In Kogo's joseki dictionary, it is suggested that black can play to get sente:

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[go]$$Wc Competing for sente
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 3 b 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 2 X . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

It then says that white typically play (a) next, and playing at (b) is typically not favorable, and list this sequence (11 - 14 is a, b, c, d)

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[go]$$Wc One possible sequence
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . a 9 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . c O O 1 X . b . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 6 X X 3 2 . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . 5 4 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . d 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

However, I do not understand why is played at F15. What if it is played at C15? The three black stones seem to be in trouble. My reading is not good, but it seems that the outcome does not look nice to black. One possible variation is

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c B Will black lost the group?
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 1 O O O X . c . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X O X . . . M . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . 3 O O X b . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 4 5 6 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 8 7 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

and the top two black stones need to run for their life. Maybe this move to compete for sente is only possible when black has a stone around the cross position, so that the two black stones are relative safe? Still, white is out, and it seems that white can live in corner relatively easily by playing at, say, A18.

Depends on the board, but seems simpler to just do this as black:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 3 5 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 2 X 6 . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

if you really want to tenuki, then consider it here. If not, continue:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . a 1 3 5 4 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 9 2 X 6 . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

Then tenuki after 'a'.

_________________
be immersed

Thank you for the response. Kogo's joseki dictionary suggests that this is bad for black. -- and that is why I am so confused.

In your second diagram you can play (b) and threaten a ladder. After white defends you can capture at (a). Maybe the joseki variation depends on that this ladder is working for black.

It looks to me like at E17 instead of F18 forces black into this position. So if this position really is bad for black, at F18 would seem to be a mistake.

Okay, you call Kogo up. Tell him I challenge him to a Malkovich game here on L19!

_________________
be immersed

Josekipedia has this marked as the right place for black to tenuki.

The sequence starting with at F16 even appear there, but I've seen it before in my games. Might be an old variation that's no longer played.

In my database the starting position after below appears 537 times. White attaches underneath at 'a' next 500 times compared to 24 cases of playing . Black replies at 4 times and plays 3 at 4 instead the other 20 times. White continues at 2 times and hanes at 'b' the other two times. After Black plays White hanes at 'b' (1 game) or cuts at 'c' (1 game). There is no example of the cut at . Learn to take what you read in Kogo with a grain of salt.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Search Pattern
$$- - - - - - - - +
$$. . . . . . . . |
$$. . a . . . . . |
$$. . 1 2 O O . . |
$$. . 3 4 X X b . |
$$. . c 5 6 . . . |
$$. . . . . . . . |
$$. . . . . . . . |
$$. . . . . . . . |
$$[/go]

It's not just Kogo that describes as a way to take sente. However, looking at the games in my database, it is perhaps better to call an offer to take sente. White can resist and in actual practice Black ends in gote here more often than not.

_________________
Dave Sigaty
"Short-lived are both the praiser and the praised, and rememberer and the remembered..."
- Marcus Aurelius; Meditations, VIII 21