Araban wrote:
A few years ago Alexander Dinerchtein went over this fuseki at an EGC, you can check the video analysis here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFImtHxZrEw
Well, in that game, since white decided to play
in a corner, it's not the same opening at all! This brings up one of the reasons I don't like this so much: it makes each game unique much sooner than with other openings, and therefore it is difficult to find similar professional records. While you can find well over 1000 games with, say, the mini-chinese or san-ren-sei and therefore find a number of the common vital points and ideas in those openings, it seems that each game that starts with a central stone like this is its own special snowflake, and learning one doesn't help as much when you see another.On the other hand, a special strategy like this might appeal to players who are good at thinking on their feet, and don't want the game to be one of endless research and scholarship, like what has happened in chess.
Dinerchtein's comment that if one doesn't use the central stone, one loses the game, is something that is said often. Of course, the same can be said of any early move, including common ones like 4-4 and 3-4. It's just that one is less afraid that those stones will become useless.