Iyama appears to be on fire these days. Couple of days ago he played the final of the Judan tournament (to decide the challenger) and I was especially impressed by his attack in the middle game.

The opening met the middle game in an incredible plastering attack that left the center looking like a platform game.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W White to play
$$ +--------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O X X .|
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . X O X O .|
$$ | . O . , O . . . . , . . X . X X O O .|
$$ | . X X . X O . . . . . . . . . O X X .|
$$ | . . . . X O . . . . . . . . O . O O .|
$$ | . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . O . X O . . . . . . . . . . X . .|
$$ | . X X X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . O O X . . . . , . . . . . X O . .|
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . O . .|
$$ | . . X O O X O . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . .|
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , O . .|
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . X . . X . . . .|
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ +--------------------------------------+[/go]

What Iyama did next was to dive off the platform and into the abyss that is black's moyo(?) on the bottom. Again, white is the one taking the outside when we come to the next diagram.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W White to play
$$ +--------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O X X .|
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . X O X O .|
$$ | . O . , O . . . . , . . X . X X O O .|
$$ | . X X . X O . . . . . . . . . O X X .|
$$ | . . . . X O . . . . . . . . O . O O .|
$$ | . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . O . X O . . . . . . . . . . X . .|
$$ | . X X X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . O O X . . . . , . . . . . X O . .|
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . O . .|
$$ | . . X O O X O . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . .|
$$ | . . . , . X . O . , . . . . . , O . .|
$$ | . . X X X O O O X . . X . . X . . . .|
$$ | . . X O O X X X O O . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . . X . . . O . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ +--------------------------------------+[/go]

One option could be to capture a stone and secure the new group. On the other hand in a high level game it is not unexpected that the Oza could go for more. What happens next is spectacular, white neglects the sons and orphans. That is how Google translate might put it, I welcome our new machine overlords. I welcome them more than the next guy.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W White to play
$$ +--------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O X X .|
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . X O X O .|
$$ | . O . , O . . . . , . . X . X X O O .|
$$ | . X X . X O . . . . . . . . . O X X .|
$$ | . . . . X O . . . . . . . . O . O O .|
$$ | . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . O . X O . . . . . . . . 0 . X . .|
$$ | . X X X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . O O X . . . . , . . . . . X O . .|
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . O . .|
$$ | . . X O O X O . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . .|
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . O . . .|
$$ | . . . , . X . O 8 , 2 . . 1 . , O . .|
$$ | . . X X X O O O X . . X . 3 X . . . .|
$$ | . . X O O X X X O O . 4 5 . 6 . . . .|
$$ | . . . X . . . O . . . 7 . . . . . . .|
$$ +--------------------------------------+[/go]

Having mimicked spider man by plastering his opponent to a wall and created a batman group on the bottom, Iyama has set the stage for the main event. Now, I don't know the meaning of fancy Japanese words like 絡み, sort of looks to me like it would be about getting something caught in a net or a web, but I guess not. I am at the end of my pretend Japanese.

To me it looks like it is Iyama intention to intertwine the fate of the invasion group (the dragon?) with the abandoned stones on the bottom (the batman?). In a word it is a twining attack, an attack that attempts to connect unrelated battles in a way that makes a simultaneous defense in both impossible. What happens in one area was separate and distinct from what happens in the other area before. When Iyama attacks it becomes one and the same. The fate of batman and the dragon are, as it were, strung together.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W White to play
$$ +--------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . .|
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O X O O X X .|
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . X . X O X O .|
$$ | . O . , O . . . . , . . X X X X O O .|
$$ | . X X . X O . . O . . . . . O O X X .|
$$ | . . . . X O . . X O O O O . O . O O .|
$$ | . . . . X O . O O X X X . . . . . . .|
$$ | . . O . X O . X O . . . . . X . X . .|
$$ | . X X X O O . . X X X X X . X O . . .|
$$ | . O O O X O X X . O O O . X O , O . .|
$$ | . . . . . O O O X . . . X X X O O . .|
$$ | . . X O O X O . O X . O . X O O . . .|
$$ | . . . X X X . . . X . . . . X . . . .|
$$ | . . X . . . . O . . . . O X . . . . .|
$$ | . . X O . . . O X . . . O X O O . O .|
$$ | . . . , . X . O X , X X X O O , O X .|
$$ | . . X X X O O O X . . X O O X X O X .|
$$ | . . X X . X X X O O X X O . X . X O .|
$$ | . . . X X O . O . . X O O . . X . O .|
$$ +--------------------------------------+[/go]

The assault appears to have failed.

In military terms, the objective of the assaulting force in an attack is often to create a window of opportunity for the exploitation force. Maybe it is so on the Go board too. While black defended and then captured the center it appears that white may have exploited the window of opportunity. White won!