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2
Copyright © 2013 by Nagahara Yoshiaki and Richard Bozulich

3
 Elementary Go Series, Volume 7

HANDICAP GO

by Nagahara Yoshiaki 7 dan & Richard Bozulich

4
 Preface
In the opening stages of the game, territory and influence are equally
important. However, if you concentrate only on making territory and
ignore influence, the chances are you will find yourself at a disadvantage
later on in the game.
In handicap games, the handicap stones are high on the star points and
are not efficient in securing territory. It is therefore natural and
strategically correct for Black to emphasize influence. However, kyu-level
players lack the ability and the confidence to play an influence-oriented
game; instead of taking chances on positions in which the territorial
boundaries are not clearly defined and are often wide open, they prefer to
build iron-clad territories in the corners and on the sides. This is
strategically unsound.
Kyu-level players also tend to play defensively and are not inclined to
attack the stronger player. The result is that their opponent steadily starts
gaining an advantage in both territory and influence after the first few
moves of the game.
The correct strategy for Black in handicap games is to place priority on
building influence and to use this influence to relentlessly attack. This way
of playing might seem to be unreasonable against a strong opponent, but it
will actually make your handicap games less complicated and your
strategic goals more clear. It also leaves your opponent with fewer options
in his responses.
It is the aim of this book to teach the principles and techniques that you
must know to play this kind of game.
The first chapter lays down 20 elementary principles of handicap go,
showing examples from actual games and josekis.
The second chapter present a ‘sure-win strategy’ that Black can use in a
five-stone game to increase his chances of winning. The exposition goes
on to show how Black can use this strategy in higher handicap games as
well as in handicaps of three and two stones.
The third chapter discusses various strategies that White can use when
giving handicaps. It includes basic principles as well as handicap-go

5
josekis, showing the various ways that Black can go wrong and how to
take advantage of these mistakes. The weaker player who reads this
chapter will no doubt pick up useful tips for countering White’s strategies.
The fourth chapter includes four games played by professional against
strong players. As such, they provide examples of good play by both Black
and White.
The last chapter presents 38 problems. These problems are meant to
expand on the theoretical discussions contained in the first chapters and to
explore variations that were omitted in those chapters.
The first edition of this book has been out of print for more than 20
years. This edition has been extensively revised and rewritten. Many of the
examples in the first edition remain, but an equal number of new examples
have been added.
Concerning authorship of this book, the examples were contributed or
reviewed and approved by Nagahara. However, the book was organized
and the text written by me.

Richard Bozulich
May 6, 2013

6
 Copyright Page
Elementary Go Series, Volume 7
Handicap Go

by Nagahara Yoshiaki 7 dan & Richard Bozulich

Published by
Kiseido Publishing Company
Kagawa 4–48–32, Chigasaki-shi
Kanagawa-ken, Japan 253–0082

Copyright © 1982 by Nagahara Yoshiaki and Richard Bozulich

Revised Edition Copyright © 2013 by Nagahara Yoshiaki and Richard
Bozulich

All rights reserved according to international law. No part of this book

may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic
process, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or
otherwise copied for public or private use without the written permission
of the publisher.

ISBN of the printed version: 978–4–906574–16–2

Converted for SmartGo Books by John Mifsud.

7
 Contents
Handicap Go
Preface
Copyright Page
Some Important Terms and Concepts
Chapter One
The Strategic Principles of Handicap Go
Chapter Two
A Winning Strategy for Black
Chapter Three
Playing with White
Chapter Four
Example Games
Chapter Five
38 Problems
Problems 1–9
Problems 10–19
Problems 20–29
Problems 30–38
Go Books from Kiseido
About SmartGo Books

8
 Some Important Terms and Concepts

Glossary of Japanese Terms

aji – the latent possibilities that exist in a position.
atari – a move that leaves an opposing stone or group with only one
liberty, threatening to capture on the next move.
dan – a ranking scale running from shodan (1-dan) up to 9-dan. For
amateurs, there is a one-stone difference between ranks. For
professionals, the difference is usually a third of a stone. At present,
the top amateur rank in Japan is 8-dan, which is considered
comparable to professional shodan.
double atari – an atari that threatens to capture two different stones or
groups of stones.
gote – a move which does not require an answer; a defensive move.
Compare sente.
hane – a diagonal move played from a friendly stone in contact with an
enemy stone.
joseki – an established pattern of moves, usually played in the corner
during the opening stage of the game. The outcome is considered to
be good for both players.
ko – a situation in which your stone is captured, but it is illegal to retake
the capturing stone, even though you can occupy all of its liberties.
kyu – a rank given to players to indicate their strength. Beginners are
arbitrarily classified as 35-kyu and, as they become stronger, the
numerical value of their kyu decreases. For example, 15-kyu is
stronger than 20-kyu. See dan.
miai – two points of approximately equal value. If your opponent takes
one of them, you should (and often must) take the other.
moyo – a placement of stones that creates a framework that loosely maps

9
 out a large area of potential territory.
ponnuki – the shape left when a stone is captured by four opposing stones.
sabaki – settling a stone or a group of stones so that it does not become a
burden by giving it flexible shape or sacrificing part of the group.
sanren-sei – an opening formation in which a player occupies the three star
points on one side of the board.
seki – a stalemate between opposing groups. If one side tries to attack the
other side’s group, his own group will find itself in atari and be
captured. Therefore, neither side can attack or atari the other.
sente – a move that must be answered to avoid an unacceptable loss; an
offensive move. Compare gote.
snapback – a tactic in which one stone is offered as a sacrifice. If it is
taken, the capturing stones are in turn captured.
tesuji – a skillful move which accomplishes some clear tactical objective,
such as capturing a group, rescuing one of your own groups, linking
up your stones, separating your opponent’s stones, or making good
shape.

English words used to describe stone formations or positions

eye – a point which is surrounded by stones of the same color.
heavy – stones that do not have eye shape are referred to as heavy. Heavy
stones make good attacking targets.
thick – a thick position has few or no defects, i.e., cutting points. Thick
positions are useful in that they can be used for attacking the
opponent’s weak groups. Conversely, thick positions are hard to
attack.
thin – stones that are weak or widely separated are referred to as thin.
Unlike thick groups, thin stones are easily attacked.

For a complete glossary of Japanese go terms with examples, see The Go

Player’s Almanac, published by Kiseido.

10
 Chapter One
The Strategic Principles of Handicap Go
A move is good because it conforms to principles of good play. Whether it
is played in a handicap game or in an even game makes no difference.
Why, then is a book on handicap go necessary? Wouldn’t a book of a more
general nature suffice? What distinguishes handicap games from even
games?
First, in handicap games Black starts with a power base of two or more
stones.
Second, Black’s handicap stones are placed in high positions, on the star
points of the fourth line.
Third, there is usually a marked difference in the strength between the
players.
These three points have a strong influence on the style of play as well as
the strategies adopted by Black and White, giving handicap games a
completely different character from even games.

11
Principle 1.
In handicap games, Black must play for influence.

Handicap games start with some

black stones on the star points, so it
is important to understand the
character of these placements and to
formulate a consistent strategy for
using them.

Dia. 1
The formation shown in Dia. 1 is called sanren-sei. The two stones on
the 4–4 points and the one on the side star point radiate influence toward
the center and along the side. However, these stones are defective in
securing the territory in the corner.

12
 5
6 4 3 1 9
2 7
8
10

Dia. 2
For example, White can easily wrest the corner from Black by invading at
the 3–3 point with 1 in Dia. 2 and continuing with the sequence to 10. In
compensation, Black gets influence in the center that will affect the
strategic decisions to be made in the opening and the middle game.
Although White gets security and sure profit, his stones have little strategic
influence on the course of the game.

13
 6
2
7 3 1
4

Dia. 3
In contrast to a stone placed on the 4–4 point, an opening stone placed on
the 3–3 point secures the corner, but its influence on the center is limited,
as the sequence in Dia. 3 illustrates.

14
 2

5 b a

Dia. 4
Dia. 4 shows the beginning of a four-stone handicap game. White’s 1–3–5
formation is often played. The standard follow-up is for Black to play at
either ‘a’ or ‘b’.

15
 13
8 7 11 9
12 10
14

6 a

Dia. 5
Black chooses to play high on the star point with 6 in Dia. 5. If White now
approaches with 7, Black 8 is a powerful pincer.
Invading with White 9 is the standard follow-up. Black blocks with 10
and the sequence to Black 14 can be expected. White has secured the
corner while Black has mapped out a large moyo (framework of potential
territory) on the right side.

16
 13
8 7 11 9
12 10
14

18
17 16

15 6

Dia. 6
If Black plays 6 on the third line, as in Dia. 6, and answers White 7 with 8,
after the sequence to 14, White will press down on Black’s position with a
capping move at 15. A proverb advises us to play a knight’s move in
response to a cap, but White attaches with 17. After 18, Black’s stones on
the upper right side are overconcentrated and his stone at 14 has lost much
of its potential.

17
 9
12 11 7 10

Dia. 7
If Black plays 6 on the third line, he should answer White 7 with the one-
space jump of 8 in Dia. 7. The sequence to Black 12 could be expected.
Black’s stones are all working efficiently.
Black 6 in Dia. 5 is not without its weaknesses. White could invade at
‘a’ but he would find his stones under a severe attack. (See Problem 38.)

18
Principle 2.
From a single stone, extend two spaces.
From a two-stone wall, extend three spaces.

Go is a game in which the two players alternately place stones on the

board to control territory. The player who places his stones more
efficiently will win. One aspect regarding the efficiency of stones can be
illustrated by considering extensions on the third line.

19
 Dia. 1
If Black has only the marked stone on the third line as in Dia. 1, a two-
space extension to Black 1 is the most efficient.

Dia. 2
If Black has a made a two-stone wall with the marked stones in Dia. 2,
then a three-space extension to Black 1 is best.

20
 1

Dia. 3
From the three stone wall in Dia. 3, Black can extend four spaces to 1.
This is the theory, but these principles should not be taken as iron-clad;
rather, they should be thought of as guides. At times it might be
appropriate to overextend a bit, at other times it might be prudent to extend
tightly.
Let’s see how these principles are applied in games.

21
 2
4
5 1

Dia. 4
In the four-stone handicap game in Dia. 4, White starts with an approach
move at 1 and Black responds with the one-space jump of 2. Suppose that
White follows the principle of extending two spaces from a single stone
and extends to 3. Black would then attach with 4, forcing White to defend
his position with 5. White ends up with a two-stone wall from which he
has extended only two spaces, instead of the three spaces that would have
been ideal. His stones are not working efficiently and are
overconcentrated.

22
 4
2 3

Dia. 5
After Black jumps to 2, White usually slides into the corner with 3 in Dia.
5. Defending the corner with Black 4 is the standard but not the only
response. White can now extend two spaces to 5, making an ideal
extension. This is a joseki.

23
 4
2

Dia. 6
After Black jumps to 2, White could also extend three spaces to 3 in Dia.
6. Black extends to 4 completing the joseki. At this point, White will
probably leave the situation in the upper right as it is and play elsewhere,
even though his stones are thinly spread out and vulnerable to an invasion
at ‘a’.

24
 14 10
5 11
8 6 7
4 2 1
12 3 9
13

Dia. 7
Black could answer White 1 by attaching with 2 in Dia. 7. The sequence to
White 13 is a joseki. Black has made a thick wall on the right, so he can
extend all the way to 14.

25
 18 17 19
16 15

20

Dia. 8
Later, White can cut with 15 in Dia. 8 and secure the corner with the
sequence to 19. Black would then jump to 20, reinforcing his position at
the top while staking out territory.

26
Principle 3.
Make White’s stones heavy, then attack.

4
2
3 1

Dia. 1
In a nine-stone game, the strongest way for Black to answer when White
approaches at 1 in Dia. 1 is to attach with 2. (Actually, whenever White
makes an approach inside a sanren-sei formation, the attachment of Black
2 is usually the best move.) White will almost always respond by standing

27
with 3. Next, Black defends the top with 4. Ideally, White would like to
extend to ‘a’ (or to the marked stone), but the marked stone is in the way.

7
5 a

8 6

Dia. 2
White could play his next move elsewhere, but if he wants to immediately
contest this part of the board, he will extend to 5 (or ‘a’) in Dia. 2. Black
descends to 6, attacking White’s base and preventing him from expanding
along the side by attaching at 6, so White escapes into the center with 7.
Black keeps up the attack by jumping to 8 while mapping out a large

28
framework of territory in the lower part of the board. Next –

9
11 10

12

Dia. 3
White invades with 9 in Dia. 3, intending to isolate Black’s three stones in
the upper right corner. Black responds by securing those stones and the
corner territory by descending to 10. White must answer with 11 to keep
his stones linked up. Black ends in sente, so he can switch to the bottom
right and reinforce his position there with 12.
By making White’s stones heavy with 2 in Dia. 1, then threatening the

29
eye shape of these stones, Black has been able to secure more than 15
points in the upper right corner. He has also been able to stake out a large
framework of territory in the lower right quadrant of the board. Some of
this will eventually become Black’s territory. On the other hand, White has
not made any territory. All that he has been able to do is make shape for
his stones so that they don’t die.

4
2 3

Dia. 4
If Black omits the attachment of 2 in Dia. 1 and simply jumps to 2 in Dia.
4, White can slide to 3, then extend one space with 5. White’s stones might

30
still come under attack, but they are working more efficiently than his
stones in Dia. 2. White has at least one eye and can easily make another,
so his position is not as precarious as in Dia. 2.

31
Principle 4.
Black should play an attacking game.

Since Black is strong from the start, he should dictate the flow of the
game. His strategy should be to maintain his initial strength and prevent
White from becoming strong. In the process of attacking, Black aims to
build influence and territory. The targets of attack should be weak stones
that are not yet secured. Because White starts at a disadvantage, he has to
find a way to get the initiative. He will be tempted to extend farther than is
justified, he will want to make unreasonable invasions, and he will be
tempted to leave one of his groups unsettled in order to take sente and start
maneuvers in another part of the board, so Black will always have targets
to attack. This means that Black should avoid strengthening White’s
weak stones so as not to lose those targets.
Your main objective when attacking a group is not to kill it; rather, you
want to gain profit or influence by threatening to kill it. In the process,
White’s gain should be minimal, but Black’s substantial.
Even though Black must attack, he must also be cautious. He must not
try to play on equal terms with White and slug it out head to head because
White’s superior reading ability and judgment will usually win out.
Black should avoid the life-and-death struggles that spread throughout
the board. Instead, he should threaten White’s weak stones with moves
that strengthen his own weak stones and take big opening points when
White strengthens one of his weak groups.
White’s superior skill often causes Black to live in a state of fear. Every
white move is considered a threat that has to be dealt with. When his
stones actually do come under attack a feeling of panic arises and he fails
to realize that the attacking stones are probably just as weak as his own.
The result is that Black usually spends more time defending than attacking.
Here is an example.

32
 13 b 5 9 10
7 6
8
a 12

11

2 3

d e
c 1 4

Dia. 1
In the four-stone handicap game in Dia. 1, White has approached the black
stone in the upper left corner with 13. White expects Black to respond with
a move around ‘a’ after which he will extend to ‘b’ stabilizing his position
at the top. However, instead of making such a knee-jerk response, Black
should first consider how severe White’s move at 13 is. The marked stone
is not in any great danger, so this is a good time to look for a weakness to
attack.
One candidate is the stone at 1, Black could attach at ‘c’–White ‘d’–

33
Black ‘e’. White’s stones are under attack while Black has expanded his
position at the bottom with ‘e’. The problem here is that White might
ignore Black ‘c’ and extend to ‘e’ or start maneuvers elsewhere.
Another possibility is to invade at ‘f’, but this could result in a
complicated fight in which Black might be outplayed.
A more interesting target is the three-stone group of 7, 5, and 9 at the
top right. This group is too big for White to ignore an attack on them. He
must answer.

1
b c 2
3

Dia. 2

34
The vital point for attacking this group is Black 1 in Dia. 2. If White
pushes up with 2, Black will hane with 3. White has three main choices:
slide to ‘a’, attach at ‘b’, or extend to ‘c’.

35
Principle 5.
Force your opponent to crawl along the second line.

12 10 8 6 4 b
14 11 9 7 5 a c
15 13

Dia. 3
If White tries to settle his stones by sliding to 4 (‘a’ in Dia. 2) in Dia. 3,
Black will play 5 to 11, forcing White to crawl along the second line with
the moves to 12. With 13 and 15, Black gets a wall stretching from one
side of the board to the other. The value of this wall is considerable. On

36
the other hand, White has gained only one point per move in the sequence
from 4 to 12. Black is now threatening to peep at ‘a’. If White ‘b’ Black
cuts at ‘c’; if White ‘c’, Black ‘b’, and White’s stones on the right are cut
off without eye shape. If White defends at ‘a’, Black extends to ‘d’, and
White is confined to the top.

37
Principle 6.
Make a wall by running along the fourth line.

What should Black do if White attaches with 4 (‘b’ in Dia. 2) in Dia. 3?

20
14 12 10 8
19 16 15 13 11 9 6
18 17 4 5
21 7

Dia. 4
Black should wedge in with 5. White has no choice but to atari with 6 and
8. The sequence to Black 15 is inevitable. White will now play 16 and 18
to create cutting points before defending with 20. After 21, Black has

38
made a wall that stretches from the left to the right side. Although White
has secured his stones, he hasn’t gotten enough territory to compensate for
the strategic influence of Black’s wall. From 8 to 14, White gets two
points of territory for each move, but each one of Black’s moves is worth
more than that. How much more is hard to calculate, but note that White’s
stones are isolated to the top and play a negligible strategic role in the
game. On the other hand, besides its territorial potential, Black’s wall is
projecting influence everywhere.

