Please help me - frustrated with a common fuseki
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:57 pm
At my level, whenever I try to pincer the approach to the star point, my opponents almost always jump. I am sick beyond words of this. Please somebody recommend how to handle an opening such as the one shown below. I am White.
My best guess is a to try to separate the black stones. The move b, I discovered, seems only to strengthen Black.
A similar and equally common annoyance is this one:
Black sometimes plays a instead of 1.
My problem is I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with my White stone. Do I try to attack Black still? Do I leave it as is and continue to take big points? Do I try to settle my stone with a sabaki sequence?
Is it me who's being unreasonable? Or is there something I just don't grasp? The pros usually invade at 3-3 instead of jumping, but I can't see a plan to play as White.
For sure, I could just respond to the approach by playing an ikken tobi. But what if I want to pincer?
I'm just frustrated with fuseki in general. It seems that one of the following always seems to happen:
* I play big moves in the order described in books such as In the Beginning and Fundamental Principles of Go, but my opponent always seems to develop far more quickly.
* I try to develop quickly, but end up missing a vital point or making my positions too thin and suffering for it.
* My opponent seems to invade or reduce prematurely, but I cannot take advantage.
I don't want to resort to playing the same pattern in every game, for instance the Orthodox. But if, as it seems, fuseki ain't my bag, would anybody think that the best practical option? I.e., to study one pattern and stick to it.
My best guess is a to try to separate the black stones. The move b, I discovered, seems only to strengthen Black.
A similar and equally common annoyance is this one:
Black sometimes plays a instead of 1.
My problem is I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with my White stone. Do I try to attack Black still? Do I leave it as is and continue to take big points? Do I try to settle my stone with a sabaki sequence?
Is it me who's being unreasonable? Or is there something I just don't grasp? The pros usually invade at 3-3 instead of jumping, but I can't see a plan to play as White.
For sure, I could just respond to the approach by playing an ikken tobi. But what if I want to pincer?
I'm just frustrated with fuseki in general. It seems that one of the following always seems to happen:
* I play big moves in the order described in books such as In the Beginning and Fundamental Principles of Go, but my opponent always seems to develop far more quickly.
* I try to develop quickly, but end up missing a vital point or making my positions too thin and suffering for it.
* My opponent seems to invade or reduce prematurely, but I cannot take advantage.
I don't want to resort to playing the same pattern in every game, for instance the Orthodox. But if, as it seems, fuseki ain't my bag, would anybody think that the best practical option? I.e., to study one pattern and stick to it.
As Go Seigen said, go is harmony.
, Black has (at least) two good follow-ups,
.
is different. Black can still jump to 
(c) direction counter pincer is not as good
, you should not be surprised if Black does jump.
can also be at "a". Now that's a counter-pincer! 
does allow Black to make a framework on the top side. But it has a weakness at "a", and Go Seigen likes the high approach at 
. White can be satisfied, in his view.