Saturday 8 February 2014

Which move is more advanced?


Long time no post and and happy new year!
I finally have the time and mood to write another technical post.

I'd like to show our readers two game scenarios, in which two
best moves are presented. I'll let you decide which move is
more advanced.





















Scenario A


As shown above, black 1 is a strong move, aiming to deprive of 
white bottom's base, and attack white bottom as a whole. Note 
that black has lots of ko threats in upper-left. Depending on the 
situation, black can either net at C, or play A/B in sente during 
the attack. Black 1 is a good-feeling move; it's not easy for white
to counter attack because of the burden in upper-left.























Scenario B

As shown above. Black just jumped; although it's early
in the game, the battle is already fierce and complex. What
should white do?





















White 1 push is a no brainer and impulsive "sente" move.
However, the white 1 black 2 exchange hurts white centre
group, which in turn gives black less pressure on his left group.
On the other hand, if sealed inside, white's group on top is still
quite uncomfortable. After black 4, there is a sense that black has
one weak group while white has two.





















White 1 is the move in real game. The idea is to strengthen
white's centre group first (without the push/extend exchange),
and let black decide which side he wants. In the real game,
because white's centre group is stronger, black's group on left
feels the pressure, so he chooses to strengthen the group through
moves 2-6. In return white 7 captures two black stones and
a compromise is reached in this local battle. I slightly prefer
white.





















This is what black is concerned if he chooses to move
two stones.

Conclusion

As you may have guessed, both scenarios are from my
own games, and both best moves are relative to my level
and knowledge.

I am trying to make a point. One of the hard aspect of Go
is to find a balance and compromise in complex and subtle
situations. In that sense, the black 1 move in Scenario A is
simple, since it's a one-sided attack. The white 1 kosumi
in Scenario B is not sharp but gentle and balanced. I spent
quite some time on it during the game, and both the game and
the move are memorable.


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