Life In 19x19

oren wrote:Checking on a database, the shoulder hit to a 4-4 is uncommon but not especially rare. Watching this game on baduk tv english, I was able to guess what the play would be. It's a great play, but the highlight for me was the earlier sacrifice and ensuing fight.

moyoaji wrote:

Splatted wrote:I agree with Noskill. It's an odd move, but I would can't see how you wouldn't at least consider it in this situation.

Shoulder hitting a 4-4 stone is basically never good. This is one of the incredibly rare exceptions.

A shoulder hit on that stone gives your opponent free 4th line territory in the corner. That is enormous. If white had wanted he could have had a 20+ point corner. It is only because of Takemiya's enormous potential in the center that white started a fight there later. Normally getting a 20 point corner is good by every conceivable measure, but it wasn't in this rare case.

Center territory is so fickle that most players don't emphasize it. Takemiya is well known for his use of moyos and building lots of potential in the center at the expense of granting his opponents large swaths of territory in the corners. This can definitely work as shown here, but unless you are as strong as Takemiya, I don't think you should play this way. One mistake in your wall and you lose the whole game.

If I was playing like Takemiya, for the center then yes, I would look at this move, but it goes against a lot of conventional wisdom.