I think Mikes caught on here... Much of it was about seeing what I can get from the influence. I'm intending to fight for the corners and live small - then hopefully not give him to much thickness then make a stab at any framework he starts to builds or drive a small group into the wall..
well thats the plan.....

In this case I think the normal star-point method of placing handicap stones is very good. It gives black a huge advantage, while not starting him out with any solid territory. This means black still has to be somewhat active in order for these stones to be fully utilized. Black gets a great opportunity to learn to use influence, make territory while attacking, etc.

_________________
We don't know who we are; we don't know where we are.
Each of us woke up one moment and here we were in the darkness.
We're nameless things with no memory; no knowledge of what went before,
No understanding of what is now, no knowledge of what will be.

My vote:

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Sorry, BobC, but I think your suggested layout is proof that you need to play some more with this layout.

Staking out some points and then spending the rest of the game defending what you've already got is a path to certain defeat. You cannot win this game playing moves that *only* make points.

_________________
That which can be destroyed by the truth should be.
--
My (sadly neglected, but not forgotten) project: http://dailyjoseki.com

Interestingly enough, Jennie Shen's KGS Plus lecture tonight was about the value of a ponnuki in the center. She then went on to say that the proverb is just a way of saying that the value of such a position is very big. It's not really worth 30 points, but she didn't want to put an exact value on it. The way she proposed to judge the value of a ponnuki was to examine the wholeboard position with or without the ponnuki. The difference in her examples was staggering. Don't follow proverbs blindly. I noticed I did just that, when folllowing this thread, and going "Myes, myes of course, everybody knows that it's worth 30 points", and actually believed the numeric value.

Concerning the question posed in the original post, I agree with DuskEagle and Daniel that the standard position of the 8 handicap stones are best, because they require you to play actively and make territory that way. It's the best way to learn how to gain territory through attacking, which is a skill you'll want to acquire if you ever want to play your 8-stone opponent in an even game. You don't win handicap games through defending, only through attacking. And the (high position of the) star points on the board are the ideal support for fighting.

I don't think the standard position is best for learning. You only learn the 4-4 sequences, and none of the others. You should mix it up with at least 4-3.

_________________
Sanity is for the weak.

I didn't mean to imply that the standard position was best--practice with 3-4 points can only be good. My (probably unclear) point was more that the original position given has a major efficiency problem (it's like a 5 stone handicap using 8 stones) which the standard placement does not have...

_________________
That which can be destroyed by the truth should be.
--
My (sadly neglected, but not forgotten) project: http://dailyjoseki.com

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B A moral victory
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Victory by intimidation. If you can win the mind-games, surely the board will follow suit.

_________________
Someday I want to be strong enough to earn KGS[-].

I'd go for a mega-great wall, just because .

It's suicide I guess, but oh god, the fights that would ensue...

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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This looks somewhat overconcentrated to me. You can think bigger and have even bigger fights.