early for its time given that we call it an AI move and J17 seems premature.

Check:
1. close in some places