Blocking moves in the Opening

Unusedname · Post by **Unusedname** » Thu Dec 24, 2015 12:02 pm

I was looking through some old posts and thought this was a cool opening concept.
And how lucky that an example appears twice in the same game.

By blocking move I mean a move like var:

. Or Game:

following the variation with intent to tenuki.

Bill Spight wrote:A few comments.

So to test the value of the blocking plays we should compare Game:

//Variation:

and Variation

with Diagram

.

Never really thinking about this in my games before, initially I'm kind of skeptical that Game:

is better than Variation:

.

In Game:

: The corner enclosure already has aji. There are a few different attachments that can be made. And K3 already looks like a good play for black without the C5 Aji.

Variation:

: White has the extra reach to D8. Is this over concentrated? D8 wants to be closed off but b/c C15 is low white doesn't have a good move on the left.
Now black has a good move at C10 that he didn't have before.
Is K3 a better move in Variation

because it's splitting a taller wall? D8 becomes even less effective?
D2 aji is more severe b/c C5 threatens bigger life in the corner?

Thinking like this it seems the variation is better.
I guess I was skeptical because it looks like white's corner is more "complete."
White wanted to play in that corner anyways so it seems like a thank you move.

Maybe it's just a matter of sente/gote?
Maybe I'm missing benefits of Game

?

Personally I'm not sure how I would find these moves haha.
Maybe they are more common when there is miai.
Maybe I will think more creatively about "The enemy's key point is yours"

Any examples in your games?

edit: clarification

skydyr · Post by **skydyr** » Thu Dec 24, 2015 12:37 pm

What exactly do you mean by a blocking move?

Unusedname · Post by **Unusedname** » Thu Dec 24, 2015 12:50 pm

I mean a move like var

. It looks like a play just to block whites enclosure and then abandon the stone.

Idk what it's called so i just called it a blocking move.

Game

would be another example in the variation but not in the actual game.

skydyr · Post by **skydyr** » Thu Dec 24, 2015 1:09 pm

Unusedname wrote:I mean a move like var . It looks like a play just to block whites enclosure and then abandon the stone.

Idk what it's called so i just called it a blocking move.

Game would be another example in the variation but not in the actual game.

Ah, that makes sense. I suppose they have a lot in common with probes, in that you put down a stone to see how your opponent reacts, and base your game plan off that without necessarily putting too much stock in the stone itself... it may just be aji later, or open up an invasion that it's too early to play. By extension, if your opponent protects against the invasion or aji too early, you gain on the rest of the board.

Life In 19x19

Blocking moves in the Opening

Blocking moves in the Opening

Re: Blocking moves in the Opening

Re: Blocking moves in the Opening

Re: Blocking moves in the Opening