Life In 19x19

As promised, fwiffo, here is your godiscussion's game.

Edit: I should note that i reviewed this game before i took a look at the komi so I had assumed it was an even game.

I guess the biggest question I would have is about move 37. Now, I had been taught at various points that playing a pincer is good when I have support on the side. Indeed, I did well with that for a long time because my opponents would usually invade the corner, and I'd get a wall with an extension already in place and a big area on the right side. Or they'd jump up which I think is unfavorable for white. And if you could read the original thread, you'd see the pincer garnered approval from the gallery.

But a database search backs up this review.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ --------------------
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . d . . . . |
$$ . . c . O . b . . . |
$$ , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . a . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . , . . . |[/go]

Out of 295 games I found matching the upper right quadrant, 93 choose the high response (a) and 61 choose the nobi (b). In my defense, my pincer (c) is #3 with 26 games, and in almost all of those, white jumps into the corner. The footsweep (d)is also somewhat popular, with 23 games.

So who was the smarty-pants that taught me that pincer was the way to go? "I learned it from you, Dad! I learned it by watching you!"

So I guess I'll try to break this habit... But I wish I understood better when to pincer and when not to.

In the much more common case, where the side stone is one space lower as it would be in san-ren-sei (5892 games), The pincer wins with 1838 games, with the high response second at 1637.

It's all about using your stones effectively.

When you're ending a sequence in gote, you really need to be certain that what you're getting is worth the cost. Here, as i showed in variation, you're ending in gote if white jumps into the corner, as well as potentially over concentrating your position. Worse, the over extension between your Q6 wall and Q11 is prime for reduction. As white will have sente, you can count on him looking to reduce that area and expand on what he already has. Since this is the only real source of territory for black right now, Being put on the defensive in such a manner leads to a losing game.

Q17 is popular because it calls into question just how white is going to settle now that the corner is denied. At the same time black threatens to grab solid, 4th line territory. White won't have much choice aside from simply grabbing a base which could very well put him in gote if he doesn't want to be kept low/open to invasion etc...

Edit: I should also point out these ideas are dan level thus it's understandable that you haven't been exposed to them quite yet.