5
6

Dia. 5

39
The extension of White 4 (‘c’ in Dia. 2) in Dia. 5 is White’s best chance,
even though it leaves him with bad shape (an empty triangle). Black peeps
with 5, forcing White to connect with 6. White’s stones are now heavy –
they don’t have two eyes and are under attack. Black starts his attack with
the knight’s move of 7.

18 14 13 11
16 15 17 12
10 8
9
19

Dia. 6
White 8 in Dia. 6 is a bit blunt, but it enables White to jump out to 10.
Black 11 threatens to cut off the white stones on the top left, so White

40
defends with 12. Black now puts pressure on the white stone on the top left
with 13 and makes a thick position with 15 and 17. After White connects
with 18, Black confines the white stones to the top left with the knight’s
move of 19. White has to somehow make two eyes.

30
24 23 27 28 29
25 21 22 26
20

Dia. 7
White pushes in with 20 in Dia. 7 and cuts with 22. This cut is better style
than cutting on the left. Descending to Black 23 is the correct response and
White lives with the sequence to 30.

41
 31
35
33 32
34
38 37 36
39

40

Dia. 8
Black now switches to the upper left corner and lives with 31 to 35 in Dia.
8. White has to stabilize his group in the upper left with 40, but it is still
riddled with weaknesses. It is not clear how Black should attack it, so –

42
 47

46
b
45 44

42 43 a
41

Dia. 9
Black attaches with 41 in Dia. 9, then attacks with 43 to 47. What is the
assessment of this game up to Black 47?
White has lived on the top right with four or five points. He has a weak
group on the upper left side that Black 47 threatens to attack. His stones at
42, 44, and 46 are not taking any territory – they are only escaping – and
White’s two stones on the right side are thin. If White defends on the left,
Black will jump down to ‘a’ threatening to invade at ‘b’.

43
 On the other hand, Black has secured three corners and is about to
secure the last one in the lower right. Black’s stones in the center could
also help Black in making territory in the center or aiding in an attack
against the weak white stones on the lower right side.
Black gained this advantage by relentlessly attacking. White has been
too busy defending his stones, so he has had no time to take any significant
territory.

11 9
12 13 10 8
15
14

Dia. 10
Instead of White 8 in Dia. 6, White 8 in Dia. 10 is the normal response to

44
Black 7. Black answers with 9 and 11. His aim is to keep White’s group on
the right separated from his stone on the left. In other words, he wants to
engineer a double attack.
If White jumps to 12, Black gets to play the vital point of 13. This will
turn out to be very bad for White.
White has to escape into the center, so he attaches with 14. Black
wedges in with 15. Next –

23
27
26
25 24
29 28 20 21 18
30 17 16
19
22

32 33
31

Dia. 11
Black makes a ponnuki with 17 and 19 in Dia. 11. After this, it is almost

45
impossible for Black to lose.
White 26 is a vital point. Black should not have allowed this; he should
have played 25 at 26.
With 31 and 33, Black keeps the initiative, but, because White played
26, his group on the top left is almost immune to an attack.

15 13
11 12 9
16 14 10 8

Dia. 12
In Dia. 10, Black was able to take the vital point of 13, so, instead of
jumping to 12, White might wedge in with 12 in Dia. 12.

46
Principle 7.
Keep White’s stones separated.

23 22
25 21
24
27 26 17
29 28 35 36
30 19 18 31
33 34 20
32
37

Dia. 13
After White jumps to 16, Black must play 17 in Dia. 13 to keep White’s
groups separated. This is the essence of Black’s splitting-attack strategy:
each time Black plays a move reinforcing the group that is separating
White’s two groups, White has to add a stone to the left side group as well

47
as a stone to the right side group. This gives Black an extra move to make
territory, as he does in the upper left corner. This is why a splitting (or
double) attack is so effective: you can make territory while attacking.
It is probably beyond most kyu or low-dan players to play as effectively
as Black does in this example, but we present it here as an example of an
ideal way of playing that you should strive for when playing with a
handicap.

48
Principle 8.
Don’t force your opponent to run along the fourth line.

It is usually not a good strategy to force your opponent to run along the
fourth line, as it gives him too much territory, and the wall that you get in
compensation may not be enough to offset that profit.

6 4 2
5 3 1

Dia. 1
For example, instead of Black 1 in Dia. 2 at the end of the Principle 4

49
section, Black 1 in Dia. 1 above would be a bad move. If Black continues
with the sequence to 5, White will extend to 6 and his triangled stone is
ideally placed. Moreover, the influence of Black’s wall is neutralized by
the stone.
Another reason Black 1 is bad is that it strengthens White’s group.
Black has lost the option of attacking it.

50
Principle 9.
Attack from your weak stones.

Dia. 1
Black wants to attack the three marked stones in Dia. 1. From which
direction should he attack?

51
 2
3 1

Dia. 2
Black’s four stones in the upper right need to be reinforced, so Black
should cap with 1 in Dia. 2. This is the correct direction to attack. White
has to run away with 2 and Black can continue his attack with 3, building a
framework of territory in the upper left. White’s stones are in trouble.

52
 1
2

Dia. 3
Black must not attack from the left with 1 in Dia. 3. After White jumps to
2, the four marked black stones don’t have eye shape. Although they can
escape, it is easy to imagine them getting into trouble. Black reinforces his
weak stones with 1 in Dia. 2 while attacking White.
Attacking is often the best way to defend. Defend your weak groups
by attacking is another way to state Principle 9. Doing this will give your
go style balance and your game will not be biased toward defense.

53
 Playing handicap games is the quickest way to learn attacking
techniques. Black’s stones are strong and White’s are weak, so there will
always be many opportunities to attack. If you look for them, you will find
them.

54
Principle 10.
Don’t try to live in a small area; break out into the center.

5
2

6
1

Dia. 1
The moves of 3, 5, and 7 in Dia. 1 comprise a strategy that White often
employs in high handicap games. The cap of White 7 seems to be
threatening the capture the marked stone, but actually White doesn’t care
whether or not that stone lives as long as it is confined to the right side.

55
 12

11 9 23
22 24
13 10 8
15 14
16
17 20
19 18
21

Dia. 2
White will be happy if Black tries to make a living group on the right
starting with 8. Black can easily make life with a sequence such as the one
to 24 in Dia. 2. However, White has gained influence on the outside that
affects every part of the board, while Black’s stones are confined to the
side. Next –

56
 b

29
a 27 28

25 26

Dia. 3
White extends from his stone on the left with 25 in Dia. 3, peeping into
Black’s corner territory. If Black continues to play defensively with 26,
White will play 27. Black defends his corner again with 28, so White takes
the opportunity to play 29, staking out a huge framework of territory.
In this example, Black is too focused on securing his stones and does
not have a global perspective. Instead of 26, Black should have moved out
into the center, playing this move at 27.

57
 As it is, White 27 works well with his stones above.
Black 28 is also a cowardly move. Black should have played this move
at ‘a’ instead, in order to prevent White from staking out territory with 29.
Also note that Black’s upper right corner is wide open, so White can
invade at ‘b’ destroying Black’s corner while taking some territory for
himself.
So how should have Black answered White 7 in Dia. 1?

9
12 13
11 10 8

Dia. 4
Black should have broken out into the center with 8 to 12 in Dia. 4. After

58
White cuts with 13 –

19

15
17 14
18 16

20

Dia. 5
Black can atari with 14 in Dia. 5 and capture a stone with 16. White forces
once with 17, then captures a stone in a net with 19, more or less securing
his group.
Black can now secure the lower right side and corner with 20. White has
only managed to secure his stones, but he has taken almost no territory.
Black, on the other hand, has staked out a huge territory in the lower right

59
as well as some territory in the upper right corner.

4
2
3 1

Dia. 6
There is even a better way to counter White’s capping strategy: follow
Principle 10 and keep White’s stones separated. After White makes the
high two-space approach of 5 in Dia. 6 in this nine-stone game, White
should resolutely jump out into the center with 6. White’s two-stone group
in the upper right is effectively separated from his stone in the lower right.

60
 8

Dia. 7
White now makes a second approach against the black stone in the lower
right with 7 in Dia. 7. Black answers with the diagonal move of 8, keeping
the two white stones in the lower right separated.
The logic behind this principle is that if White can’t link up his groups,
he will end up with at least two weak ones that Black can attack. In
addition, most of Black’s stones should be able to link up easily, so all of
his group should be safe.

61
 18
12 17
11
16 10 9
14 13 15

Dia. 8
After having made two approaches, invading the corner with 9 is standard
procedure. In this position, Black 10 in Dia. 8 is the correct direction to
block. If White extends to 11, the sequence to Black 18 is inevitable.
White has made a small profit in the corner and Black has made a thick
wall in the center. White’s two marked stones are separated and they have
almost no prospects of surviving within Black’s sphere of influence.

62
Principle 11.
Don’t make White’s weak stones strong.

a
2

5
3 4 6
7
8
10

Dia. 1
In their quest for safety, many kyu players like to play the attach-and-
extend joseki of Black 4 and 6 in Dia. 1. After the sequence to White 9,
extending to Black 10 is an ideal extension and it is the joseki move as
well. However, White 9 is also a good extension. It gives White a base on

63
the right side and it has an impact on Black’s two stones in the upper left
corner. Namely, White can aim at ‘a’ and perhaps destabilize those stones.

5
8
10
9
7
6
4

Dia. 2
Instead of 4 in Dia. 1, Black should simply defend his stones with a one-
space jump to 4 in Dia. 2. If White plays elsewhere, at 5 for example,
Black can go on the offensive with the diagonal attachment of 6.
Extending to White 7 is the expected response and Black can attack with 8.
If White tries to run away with 9, Black 10 is a powerful attack.

64
 11

Dia. 3
If White links up his stones with 11 in Dia. 3, Black can attack these
stones while making territory on the bottom left or on the left side or
perhaps both. (See Problem 34.)

65
 8 6
5
4 2 1
3
b 7

Dia. 4
In handicap games of five stones or less, Black should avoid playing the
attach-and-extend joseki shown in Dia. 1. In high handicap games,
especially in eight- or nine-stone games, the attach-and-extend joseki of 2
to 8 in Dia. 4 may be a good way to secure territory and gain a territorial
advantage. However, White’s stones are also settled because he can slide
to ‘a’ or move out into the center with ‘b’. When the marked stone is in
place, Black should play 2 at 5. This is the strongest move.

66
Principle 12.
When attacked, don’t be submissive, counterattack.

Dia. 1
Moves such as White 1 in Dia. 1 confuse kyu-level players. After
investing so much into building walls and mapping out territory, it all
seems to evaporate when White plays 1.

67
 7

2
6
4 3 5

Dia. 2
Black’s instinct is to defend with 2 in Dia. 2 in order to capture the marked
stone and salvage some of the territory he has staked out, but, after White
plays 3 and 5, Black must defend with 6 in gote. White now expands his
position on the right side with 7 and Black’s stones end up being
overconcentrated.
Any player who instinctually answers White 1 with 2 must change the
way he thinks about go strategy. The sooner he does this, the faster his go

68
will improve. His misconception lies in the false assumption that the area
around the marked stone should be his territory. But it is not yet territory;
it is only his area of influence. As such he should use this influence to
attack White’s intruding stone. Although White may live, Black must plan
on getting compensation elsewhere.

13
11 10
12 8 9
14 4 3
2
7
6 5 1

Dia. 3
After White 1, Black should push along the fifth line with 2 and 4 in Dia.
3, threatening to reduce White’s territory on the right side. Although White
is securing more territory with each move, White’s two stones on the

69
bottom right are getting weaker with each move. After Black 4, White
reinforces those two stones with 5 and 7. Black now forces the sequence to
13, then blocks White’s exit to the center with 14.

30
26 28
27 29

16

15
18 17

20 19
21
22 25 23 24 a

Dia. 4
White can’t escape because Black’s wall is too thick, so he has to live
within Black’s sphere of influence with the sequence to 25 in Dia. 4 in
gote. As White is struggling to live, he is making Black’s territory on the
left thicker and more secure, while the exchange of 23 for Black 24

70
weakens White’s corner. (Black is now threatening to play at ‘a’.) Black
also ends in sente which he uses to expand and secure his upper right
corner with 26 and 28. Finally, he secures the upper left corner with 30.

71
Principle 13.
Get your compensation elsewhere.

15 16
13 5 14
3 4 6
11 10 12
9 17
7 8 1 2

Dia. 1
The sequence to White 15 in Dia. 1 is a joseki. White gets territory on the
right while Black gets a wall, and the stone at 2 ideally placed to utilize
this wall. Black 16 is a good follow-up when the marked stone is in place.
However, White plays 17, threatening to neutralize Black’s wall.

72
 An inexperienced player may think that he has suffered a loss because
he can no longer make territory with this wall, but this way of thinking is
wrong. Black should use this wall to attack White’s weak stones.

26
a 25
24
21
19 20
23 18

b 22

Dia. 2
Black should push up with 18 and 20 in Dia. 2, then slide to 22. This last
move prevents White from making eye shape, so White’s stones become
heavy. Next, Black 24 threatens to cap at 25, so White must play there
himself. Finally, Black 26 secures his stones on the left.
Evaluating this result, we see that Black has gained from this exchange.

73
First of all, the territorial balance is unchanged except that the white group
on the left is now confined to the side with no room to expand along.
Locally, Black ‘a’ is a good endgame move. Moreover, White ‘b’ is no
longer as big an endgame move since Black has no territory on the bottom
left to reduce. In contrast, Black has expanded his territory with 22, so
there is no irksome white stone or endgame moves that will reduce Black’s
territory on the bottom right.
Most importantly, the influence of Black’s wall on the left has been
transferred to the middle of the board, facing the two handicap stones on
the right. Finally, White’s stones in the center are without eyes, so Black
can aim to attack them. On all counts, Black is better off than before.
Therefore, Black should welcome a move such as White 17 in Dia. 1.

74
Principle 14.
Play on the junction of competing moyos.

In handicap games, Black can easily make large frameworks of potential

territories (moyos). In lower handicap games, especially in two- or three-
stone games, White could also build a moyo. When two competing moyos
come into conflict, it is urgent that you expand your own moyo with a
move that prevents your opponent from expanding his.

1
2

75
 Dia. 1
In Dia. 1, Black has staked out a moyo at the top. It is urgent that Black
expand it with the two-space jump of 1. White has to defend with 2. Black
can now take the big point of 3.

Dia. 2
Black 1 in Dia. 2 is certainly a big opening point, but White will answer
with the large knight’s move of 2, reducing the scale of Black’s moyo at
the top and expanding his own moyo on the left side. Playing on the

76
junction of two competing moyos takes precedence over big opening
points.

3
1
2

Dia. 3
A position like the one in Dia. 3 often occurs in handicap games. Black
expands his moyo with 1 and 3. Even though the territory inside Black’s
moyo is not secure, Black must not be afraid to fight if White invades
because White’s stones will be outnumbered and he cannot expect to get a
good result. Black may not get all of the territory mapped out, but he will

77
get enough to retain his advantage. (See Problem 37.)

78
Principle 15.
Sacrifice cumbersome stones.

You should never allow your stones to become heavy because heavy
stones make good attacking targets. It is better to lose a few stones than to
end up with bad shape and have to fend off an attack. Remember, an
eyeless group is worth minus 20 points.

2
1

Dia. 1

79
In Dia. 1, White has peeped with 1, threatening to split Black into two
groups by cutting at 2. If Black connects with 2, White will play 3, and
Black’s group has to run for its life.

5 3
1
4 2
8

7
6

Dia. 2
Black should answer White 1 by attaching with 2 in Dia. 2. After White 3,
Black turns with 4 and White has to capture three black stones with 5.
Black can now turn his attention to the white stone in the lower left and
attach with 6. After Black 8, White’s two stones are in trouble.

80
 a

Dia. 3
In Dia. 3, White can capture the marked stones in a snapback by throwing
in a stone at ‘a’.

81
 1

Dia. 4
Black can rescue them by connecting with 1 in Dia. 4, but White will go
on the offensive with 2, attacking the eyeless black group. Of course
White’s group doesn’t have eye shape either, so it should be an even fight,
but in a handicap game, Black doesn’t want to go head to head in a fight
with a stronger player. He has a better option.

82
 8
2 4
3 5 6
1 7

Dia. 5
Black should turn with 1 in Dia. 5. If White captures the two black stones
with 2, Black will force White to make a second eye for his group with the
sequence to 8. White is now confined to the right side and Black can take a
big opening point with 9, mapping out a large moyo in the lower right part
of the board.
Instead of capturing two stones with White 2 in Dia. 5 –

83
 4 2 1
3

Dia. 6
White would answer Black 1 with the hane of 2 in Dia. 6. Black forces
once with 3, then encloses the corner with 5, staking out a large territory
on the right side.

84
Principle 16.
Don’t waste moves defending small points.

In the opening stage or the middle game, you must not waste time playing
on small points when you should playing big territorial moves.

