Life In 19x19

According to the list of proverbs on gobase we should all

"Avoid the plate connection"

What is that? I can find no example here, on SL, through google, or on gobase itself.

I haven't the foggiest.

The Japanese is 板の締め付けを避ける.

It's a very common situation where you play a kosumi (1) instead of a straight descent (A) to the second line to capture two stones. You still get squeezed but the squeezer gets a bump in his position instead of a "plate". Since ita is used (though rarely nowadays) as an alternative for kabe (wall), "don't allow the wall squeeze" might be better. Personally, I've never been entirely convinced by it.

The kosumi seems the best move for several other reasons too.


The first is to recognize that if black plays , then white's best is the belly tesuji at O2.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . O O X X . . |
$$ . . . . X O X . . |
$$ . . . 2 1 O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$--------------------[/go]

The second is to note that if black tenukis, the common shape move for white is the geta:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . O O X X . . |
$$ . . . . X O X . . |
$$ . . . 2 . O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$--------------------[/go]

( Although it is hard to say that the geta is best, given the edge nearby )

Anyway, if O2 looks like a good move for white, it is probably good for black to follow the proverb that "the opponent's best point is my best point too" and take it like this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . O O X X . . |
$$ . . . . X O X . . |
$$ . . . 1 . O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$--------------------[/go]

Thank you! That was a bit of a puzzler