Well, here we go. Here's a fun fact for everyone, I suck at handicap games. I mean, epic level horridness at knowing what to do with two diagonal 4.4 stones has always been an issue for me.
Diagonal fuseki, as I understand it, is generally better aimed at territorial play, which the 4.4 doesn't lend itself to. In fact, my general dislike of playing for influence often leads me to bungle any sort of 4.4 opening that I play, which is why I played 3.4 fuseki almost exclusively for the last year.
However, since I've been told I need to step out of my comfort zone, I've been making an effort to stop playing 3.4s and start playing things like chinese again. None of that helps with this fuseki... I have two choices, which I'll try to move through quickly.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
These two, A and B are the two general choices. They aren't specific, but, I can either approach A, and try to roll into a joseki that lets me take sente, or play B now, and let white choose where to go.
I'm a big fan of pressure. Almost all my 2 stone games, I prefer to open with a move near or at A, so let's talk about B first then.
B says 'I don't mind you making an enclosure, I'm going to try to just cling to the lead that having 2 stones have given me. I'm going to let you take the lead, and see where you go from here'. B is what I'd call a 'Passive opening'. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that.
But what does white 1 say? White 1 says 'I'd like to play a steady, territorial game. I would like to make a nice solid enclosure, before attacking your positions, and I believe that if I get a single corner, I can whoop you in fighting, since you need 2 stones.'
Playing a A says 'I'm not going to let you take an enclosure for free. I'm not going to let you progress however you like. I'm here, and I'm willing to contest you, and I'm willing to put pressure on you."
I may be making all this up from nothing, but Go is like a conversation to me, and paying attention to what your opponent is saying in the first few moves is a big deal for me.
For instance, if I play A, and white plays B, white is saying 'I just wanted to see what you'd do, and I still want to see what you'll do, before I play any firm moves.'
A sends the message I want to send. I'm here. I'm going to struggle, and face you head on. And, it puts pressure on white who, usually at my rank, doesn't know how to deal with a handicap player not playing turtle, and simply clinging to the lead that having a few extra stones gives you.
But where should I move, now that I've decided that the approach is what I want to say?
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
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$$ | . . . . 2 . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
In general, this pincer isn't great for white, as it leads to..
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
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$$ | . . . . 2 . 3 9 . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 , . . 7 6 0 , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . 4 . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
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$$ | . . . . X . O O 1 . 3 . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , . a O X X 2 . . . . . X . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
This result works fairly well with the 4.4 stone to set up influence into the center. While I could play A, it's not without precedent to treat that point lightly, and play elsewhere, so I can take sente to play the open corner.
Still, this isn't disastrous for white, and it's not the best joseki for black's whole board, I think.
So what other options do we have?
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . b . . . 3 . . 5 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 , 2 . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . c . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
I'm a little stumped on the joseki for this one at the moment. I don't recall whether A B or C is correct. I think it's not C, but a and B look equally crazy to me. White 5 isn't their best move though..
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
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$$ | . . a . . . 3 7 . b . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 , 2 . . 6 8 , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
White plays a or b to settle the group, leaving me with sente, or the other to settle my own group if the influence gained doesn't look good enough.
But, I rarely see the low pincer on a high approach.. Other, more likely moves..
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 5 4 6 . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 , 2 . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
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$$ | . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
A simple joseki, leaves white with sente, but also leaves the side unprotected under 3, for threat later.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 5 3 4 . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 , 2 . 6 . . , . . . . . X . . . |
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$$ | . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
White takes sente, but black takes a very strong side, with a good extension from their own 4.4 Also possible..
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 5 3 4 . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 , 2 6 . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
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$$ | . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
less balanced with the 4.4 stone. I think I've seen it suggested that black can actually play closer to the 4.4 to invite fighting, but I'm not that strong.

There are a lot more loose pincers and more relaxed moves that white could play in response to this corner, but I like the high approach for the gains it can get me.
I hope people have enjoyed this brief, and doubtless faulty analysis.
CSam