1 b

Dia. 1
The white group on the top right is without eye shape, so it is a big move
for White to capture with 1 in Dia. 1. White’s stones are now secure. At

85
this stage, for Black to defend with ‘a’ is too small. Black gains only a few
points. Furthermore, Black’s group is in no danger. However, if White had
not captured with 1, Black ‘b’ would be a very big move because White’s
group at the top would be without eye shape.
In determining whether or not a move is big, ask yourself two questions:
Does the move leave the opponent’s group vulnerable to an attack?
Does it secure one of your own vulnerable groups?
If the answer is ‘yes’ to either question, play the move. If the answer is
‘no’ look for a bigger move.

86
 5
3
4

6
2

Dia. 2
After White captures with 1 in Dia. 1, Black should take a big point such
as 2 or ‘a’ in Dia. 2. There is nothing to fear if White ataries with 3. Black
simply connects with 4. If White continues with 5, Black plays another big
point with 6; White is rapidly falling behind.
Of course a strong White player would never play 3 at this stage of the
game. Once he had secured his group on the top right, he would want to
challenge Black somewhere in the lower right side.

87
Principle 17.
Prepare to attack by building a wall.

9
7 5 8
13 3 11 6 10
4 12
14 1

Dia. 1
In the four-stone game shown in Dia. 1, a joseki that is often seen in
handicap games has been played out in the upper right. White has secured
territory at the top and Black has mapped out a moyo along the right side.

88
 1

Dia. 2
Later, White might play a hane with 1 in Dia. 2, intending to wipe out
Black’s moyo.
What is the best way for Black to counter White’s hane?

89
 5 3
4 2

10 9 7
8 6

Dia. 3
Black starts out by pushing along the fifth line with 2 and 4 in Dia. 3.
Although this goes against Principle 8, Black hopes to get more profit
than the territory White gets by playing 3 and 5. After White 5, Black
peeps with 6, then fences in the white stones with 8 and 10. White’s stones
are trapped because Black’s wall is strong enough to prevent White from
breaking out.

90
 10 9
8 7 11
12 6

5
13
a
14

Dia. 4
After White 4 in Dia. 3, White might choose to defend his stones on the
right side with 5 in Dia. 4.
In that case, Black will block with 6 and 8, forcing White to defend with
7 to 11. Black now connects with 12 and his moyo has been transferred to
the top left.
White’s stones on the right side are still vulnerable, so he must escape
into the center by playing on the vital point of 13. Black answers with 14,

91
defending his territory in the lower right and threatening to attack White’s
stones with ‘a’.

92
Principle 18.
Attack one group by leaning on another.

Another attacking technique is the leaning attack. This is a diversionary

tactic in which a player attacks a group in order to build up strength to
threaten a group in another part of the board.
Here is an example.

2
1

Dia. 1

93
In this three-stone handicap game, Black caps the white stone on the right
side with 1 in Dia. 1. Black is strong in the lower part of the board, so
White escapes toward the top with 2.

12 11
10 9 6 7
14 4 3
13 5

15 8

a
b

Dia. 2
Black responds by attaching with 3 in Dia. 2. His aim is to build up
strength at the top, then continue his attack on the stones below. After
Black 7, White pushes out toward the center with 8. Black continues to put
pressure on Black’s stones at the top by cutting with 9 and playing the

94
sequence to 14. Black 15 now blocks White’s escape route into the center.
White might try to escape with ‘a’ but Black ‘b’ effectively confines him
to the right side.

11 9 6 7
4 3
5

10 8

Dia. 3
After Black cuts with 9 in Dia. 2, White might continue to move out into
the center with 10 in Dia. 3. Black would then extend to 11, securing the
territory on the top right.

95
 1
2
3 4
9 8 6 5
11 10 7

Dia. 4
White has no escape route toward the bottom, as the sequence to Black 10
in Dia. 4 demonstrates. Black’s position below is too thick.

96
Principle 19.
Secure territory while attacking.

If you concentrate on making territory without putting pressure on your

opponent, your moves won’t have full value.

a 2 3

d
b

Dia. 1
In Dia. 1, all four corners are open and Black can secure any one of them
by playing at 1, ‘a’, ‘b’, or ‘c’. Black 1, for example, is out of the question.

97
White can slide to 2 and, if Black defends with 3, his profit is negligible.
He also loses sente.
The purpose of a move such as Black 1 in Dia. 1 would be to defend the
black stones from an attack. However, these stones are not in danger.
Clearly, it is not logical to defend where there is no danger.
If you are going to secure a corner, you should secure one that will give
you a big profit. That would make a move at ‘a’ in Dia. 1 the first choice
because the marked stone is already in place. Black ‘b’ is also big, even
though Black’s marked stone at the bottom is a bit far from the stones on
the right to qualify as secure territory. However, Black ‘b’ threatens to
invade at ‘c’, which gives this move greater value. However, of the four
candidate moves, Black ‘d’ is the strongest.

98
 2 3
1

Dia. 2
The reason is that Black 1 in Dia. 2 starts to secure the lower left corner
while directly attacking a white stone. Of course Black 1 does not make
the corner invulnerable to an invasion, but it does limit White’s play there.
If White answers with 2, Black attacks with 3, expanding his sphere of
influence along the bottom. White has to find some way to settle his
stones.

99
 9
8
4
3 2 6
5
7
1

Dia. 3
White’s result in Dia. 2 is unsatisfactory, so he tries to settle his stones by
creating complications with the attachment of 2 in Dia. 3.
With the sequence to 7, Black gets a stranglehold on the lower left
corner, but White penetrates Black’s territory on the upper left side.
However, White’s stones on the left are still unstable and Black attacks
them by striking at the vital point of 9.

100
 16
17

15
11 12 18
10
13
14
a

19

Dia. 4
White struggles to stabilize his stones with the sequence from 10 to 14 in
Dia. 4, but in the process, Black secures the territory on the upper left side
with 15. White reduces this territory by exchanging 16 for Black 17. White
then settles his stones on the left with 18. This is the proper move, but
Black gets sente and secures the lower right corner with 19, aiming at an
invasion at ‘a’ This gives Black such a large lead that White would
probably omit 18 and start maneuvers someplace else on the board.
In any case, Black’s moves up to 17 have gained 40 points of ironclad

101
territory. White, on the other hand, has only managed to settle his stones
and gained negligible profit.

102
Principle 20.
Play moves with more than one meaning.

When you have a stone on the star point, it takes at least two more moves
to secure the corner because White can usually make a living group there
by invading at the 3–3 point. With an initial move on the 3–4 point, only
one more move is needed, so it is easy for Black to fall behind in the
development by rushing to enclose a corner in a handicap game.

c
1

103
 Dia. 1
In the opening, the players are often faced with a choice of playing big
opening points on the side or securing a corner. After White 1 in Dia. 1,
Black ‘a’ is as big an opening point as is enclosing the corner with Black
‘b’ But these two moves are essentially defensive and have little effect on
White. On the other hand, Black ‘c’ has multiple meanings.

2
3

Dia. 2
Black 2 in Dia. 2 is a dynamic response to the triangled stone. It

104
accomplishes four things.
First, it lays claim to almost 15 points of territory.
Second, it reinforces Black’s two stones. With both the squared and the
triangled stones in place, these two stones could come under attack.
Third, it makes a white invasion into the corner almost impossible.
Fourth, it threatens to attack the triangled stone with a pincer around 3.
Answering Black 2 by extending to 3 is almost mandatory. Black can
now switch to another part of the board and take a big point.

b a 3
4 1 5
c

105
 Dia.takes
If Black omits playing 2 in Dia. 2 and 3 the big point of 2 in Dia. 3,
White will play 3 and 5. Later, White can exchange ‘a’ for ‘b’ then strike
at the vital point of ‘c’, gouging out Black’s base and leaving his stones
floating in the center without eyes.

2 b
a

Dia. 4
In Dia. 4, White has just extended to 1, threatening the area Black has
mapped out on the top left. Black should defend the corner with 2. This
move accomplishes two things: it secures the corner and links up to his

106
marked stones. If White ‘a’ Black plays at ‘b’ linking up his stones and
securing some territory at the top.

11 10 a
9 7 8
3 4
5
6 2
1

Dia. 5
It looks like Black is securing quite a bit of territory when he defends
against White 1 with 2 in Dia. 5. However, White will invade at the 3–3
point with 3 and start a ko with the sequence to 9. If White can win this ko
by capturing at ‘a’ much of Black’s territory will disappear.

107
 5

1
3 2
4

Dia. 6
The game in Dia. 4 eventually reached the position in Dia. 6. White made
an erasing move and Black submissively answered with 2. This move had
only one purpose: to secure territory. White continued by pushing with 3,
then playing the knight’s move of 5, mapping out a moyo in the center.
Black’s position on the lower right side has become overconcentrated

108
 4
3 2
18 12 6 1

13 a
7 5 9
8 10
16
15 17
14 11

Dia. 7
Against erasing moves such as White 1, instead of submissively retreating
as in Dia. 6, it is usually best to fight back with a counterattack. By
attaching with 2 in Dia. 7, Black can use the influence of his wall in the
lower right to threaten White. Black 6 isolates White’s stones at 1 and 5.
Note that White 10 threatens to kill the white corner and to link up to his
stones in the middle of the right side with ‘a’ White has to answer with 11
to live. Black now extends to 12, attacking the four white stones below.

109
After Black 16, White must descend to 17 in order to live, and Black
continues the attack with 18.
With the white group on the run, Black should have no trouble securing
the territory on the bottom left. Moreover, since Black’s stones in the
center can link up by capturing either the stone at 1 or 3, White will be
unable to use his wall to attack or to make territory.

110
 The Strategic Principles at a Glance
Here is a list of all the principles discussed in this chapter. Memorize them
and, when deciding on a move in a game, go through this list mentally and
see if there might be one that is applicable.
Principle 1. In handicap games, Black must play for influence.
Principle 2. From a single stone, extend two spaces.
From a two-stone wall, extend three spaces.
Principle 3. Make White’s stones heavy, then attack.
Principle 4. Black should play an attacking game.
Principle 5. Force your opponent to crawl along the second line.
Principle 6. Make a wall by running along the fourth line.
Principle 7. Keep White’s stones separated.
Principle 8. Don’t force your opponent to run along the fourth line.
Principle 9. Attack from your weak stones.
Principle 10. Don’t try to live in a small area; break out into the center.
Principle 11. Don’t make White’s weak stones strong.
Principle 12. When attacked, don’t be submissive, counterattack.
Principle 13. Get your compensation elsewhere.
Principle 14. Play on the junction of competing moyos.
Principle 15. Sacrifice cumbersome stones.
Principle 16. Don’t waste moves defending small points.
Principle 17. Prepare to attack by building a wall.
Principle 18. Attack one group by leaning on another.
Principle 19. Secure territory while attacking.
Principle 20. Play moves with more than one meaning.

111
 Chapter Two
A Winning Strategy for Black
Before you start a game, you should have a rough idea of the kind of
opening you intend to play. In even games, there are a number of system
openings, such as the sanren-sei (Black occupies three star points on a
side), the Chinese opening, and so on, that Black often employs. These
openings are defined by Black’s first three or four moves. With these
moves, Black sets up a formation that he has studied in the hope of gaining
an advantage in one part of the board. He does this by ignoring White’s
first two moves (provided they do not directly attack one of his own
moves). If White challenges one of these formations without careful
consideration, he could find himself at a disadvantage.
If Black has a system in which he can get an advantage by only having
the first move, he should be able to do so when he has a handicap. The
strategy we will introduce here was designed for a five-stone handicap, but
it can also be used in a four-stone game and can be easily adopted in six-
and seven-stone games.
In a five-stone game, the strategy can be summarized as follows:
1. Ignore White’s initial approach move.
2. Occupy the side star points and build a box-shaped moyo.
3. Let White secure some territory.
4. Play lightly in places where White is strong.
5. When White invades your moyo, attack his invading stones.

112
 1 5

4
3

Dia. 1
In the five-stone game in Dia. 1, Black answers the approach of White 1
by occupying the star point on the far side of the board with 2. If White
approaches again with 3, Black moves out into the center with 4. This
follows Principle 7 of Chapter One of keeping your opponent’s stones
separated and Principle 10 of not allowing your opponent to confine your
stones. White will probably invade the corner with 5. This is a good move
because White can establish a secure position in the corner.

113
 Black should not omit 4, as he does not want White to confine his
handicap stone with a move there. Black could live in the corner, but
White could then build a thick position on the outside.

2
4

Dia. 2
There is a compelling reason for White to play 5. If White omits this move
and plays 1 in Dia. 2, Black will play on the 3–3 point with 2. White’s two
marked stones are separated and at least one of them will come under
attack. Black is now firmly anchored in the corner and he has established a
presence in the center. White might strengthen one of these stones with 3,

114
but Black will play 4 and the marked stones at the top has little room to
maneuver.

6 8

Dia. 3
After White 5 in Dia. 1, Black takes another side star point with 6 in Dia.
3. White 7 is the proper move. Black can now play 8 and half of the board
becomes like a nine-stone handicap game.

115
 16 15 12
8 13
17
20 19
18 14

7
10

9 11

Dia. 4
If White omits 7 in Dia. 3 and approaches with 7 in Dia. 4, Black will play
a pincer with 8. If White persists at the bottom with 9 and 11, Black will
play 12 and 14. White’s stones are secure in the corner, but his stone on
the top right is in trouble. If he tries to live with 15, Black will harass
White with 16. After White jumps to 17, Black attacks by capping with 18.
White doesn’t have eyes on the side, so he must escape into the center with
the diagonal move of 19, but Black keeps up the attack with 20, building a

116
solid sphere of influence in the upper left quadrant and giving him a
superior position. White is still not out of the woods. His group is now too
big to sacrifice, but the more he tries to make eye shape with it, the more
influence and territory Black will make by harassing it.

9
13 11
12
10 14

Dia. 5
Instead of 8 in Dia. 3, it would be more prudent for Black to play the tight
one-space jump to 8 in Dia. 5. White might try to develop quickly by
approaching with 9, then establishing a position at the top with an

117
extension to 11.
However, Black would attack the stone at 9 with the large knight’s
move of 12, then take the initiative by mapping out a moyo on the left part
of the board with 14.

12 9
13 14

10

11

Dia. 6
After Black 10, White might also stake out a position on the right by
extending to 11 in Dia. 6. In that case, Black would attack White’s stone at
the top by exchanging 12 for 13, then playing a pincer with 14.

118
 11
12 9
13

10
14

Dia. 7
White might also answer Black 10 by sliding to 11 in Dia. 7, then
extending to 13, establishing a high and tight position on the top left.
Black would then switch to the right side with 14, expanding his moyo
there while preventing White from expanding into the center.
After Black has played 8 in Dia. 7 and answered White 9 with 10, White
will eventually have to invade somewhere within Black’s box-shaped
formation. This is where Black’s strategy will start to pay off.

119
 4

3
2 1 a b

Dia. 8
With the triangled stone in place, White would be reluctant to immediately
approach around ‘a’ in Dia. 8. White could invade at ‘b’ and live, but
Black would become too strong on the outside and White would probably
end in gote. White’s best chance is to approach around 1. If he can start a
fight on the left, it could well spill over towards the bottom right.
Therefore, White approaches with 1.
Black doesn’t have to think too hard about his next two moves. With the
squared stone in place, he should attach at 2. White doesn’t have much to

120
think about either. He should simply extend to 3. After Black 4, White has
numerous ways to create confusion, and Black must be prepared for them
all.

121
1. Invading the corner

a b
3 4

1
2

Dia. 1
Invading the corner before the two marked stones have been secured is
premature. If White plays on the 3–3 point with 1 in Dia. 1, Black
descends to 2 (following Principle 7 in Chapter One), keeping White’s
stones separated and confining them to the corner. Next, White peeps with
3, forcing Black to connect with 4. White now has two ways to live:

122
playing at ‘a’ or at ‘b’.

8
5 6
7
10

Dia. 2
If White plays the diagonal move of 5 in Dia. 2, Black will play 6. White
lives with the sequence to 9, but he ends in gote, so Black can attack the
two white stones on the outside with 10.

123
 b
7 6
5

9 8
a

Dia. 3
Black 5 in Dia. 3 (‘b’ in Dia. 1) is the stronger move. It also provides more
ways for Black to go wrong. Black answers with the hane of 6. He then
pushes in with 8. After White blocks with 9, Black has two options: he can
cut with ‘a’ or play a two-step hane with ‘b’

124
 13
14

11

10
12

Dia. 4
If Black cuts with 10 in Dia. 4, White has to connect with 11. Black can
now secure the corner with 12. White exchanges 13 for 14 and his group is
alive, and this time he ends in sente. However, Black’s thickness along the
left will make it hard for White to settle his two stones on the bottom left.

125
 10
12
11

Dia. 5
Black could also play the two-step hane with 10 in Dia. 5. White’s group
is alive when he connects with 11. Black connects with 12, again making a
thick wall facing the center. The two white stones on the bottom left are
looking a bit forlorn.

126
 4

2
1 3

Dia. 6
Later, Black can peep with 1 in Dia. 6. White has to connect with 2. After
Black 3, White has to make eye shape with 4, but Black has reduced the
size of White’s territory. However, Black should not rush to play 1, as he
could erase the bad aji that White’s group has.

