Life In 19x19

A recent result of my quest to improve at go led to my Chinese go teacher ( 3 Dan - no sense of humor) throwing a book at me. He ordered me to read it as of all the books he read on go this one was the one that had the biggest impact on his game. I pointed out that it was in Chinese and I didn't have a clue what it was on about. This fact, he considered, to be a minor obstacle.

With Google translator in hand I confidently entered portions of the text and waited in awe as the mighty google transcended cultures and imparted in me knowledge that few other westerners have enjoyed.

Frankly the output from google was goobledegook. The title of the book "Bang around the wonderful responsibility" (as reported by google) is in fact "The best move".

The book takes the form of scenarios and the idea is to identify the strongest move - it is not L&D or a joseki dictionary. Here's an example:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Black to move
$$ ------------------
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . O . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

where is blacks best next move?

Might be worth restricting this to newbies like me... Around 10k.

BobC wrote:where is blacks best next move?

I don't want to be shut in and I don't want him to connect so I would play the 5-5 point. And I couldn't stand a teacher without humour and being a teacher I couldn't stand a pupil who said so.
edit: consider me as a newby that learned the game about 40 years ago

Any other takers before I declare an intepretation ...?

BobC wrote:With Google translator in hand I confidently entered portions of the text and waited in awe as the mighty google transcended cultures and imparted in me knowledge that few other westerners have enjoyed.

How did you enter them? Some radical based method?

What is the ISBN of the book?

Li Kao wrote:

BobC wrote:With Google translator in hand I confidently entered portions of the text and waited in awe as the mighty google transcended cultures and imparted in me knowledge that few other westerners have enjoyed.

How did you enter them? Some radical based method?

scan in -> image into google docs -> translate.

The ocr in Google docs issues the Chinese characters as well as the translation.

ISBN

Can't find one on it.... The only number I recognise in 1986 which I guess is the publication date.Did Chinese books use ISBN's in the '80s?

I encountered this position in a handicap game, and did some research on it afterwards.

I saw this position in a review of Joaz that Bill Spight gave.

It was a game in which Joaz played a professional and faced this double approach. Joaz played the 5-5 point and the professional player played the 6-6 point.

Bill suggested the 6-5 Shoulder hit to separate white. It makes sense to me.

The book gives the best answers and two "poor" answers.

As identified:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Black to move
$$ ------------------
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . O . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . B . . . . |
$$ . . . . . O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

is deemed best. Shoulder hitting to split.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Black to move
$$ ------------------
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . O . . 1 . . . |
$$ . . . . B . . . . |
$$ . . . 2 . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

considered poor given whites response indicated.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

Also poor with whites resonse..

Fun... now try this..

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Black to make best move
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . W . . . X . .
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . X O O . . O . X . .
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ -------------------------[/go]

I don't know what's best ... but I think G2 is an interesting point. it can connect to either black group and robs the white group of a base (I think ... haven't looked too deep).

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Take away the base?
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . W . . . X . .
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . X O O . . O . X . .
$$ | . . X . . . 1 . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ -------------------------[/go]

Any more takers??

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Punishing bad shape?
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . W . . . X . .
$$ | . . . X . . 1 . . . . .
$$ | . . X O O . . O . X . .
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ -------------------------[/go]

Just a hunch though.

BobC wrote:Fun... now try this..

$$Bc Black to make best move
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . X . a b . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . W . c . X . .
$$ | . . . X . . d . . . . .
$$ | . . X O O . . O . X . .
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ -------------------------

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Black to make best move
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . X . a b . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . W . c . X . .
$$ | . . . X . . d . . . . .
$$ | . . X O O . . O . X . .
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ -------------------------[/go]

d at the elephants eye seems to leave too many forcing moves.
c reduces white's eyespace, he'll proably jump to b afterwards. Black's shape isn't very good though. I expect to get in a few more forcing moves, but need to be careful to avoid weakening the left group too much.
b Some kind of cap. Tries to separate white's stones. White probably responds one above c. Feels like helping white to make shape. Also feels a bit thin.
a similar to b, but more solid.

c is my preferred move, followed by a. But since it's a problem, and not a game of mine, I bet on a.

Marcus move seems a bit premature to me. Taking the eyespace away is big, but since white can easily run out, I don't think it's the right timing. I'd respond at E7 as white.