Life In 19x19

Aphelion wrote:Topazg:

If it makes you feel better, you can think of it like in this joseki where White can tenuki:

$$Bc
$$ ---------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . 3 . . . . .
$$ | . . 1 . . 2 . . . ,
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . ,

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc
$$ ---------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . 3 . . . . .
$$ | . . 1 . . 2 . . . ,
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . ,[/go]

Its a bit of a stretch, but you could call it a very poorly timed reduction . I don't see the danger you are talking about on the top though, as far as I can see White should easily get sente to fix it.

In your example, White has no great purpose to other than to reduce. In the posted fuseki, White has an important relationship with the top left hoshi stone. The value of getting to get C10 and then respond to the approach is really very high - not just from territorial points, but the followup of a pincer against the approach stone too.

Forcing Black to run up that side rips White's potential territory (which, IMO, is ~25 points) and get points himself. Of course, C3 is huge, and they both feel possibly more than a swing value of 25 points, but White can't easily treat D10 lightly without losing out really quite badly locally in the top left.

This game is just a headache waiting to happen

Aphelion wrote:Its even more basic instinct that White 6 should be at c3.

Very true.

topazg wrote:This game is just a headache waiting to happen

It does seem to be a fairly even board, too, which at least still makes it an interesting problem, in a perverse sort of way.