127
 2
1
4 3

Dia. 7
When White has a strong position on the outside, as in Dia. 7, Black will
answer White 1 by blocking with 2. White continues with the hane of 3.
After Black 4 –

128
 7
8 5
6

Dia. 8
White ataries with 5 in Dia. 8 and captures a stone with 7, but Black
secures the corner with 6 and 8. White will now play elsewhere, satisfied
to have reduced the size of Black’s corner and reinforced his own stones a
bit.
Even though White has lived in the corner in sente in both Dias. 4 and
5, he can’t feel satisfied with these results. In both diagrams, Black has
made a thick wall on the outside that negatively affects his two stranded

129
stones on the bottom left. What happens if White tries to settle these
stones?

b
17

15 16
a

13
14 d

Dia. 9
Suppose that White tries to settle his stones with 13 in Dia. 9. As before
Black will make an ‘Iron pillar’ with 14. White has to escape into the
center. Black 16 is a severe attack. (Black ‘a’ is also a good move, but it
leaves White with more options.) White has to continue his flight into the
open with 17. How should Black continue?
With 14 and 16, Black has cut off White’s group from the lower right

130
part of the board. Black ‘b’ seems to be a logical choice. It creates a
boxed-shaped formation and stops White from playing at ‘b’ and
establishing a position in the upper right in conjunction with his marked
stone.
Black ‘c’ is also a good point. It attacks the marked stone on the top left
and firmly takes hold of the corner.
Black ‘d’ is another candidate, but this move is more defensive in nature
as it doesn’t directly affect any White groups.

20
18
19

Dia. 10

131
These are all good moves that give Black a big territorial lead, but Black
has an even stronger and more decisive move: he should cap with 18 in
Dia. 10.
If White tries to escape with 19, the knight’s move of Black 20 keeps
White confined to the bottom left. White might just manage to live, but he
will end in gote. Black would then secure the corner with ‘a’.
Black doesn’t have to kill White’s group. Just by harassing it, Black can
thicken his wall and turn it into territory later on. In the meantime, White
has gained just a few points in struggling to live with his group.

132
 c
4

3 5
2 1 d b
a

Dia. 1
After Black 4 in Dia. 1, besides White 5, there are a number of ways that
White can try to settle his two stones at 1 and 3. He can slide to ‘a’, attach
at ‘b’, or play the large knight’s move of ‘c’. He can also extend to ‘d’, but
the variation after Black defends with ‘b’ is not much different than White
5.

133
2. Sliding along the bottom.

3
2 1 6
a 5 b

Dia. 2
If White slides to 5 in Dia. 2, the standard response is for Black to bump
against that stone with 6. White has two ways to respond, at ‘a’ or at ‘b’.

134
 9
a 10
b 7 8

Dia. 3
If White draws back to 7 in Dia. 3, Black will block with 8. White expands
his eye space with 9 and Black makes shape with 10. Note that after 9,
White still can’t invade at ‘a’ because Black ‘b’ leaves White’s group on
the right without eye shape. As a general rule, White should not invade the
corner until his group on the outside is secure.

135
 2 1
5 3 4

Dia. 4
After 10, Black can aim to play 1 in Dia. 4. When White blocks with 2,
Black will peep with 3. If White connects with 4, Black draws back to 5,
securing his corner and leaving the white group eyeless. If White blocks at
5, Black will cut at 4, capturing two stones. Either way, White’s stones
don’t have eyes and are floating within Black’s sphere of influence.

136
 10

8 12
11 9 7

Dia. 5
Suppose that White extends to 7 in Dia. 5. If you remember Principle 5
and 7 from Chapter One, figuring out what to do should not be that hard.
Black should play 8, threatening to separate White’s stones and keeping
them confined to the second line. If White extends to 9, Black jumps to 10,
making good shape. White links up with 11. Again Black applies
Principle 5 and keeps White confined to the second line with 12.

137
 13
11 12
14

Dia. 6
Instead of 11 in Dia. 5, if White plays 11 on the right as in Dia. 6, Black
will attach with 12, then block on the left with 14. All the territory on the
left side and in the corner now belong to Black. For example –

138
 2
1 4
6 5 3

Dia. 7
If White invades with 1 in Dia. 7, Black blocks with 2. White tries to link
up with 3 and 5, but Black takes control of the corner with 6. White
doesn’t have enough room to make two eyes.

139
3. The attachment

b 1 a

Dia. 8
The attachment of White 1 in Dia. 8 is another possibility. Black can
answer at either ‘a’ or ‘b’. Let’s first look at the variation in which Black
blocks on the outside with ‘a’.

140
 5 4
3 2
6

Dia. 9
Answering Black 2 by extending to White 3 in Dia. 9 leads to a peaceful
variation. Black simply connects with 4. White pushes up with 5 and Black
secures the corner with 6. This is a good result for Black.

141
 6
3
5 2 4

Dia. 10
White crosscuts with 3 in Dia. 10, hoping to mix things up a bit. Black
answers by extending to 4, following the proverb that advises us to answer
a crosscut with an extension. White must also extend with 5. Black can
now capture the stone at 3 in a ladder with 6. This is an excellent result for
Black.

142
 11
9
5 3 10
4 2 6
12 7 8

Dia. 11
Let’s now look at the variation where Black plays the inside hane of 2 in
Dia. 11. If White cuts with 3, Black extends to 4. After White 5, Black
captures two stones with 6 and 8. Next, White makes shape with 9 and 11
and Black secures the corner with 12.

143
 4
8 2 10 12
7 6 3 5 11
9

Dia. 12
If White plays a hane underneath with 3 in Dia. 12, Black connects with 4.
White also connects and Black 6 threatens to split White into two groups.
White links up with 7 and 9. After Black 12, White’s group is in trouble.

144
 9 4
8 7 2
10 6 3 5

Dia. 13
White might try cutting with 7, but Black can split White into two groups
with 8 and 10. This is a terrible result for White.

145
4. The large knight’s move

1
b

Dia. 14
The aim of the large knight’s move of White 1 in Dia. 14 is to get out into
the center quickly and to prevent Black from turning his box-shaped
formation into territory. It also aims at invading Black’s territory on the
left side and in the corner. Unfortunately, assuming reasonable play by
Black, White cannot expect a good result if he plays this move within

146
Black’s stronghold as in this diagram.
Black has at least three good responses to White 1: at ‘a’, ‘b’, or ‘c’.
Black ‘c’ is the severest and it is the move that we recommend. It may
seem like strange advice, but the best strategy against a strong player is to
play the severest move. Moves such as ‘a’ and ‘b’ give White more leeway
and he can settle his stones more quickly by extending to ‘c’. A severe
move such as Black ‘c’ puts a lot of pressure on White and his responses
are limited.

3
5 6
b
a
2

147
When Black plays 2 in Dia. 15, White Dia. 15
can link up his stones by playing at
‘a’ or ‘b’, but he is then left with a heavy string of stones, devoid of eye
shape – a perfect target for a black attack.
White would probably answer Black 2 by invading the left side with 3
in Dia. 15. Although unreasonable, it is a typical move that White might
make in a high handicap game. Descending to Black 4 is a good response
that avoids a fight and secures the corner. White’s stones are still not
settled, so he has to play 5 to link them up. But they still don’t have eye
shape, so Black attacks them with the large knight’s move of 6, a move
that also maps out a moyo on the right.

148
 3

8 4 5
7 6

Dia. 16
The one-space jump of Black 4 in Dia. 16 is the severest response to
White 3. If White 5, Black plays a hane with 6 and connects with 8 after
White cuts with 7. Black now peeps with 9.

149
 14
13 10
11 12 20
16 15 17 18
19

Dia. 17
Connecting with Black 10 in Dia. 17 is the only move. The sequence
continues to Black 20. White’s group is barely alive, while Black’s thick
wall dominates the center and neutralizes White’s three stones on the
outside.

150
Disrupting Black’s strategy
With a five-stone handicap, it is not so easy to disrupt Black’s strategy of
building a box-shaped framework. Most of the time your opponent will not
expect this strategy, nor will he be prepared to counter it. Of course if you
have a reputation for playing this opening or you are playing many games
with the same opponent, you can expect to see some interesting counter
strategies.

151
 3
a

1 2

Dia. 1
One strategy for White would be to occupy two of the side star points or at
least the point on the third line under it. For example, White could start
with 1 and 3 in Dia. 1. Black must answer White 1 by playing 2 on the star
point on the opposite side of the board. If White 3, Black makes his box
shape with 4. If White 3 at 4, Black plays at ‘a’. No matter how White
plays, Black gets his box-shaped framework.
However, Black should not answer White 1 by playing 2 at 4 or ‘a’

152
because White would then play at 2 and Black could no longer get his box-
shaped formation.
Another strategy that White can employ is to play different kinds and
different combinations of approach moves in the hope of leading Black
into unfamiliar variations. At first, Black allows White to make two
approach moves against one of his handicap stones. Later, White will have
to invade within Black’s box-shaped moyo. Instead of the usual small
knight’s approach, White might play the two-space high or the one-space
high approach. Let’s examine these different approach moves and see how
Black should handle them.

153
 b
1

a 2

Dia. 2
First of all, there is the one-space high approach of White 1 in Dia. 2. The
usual response is for Black to play the one-space extension to 2. White
plays 1 when he wants to emphasize the center. He is aiming to play a
move around ‘a’, but, if he wants to wrest the corner from Black, he will
not get a good result. For example –

154
 6 5 7
8 4 3

Dia. 3
After Black 2 in Dia. 1, if White invades at the 3–3 point with 3 in Dia. 3,
the sequence to White 9 can be expected. White lives in the corner, but his
marked stone has been rendered ineffective by Black 8.

155
 a 6 5 7
1 8 4 3

b 9
2

Dia. 4
The usual joseki is shown in Dia. 4. White starts with a small knight’s
approach and he also lives in the corner with the sequence to 9. However,
White 1 still has aji. For example, blocking at ‘a’ or jumping to ‘b’ are
strong threats.

156
 6
5 3 4
1

Dia. 5
With respect to the corner, the best White can do is to reduce it by
attaching at 3 in Dia. 5. However, Black ends up with secure territory after
the sequence to 8, and, if the marked stones are in place, White has a lot of
work to do to settle his stones.

157
 7 8
3 4
1 5
6
2

Dia. 6
The two-space high approach of White 1 in Dia. 6 is similar to the one-
space approach. White’s best chance to settle his stone is to attach at 3.
Black secures the corner with 8, but, with the marked stones in place,
White stones are under attack.

158
 d
b
1
a
5 3 c

4 6

Dia. 7
How does Black deal with the situation when White plays two one-space
high approaches with 1 and 3 in Dia. 7? Should he play at ‘a’?
Black should not play at ‘a’. He should ignore White 3 and take the star
point on the left with 4. If White now confines Black to the corner with 5,
Black can ignore it and play elsewhere because, even if White takes the
corner by playing at ‘b’, the territory he gets is not so big, as Black has a
reducing move at either ‘c’ or ‘d’.

159
 1 a

5
3

Dia. 8
When White plays two small knight’s approaches with 1 and 3 in Dia. 8,
then confines the black stone with 5, he can take a much larger territory
than in Dia. 7 if he eventually gets to play at ‘a’.

160
 25 22 26
13 10 24
11 12 6 8 23
9 7 18
14 16 17 20
15 21
19

Dia. 9
Of course Black can live in the corner with the sequence from 6 to 26 in
Dia. 9, but he ends in gote and White gets a thick position on the outside.
For comparison, let’s see what happens in the corner after White plays 5 in
Dia. 7.

161
 9
2 8 1
6 7
4 5
3

Dia. 10
Just like in Dia. 9, Black can live in the corner by playing on the 3–3 point
with 1 in Dia. 10 and continuing with the sequence to 9. This time,
however, Black has breached White’s blockade on the right side.

162
 5
3 1 4
7 2 6

Dia. 11
Instead of 5 in Dia. 7, White might immediately invade at the 3–3 point
with 1 in Dia. 11. After the sequence to Black 6, White has to defend with
7, so Black can settle his stones on the right side with 8.

163
 9
7
6 5 1
8 2 3
4

Dia. 12
After White 3 in Dia. 7, Black might try to break out into the center with
the diagonal move of 1 in Dia. 12. If White confines him with 2, Black
pushes in with 3 and 5 to create cutting points. After White blocks with 6,
Black cuts with 7, forcing White to connect with 8. Black descends to 9.
Next –

164
 18
16 10
14 11 12
15 17 13

Dia. 13
White invades with 10 in Dia. 13. After Black 11, answering White 12 by
blocking with 13 is a mistake. White forces with 14 and 16, then secures
the corner with 18, but Black is split into two groups. Instead of 13 –

165
 15 14
13 16
17

Dia. 14
Black should block on the other side with 13 in Dia. 14. After the
sequence to 16, Black can settle his stones by playing 17 on the left.
As Dias. 7 to 14 show, playing two one-space high approach moves will
give White a bad result.
There are various other approach-move combinations that White could
play with his first two moves, such as two two-space high approaches
(Dia. 15), a two-space high and a one-space high approach (Dia. 16), a

166
 1 1 1
4 4
4 3 3
3

Dia. 15 Dia. 16 Dia. 17

one-space high and a small knight’s approach (Dia. 17), or a two-space
high and a small knight’s approach (see Dias. 7 and 8). In all these cases,
Black should move out into the center, threatening to keep White’s stones
separated by occupying the 3–3 point.

167
 1 5
8 7
4
3

Dia. 1
This five-stone strategy can also be used in six- and seven-stone games
with even greater effectiveness. After 8 in Dia. 1, Black has set up three
quadrants of the board as if it were a nine-stone handicap game.

168
 1 a
6
3

4 2

b
5

Dia. 2
This box-shape strategy can be used in three- and even two-stone handicap
games. After Black 4 in Dia. 2, White can’t stop Black from making a box
shape. If he plays 5 at ‘a’, Black will play at ‘b’.

169
 20
7
12 8
14 13 10 19
18 16 15 11 9
17

Dia. 3
After White invades with 9 in Dia. 3, Black blocks with 10 to build a
moyo in the direction of the marked stones. After White 15, Black makes
no attempt to save his squared stone and the one at 10 (Sacrifice
cumbersome stones!). Instead, he presses White against the edge with 16
and 18. White plays 19 to link up to his stone at 7. Black still isn’t
interested in saving his two stones. Finally, he confines White to the right
side with 20 while building a moyo in the center.

170
 1 5 9
11
3 8
7

6 4

12

10 2

Dia. 4
Dia. 4 shows an example of a box-shape strategy being used in a two-stone
game.

171
 6
9 17 3
4 15
16 14

1 7 19 26

18
25
24
13 21 22 23
2 20 5 11
8 12 10

Dia. 5
Finally, here is an even game between Go Seigen (White) and Hashimoto
Utaro played in the first Meijin league in 1962.
Black sets up a box-shape moyo with the moves to 9 in Dia. 5. After
Black 25, White seems to be in a bit of a pinch, but Go came up with the
brilliant tesuji of White 26.
Why is this move so brilliant?
One reason is that it is not at all obvious. It is usually played before

172
Black has played 19, but not after this stone has been played.

4
2

3
9

5 6
8

Dia. 6
It is also a double threat: it threatens to live both above and below. If Black
plays 2 in Dia. 6, White will draw back with 3 and, after Black 4, White
plays 5 to 9, cutting off and killing Black’s group below.

173
 b
10
9 6
11 5
a

7
8 4

Dia. 7
If Black doesn’t defend and plays 4 Dia. 7, White will cut with 5, then
force with 7 and 9. Next, White 11 makes miai of ‘a’ and ‘b’.

174
 8
1
4 2 7
19 3 13
9 5 12
6
14
15 18
10 16
11 17

Dia. 8
If Black blocks from below with 2 in Dia. 8, White will cut off Black’s
group in the lower right. Although that group lives up to 18, White can
take the initiative in the center with 19. This is good for White.

175
 37
36
38

32
31 30

29 28
35 27

33
34

Dia. 9
Consequently, Black had little choice but to answer White 26 with Black
27 in Dia. 9. The result was that White lived and he was able to sacrifice
his marked stones with the least amount of damage.

176
 Chapter Three
Playing with White
When writing about handicap go, it is only natural to consider positions
and strategies from Black’s point of view. He is the weaker player and
presumably more in need of instruction. Moreover, when analyzing a
white strategy, in the interest of fairness, it is necessary to consider the
refutation to it and a refutation is usually not hard to find considering
Black’s initial advantage. In the end, it is hard to resist siding with Black.
In spite of this, White need not be totally pessimistic. The justification
for giving a handicap is that Black, the weaker player, will make more
mistakes. This is the assumption on which White should base his strategy.
In general, White should avoid making unsound moves, hoping that Black
will lack the ability to exploit them. White should play as correctly as he is
able and leave most of the mistakes to Black. This is the way most
professionals play handicap games with amateurs, and they win a great
majority of their games.

177
Be patient; don’t expect a quick victory.

White must be patient and should not expect a quick victory. Because he
starts at a disadvantage, it will take time for him to catch up. If the
handicap is fair, he should not expect to catch up until the endgame.
White’s criterion should not be whether he is winning or losing; rather, it
should be whether or not he is gaining.

178
Try to secure strong positions with as much territory as possible.

One strategy for White is to secure strong positions and territory in the
opening, then try to make up the difference in the middle game and the
endgame. In the opening, the corners are the easiest places to secure
territory, but White must be careful and not allow his stones to be
completely cut off from the sides and center. He should at least have some
aji that will enable him to challenge Black in those areas.
Consider the following example.

