A Game of Gan Siyang (Black opens on 8-8)

[snorri]

The opening is obviously unorthodox. Comment away!

[snorri]

The first thing that I'd like to mention is that I've looked at a number of his games, and it's not very common for white to answer that 8-8 with another move in the center. Usually white will start taking corners.

[Solomon]

A few years ago Alexander Dinerchtein went over this fuseki at an EGC, you can check the video analysis here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFImtHxZrEw

That said, this is something Gan Siyang does a lot - not just in tournament games, but also online (he goes by 'chuyangch' on Tygem). When I'm free later I'll see if I can extract some of his online games and upload here.

Personally I'm not a fan of this opening and that its strength rests on the element of surprise and confusion. Then again, I fortunately play at a level where I could play any opening, including this one, and it would not make much of a difference...except for san-ren-sei, it's an evil opening.

[snorri]

A few years ago Alexander Dinerchtein went over this fuseki at an EGC, you can check the video analysis here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFImtHxZrEw

Well, in that game, since white decided to play in a corner, it's not the same opening at all! This brings up one of the reasons I don't like this so much: it makes each game unique much sooner than with other openings, and therefore it is difficult to find similar professional records. While you can find well over 1000 games with, say, the mini-chinese or san-ren-sei and therefore find a number of the common vital points and ideas in those openings, it seems that each game that starts with a central stone like this is its own special snowflake, and learning one doesn't help as much when you see another.

On the other hand, a special strategy like this might appeal to players who are good at thinking on their feet, and don't want the game to be one of endless research and scholarship, like what has happened in chess.

Dinerchtein's comment that if one doesn't use the central stone, one loses the game, is something that is said often. Of course, the same can be said of any early move, including common ones like 4-4 and 3-4. It's just that one is less afraid that those stones will become useless.

[daal]

What I find interesting about this opening, is that it forces both players to consider global issues from the start. No simple divvying up the corners and sides and then making the most of the resulting local advantages. Here the ice seems a little more slippery than usual and you have to be looking at the whole board and judging the global consequences with every move. Strong players probably do this anyway, but I don't, and playing with or against such an opening would force me to.

[Mark356]

I've thought for a while that if aliens play go on 19x19, they might well regard Earthling opening conventions as quaint and overly formal, preferring fuseki like this. I like this game, because it completely goes against the traditional dictum of corners-edges-middle. Here, they get to the corners last.

I don't quite get why White resigned (or maybe my counting really sucks). Doesn't Black have a huge dead group on the south side?

[amnal]

Mark356: White's p3 stones are dead.

[Loons]

Just in passing: I was told by a KGS 5d that responding to black centre plays by starting a fight (there) is disadvantageous to white (because white is a stone down). I'm not necessarily convinced the fight's result will be 6.5+ points worse, but it is common wisdom to 'fight where you're strong'.