When to Go to the Center
Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:01 pm
I often find it hard to know when to move a group into the center instead of settling it in the corner/on the side. "Corners, side, center" suggests running a weak-ish group to the corner first, but "don't get surrounded" could, under many circumstances, suggest otherwise.
The following position came up in a game of mine recently. I was playing black. A small fight had broken out on the right side of the board, leaving white with a heavy-ish looking group. I didn't feel totally secure about my stones in the upper right and, wanting to settle them in some way before trying to attack the white group, played Q18.
I also considered playing somewhere around O12 or N15 to move the group into the center while threatening some of white's stones. After my move at Q18, however, a white move around N14 would build the top moyo, make it easier for white to connect her groups, and would begin to surround my upper-right stones. I settled on Q18, thinking that it gives me a fair amount of points in the corner, that it threatens an invasion at M17, and that it makes my group totally strong, but now I have serious doubts about my decision.
I guess what I'm getting at is this: Are there general guidelines for when a group should jump out into the center? Should I have moved my group into the center? I felt like R11 and S11 stones negated what sort of a base I had and that if I ran to the center I would only induce white to fix her weaknesses on the top.
Thanks!
The following position came up in a game of mine recently. I was playing black. A small fight had broken out on the right side of the board, leaving white with a heavy-ish looking group. I didn't feel totally secure about my stones in the upper right and, wanting to settle them in some way before trying to attack the white group, played Q18.
I also considered playing somewhere around O12 or N15 to move the group into the center while threatening some of white's stones. After my move at Q18, however, a white move around N14 would build the top moyo, make it easier for white to connect her groups, and would begin to surround my upper-right stones. I settled on Q18, thinking that it gives me a fair amount of points in the corner, that it threatens an invasion at M17, and that it makes my group totally strong, but now I have serious doubts about my decision.
I guess what I'm getting at is this: Are there general guidelines for when a group should jump out into the center? Should I have moved my group into the center? I felt like R11 and S11 stones negated what sort of a base I had and that if I ran to the center I would only induce white to fix her weaknesses on the top.
Thanks!
descend --
instead:
tenuki is better.