179
 25
18 17 23
2 21 20
22 24
1 19 26

5 6

11 16
3 12 10 9
14
4
8 7 15 13

Dia. 1
White maps out some territory on the left side with 1 to 5 in Dia. 1. With
6, Black lays a claim to the right side. Against White 7, the pincer of Black
8 is a positive move. White makes another approach with 9, then secures
the corner with 13 and 15. This is a joseki.
Against 17, Black again makes a pincer with 18. White secures another
corner with the joseki to 25. Finally, Black reinforces the upper right side
with 26.
Although Black is still well ahead, White can be satisfied with his

180
position. He has secured two corners and has done so without his groups
being cut off from the sides and the center. However, Black’s moyo on the
right side has to be dealt with before its potential territory can be turned
into secure territory.

181
Settling your stones where your opponent has the advantage

Sabaki – settling your stones within your opponent’s sphere of influence –

is a technique that every go player who aspires to be a dan-level player
must master. After Black 26 in Dia. 1, White must eventually do
something about this area before Black reinforces it.

11
10

8 13
7
12 5
9
6 2 3
1
4

Dia. 2
White starts by attaching with 1 in Dia. 2. Suddenly, the aji of White’s

182
marked stones in the upper and lower right sides comes to life. If Black 2,
White cuts with 3. Black draws back to 4 to eliminate the aji of the two
marked stones below. White then switches to 5 and Black reinforces his
stones in the lower right with 6. With the sequence to 13, White has linked
up his stones to the upper right corner. White has settled his stones or, as it
is sometimes said, he has made sabaki.
But that’s not all. White’s marked stones below still have aji. That is,
White can later play at ‘a’ to reduce Black’s territory in the lower right.

11 10 12
9 2
1
13 3 7
8 4

5
6

183
Black could also answer White 1 by Dia. 3
extending to 2 in Dia. 3, aiming to
alleviate the aji of the marked stone above. The sequence to White 13 can
be expected. White should be able to easily escape into the center. In the
meantime, the marked stones below still have some aji.

27
20 19 25
2 23 22
24 26
1 21 28

5
8

3 18 7
16 14
4 12 10 13
6 17 11 9 15

Dia. 4
In the position in Dia. 4, White has taken two adjacent corners and Black
has established a dominant position on the side. How can White make
sabaki?

184
 7
6
4
3

8 5 1
11 2
10 9 12
13

Dia. 5
White 1 in Dia. 5 is the vital point. If Black attaches with 2, White can
force with 3 and make shape with 5. Black might lean on White with 6,
then attack with 8 and 10. However, after White 13, it is not easy to
capture the white stones.

185
 21

19

17 18 20
14 16 15

Dia. 6
For example, 14 in Dia. 6 seems to be Black’s best chance to kill the white
group, but, after the sequence to 21, White’s group is alive.
However, doesn’t Black 21 destroy White’s eye shape?

186
 26 23 27
29 25 24 22
28

Dia. 7
The sequence from Black 22 to 28 in Dia. 7 does leave White with a false
eye, but White slips out into the center with 29 and now Black’s group
above no longer has two eyes. Suddenly, it is Black who is under attack
instead of White.

187
 16 11 19 12 21 10 3 8 7
15 14 17 5 4 9
20 18 6
13 1

22 2

30
26 28
25 27 23 24
29

Dia. 8
The game in Dia. 8 provides another example. After the sequence to Black
30, White has secured two corners and established a position at the top.
However, Black’s moyo on the left side is quite large. Before Black can
consolidate it, White must invade.

188
 2

8
6 14 13
3 4
5
7
11 15
9 10

12

Dia. 9
White starts by adding a stone to his marked one with 1 in Dia. 9. Black is
forced to capture with 2. Next, White slides to 3 and answers Black 4 with
5 and 7. Black has to defend with 8. Next, White attacks the black stones
below with 9 and 11, forcing Black to defend with 10 and 12. After forcing
with 13, White jumps out into the center with 15. White has successfully
invaded Black’s moyo. In addition, the black stones in the lower left are
heavy and they could possibly come under attack.

189
White has to take risks in high handicap games.

In high handicap games, especially in eight- and nine-stone games, Black

has such an advantage that White can’t afford to play the proper move.

Dia. 1
In the nine-stone game in Dia. 1, after the exchange of the marked stones,
White 1 is the proper move. However, Black can now reinforce his
position in the lower left with 2, and White’s prospects in this area are

190
almost nil. So what should White do instead of 1?

12 11 13 3 5 8
14 9 1
10 2 4 6

22

21
17 19
18 15
16 20

Dia. 2
White’s best chance is to try and start a fight by attaching with 1 in Dia. 2.
The sequence to Black 14 shows good play by both sides. White lives at
the top in sente, so he can turn his attention to the lower right. He attaches
with 15 and the joseki to Black 20 follows. White’s stones are not yet
secure, so he runs out into the center with 21.
Black next plays 22, a move with multiple purposes. It makes sure that

191
his stones in the middle of the right side get out into the center and link up
with the stone on the center star point, it attacks the stones above, which
have only one eye, and it attacks the white stones below, which has yet to
secure eye shape.
Clearly, Black has the superior position, but this is better for White than
to allow Black to play 2 in Dia. 1. The point is, however, a typical black
player taking a nine-stone handicap would not play as accurately as in this
example. It is impossible to predict how such a player would play. All we
can say is that most of his moves and their follow-ups after White 1 in Dia.
2 would not be the best and White could gradually eke out small gains at
the very least.

192
The capping strategy

6
4
5 3

Dia. 1
Black usually answers the two-space high approach of White 1 in Dia. 1
with the one-space jump of Black 2. However, when White follows up
with the small knight’s approach of 3, attaching with Black 4 is not the
best move, even though the marked stone is in place. White extends to 5,
then, after Black defends with 6, caps with 7.

193
 4

Dia. 2
If we compare Dia. 1 to Dia. 2, where Black omits the attachment and
simply defends the top with 4, we see that Black has more space in the
upper right in which to pull his marked stone out into the center.

194
 5

6
3

Dia. 3
Actually, Black’s best answer to White 3 would be to jump to 4 in Dia. 3.
This move preempts White’s capping move and gives Black the initiative.
If White makes a second approach with 5, Black moves out into the center
with 6, a move we studied in Chapter Two.
Black 4 in Dia. 2 is also a reasonable move, so let’s use this diagram as
a starting point to study the capping move of White 5.
White’s aim in playing the capping strategy is to lure Black into a fight

195
by threatening to capture the stone on the star point in the middle of the
right side. If he can create complications, Black will probably make one or
more mistakes and White will be able to slowly whittle away Black’s
advantage.
Let’s look at some moves that counter the cap of White 5 in Dia. 2.

1
b a
c
d
4 6
5 2
3 7

Dia. 4
Because of the proximity of the marked stone, Black doesn’t often try to
escape with Black 1 in Dia. 4. If he does, White will lean on the black
stones below with 2 and 4. After Black 7 White can continue with any of

196
the moves from ‘a’ to ‘d’.

12
11
14 10 9
13 8 15
16 17
18

Dia. 5
If White 8 in Dia. 5, White can confine Black to the right side with the
sequence to 18.

197
 5
7 4 a
6 b
8
3
2
1

Dia. 6
If Black plays the diagonal move of 1 in Dia. 6, White can attack with 2,
then lean on the black stones at the top with 4 and 6. If Black defends with
7, White 8 confines Black to the right side. If Black ‘a’, White can atari at
7 or set up a ko with ‘b’. Either way, Black has the advantage, but there
are many ways he could go wrong.

198
 6

4 2

5 3 1

Dia. 7
Against the Black 1 in Dia. 7, White can jump to 2 and 4. If Black 5,
White can invade with 6, attacking the two black stones on the top left.

199
 5

4 2

6 3 1
7
8

Dia. 8
In answer to White 4, Black might defend the top with 5 in Dia. 8. In that
case, White will cap with 6, then attach with 8.

200
 17 20
16 15
19 18 21 14
9 5 4 2
8 6 3 1 11 12
10 7 13

Dia. 9
Attacking with the two-space jump of Black 1 in Dia. 9 was a move that
many handicap go books recommended about 50 years ago. The sequence
to White 20 results in a ko. However, Black captures the ko first and, since
there is really no effective ko threat in the beginning of a game, Black will
capture four stones, gaining a huge profit and the advantage. However –

201
 5
3 4
2

8 6 1
7

Dia. 10
There are a lot of ways White can answer Black 1. He could play lightly
by peeping with 2, then attaching with 4 in Dia. 10. After Black 5, he can
attack by attaching with 6 and extending to 8. White would be happy to
fight from this position in a nine-stone game.

202
 5
4

3 1 6
a

Dia. 11
Black can escape into the center quite quickly with the knight’s move of
Black 1 in Dia. 11. If Black plays this move, White should jump once to 2
then settle his stones in the upper right with 4 and 6. White will have to
play patiently and solidly until Black slips up. After 6, White threatens to
cut off the marked stone by playing at ‘a’.

203
 1
3 2
5 4
6

Dia. 12
The large knight’s move of Black 1 in Dia. 12 is a bit thin, so White can
cut off the marked stone with the sequence from 2 to 6. If this sequence
were played in a game with a handicap of six or more stones, White could
be optimistic about his prospects.

204
Invading the side (1)

Dia. 1
After the exchange of White 1 for Black 2 in Dia. 1, the invasion of White
3 is often seen in handicap games of six or more stones. Moves may have
been made in other parts of the board, so it is necessary to take them into
account, as they may affect ladders and ko fights.

205
 a

7 8
6 5 9
4

Dia. 2
The diagonal move of Black 4 in Dia. 2 is the usual way to answer White’s
invasion. White plays 5 and 7, then jumps down to the second line with 9.
White can now settle his stones with a large knight’s move at ‘a’ or ‘b’.

206
 22
16 21
12 11 23
14 15
13
18
17
19 10

20

Dia. 3
Blocking from below with 10 in Dia. 3 is the strongest response. After 23,
White’s group is alive.

207
 1
6 2
3
4 5 8 9
7 10

Dia. 4
If Black tries to kill it with 1 and 3 in Dia. 4, White can get two eyes with
the sequence to 10.

208
 4

10 8
5 9
7 6
11

Dia. 5
Black could also attack from above with the diagonal move of 4 in Dia. 5.
White should answer by attaching with 5. If Black blocks with 6, White
cuts with 7. The sequence continues to 10, after which White settles his
stones with 11.

209
 a

14
12

13

Dia. 6
Black might try to secure the territory on the right with 12 and 14 in Dia.
6, but the corner is still open and White can live there by invading at ‘a’.

210
 16
17 15
13 14
8 12
20 19 10
a 21 18 9 11
22 b

Dia. 7
Black’s strongest response to White 7 in Dia. 5 is to extend to 8 in Dia. 7.
After Black 22, White’s three stones at 19 and 21 can be captured in a
ladder. If White escapes from this ladder with ‘a’, Black will capture
White by attaching at ‘b’.

211
 15 14 13
9 10
11
12

Dia. 8
If Black extends to the marked stone in Dia. 8 (Black 8 in Dia. 7) and the
ladder is unfavorable for White, he can start a ko on the top right with 9 to
15. White has a lot of ko threats on the right side, so he should win this ko.
When you don’t have a good answer to your opponent’s move, playing
elsewhere as here can be a good strategy.

212
Playing a fast-paced game

Before playing out a joseki to the end, it can be good strategy for White to
play a few moves elsewhere on the board. Such nimble play can cause
confusion to opponents to whom you give large handicaps.

2 4
3

6
a

Dia. 1
In Dia. 1, White does not extend to ‘a’, but switches to the bottom left with
an approach move at 5. Black seizes the opportunity and attacks with 6.

213
White must now find a way to settle his two stones.

Dia. 2
The diagonal attachment of 7 in Dia. 2 is the tesuji that enables White to
settle his stones.

214
 10 12 8
9 11

13 a

Dia. 3
If Black defends the corner with 8 in Dia. 3, White can get good shape
with the sequence to 11. Black must connect with 12, so White gets sente
to play another approach move with 13. Later, White can continue in the
upper right by playing at ‘a’.

215
 9 7

a 8

Dia. 4
Escaping into the center with 7 and 9 is a crude way of playing. White’s
stones are not making shape or taking territory, whereas Black is building
influence in the lower right part of the board. Next, Black ‘a’ is a great
move that gives Black dominance of the center. White is still looking for a
way to settle his stones.

216
 10
12 9
11

a 7 15
8 13
14

Dia. 5
White could also live in the upper right by bumping against the black stone
with 7 in Dia. 5. After the sequence to 15, White’s group is alive, but
Black can confine it to the side with the diagonal move of ‘a’. White’s
prospects in this game would not be promising.

217
 5
6

Dia. 6
After Black plays the marked stone, extending to White 5 in Dia. 6 is the
joseki move. White has settled his stones, but Black’s stones on the top
right are also settled and Black has ended in sente. He can now make the
sanren-sei formation on the left side with 6. White is falling behind in the
opening.

218
Countering Black’s pincer

2 5
3
6 7
8 1 11
12 9 10
4

Dia. 1
After White slides to 3 in Dia. 1, the pincer of Black 4 is a strong move,
aiming is to confine White to the corner and build a thick wall on the
outside. However, before playing this pincer, Black should make sure that
he can capture the stone at 9 in a ladder with 12. Although confined to the
corner with minimal profit, White ends in sente and he can gain a move

219
elsewhere by threatening to break the ladder. Still, Black gets a formidably
thick position in the center, and this may not be to White’s liking. What
can White do to counter Black’s strategy?

2 5
3
7 6 a
1

Dia. 2
When Black plays the diagonal attachment of 6 in Dia. 2, instead of
submissively blocking at ‘a’, White 7 is the tesuji that throws a monkey
wrench into Black’s plans.

220
 13
14 8
9
12 10
11 15

Dia. 3
If Black connects with 8 in Dia. 3, White links up with 9. After Black cuts
with 10, White ataries with 11 and 13, then connects with 15. Black has
made a thick wall at the top, but White has secured the corner and
established a position on the right side while neutralizing the marked
stone.

221
 21 20 22 23
19 18 24 25
17

13 12
14 16

Dia. 4
15: connects
Black must be careful how he answers White 11 in Dia. 3. If he ataries
with 12 in Dia. 4, White captures with 13, then connects at the marked
stone with 15. Black must defend with 16, so White can force with 17 to
21, building a wall at the top. Black can now start a ko in the corner with
23 and 25.

222
 12 14
10
9 11
8
13
15

Dia. 5
After White 7 in Dia. 2, Black can also atari with 8 in Dia. 5. The moves
to White 15 are a joseki.

223
Invading the side (2)

3 4

Dia. 1
After the exchange of 1 for 2 in Dia. 1 in this six-stone game, White 3 is
an interesting invasion that could lead Black astray. Black might be
tempted to try to link up with his marked stone with 4, but there are hidden
dangers.

224
 6 5
11 12
15 9 13 14
10
8 7

Dia. 2
White first attaches with 5 in Dia. 2, then plays a hane with 7. Responding
with 6 and 8 seem to be common-sense moves, but, after White connects
with 15, White is threatening to capture two stones either above or below.
Black can defend, but whichever way he does, Black’s bad aji will be hard
to erase. In other words, Black has a lot of opportunities to make mistakes.

225
 8
9

10 4 6
5
7 3

Dia. 3
Black should answer the invasion of White 3 by jumping to 4 in Dia. 3.
White tries to get some traction with 5 and 7, but Black secures a large
corner with 8. If White extends to 9, Black jumps to 10, splitting White
into two weak groups. White’s trick move has backfired.

226
Invading the side (3)

1
3

a 2
b 5 c

Dia. 1
The attachment of White 5 in Dia. 1 often arises in four- and five-stone
games. Black can respond with ‘a’, ‘b’, or ‘c’. However, most kyu-level
players usually respond with the hane of ‘c’ no matter what the
surrounding position may be. This is probably caused by their urge to
secure territory as quickly and as safely as they can. (See Game Three in

227
Chapter Four in which Black played both ‘a’ and ‘c’.)

a 6 4 2
5 3
7

Dia. 2
Extending to Black 1 in Dia. 2 is a severe answer to White’s attachment. It
is also the simplest because White’s responses are limited. White will
answer with a shoulder hit at 2. After this, the sequence to Black 7 can be
expected. Black has built a moyo in the lower right and White’s stones
above are still under attack, so he will have to jump to ‘a’.

228
 3
1
6 4 2

Dia. 3
The hane of Black 1 in Dia. 3 is also a strong move. The sequence to
White 6 is a joseki.

229
 5 1 2
6 4 3

Dia. 4
Since Black ‘c’ in Dia. 1 is the move that has the most variations, we will
examine it in more detail.
After Black 2, White plays a hane with 3 in Dia. 4 and Black cuts with
4. Black must block with 6. Next –

230
 b

a
7 10
9 8
11

12
c

Dia. 5
White ataries with 7 in Dia. 5, then extends to 9. This is the key move. The
sequence to Black 12 is a joseki. White ends in sente and there is a lot of
bad aji in Black’s position that he can exploit. For example, White can
extend to ‘a’, invade the corner at ‘b’, or build a wall on the outside with
the shoulder hit of ‘c’.

231
 a
13
11 9
10 7
12 8

Dia. 6
White must not atari with 9 and 11 in Dia. 6. Black will capture two stones
with 12, making the famous ‘tortoise shell’ shape. There is a proverb that
tells us that ‘the tortoise shell is worth 60 points’. White plays 13,
expecting to secure the corner, but Black can get a foothold there by
playing a hane at ‘a’.

232
 11 9
12 7
13 8
10

Dia. 7
White 9 in Dia. 7 looks like a good move because it threatens to capture
the two stones. Black might be tempted to defend with 10, but White then
plays 11 and 13. The fighting that follows will be complicated, but this
should suit White.
However, there is a problem. White 9 is a trick move, and, if Black
knows how to answer, White could end up with a lost game.

