I like starting with the 4-4 move because it's flexible and symmetrical. I'll have more strategy based upon where the opponent choses to respond.

I always play a 4-4 first as white, then choose my next stone based on how black continues. White has to play a more flexible game than black, since black can choose a plan and white has to respond to it. If black plays another 4-4, I will too. This is because I don't want to leave a good approach like an unbalanced stone would. If black plays an unbalanced stone, I will consider options of doing one myself or approaching it. We'll see what it looks like when it comes up.

White has permitted a diagonal fuseki. I suppose that means more fighting and less of a moyo-oriented game. I'm pretty flexible, and I'm happy to give it a go.

the northwest 3-3 point. Since we've gotten into a diagonal fuseki, the walls that blocking on top of the 3-3 would generate wouldn't work as well with potential black moyos. The thickness would, of course, still help for fights, but at least we could try to keep things simple, grab cash, and play thick to keep a lead. Mostly, I really want to be able to play 3-3 as an option, so I'm trying to figure out when and how to play it, and now seems as good as most times.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Breaking symmetry
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . a . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . b . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I think responding directly to is a little insipid. I could approach the top right with a, but then black could play a pincer that works well with his approach stone. I could play b, but that maintains symmetry, which I don't think is to white's advantage. So I like c.

Double Kakari? This could be fun.

It's the concept of mutual damage - we can't let our own side be damaged more than their side. Plus, our high stone might work better with the marked stone below than their low stone does with their own marked stone, though it may seem a bit superficial.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . B . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . . , . . . . . W . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm9 Prisoners - B:0 W:0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . B . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . W . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Actually I know absolutely nothing about this kind of positions, and quite little regarding their associated josekis, so I am making this move mainly by intuition.

Assuming white plays here, then we can compare it against since both make similar shapes. The and structure focuses more on the top side while the and structure focuses more on the left side. In my opinion, the top side is more interesting than the left side. Therefore, this result might come out slightly better for black, but this is a fairly low confidence assessment.

It was only inevitable right? This move can help keep the influence Black is likely to score on top in check. When a kyu player "breaks the rhythm" of this opening, that is our chance to take advantage.

PS: Not making videos for this Malkovich due to the risk of collision + busy schedule already .

The left corners are close enough to symetrical that they can be treated as miai: whayever they do to us, we do to them. The left side is so populated that there is not much to be accomplished there. But there is a big oba on the right which not only gets a lot of influence on the right, it affects top and bottom also.

When in doubt, ask your opponent exactly what their plan is for the moyo. I prefer this to the wedge because it feels like if black defends the corner, white will be pushed against black's influence in a boring way. This area seems important because black can almost perfect his moyo with another move here, whilst a white move should have no trouble getting in black's way. I would intend to adopt a moyo reduction joseki, but goodness knows where this game will go

I want to get this in. I feel like this is a decent extension from our left side stones. A nice, loose pincer.

Surely sabaki will not be difficult now. I think it would be harsher for black to push between white's stones somehow.