Life In 19x19

In a recent game (and in games before) I got into this situation:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c This is a label for the diagram.
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . Y . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X O O O . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . X X O . . . X . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . . X . X O . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This position arises if I follow the moves on josekipedia where black even makes the mistake at F3. But I dont know how to respond to the triangled move. Should I maybe just connect at E5 or is there a better way to connect or can I somehow exploit the weakness of blacks stones to counterattack first?

e5?! No way. Here are a few ideas:

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[go]$$Wc
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . Y . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X O O O . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . X X O . . . X . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . . X . X O . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . Y 1 . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X O O O . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . X X O . . . X . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . . X . X O . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . Y . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X O O O . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . X X O . . . X . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . . X . X O . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

However, if none of these appeal and this peep makes you sad then don't let black play it. Instead of solid connect on the previous move you could play this looser connection which has better eyeshape to the centre. The main downside versus the solid connection is that if black captures a single stone at a white should fall back at b rather than being able to atari and close the side with c, but as black has a strong position on the lower side this is a boring area so white is happy here.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . 1 . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . X X O b . . X . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . . X . X O a c . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Thanks for the answer! Concerning the first three variations: Am I right in assuming that white doesnt necessarily need to connect, not even later? Connecting might be good later but if the fight is good for white, he doesnt need to. So its more flexible?

splittingfield wrote:Thanks for the answer! Concerning the first three variations: Am I right in assuming that white doesnt necessarily need to connect, not even later? Connecting might be good later but if the fight is good for white, he doesnt need to. So its more flexible?

White would normally connect eventually in this sort of shape, the idea is to first make some beneficial exchanges and make black's peep stones a bit heavy before defending (because if you just defend immediately and then later try to make those exchanges black might ignore, and then your defence move was unnecessary), so this kind of thing:

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[go]$$Wc
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 1 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O 5 Y 2 4 . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X O O O . . a . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . X X O . . . X . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . . X . X O . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Seeing as black has a strong group on the lower side, but his left side stone is attackable later probably attach this side makes more sense. Black's peep stones here are not so amazing, for example you can split them from the lower side whilst running out with a later. White's shape is rather poor too though so I would probably prefer that lighter connection of my last diagram.

In some positions it is possible to never connect and let black cut you and just fight it out. This is particularly appropriate in handicap games against the sort of weak and submissive players who do that lower left sequence: they are likely to be bad at fighting so you can bully them, but such play is not really proper against an equally skilled opponent.

Thanks again!

A couple of other ideas.

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[go]$$Wc
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . Y . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X O O O . . 1 . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . X X O . . . X . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . . X . X O . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

A leaning attack. If Black cuts, you can push him towards the right.

But remember the old joke:

Patient: Doctor, it hurts when I do this.

Doctor: Don't do that.

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[go]$$Wc Counter pincer
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . X X O . . . X . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . . X . X O . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Having built up strength in the bottom left corner, White pincers the stone.