233
 16
18 15 10 9
14 13 7 17
12 8 19
11

Dia. 8
The correct response to White 9 is to connect with 10 in Dia. 8. White is
forced to go after the two black stones with 11. Black now ataries with 12
and 14, then casts a net with 16. White is forced to capture with 17 and 19.
Next –

234
 22

20 21

Dia. 9
Black throws in a stone with 20 in Dia. 9, destroying White’s eye shape.
He then plays 22, ending up with a thick wall on the outside. White for his
part has made almost no profit and he still has to make eyes for his group.

235
Pincer (1)

1 10
9

6 2

5 3

7 4

Dia. 1
When Black answers White’s approach with the one-space jump to 2 in
Dia. 1, White often attacks the black stones with 3. Black follows up with
a pincer at 4. White now has a number of ways to continue, but the moves
to White 9 are the most orthodox. After Black defends with 10, White has
a trick move that can give him an advantage.

236
 13 14
16
15
17 19 20
18 21

11 12

Dia. 2
White first attaches with 11 in Dia. 2. If Black answers with the hane of
12, White plays a hane with 13. If Black defends with 14, White ataries
with 15, peeps with 17, then cuts through with 19 and 21.

237
 26
25
23
27 22 24
28
31 29 30

Dia. 3
Black resists with 22 and 24 in Dia. 3, but White ataries with 15 and cuts
with 27. After the moves to 31, Black’s three stones at 22, 24, and 28 can’t
avoid capture.

238
 21 13
a 12

19
11 14
17 15 20
18 16

Dia. 4
One way to defend against the sequence in Dias. 2 and 3 is to answer the
attachment of White 11 with 12 in Dia. 4. After White connects with 13,
Black can continue on the right side with the sequence to 20. White is
satisfied to have settled his stones on the right side as well as his stones at
the top. However, Black could omit playing 20 and attack the three white
stones on the top right with a pincer at ‘a’.

239
 17 13 19
15 18
14 16

24

23
21
20 11 12
22

Dia. 5
Answering White 13 with 14 in Dia. 5 is Black’s strongest move. After
White 19, Black ataries with 20, then connects with 22. White has to run
away with 23 and Black follows him into the center with 24. White’s
stones on the right are still unsettled, while Black’s stones in the upper
right have eye shape and he has taken profit in the lower right.

240
Pincer (2)

2
5
3

Dia. 1
After Black 4, White might press with 5 in Dia. 1, threatening to confine
Black’s stones to the corner.

241
 9
10
7
6
8

11

Dia. 2
Black has to get his stones out into the center, but Black 6 in Dia. 2 is not a
good way to do that. White extends to 7, threatening to confine Black with
8, so Black has to take this point for himself. White now has the
momentum to play 9 and 11. White has settled his stones both at the top
and on the right.

242
 a
c
7

b 6 8

10

Dia. 3
The correct way for Black to respond to White 5 is to jump to 6 in Dia. 3.
White can’t push in at 8. He first has to play the diagonal move of 7. Black
now connects with 8 and White settles his stones on the right with 9. This
is a joseki. After Black 10, White can aim at ‘a’ or ‘b’. He could also
invade at ‘c’.

243
 12 10
13 11 9 8
6 7

Dia. 4
After 6, Black does not have to worry about White cutting through with 7
and 9 in Dia. 4. Black forces with 10 and 12, securing the territory at the
top.

244
 9 10 14
13 11 12
7 6
8

15

16

Dia. 5
Black could also answer White 5 in Dia. 1 by attaching and extending with
6 and 8 in Dia. 5. White should follow up with the diagonal move of 9. If
Black 10, White wedges in with 11 and connects with 13. Black also
connect with 14. White now exchanges 15 for Black 16, settling his stones
at the top and on the right side. Next –

245
 a
1 5
2 3
b 4

Dia. 6
White can aim at the peep of 1 in Dia. 6. If Black blocks with 2, White
will play a hane with 3, then connect with 5. The points ‘a’ and ‘b’ are
now miai. If White plays on either one of them, he can easily rescue his
stones, while Black’s stones no longer have eye shape.

246
 4 5
2 1 7
6 3

Dia. 7
Instead of 2 in Dia. 6, Black might connect with 2 in Dia. 7. White should
then play the diagonal move of 3. After the sequence to 7, Black’s group
does not have eye shape.

247
Pincer (3)

5 6
2

7 3

Dia. 1
After Black plays a pincer with 4, peeping with 5, then jumping to 7 in
Dia. 1, is one way that White might try to intimidate Black. White is
threatening to confine Black to the upper right corner, so Black must break
out into the center.

248
 15

13
14
12 10 8
11 9

Dia. 2
The knight’s move of 8 in Dia. 2 is the best way for Black to break
through. After 12, White plays 13, threatening to cut Black into two
groups, so he defends with 14. White now settles his stones at the top with
15. The result is even. White has established positions at the top and on the
right. Black may be on the run, but he is thick and can attack White with
‘a’.

249
 13 12
16 14
15 11 10
8 9

Dia. 3
When Black plays 8, White might be tempted to cut off that stone from the
group on the right with 9 and 11 in Dia. 3. However, Black has a nice
tesuji with 12 and 14. After the exchange of 15 for 16, Black dominates
the top.

250
 9
11 10

Dia. 4
Black could also break out into the center by turning with 8 in Dia. 4, but
this is too slow. White can settle his stones at the top with 9 and 11.

251
 1

5 6
2
7
3

Dia. 5
The combination of White 5 and 7 in Dia. 5 is even more audacious than 5
and 7 in Dia. 1.

252
 13 12
16 14
15 9 8
10
11

Dia. 6
In this case, Black can break through with 8 and 10 in Dia. 6. White has to
defend with 11, so Black can play the tesuji combination of 12 and 14. The
resulting position is the same as that of Dia. 3.

253
The attach-and-extend joseki

1 a b
3 2
4

Dia. 1
When the marked stone in place, as in a six- or seven-stone game, Black
often attaches and extends with 2 and 4 in Dia. 1.

254
 11 9
8 7 5
13 10 6
12

Dia. 2
Invading the corner with 5 in Dia. 2 is one of White’s options, but Black
blocks with 6 and the joseki to White 13 can be expected. Black has built a
large moyo on the right side. Black would also get a moyo if White were
to play at ‘a’ or ‘b’ in Dia. 1.

255
 1
3 2 5
4

Dia. 3
The attachment of 5 in Dia. 3 is one way for White to create
complications.

256
 9
b 7

8 6 a

Dia. 4
However, Black can keep things simple with the hane of 6 followed by the
connection of 8 in Dia. 4. Black gets his moyo, but it is one line more
narrow than in Dia. 2. Instead of 8, Black could also descend to ‘a’. In that
case, White answers with ‘b’.

257
 12 11 13
a 8

9
b 10

Dia. 5
Black might answer White 7 in Dia. 4 by blocking at 8 in Dia. 5. White
would respond with 9. If Black plays a two-step hane with 10, White plays
a hane with 11 and connects with 13. White is now threatening to link up
with ‘a’. If Black connects at ‘a’, White will atari at ‘b’ and break into
Black’s moyo, so it is urgent that Black connect at ‘b’.

258
 8

15 9
10 11
12 13

14

Dia. 6
If Black answers White 9 by extending to 10 in Dia. 6, White plays 11 and
13, then pushes up with 15. Black’s stones on the right side are starting to
look overconcentrated.

259
 8 16
14
12 9
11 10 15
13

Dia. 7
Black can capture the two white stones in the corner by bulging out with 8
in Dia. 7. White answers with a hane at 9, but Black continues with 10.
With the sequence to 16, Black get the corner territory, but White gets a
ponnuki on the upper right side. In addition, White’s two marked stones
still have some aji. This is not a bad result for White. He could have lived
in the corner by playing 13 at 14, but the result would be less than
satisfactory.

260
 9 10 6 8

11

Dia. 8
Black could also answer White 5 with the hane of 6. White would extend
to 7, then, after Black 8, force with 9. White extends to 11 and he has been
able to establish positions at the top as well as the right side.

261
 10
8 6 9
12
7

11

Dia. 9
After White extends to 7 in Dia. 9, Black 8 is another possibility. White
exchanges 9 for Black 10, then extends to 11. White easily lives with his
stones on the right, but his marked stones at the top will come under attack
when Black plays 12. White will now play elsewhere and wait for a chance
to utilize the aji of the marked stones.

262
 10 6 9
5
7

Dia. 10
Black can also answer White 5 by bulging out with 6 in Dia. 10, but, after
the sequence to 10, White is alive in the corner and his two stones on the
left still have aji.
This is just a short survey of the various strategies that White can
employ to confuse the weaker player or to create complications that Black
will have a hard time working out in a game. However, resorting to trick
moves can backfire if your opponent has studied the same books as you

263
have. The best way to play white in handicap games is to follow basic
principles, be patient, and take advantage of your opponent’s mistakes.
Rest assured; he will make them. It is up to you to find them.

264
 Chapter Four
Example Games
In the 1920s, Honinbo Shusai, Meijin, played a number of teaching games
with a number of young professionals who were later to become prominent
in the go world. As Meijin, Shusai had to give a three-stone handicap, but
it was not an easy task for him against these brilliant players. Here is the
game he played with Hashimoto Utaro.

Game One

White: Honinbo Shusai, Meijin

Black: Hashimoto Utaro 3-dan
Handicap: three stones; played in 1925

265
 23

22 21
20 19
18 17
16 15
14
12 13
10 11
3
4

2
5 8
9 1 6
7

Figure 1 (1–23)
Black set the tone of this game by building a solid wall across the right
side with the sequence from 10 to 22. Even though White was able to
neutralize this wall with 23, connecting with Black 22 was urgent. Under
no circumstances could Black have omitted it. If Black were to play at 23
or thereabouts, White would push in at 22, leaving Black’s wall with
cutting points.
White is making good progress. He has taken territory at the bottom and

266
on the right side. All that Hashimoto has to show for his efforts is his thick
wall, but he seems confident that this is enough to match White’s
territorial gains. How should Black answer White 23?

35 24
27
30 32 26
25 28 31
34 29 33

Figure 2 (24–35)
Black plays a pincer with 24, pressing the White stone at the top against
his wall on the right. This follows the principle of using thickness to
attack. Since that stone still has enough space to settle itself, White
switches to the left and plays an approach with 25. Black continues to
attack with 26, so White defends with 27.

267
 Next, Black stakes out the top left with 28 and 30. White responds with
31 and 33, building thickness on the outside. After Black 34, White
invades with 35.

41 39 36 49
47 40 37
45 46 38
43
44

48
42

50

Figure 3 (36–50)
White lives in the corner with the sequence to 47, but, after Black 48,
White’s three marked stones are stranded within Black’s sphere of
influence. White’s stones on the top right are about to come under attack,
so White has to settle them with 49. With 50, Black dominates the left half
of the board.

268
 53
54 51
60
52

59
61
57 56

58 55

Figure 4 (51–61)
White 51 is a reducing move that also threatens to rescue the three stones
stranded on the left. Black answers with 52, indirectly attacking the stone
at 51 and mapping out a moyo in the lower left part of the board.
The large knight’s move of White 53 is threatening the ten black stones
on the top left, so Black must play 54 to rescue them. White now invades
the bottom left with 55. With the sequence to 61, White is trying to make
sabaki within Black’s sphere of influence.

269
 65 73
63 64 66
68 62 71
72 69 67 70

Figure 5 (62–73)
Black goes on the attack with 62 and 64. With 72, he captures the two
stones at 67 and 69 in a ladder and secures more than 20 points of territory
in the corner. White still has to secure his stones, so he ataries with 73.
How do you think Black answered White 73?

270
 81
78

79
80 77 76
75
74

Figure 6 (74–81)
Black plays a hane with 74. White has no choice but to start a ko with 75
and 77. Black extends 78, threatening White stones at the bottom, so
White defends with 79 and 81.

271
 84 83

89 95 96 86 87
90

99 92
98 93

82

Figure 7 (82–100)
ko: 85,
The ko continues from Black 82 88, 91, 94, 97, 100
to 100.

272
 2

1
3 5 6
14 4 8 9 11 7 15
18 10 13
12
17 16

Figure 8 (101–118)
With the sequence to 18, White’s group in the upper left is reduced to one
eye and his only escape route is towards Black’s thick wall on the right.
Moreover, the white group on the bottom left is cut off and somehow it too
has to make two eyes.

273
 20 22
21 24
23 19

Figure 9 (119–124)
With the sequence from 19 to 23, White just manages to live, but Black
resolves the ko with 24. Suddenly, White’s group on the bottom right finds
itself in trouble.

274
 32

33

30 28 31
26 27
25
29

Figure 10 (125–133)
White must now scramble to get two eyes for his group on the bottom
right, but in the process Black is able to play 28 to 32, negatively affecting
White’s group in the upper left. However, after White 33, Black’s group at
the bottom isn’t secure either.

275
 41
42 45 46
a 44 43
38 35 34
40 36
39 37

Figure 11 (134–146)
Black blocks with 34. With the sequence 46, he captures the two stones at
35 and 43. Black is still threatening to cut off White’s stones on the left
with ‘a’, so Black ends in sente.
Black is well ahead, so White resigns.

276
Game Two
This game is between the author (Nagahara) and a strong amateur.

1
9

15

4 8

14
13 12
3
6
11 2
7 10 5

Figure 1 (1–15)
Black immediately goes for influence. He take three of the side star points
with 2, 4 and 8, then builds a wall on the left with the sequence to 14. If
this were a five-stone game, Black would have set up the box-shape

277
formation.

19 20
22 17 16
27 29 23 18
28 24 25 26
21

Figure 2 (16–29)
White makes a second approach two spaces from the corner star-point on
the fourth line. Black 16 and 18 are the usual way to get out into the
center.
Black 22 is the vital point for attacking White’s three stones, but White
has also played 21, so it is not as severe. After White 29, Black’s two
stones at 24 and 28 are stranded in the center.

278
How should Black play?

279
 34 36
33 35
31
32 30
37 39
38 40

Figure 3 (30–40)
Black peeps with 30, then plays 32, aiming to confine White’s stones to
the upper right. White can’t break out, so he has to make two eyes. The
moves from 33 to 39 ensure that he’ll get those eyes. But, after Black
connects with 40 –

280
 45
54 44
42 41
52 50 46 43 59
53 51 49 47 48
55 57
56 58

Figure 4 (41–59)
White first plays the forcing moves of 41 to 53. White has to assume that
these stones will come under attack later on, but he must do something to
counter Black’s influence at the bottom. After Black 54, White comes
back to secure his stones with 55 to 59.
Up to this point, Black has played for influence and has secured a bit of
territory only in the upper right corner. White, on the other hand, has made
territory at the top and on the lower left side. Black’s strategy is clear: he

281
aims to turn his influence into secure territory by attacking White’s stones
in the center. Let’s see how Black does this.

67 65 66
73 a 68
71 72
70

69 74

76 62 60
75 61
64
77 63

Figure 5 (60–77)
White’s stones in the center are short of liberties, so Black puts pressure on
them with the hane of 60. White forces with 61 and 63, then, in
anticipation of Black 70 and 72, plays the hane and connection of 65 and
67. He can now safely peep with 69. With 76, Black’s stones in the center
are safe. Next, White jumps to 77, intending to erase Black’s influence at
the bottom.

282
 8 10
5 9 7 6
3 4
2

Dia. 1
If White omits 65 and 67 and immediately peeps with 1 in Dia. 1, after
White 5, Black can cut with 6 and capture the marked stones with 8 and
10.

283
 10 7 9
4 8 6 5
2 3
1

Dia. 2
However, once White has made the exchange of 65 to 68, Black 5 to 9 in
Dia. 2 no longer work. Black loses the capturing race after White blocks
with 10.

284
 94 79
80
90 81
88 85 78 89 82
86 91 83 84
87 93
92

Figure 6 (78–94)
Black meets White head on with 78. In the ensuing sequence, White tries
to create as much confusion as possible, but basically he has to make eyes
and keep Black from forming too much territory. Black responds coolly,
making territory on the left with 86 to 92. He then peeps with 94.

285
 104

97

100 101 95
99 96
102 103

98

Figure 7 (95–104)
White ignores Black’s peep and plays a hane with 95, threatening Black’s
group on the right side. However, Black calmly defends with 96, and,
when White answers the peep with 97, he secures the territory on the lower
right side with 98.
White finally secures eyes for his group with the sequence to 103, but he
can only do this in gote, so Black takes some more territory with 104 on
the top left.

286
 a 10
8
5 6
7
9

Figure 8 (105–110)
It is now urgent for White to invade the upper left side before Black can
reinforce it. White invades with 5 and the moves to White 9 are natural.
Black 10 is a powerful move that expands Black corner and prevents
White from playing a big endgame move at ‘a’ But Black 10 has another
meaning!

287
 18 20 16
19 21 17

25
23 15 24
13 14
22
26

11
12

Figure 9 (111–126)
White doesn’t have time to worry about Black 10. He has to secure his
stones on the upper left side. After probing with 11, White plays 13 and 15
to settle his group.
Black now seizes his chance. He jumps down to the edge with 16. White
must defend against a cut with 17, so Black can link up with 18 and 20,
expanding his territory at the top while reducing White’s.
Black returns to the left side, forcing White to make shape with 23 and
25. Next, Black 26 threatens White’s group.

