Joelnelsonb wrote:So in posting this question, I wasn't looking so much for a particular sequence of moves but rather a general strategy for breaking up the black infrastructure. It appears, based on all the answers given, that white's best plan would be to approach the star point stone while putting pressure on the weak group in the bottom left. I think I missed this because I underestimated the potential of the 2-3 stone played by white. I've been reading "The Direction of Play" (which is an amazing book, btw. not sure how I've gotten so far without it. He starts off by telling you to forget everything you think you know about Go and he reteaches you the fundamentals of the game from scratch). In the book, he heavily encourages using the full potential of every stone played (especially in the opening) and this puzzle demonstrates my weakness in this regard.
Edit: Probably the biggest point that he makes in the book is to stop playing joseki moves simply because they're joseki. Instead, he teaches you to continually assess the whole board on every move and to search for the "direction of play" instead. He demonstrates how insanely important the very first moves of the game are.
I have never read Direction of Play, but I have heard that it has a somewhat dubious reputation. Not because the information contained in it is wrong or bad, but because it is very hard to access and confusing at times. I have heard many say that it is a book for high level dan players only, so it is cool that you are reading and enjoying it.
As for the first moves of the game being insanely important, tell that to Gu Li when he lost the Jubango with Lee Sedol. The pro commentaries say that Gu was ahead after the opening of every game, but usually, one small middle-game blunder threw the whole game in favor of Lee Sedol. The opening is important, but it only makes a significant difference when both players are already proficient at reading and fighting.
would be my first choice. B will probably block the left side, where the extension is slightly wider. W should be able to live in sente, then set about reducing the resulting B thickness. W can strive for more efficiency by trying to make exchanges a-b-c-d before invading, but there is no guarantee B will play along.
The book was aimed at kyu players. As are most go books.