Life In 19x19

I face this kind of position fairly often in handicap games as black:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W
$$ ----------------------+
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . , . . . X . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . , . . . . . 2 . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . 1 . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . , . . . 3 . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------+[/go]

The issue is I'm not wholly comfortable with positions arising out of the bottom right corner. Specifically this one just makes me feel like Black has seriously messed up and has a heavy clumpy group even though a and b are options and maybe c (I dislike c):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

Any thoughts on this? The other attach for is something I've glanced at but it looks rather complicated.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

The best move here is for Black to turn at c, as in

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . 9 8 . . . |
$$ . . . . . 7 2 . . . |
$$ . . . . . 3 1 O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 4 . . |
$$ , . . . O 5 X 6 . . |
$$ . . . . b . . a . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------+[/go]

Black is thick and later, Black can close the right side as in

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . 3 . . . |
$$ . . . . . X O . 1 . |
$$ . . . . . X O . 2 . |
$$ . . . . . X X O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ , . . . O X X O . . |
$$ . . . . b . . a . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------+[/go]

Black b in the original diagram is slack when Black has the pincer on the right side.

There is good discussion of this situation in volume two of the Takao joseki dictionary.

Thanks gowan, my dislike of that continuation probably comes from undervaluing thickness. I feel pushing white along the fourth line is giving white too good a result. I suspect my evaluation is quite flawed.

Edit: Also I might be expecting too much after such a soft pincer.

Boidhre wrote:my dislike of that continuation probably comes from undervaluing thickness.
I feel pushing white along the fourth line is giving white too good a result.
I suspect my evaluation is quite flawed.

There's another factor -- you mentioned you were worried about your "heavy clumpy group".

If you link up as Gowan and Bill said, then your potential weakness becomes strength.

When either of these happens --

• Weakness becomes strength
• Strength becomes weakness

-- it can be significant (i.e. big). ( Not always true, of course. )

Remember you tenuki'd once from the LR corner at , and you can still get a good result by linking up.

See if you recall from your previous games where your seemingly "strong" group suddenly became weak (or even died).
Conversely, when your dying group suddenly became a monster and killed your opponent.

It can be a big turning point.

I don't like the play at 1. It feels like the wrong direction.

Anytime you attach to a stone, you encourage it to become stronger. When the R6 stone becomes stronger, your pincer stone at Q10 becomes less effective.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc
$$ ----------------------+
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . , . . . X . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . , . . . . . B . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 1 O . . |
$$ . . . . . b a . . . . |
$$ . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------+[/go]

I would try 'a' or 'b', encouraging him to build strength on the bottom. Then R6 is still threatened by the pincer.

EDIT: I see that Bill has provided an example of this. Note that as white builds strengyh in the other direction, your Q10 stone becomes more relevant.

I don't like the play at 1. It feels like the wrong direction.
Anytime you attach to a stone, you encourage it to become stronger.

The situation is much more complicated than this.

Joaz Banbeck wrote:I don't like the play at 1. It feels like the wrong direction.

Anytime you attach to a stone, you encourage it to become stronger. When the R6 stone becomes stronger, your pincer stone at Q10 becomes less effective.

$$Bc
$$ ----------------------+
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . , . . . X . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . , . . . . . B . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 1 O . . |
$$ . . . . . b a . . . . |
$$ . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc
$$ ----------------------+
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . , . . . X . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . , . . . . . B . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 1 O . . |
$$ . . . . . b a . . . . |
$$ . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------+[/go]

I would try 'a' or 'b', encouraging him to build strength on the bottom. Then R6 is still threatened by the pincer.

EDIT: I see that Bill has provided an example of this. Note that as white builds strength in the other direction, your Q10 stone becomes more relevant.

Yes, attaching makes the stone stronger but it also makes Black's stone(s) stronger. Locally Black is weaker than White, two white stones versus one black. Also, attaching can make the White stone heavier. In this case, that allows Black to make his group thick. Bill pointed out that White sliding to S3 is usual instead of pushing at R4. This sliding move gets about as much territory as R4 and helps the white O4 stone somewhat, giving some momentum to a white move at O3 later.