288
 29
28

27 a
b
37

34
33 32 36
31 30 35

Figure 10 (127–137)
Black 26 is threatening to attach at ‘a’, so White must defend with 27. If
White answers at ‘b’ to defend his eye instead, Black will draw back to 27,
trapping the white stones above.
The exchange of 28 for White 29 prepares for Black 30. White’s group
is in danger, so he must defend with 31.
The moves from Black 32 to 36 are big, but so is the cut of White 37,
which aims to capture four stones. How do you think Black should
answer?

289
 56 42 40 38
55 41 39
53 54 49
47
63 45 44 43
58 62 46
51 52 48
61 57 59 60

Figure 11 (138–163)
Black plays an atari with 38, intending to capture the cutting stone, but this
150: connects
is a mistake. After the sequence to 63, it becomes a seki. Black’s territory
on the bottom left has been wiped out. Moreover, Black’s group above and
below do not yet have two eyes, so White still has a chance to stage an
upset.

290
 4
3 2
1 5

Dia. 3
When White cut with the marked stone, Black should have ataried from
the other side with 1 in Dia. 3. Then, after forcing once with 3, switched to
the right with 5. Black has now secured large territories on the bottom left
and on the lower right side and he has a won game. This is a good example
of Principle 15 of Chapter One, which advises us to sacrifice cumbersome
stones.

291
 5
4
2 3

6
1
10
9 7 8

Dia. 4
Black 52 is also a mistake. Black 1 in Dia. 4 is better. When Black
connects with 5, White has to connect with 6. After the exchange of Black
7 for White 8, the position is still a seki, but with the difference that Black
is able to encroach into White’s corner with 9.

292
 68 70
67 69

66

64 65

Figure 12 (164–170)
Fortunately for Black, he ends in sente, so he can make eyes for his group
at the bottom by exchanging 64 for White 65. He then pushes in with 66,
securing the territory on the lower right side.
Black still has more territory, so White’s only chance is to kill the large
black group in the center of the board, which has yet to make two eyes. He
starts with 67 and 69, but when Black plays 70, his group has two eyes.
170 moves. White resigns.

293
Game Three

6 27 21 19 25
2 22 20 23
26 24
1 28 17
a 42
41
38 37 18 40
5 39 30
36 33 29

31
3 9 16 32
34 12 14
4 35 11 10
8 7 13
15

Figure 1 (1–42)
This four-stone game was played by Kitani Minoru 9-dan against one of
his disciples. Up to 41, the position is similar to the one we analyzed in
Dia. 4 in Chapter Three, but, instead of attacking White’s stones with ‘a’
as in that example, Black played 42, eliminating the bad aji of the stone at
17.

294
 48 49

47
45
a 44 43
46

Figure 2 (43–49)
White responds by attaching with 43. With the sequence to 47, White gets
his group out in into the open.
Black now switches to the upper left, closing off the corner and aiming
to invade at ‘a’. White ignores that threat and attaches with 49. He can’t
allow Black to jump to ‘a’ first, as that would pretty much secure the top
left territory.

295
 60 59 62
50 51 58
52 55
54 53 56
57 61

Figure 3 (50–62)
Black 54 deviates from the joseki we studied in Dias. 4 and 5 in Chapter
Three.

296
 5 3
2

1 7
4 6 a

Dia. 1
Black 1 in Dia. 1 is the usual move. The sequence to Black 7 can be
expected. However, with the marked stone in place, Black was probably
afraid of the attachment of ‘a’.

297
 11 12
9 8
10

Dia. 2
For example, if White attaches with 8 in Dia. 2, White can make a wall in
the center with the sequence to 12. White ends in sente, as Black still has
to answer White 12.

298
 14 16
15 10
11 8 9
12 13 19
18 20

Dia. 3
17: connects
Black has to be careful about wedging in with 9 in Dia. 3. White will atari
with 10. If Black 11, White ataries again with 12. After Black captures
with 13, White can capture Black in a ladder with the sequence to 20.

299
 9
7 8 10 4 6
2
3 5
12 1
13 11

Dia. 4
Black might also be afraid that White will extend to 2 in Dia. 4, but Black
can play the sequence to 13 and capture three stones. Black has secured a
large territory on the top left.

300
 80
81 82 73
70 72
69
64 66 71
63 67 68
84 65 85 76 77 78
83 74 75 79

Figure 4 (63–85)
Up to 85, both sides race to get out into the center while making bases for
their groups. When White attaches with 63, extending to 64 is the correct
move.

301
 a 8 10
4 5 11
3
6 1 2
9 7

Dia. 5
If Black plays the joseki in Dia. 5, the result to Black 11 can be expected.
If White confines Black to the bottom with ‘a’, his moyo on the left side
will be quite big. However, after Black extends to 64, White can’t expect
to get much influence in the lower left.

302
 91 90
97 86 89 93
98 95 92 94
96 99

87 88

Figure 5 (86–100)
100waiting
Black invades with 86. He has been at 86 to play this move since
playing 48 in Figure 2.

303
 5
3 4

1 2
6

Dia. 6
Instead of the hane of 90, Black could have also extended to 1 in Dia. 6.

304
 2

a
1

Dia. 7
Instead of White 99, an atari at 1 or ‘a’ in Dia. 7 is unreasonable. Black
simply captures with 2 and White can’t fight the ko.

305
 1
5
6 3
2 4

Dia. 8
If White resolves the ko by connecting with 1 in Dia. 8, Black forces with
2 and 4, then connects with 6, securing a big area on the lower left side
that used to be White’s territory.

306
 2
1

3
4
5
6

Dia. 9
Black has no choice but to capture the ko with 100. If he extends to 1 in
Dia. 9, White connects with 2. Black expands his eye space with 3 and 5,
but he can’t win the capturing race after White blocks with 6.

307
 5
4
6
2 1
3

Figure 6 (101–106)
Black was anxious to live with his group, so he captured with 4 and 6.

308
 3

1 2

Dia. 10
However, he could have dealt White a severe blow by forcing once with 1
in Dia. 10, then pressing with 3 and taking control of the territory on the
left side. White would have had to resign.

309
 8

9 7

10 16
11

15
12 13
14

Figure 6a (107–116)
After Black lived with 10, the game was close.
Black plays 12 and 14 to secure at least one eye in the corner. He then
moves out into the center with 16 while attacking White’s stones.

310
 27 33 32 34
26 29 28
21 22
20 24 23 31

19 25
30
17 18

Figure 7 (117–134)
With the sequence to 34, Black seems to have confined the white stones to
the bottom and linked up his own stones. However, White has a nice tesuji
that will enable him to save his stones and capture some of Black’s.

311
49 40
43 42
41
39
50 35 36

37
48 47
38

44 46 45

Figure 8 (135–150)
White peeps with 35 and isolates five white stones with the sequence to
43. But more importantly, Black’s group to the left is cut off and it has to
make two eyes with 44 and 46. White now plays 49 forcing White to live
with 50. However, instead of 49, White had a brilliant tesuji combination
that could have killed the black group on the upper left side. Can you see
what it is?

312
 7

5
3
6
1 4
2

Dia. 11
White should have played 1 to 5 in Dia. 11, threatening to kill the large
black group. Black lives with 6, but White can then make a placement with
7 and Black can’t prevent this stone from linking up with its allies below.
Black’s group is left with only one eye.

313
 87 91
90
62 94
92 93 51

63 89 88 100
64 53 55 98
54 52 66 97
73 65 99
72 79
75 78 82 83 95
74 81
80 77 76
85 84
60
86 59 96
57 56 67 68 58
71 69 70 61

Figure 9 (151–200)
With the sequence to 55, White captures four stones and links up his
groups.
White 69 was a mistake. White should have simply captured at 71.

314
 5
4 6
2 1 7 3

Dia. 12
After 71, Black could have made a placement with 1 in Dia. 12, then, after
White blocks with 2, jumped to 3. Black can now get a seki with the
sequence to Black 7.

315
 1 5 3 2 4

Dia. 13
If White had captured with 1 in Dia. 13, White could have linked up with
5 after Black 2 and 4.

316
 64 50 51
55 5 11
10 53 31
42 54 30
44 48 41 14 8 29 52 32
49 38 21 18 9
39
7 25 26
6
12 13
3 62 61 63
28 4 27
60 57 56 34 33
1 59
58 35 24 22 23 20
40 19
2 36 43 16
37 17
46 45 47 15

Figure 10 (201–264)
Kitani must have hallucinated when he played White 3, believing that he
could kill Black’s group. However, it became a wasted move after Black 4.
He should have simply played 3 as a forcing move at 4. He then would
have won by a few points.
264 moves. Black wins by one point.

317
Game Four
In this game, a 3-dan amateur tries out the five-stone ‘sure-win strategy’ of
Chapter 2 against a 7-dan amateur. As this game illustrates, winning
against a strong and resourceful opponent is not so easy, as there are many
ways for Black to go wrong.

17 19
20
18
1

14 13 15
16 12 5
6 10 11
4 9
a 3 8 7

Figure 1 (1–20)

318
With 4, Black has already made his box-shape formation. White plays
another approach move with 5. After the joseki to 16, Black dominates the
bottom part of the board. White switches to the top with 17 and 19.
Black 20 was a good, well-balanced move, but it would probably have
been safer for Black to have played at ‘a’ instead. That would have limited
White’s options for invading.

24

23
22 21

Figure 2 (21–24)
Instead of attaching with 22, playing a pincer with Black 1 in Dia. 1 is
simpler.

319
 2
11 13
10 5 7 3
12 4 6 8 9 1

Dia. 1
Even if White makes another approach with 2, then invades the corner
with 4, Black can keep things simple by building a wall with the sequence
to 13. The presence of the black stones at 1 and 9 make it nearly
impossible for White to invade the bottom. White’s wall is thick and
without defects (bad aji) and it works well with his star-point stones above.
Black is relying too much on book-learning without adapting his moves to
the actual position on the board.

320
 28 26 32 a
29 27 25 30 31

Figure 2a (25–32)
Instead of blocking with Black 30, jumping to ‘a’ would have been safer.
Connecting with Black 32 is the correct way to answer the clamp of
White 31.

321
 24
20
19 16 17
14 21 15 6 18
7 23 4 8 10 12
22 2 3 9 13
5 11
1

Dia. 2
If Black descends to 1 in Dia. 2, White will cut with 2. This leads to a very
complicated position. The sequence shown is but one example. Black no
longer has any way to simplify the position, so White has more chances to
turn the game in his favor.

322
 47

42
40 46
41 39 38 44 45
37 43
36 34 35
33

Figure 3 (33–47)
White makes life in sente, but Black gets a wall facing the center and
White is pressed against the edge without much territory. Unfortunately
for Black, unlike Dia. 1, his wall has a lot of defects.
White now switches to the upper right with an approach move on the
second line at 47.

323
 49 50
53
54
51 48
52

Figure 4 (48–54)
Answering White 47 by pressing White against the edge with 48 is the
correct move. White has to live in the corner, so he plays on the 3–3 point
with 49. With the sequence to 53, White is alive, but Black has to fix up
his shape with 54, so White ends in sente.

324
 6 4 5
3
2 1 7

Dia. 3
Black 50 was a mistake. Black should have pushed in with 1 in Dia. 3.
White lives in the corner, but this time he ends in gote, so Black can take
the vital point of 7. He has now mapped out most of the center.

325
 53
54
51
52

60
59 58
55
57 56

Figure 4a (51–60)
White 51 and 53 are a good combination that make life in sente.
Answering the attachment of White 59 with the clamp of 60 was
unexpected.

326
 6
1 3
2 4
5

Dia. 4
Passively answering White 59 by defending with 1 in Dia. 4 makes the
marked stone a forcing move. If Black played this way, White was
planning to stir up trouble by exploiting Black’s bad aji with 2 to 6.

327
 1 10
5 2 4 7
3 6 8
9

Dia. 5
If Black plays a hane with 1 in Dia. 5, White was planning to cut with 2.
Black has no choice but to capture with 3 and 5. Again, White stirs up
trouble with 6 to 10.

328
 61
62

Figure 5 (61–62)
After Black connected with 62, White should have played elsewhere and
let Black worry about the situation in the lower left. White had many
possibilities here, so there was a lot for Black to worry about.

329
 1

b
a
2

Dia. 6
For example, White 1 in Dia. 6 is big, and, even if Black reinforces with 2,
White can still aim to play forcing moves at ‘a’ and ‘b’.

330
 72 74

71
69 73
68 65 67
70 63
66 64

Figure 5a (63–74)
White was a bit too hasty in initiating the sequence from 63 to 71. Black
was able to successfully turn the lower left corner into iron-clad territory
and was able to develop the top by using 72 to break the ladder. Usually
allowing White to capture a stone in a ladder like this is a big no-no, but in
this game Black is thick on the top left, so White’s ponnuki does not have
much bearing on any neighboring groups. Finally, Black was able to take
the key point of 74. All in all, this was a big success for Black.

331
 75

78 77
79 76

80

Figure 6 (75–80)
Black 76 was an overplay. In an even game, it would be all right, but in a
five-stone handicap game, such an aggressive attitude is dangerous.
White grabs his chance to start a fight by cutting with 79 and Black
responds by jumping to 80.

332
 85
82 83
81 84
80
87 86
89
88

Figure 7 (80–89)
Black 80 is a nice tesuji. There are a number of ways that White can
respond. One way is with White 81 as White played in this game.

333
 7

8 5
1 2 3
4
6

Dia. 7
Another way is with 1 in Dia. 7. However, after the sequence to Black 8,
the result is not so good for White.

334
 1

Dia. 8
In response to White 87, Black should have played a hane with 1 in Dia. 8.
This move cuts off the three white stones in the center while helping
Black’s stones on the upper right side.

335
 93

92
91 90

Figure 7a (90–93)
Black 90 is trying to take too much. Threatening to cut with the diagonal
move of Black 1 in Dia. 9 is the correct move.

336
 3

1
2

Dia. 9
After White defends against the cut with 2, Black makes eye shape for his
group with 3.
White 93 was a killer move – suddenly Black is in terrible trouble.

337
 98 97 95
94
96
99

Figure 8 (94–100)
The only way that Black can live100:
is totakes
start a ko with the sequence from 94
to 100. However, White has a lot of ko threats against the black group at
the bottom. Theoretically the game should have been over.

338
 14 11 9 7
10 8 6
5 2 3 1
13 4 a
12

Dia. 10
It seems as if White can end the ko by connecting with 1 in Dia. 10. Black
can no longer make two eyes for his group. However, Black has the tesuji
combination of 2 and 4. After the sequence to 14, Black captures six white
stones and White’s position collapses.

339
 3
b
a
10 16

13 20
2 14 19 17
1 7 11
8

5 4

Figure 9 (101–120)
Black 16 in the game wasko: 106, 109,If
a mistake. 112, 115,had
Black 118 played that move at ‘a’
in Dia. 10, White 1 would no longer be an option.
White’s plan, therefore, is to get a stone around ‘a’ in sente so he can
play at ‘b’ to kill the group on the right. A lofty goal, but during the fight,
the center became almost as big as the value of the group on the right.

340
 21

26 22
25 27 23

Figure 10 (121–127)
White 27 was too greedy. 124: ko

341
 3

1
2

Dia. 11
He should just play 1 and 3 in Dia. 11.

342
 36 37
35 34 31 38
33 32 30
29
28

Figure 10a (128–138)

Black answered with 28. Now things became messy. White did not want
his center stones to become wasted moves, so he kept on fighting.
White now had no choice but to defend with 37, letting Black resolve
the ko and live with 38. This was a fiasco for White.

343
 59

54 56 57 60
53 52 55 58
51 40

39 43 49 50
41 42 44 45
46 47

Figure 11 (139–160)
White 39 was a high-level way 148:
to make sabaki and build some influence.
connects
White succeeded in more or less in linking up his stones to the left.
Black 54 was another aggressive move, giving White the opportunity to
complicate the position.
After White attaches with 59, Black can try to capture the white stones
by pushing through with 1 in Dia. 12, but this will certainly erupt into a
fight.

344
 8
16 6 5 9 7
15 14 12 4 1
3
2
10 13
11

Dia. 12
With players of equal strength, the sequence to 16 seems feasible.
However, it is unlikely that Black, who is taking a five-stone handicap will
fight so well – he would probably collapse somewhere in the course this
skirmish.

345
 74
72 67 73

63 61
62
66
64
65
70 68
71 69

Figure 12 (161–174)
Black 68 and 70 were good moves.
Instead of 72 –

346
 24 23
25 20 19
15 16
22

21
17 18
6 9
10 5 4 7
2 8
1
3

12
14 13

Dia. 13
A strong black player would have connectsin with 1 in Dia. 13. White can
11:wedged
live with his group in the center by playing the sequence from 2 to 14, but
Black 17 now makes miai of killing White’s group above and the corner
group with 21 to 25.

347
 76

77
75

Figure 12a (175–177)

White 75 is the vital point for attack and defense.

348
 99 88 83 86 82 87
97 84 85 89 91

79
80 a
96 92 78
81
94
100 93
95

Figure 13 (178–200)
190:
If Black had connected at ‘a’ heconnects; 198:easily
would have ko won.

After White 81, the game is close.

