Life In 19x19

I'm looking toward a jabberwocks opening.

Do you normally play openings like this? And if so, what are the big reasons why you like to play it?

I'm not sure if I'm nervous about trying different things, but I've always stuck to 4-4s and 3-4s for my opening moves. Just interested to see kind of what you are thinking. Thanks for the link, as that gives some good descriptions of at least what you are initially aiming for.

Greetings to all observers!

So far, in the games I've played, I've tried to keep the game as simple as possible ... and failed to do so. Invariably, my Malkovich games come down to a huge fight, or a series of fights. I'm not very good at keeping calm, even in so slow a game time. So I will continue to try and play simply and see if I can gain an early lead and keep it.

In that respect, I need to try to drive the game to my own pace. I'm quite comfortable with the 3-4 as an opening move, so that's what I'll play. Lately in my games on KGS, I've offered the option of a diagonal fuseki to my opponent. I like to fight in my games, and am comfortable in that. However, my opponent has decided on the 3-5. To me, that feels like a move meant to begin fights. Let's not let my opponent dictate this game too much. I should be able to get a calm opening going. From there, I think I want the fighting to come to me first. The theory goes that I can gain a lot through attacking. Let's see if I can apply that to the game.

Please, feel free to ask me questions throughout the game.

I don't really have a usual opening as black. I've played chinese, kobayashi, orthodox, and mini chinese at different times. This opening is what I do when I want to have fun. Also, since most people don't have much experience with the 5-3 point, it can give you an advantage if they panic. For an example of this, see my second game against Redstick in the Kuchinashi tournament. If you're uncomfortable with openings like these, I'd recommend getting an alternate kgs account, and then looking at some joseki for 5-3 or 4-5 or whatever is giving you trouble, and then playing them in a couple games until you actually understand the reasoning behind the joseki.

According to plan.

Hmmm, Black wants some sort of whole-board fight ... I can feel it.

Does he know the 3-5 well enough? I know I haven't played against it very often. The Black corners will, for me, come down to reading ability. My reading has been a bit lax as of late, so maybe he's chosen a good strategy against me.

For my own move, it's still time to play simple. A 4-4 is nice and flexible.

I expect him to approach at E3 or E4.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm5 Move 5 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , 2 . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . |
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$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This makes the press at a a good move if white approaches the upper right.
White could also approach at a, and then I'll be content to take a large corner.

If white tries to split, I can attack and get a position on both the left and right.

I also considered approaching one of white's corners, but couldn't figure an approach that worked well with my 5-3 stones.

Well, that's more normal. I still have an extension to either side from here, so there's no worries. I wonder if he'll push me towards his shimari, or if he'll push me towards his lone stone.

This doesn't feel very good for Black. His P17 stone feels out of place, given the direction of his shimari. His 3-5 naturally exerts more power towards the top side, as does his shimari. This makes K17 all the more valuable, at least in my opinion.

Oh well, all this is pretty theoretical. We'll see how well the two of us use our stones.

Ok, so he went for the split. I can roll with this. I'm taking profit now in front of my shimari.
I expect this to happen.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm7 Move 7 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . a . 1 . O . . 2 . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , 3 . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

There is a weakness at a, but I don't think white is strong enough in the area to do anything. If he plays there without first reinforcing his group, I can shoulder hit the two space extension to prevent him from connecting underneath and then start a running fight.

I now have my first weak group. Gotta make it a bit stronger. This move give me a tentative base to jump out from. Black still has the option of removing that base by playing L18 or M18, but I'm not too worried. Black needs to fix his lone stone, I think.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm9 Move 9 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . X . O . . O . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , 1 . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I was going to play this. But just as I was about to post, I looked it over, and what I played just looked better to me. It does leave more weakness in the corner, but it pressures white a bit more. If white tries to invade too early, he will give me great thickness with which to attack his extension.

I also considered the 5-5 point. It puts even more pressure on white, and I could then play r15 to enclose a large corner.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm9 Move 9 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
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$$ | . . . . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . X . O . . O . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . a . . . . . 1 . . . |
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$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I don't like this. Later W can play one of the A's, his group is secure, and he can invade the corner. Meanwhile, B does not really have a good third move to secure the corner.

Hmmm ... his corner enclosure isn't finished. He's left both an invasion point at R17 and an outside attack point around R13.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm9 White can still attack the corner
$$ ---------------------------------------
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . X . O . . O . X . a . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b . . |
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$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

However, there's a huge board open to me. I think I'll grab Q10 now, while I can.

His corner could become big, but it needs at LEAST one more move to secure it. To me, that makes his move less valuable than if he had simply played the safe enclosure at R16 as I had expected.

I had planned on taking Q10 anyways, even if he played the normal enclosure. It's big, and my Q4 stone wants to play out towards that side.

I realize that I've left my 3-4 stone at C4 all alone throughout this opening. The common theory I've heard is that after the 4 corners are taken the next priority should be creating and preventing enclosures. However, Black's normal approach moves towards C4 give me the opportunity to play moves on the bottom side that work well with my Q4 stone. Like in a Chinese opening, I am inviting my opponent to jump into my side of the board so I can gain from attacking.

The downside to this, being White, is that I'm missing a stone at L3 or L4 to make it a true Chinese formation. I have to remain flexible, and expect that Black will gain more from his approach that White would making the same approach to a Chinese Fuseki. Still, there's plenty that White can do to profit from Black's next attack. I've been waiting since move 5 for it to come, but Black must eventually approach my lower left.

Interesting tenuki. It's a big move, but now I get to make this box shape while attacking him. I also considered doing a one point jump instead of the knight, but this is more severe. I expect him to either run, or defend his group in gote.

I'm also looking at an approach to his 3-4 soon.

Ok ... he's still attacking my weak group. I guess I'll have to strengthen it. Typical move, since I can't run easily. H18 allows me to make more eye space. I'm glad I played Q10. He's going to seal me in on the top side, giving him some nice influence to play with. Q10 should allow me to play for some influence on the right side, keeping my influence in balance with his.

I want the following, but so far my opponent isn't seeming to want to oblige me. I'll even live in gote in this sequence, allowing my opponent to approach C4 finally.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm12 Move 12 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . 2 1 3 . . 7 . 5 6 . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . 4 X . O . . O . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . X . . . . . . X . . . |
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$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
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$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

There's really nothing urgent enough yet to make me want sente too badly. My games over the last few months have really helped me understand a little more about "big" moves and sente. I could have squirmed a little more with my weak group, but it was unlikely that I would gain sente at the end of the fight ... which is to be expected. Black has a lot more power on that side of the board than I do. Since my group was in no immediate danger, I looked at the board and decided that I didn't want my opponent to have the big point on the right side. Going up that side from my 4-4 corner stone is worth a lot in the game, and playing on the 4th line will help offset the influence I'm giving my opponent by allowing him to seal in my group.

I have to be careful, of course. My opponent has two moderately strong groups (though, as stated earlier, his upper right corner is incomplete). I have three attackable stones and an attackable weak group. I need to do some management to patch up the weaknesses I see in my own formations.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm13 Move 13 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . a 1 O 2 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . X . O . . O . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . 3 . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . X . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
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$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I'm planning on this sequence. Note that the clamp at a does not work, although I have to remain conscious of the agi there.