Any thoughts on this opening position?

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sixko
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Any thoughts on this opening position?

Post by sixko »

This is from a game that I was unable to finish, it ended here at move 40 white r6. I'm trying to understand the urgency of moves in the opening better so I can get more playable positions and claim my share of the grid. I'm black. Appreciate any comments.

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Re: Any thoughts on this opening position?

Post by robinz »

I'm only a weak player, so you'll have to wait for the experts, but I cannot imagine that it is at all sensible for that line of 3 black and 3 white stones in the lower right corner to be left alone. My first instinct is to hane at S4 - indeed, if white plays S3 first it's not clear to me that black can even live (but then my reading sucks ;-)).
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Re: Any thoughts on this opening position?

Post by amnal »

To me, two things stand out.

The first is the bottom right. As black, I really want to get there first and add a move, but not if it is gote. If it isn't already sente to play there (preventing white's hane), it will be soon, so I have my eye on it. Black N3 seems tempting to leave white lots of cutting points (white hane on top, black wedges in), and if black cuts then the white group to the right side is mildly annoyed about its eyespace. If white tenukis and it turns out the cuts aren't good, though, it will be annoying to have given white another move on the top and black will have lost out there. Of course, black could be less clever than N3 and just push forward, which is probably fine. The hane might be okay too, but I'm never sure about these positions (white cuts, black ataris underneath then pulls his stones out to attack the right group slightly?).

If I think that is not big enough, and that white will find a way to tenuki no matter what I do, I turn to the true biggest area; the top side. I am tempted to play N17 to annoy white whilst extending from the shimari. Alternatively, R17 is probably fine, and black still gets the shimari extension. A wide extension seems okay becuase white's groups on both sides aren't properly alive.

It is mildly annoying that white has R11 to aim at, but I don't think there is time for him to do so yet, and it damages his lower group anyway. I don't think it is a big problem for black.
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Re: Any thoughts on this opening position?

Post by amnal »

robinz wrote:I'm only a weak player, so you'll have to wait for the experts, but I cannot imagine that it is at all sensible for that line of 3 black and 3 white stones in the lower right corner to be left alone. My first instinct is to hane at S4 - indeed, if white plays S3 first it's not clear to me that black can even live (but then my reading sucks ;-)).


Black has no problems living, but it's jolly annoying if he has to take gote to do it :)
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Re: Any thoughts on this opening position?

Post by Chew Terr »

After studying the situation, I feel that you're ahead, for two reasons. First, you seem to have a bit more territory than white: white's bottom is big but she doesn't have a lot else. The second reason is that you have more potential. You have no really weak groups (assuming the bottom right can live), you have more outside thickness, and a huge extension from your top left corner is available. So I'd feel fairly good about your opening this game. If I had to play one side or the other, I'd take black.
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Re: Any thoughts on this opening position?

Post by sixko »

Thanks, insights were helpful :tmbup:
Where've you been? Zatoichi could slice the board in half, put it back together again and rearrange the position so fast that no-one even knew he'd drawn his sword - and he was blind. ~ John Fairbairn
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Re: Any thoughts on this opening position?

Post by Magicwand »

sixko wrote:This is from a game that I was unable to finish, it ended here at move 40 white r6. I'm trying to understand the urgency of moves in the opening better so I can get more playable positions and claim my share of the grid. I'm black. Appreciate any comments.


k17 or something close to that point is the biggest point.
but i think lower right joseky need to be finished now.
there4, n3 probe is a perfect timing and black will most likely maintain sente.

as of now, black is leading by comfortable margin.
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The greater the unknown"

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