First move at hoshi has been my favorite lately. I've experimented with 3-3, 4-3, 5-3, and found that high openings aiming for influence suit me well. Next move may even be 5-4 if I'm feeling adventurous, but 3-4 aiming for an eclosure is not out of the question either

Not much to say here yet. I'll try to play a simple fuseki since i'm best at those.

I said I'd go for 5-4, here it is. When white took another star point 3-4 in either direction would enable him to approach, and the resulting josekis aren't very helpful for my opening strategy no matter which one I choose. With 5-4 instead I'll be sure to have a wall facing my upper hoshi.

I know that generally white won't approach 3-4 on the 3rd move, but it's what I'd do.

I think black will approach my upper hoshi, and I'll pincer (probably).

If white pincers, I'll probably enter at 3-3, get sente, then come back and enclosing the lower right corner. If he extends or keima, then I'll follow joseki.

I pincer because I wouldnt like this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . b . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . 7 . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 6 . . . . . . . . . . . a . 8 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

both a and b dont look attractive to me. B will give a moyo game (and seems to work well with black's lower 5-4), and i generally dont really like A.

this looks better to me:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm7 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 7 5 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 2 8 X . 0 . . . . . W . . . . . |
$$ | . . 3 O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

so, pincer it is!

After much consideration, a jump would probably be better than entering at 3-3, mainly because I can't find a way to retain sente after a 3-3 invasion. Let's see how white reacts. I'm expecting this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 4 . . X . O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . 5 , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Let's see how white reacts.

I dunno about describing one popular pro choice as 'better' than another popular pro choice though.

Edit: Hang on, I keep hallucinating that 5-4 as a 4-4. Don't mind me.

not much choice here!

@Loons: I think the variation with c14 I posted is also playable, it just feels to me like thats the thing black wants

He jumped as expected. My sliding in is to find a base for my group, since another move at c18 should be sente for me. After that, time to pressure the lone white stone on the right.

Didn't expect that move, I would have done just j16. now the sansan invasion is not possible anymore

Sente or not?

Even if is sente, it is an end-game move, aji keshi, and does not increase eye space for B. It's a thank-you move.

I agree with all that you've said, except I'm curious about the eye-space bit. The move may be end game and aji keshi, but does it not increase eyespace?

that doesnt look like sente. He might make a base now with b17, but its small and gote (without finishing with b18 i dont think its a base yet) and i have a base too now! Next i can approach the upper hoshi (or he'll move there and attack my 2 stones on the top). if he doesnt b17, c18 is a wasted move. We'll see what happens

Since he decided to ignore B11, I can peep here and take out the corner, which is compensation enough, I guess? I'd have preferred he protected that side so I can switch to the middle top though. Looks like this game will have lots of small groups everywhere.

It is eyespace Levanez wants and it is eyespace he will get!

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc Maybe ?
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 4 X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 2 O . . X . O . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 3 . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X 1 . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 5 O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |[/go]

White has developed on both sides ? I don't really see any tougher "resistance".

If W replies to with a block at 2-2 (B-18), B still only has 1 eye locally, no?

The peep! Didnt think of that. Not a lot of choice here, but I think its fine. The game looks nice for w