349
 51 7 49 50
75 35 1 2 8
74 3 5 6
31 4 98 87 85
33 26 78 89 88 56 43
32 46 25 24 77 83 41
30 28 15 23 22 84 90 42 40
34 27 29 69 20
38 68 21 9
54 59
55 58
96 97 80

94 66 72
57 65 71 62
93 92 63
95 19 91 53
18 16 12 14 10 11
48 47 17 45 44 52 13 36 37

Figure 14 (201–298)
239moves.
298 at 236; 260: connects ko; 261: takes; ko: 264, 267, 270, 273, 276, 279; 281:
connects; 282: ko; 286: connects ko
White: 57 points.
Black: 57 points.

The result is a draw.

350
Chapter Five
38 Problems

351
Problem 1

a
b

Black to play
White has just invaded at the 3–3 point with the marked stone. In which
direction should Black block, at ‘a’ or at ‘b’?

352
Answer 1

2
1
3

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should block with 1 in Dia. 1. White will secure the corner with 2
and Black will jump to 3. The marked stone along with White’s four-stone
wall is now staking out a moyo on the right side.

353
 4 1
2

Dia. 2. Wrong
Blocking with 1 in Dia. 2 is the wrong direction. After Black jumps to 3,
White extends to 4, neutralizing Black’s wall.

354
Problem 2

2 b
1 a

Black to play
Black pushed with 1, expecting White to block at ‘a’, after which Black
could peep at ‘b’. However, White extended to 2. What should Black do?

355
Answer 2

a
1

Dia. 1. Correct
Before attacking, Black must fix up his shape with the diagonal connection
of 1 in Dia. 1. Black is now threatening to attack the white group on the
top right with a hane at ‘a’ to secure his corner and leave White’s group
without two eyes.

356
 6
4 2 1 3
10 5
8 7 11
9

Dia. 2. Wrong
If Black starts out with 1 and 3 in Dia. 2, White will clamp with 4 and rob
the black stones of their base. White ends in sente, so he will easily be able
to make eye shape for his group at the top.

357
Problem 3

Black to play
White has just capped with the marked stone. How should Black continue?

358
Answer 3

10
3
8 6 9 11
2 4 5 7
1

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should attach with 1 in Dia. 1, then attack with 3. When White
jumps to 4, Black should start a leaning attack by attaching with 5. After
Black 7, White has to come back and connect with 8 to stop Black from
securing the territory on the left. After exchanging 9 for White 10, Black
surrounds the white stone with 11.

359
Problem 4

Black to play
White invades on the second line inside Black sphere of influence. How
should Black respond?

360
Answer 4

12

8 10 11
4 2 6 5 9
3 7 a

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should press White against the edge with 2, forcing him to crawl
along the second line with 3. After Black 4, White has to live in the corner
by playing on the 3–3 point with 5. The exchange of Black 6 for White 7
must be played before confining White to the corner with 8 and 10. White
has to play 11 to live. If he omits this move, Black will play at ‘a’ and kill

361
the white group. There is nothing to be gained or lost on the lower right
side, so Black ignores White 11 and increases his influence in the center
with 12.

8
7
9 5 3 4
1 2 6

Dia. 2
Against Black 2, White can wedge in with 3. After Black connects with 8,
White can settle his stones on the outside with 9.

362
 6
5

4 3 c 2
1 a b

Dia. 3
If Black 2, White can play lightly with 3 and 5 to settle his stones. He can
later play the sequence ‘a’ – Black ‘b’ – White ‘c’ to make eye shape.

363
Problem 5

2 1
3

Black to play
After Black plays the marked stone (Black 12 in the Correct Answer of
Problem 4), White pushes up with 1 and cuts with 3. How should Black
respond?

364
Answer 5

Dia. 1. Correct
Jumping to Black 4 in Dia. 1 is the tesuji in this position.

365
 12 10 9

11 5 6 7
8

Dia. 2. Continuation 1
If White extends to 5 in Dia. 2, Black will block with 6 and 8 then jump to
10. If White runs away with 11, Black 12. Black’s marked stone in the
center is actively involved in the fight, so all of Black’s stones are working
efficiently.

366
 8 7
6 5
4

Dia. 3. Continuation 2
If White answer Black 4 with the atari of 5 in Dia. 3, Black will play a
double atari with 6. White captures with 7, so Black can atari on the
outside with 8, building thickness in the center.

367
 15

16 10
11
13 9 14

12

Dia. 4. A thick sphere of influence

If White now cuts with 9 in Dia. 4, Black will capture with 10. White can’t
fight the ko, so he has to connect with 11. Black plays the same tesuji with
12. This time White answers by extending to 13, but, after the exchange of
14 for White 15, Black jumps to 16, isolating the two white stones within a
thick black sphere of influence.

368
Problem 6

2 1
3

Black to play
Instead of 11 in Dia. 8 in Chapter One, White plays a hane with 3. How
should Black respond?

369
Answer 6

10 8 4
9 6
7 5

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should block on the right with 4 in Dia. 1. The moves to White 7
can be expected. Black can now force White to crawl along the third line
by pressing with 8. With 10, Black has staked out a vast moyo within the
center.

370
 9

8
4 7 5
6

Dia. 2. White links up.

If Black blocks with 4 Dia. 2, he can’t expect to get the good result of Dia.
8 in Chapter One. This time White will make the diagonal connection of 5.
After Black connects with 8, Black links up to his marked stone with 9.
White now has a lot of chances to create complications in the center.

371
Problem 7

9
6
5 8
7
3 1
2
4

Black to play
In this nine-stone handicap game, Black has White on the run. How should
he continue after White 9?

372
Answer 7

2 1

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should play the knight’s move of 1 in Dia. 1, staking out the
territory on the upper left side. If White continues to run away with 2,
Black will secure his position by playing on the 3–3 point. Black is
securing territory while White is only escaping with his stones.

373
 12
10 7 6
a 8 5 4 2
11 9 3

1
13

Dia. 2. White is still under attack.

After Black 1, White might invade the corner with 3 in Dia. 2. Black
would block with 3 and play the sequence to 11. After White captures with
12, Black ‘a’ is the proper move, but attacking the white stones with Black
13 is more severe. White may have secured some territory in the corner,
but Black has secured the upper right side and he will gain more territory
while attacking the white stones below.

374
Problem 8

Black to play
Black’s stones on the bottom left are heavy and are in danger. However,
there is a gap in White’s group on the right. How should Black exploit this
defect to settle his stones?

375
Answer 8

1 3

Dia. 1. Correct
Strengthen your weak stones while attacking! In this position, the diagonal
move of Black 1 in Dia. 1, aiming at the gap between White’s groups, is
the correct move. White must fix the defect in his shape by connecting
with 2. Black continues with 3, reinforcing his stones while attacking
White’s heavy group below.

376
 5
4 6
2 3
1

Dia. 2. White settles his stones.

If Black pushes in with 1 in Dia. 2, then cuts with 3, White will defend the
cutting point on the right with 4, forcing Black to jump to 5. White can
now settle his stones by capturing the stone at 3 in a ladder with 6.

377
Problem 9

4
2 1 3

Black to play
After White caps with the marked stone, Black attaches with 1. If White
plays a hane with 2, Black will draw back to 3. What should Black do
when White extends to 4?

378
Answer 9

3 1
2
4

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should cut with 1 in Dia. 1. White has to extend to 2, but, when
Black extends to 3, he sets up a double attack. If White strengthens his
stones below with 4, Black traps the two white stones above with 5.

379
 4

3 1
2
5 6
7 8
9 10
11

Dia. 2. Variation
If White answers Black 3 by jumping to 4 in Dia. 2, Black will attack the
white stones in the lower right with 5 to 11. White is in trouble.

380
Problem 10

Black to play
How should Black answer the attachment of the marked stone?

381
Answer 10

1 2
3
4 a

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should make a double peep with 1 in Dia. 1. If White resists by
connecting with 2, Black pushes in with 3. White would like to block with
4, but Black would then cut at ‘a’ and capture the three stones above.

382
 5 4
6
7
8
9

Dia. 2. Continuation
Therefore, White has no choice but to extend to 4 and 6 in Dia. 2. Black
then plays the knight’s move of 7, taking a large territory on the left side.
Black is now threatening to attack White by capping at 8, so White must
take this point for himself. Black secures more territory with 9.

This is a good example of using an attack to take territory. White has made
zero points; all that he has accomplished is to escape with his stones.

383
Problem 11

2 1 3
4

Black to play
After Black draws back to 3, White connects with 4. How should Black
respond to this move?

384
Answer 11

2 3

1
a

Dia. 1. Correct
The diagonal move of Black 1 in Dia. 1 is a solid move. It aims to attack
the white stones with ‘a’. If White jumps to 2, Black will defend the upper
right with 3. If White ‘a’ next, Black will reinforce the bottom with ‘b’.

385
 3
2 1

Dia. 2. Overconcentrated
If Black tries to defend the upper right with the hane of 1 in Dia. 2, White
will force once with 2, then attach with 4. Black’s stones are
overconcentrated.

386
Problem 12

White to play
Black attacks White by jumping with the marked stone. How can White
settle his stones?

387
Answer 12

4 6
8 3 5 9
2 1 a b
7

Dia. 1. Correct
The best way for White to settle his stones is to attach with 1 in Dia. 1. If
Black plays a hane with 2, White cuts with 3. The sequence to Black 8 can
be expected. White ends in sente, so he can jump to 9. White’s group is
rich in eye-making potential. If Black ataries at ‘a’, White will force him
to capture by playing an atari at ‘b’.

388
 8
6
5 2
7 1 3 4

Dia. 2. Variation
Black strongly resists by bumping into the white stone with 2 in Dia. 2.
After White 3, Black cuts with 4. White continues with the hane and
connection of 5 and 7. Black has to defend with 8. White now peeps with
9.

389
 17

11 13 15 16
12 14 10

Dia. 3
If Black connects with 10 in Dia. 3, White plays the sequence to 17 and
Black can’t stop him from breaking out into the center.

390
 10
13 11
12

Dia. 4
If Black connects with 10 in Dia. 4, White lives in the corner with the
tesuji combination of 11 and 13.

391
Problem 13

9
3
10
11
7

1 8 2

4 6

Black to play
In this five-stone game, White 11 threatens to confine Black to the corner.
How can Black prevent this?

392
Answer 13

13 14
12

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should first exchange 12 for White 13 in Dia. 1, then anchor his
stones in the corner with 14. The effect of this exchange is that White can
no longer confine Black to the corner.

393
 12 13
15 14
a 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
25 23
26 24

Dia. 2. Wrong
After 12, White might try to confine Black by cutting with 13 and 15 in
Dia. 2. Black will respond by turning with 16. If White persists with 17 on,
Black secures the territory on the right side. White is limited in his
responses because of a potential Black cut at ‘a’.

394
 20 15 16
12 14 17
19 13 18

Dia. 3. Variation 1
If White cuts in the other direction with 13 to 17 in Dia. 3, Black will
connect with 18. White might try to confine Black to the top with 19, but
Black 20 will capture the three white stones there, making a big profit.
White’s wall on the outside is rather thin, so Black has come out much
better in this exchange.

395
 21 19
20

22

24 23

Dia. 4. Variation 2
If White tries to defend the top with 19 and 21 in Dia. 4, Black will attack
White’s stones on the outside by jumping to 22 and 23. All of Black’s
stones are perfectly placed so that White can’t escape.

396
Problem 14

Black to play
In this three-stone game, Black has forced White to crawl along the third
and second lines. White 1 threatens to break into Black’s upper right
corner. How should Black respond?

397
Answer 14

5 3
6 4

Dia. 1. Correct
White 1 in the problem diagram is a small move that isn’t much of a threat.
Black should utilize his magnificent wall and occupy the strategic point of
2 in Dia. 1. The worst White can do is to play 3 and 5, moves that only
thicken Black’s wall.

398
Problem 15

Black to play
In this seven-stone game, Black occupies the star point at the bottom with
the marked stone. This gives White the chance to go on the offensive by
attacking the underbelly of Black’s three-stone formation with his marked
stone. What should Black do?

399
Answer 15

6 7
4 3
5
2
10 8
1

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should first exchange 1 for White 2 in Dia. 1 in order to make
White’s stones heavy. Black then leans on the white stone at the top with
the attachment of 3. White must settle his stones with 4 and 6. Black is
now strong at the top, so White must run away with 8. Black now drives
White into the center while reinforcing his moyo in the lower right with 9.

400
After White 10 –

15 12 16 18 19
20 13 11
24 14 17
21 23
25
22

Dia. 2. Continuation
Black continues to attack the white group at the top by cutting with 11 in
Dia. 2. By playing 13 and 15, Black could eliminate a cutting point with
17 and secure the corner with 19, all in sente. After the sequence to 25,
White’s eyeless string of stones is still under attack.

401
Problem 16

Black to play
White has just invaded the corner with the marked stone. How should
Black respond? Consider the whole board when deciding on your answer.

402
Answer 16

2
1

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should block with 1 in Dia. 1. After White 2, Black can set up a
double attack by playing the knight’s move of 3, splitting the eyeless white
group above from the eyeless one below.

403
 5
3
2 1
4

7 6 11 8
9 10

Dia. 2. Later
Later, Black can aim to peep with 1 in Dia. 2. After 5, White has to fight a
ko in order to live.

404
 a

7 3
1 2 5
6
4

Dia. 3. Wrong
Black 1 in Dia. 3 gets some territory but White secures his stones, so
Black ‘a’ is not so severe. Black’s stones are overconcentrated.

405
Problem 17

wrong=

Black to play
White has just played the marked stone. How should Black settle his
stones?

406
Answer 17

3 a
1
2

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should play simply and settle his stones while taking some territory
with 1 and 3 in Dia. 1. He is now threatening to peep at ‘a’ or to attack at
‘b’.

407
 5
a

18

16 11 14 3 2
12 6 15 1
13 7 8 9 4
b 10 17

Dia. 2. Wrong
Peeping with Black 1 in Dia. 2 is tempting, but White can play a peep of
his own with 2, then make a bamboo joint with 4. If Black now attacks
with 5 (or ‘a’), White can settle his stones with 6 to 16. Black ends in gote,
so White can fix the defect in his shape with 18. White has secured his
group on the right and the one in the lower left. However, Black has not
yet completely secured eyes for his stones in the corner because White can
rob the black group of an eye by attaching at ‘b’.

408
Problem 18

Black to play
White has just invaded with the marked stone, separating Black’s stone on
the left from his group on the right. What should Black do?

409
Answer 18

4 2 1
b 3
5

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should move out into the center by leaning on the white stone on the
left with 1 and 3 in Dia. 1. White is forced to turn with 4, so Black can
make a diagonal connection with 5. Black has now set up a double attack:
he can trap either the big white group on the right with a knight’s move at
‘a’ or the three white stones on the left with ‘b’.

410
 7
3 5
2 1 4
6

Dia. 2. Wrong
Black can link up by attaching with 1 in Dia. 2 and playing the moves to 7.
However, White gets a ponnuki in the center, so his large group on the
right is now safe. Black, on the other hand, has gotten some territory on
the top left, but this is not as big as it seems because White can use the
marked stones reduce it.

411
Problem 19

Black to play
This is a situation that often arises in handicap games. With the marked
stone in place and Black’s strong position on the top right, White’s three
stones on the upper right side are in a precarious position. How should
Black attack them?

412
Answer 19

a 4
b 8 6 3
9 7 5
1
2

Dia. 1. Correct
The placement of Black 1 in Dia. 1 is the vital point. Black threatens to
link up to his stones below, so White blocks with 2. Next, Black attaches
with 3. If White blocks with 4, Black pushes up with 5 to 9. If White tries
to save his two stones by connecting at ‘a’, Black will play at ‘b’ and
capture all the white stones. If White ‘b’, Black cuts at ‘a’ and captures

413
two stones.

4
3
8 9
6 5 1
11 7 2
10 12

Dia. 2
If White answer Black 3 by drawing back to 4 in Dia. 2, Black will cut
with 5 and 7. After the sequence to White 12 –

414
 16
23 20 15
21 19
22 18 13
17 14

Dia. 3
Black cuts with 13 in Dia. 3 and the sequence to White 22 is forced. Black
then blocks with 23 and the white stones in the upper right can’t escape.

415
Problem 20

Black to play
Here is another position that often arises in handicap games. Where should
Black invade White’s position on the lower right side?

416
Answer 20

6
4 5
3
7 1
2

Dia. 1. Correct
Invading with Black 1 in Dia. 1 is the vital point. After the sequence to
Black 7, White has two options –

417
 10
11 8
9

Dia. 2. Variation 1
He can capture a stone with 8 and 10 in Dia. 2. Black will then make a
bamboo joint with 11, capturing the four white stones in the lower right.

418
 13
11
12 10 9
8
14

Dia. 3. Variation 2
He can rescue his stones in the lower right by playing 8 and 10 in Dia. 3.
However, he loses three stones on the right side when Black plays 11 and
13.

419
 9
8 7 5
10 4 3
2 1
6

Dia. 4. Variation 3
White can also rescue his stones below by answering Black 1 with 2 and 4
in Dia. 4. He then plays the sequence to 10. However, Black has secured
most of the territory on the right side.

420
Problem 21

7 1

6 2
4 3
5
8

Black to play
After White invades with the marked stone, Black attacks with the
sequence to 7. The clamp of White 8 looks like a tesuji, but Black’s
position is too thick for this move to succeed. How should Black answer?

421
Answer 21

7 1 2 3
9 6 4 5

10 11

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should extend to 1 in Dia. 1, separating White’s stone below from
its allies above. Black need not fear the cut of White 2. Black’s stones are
strong enough to withstand anything that White can do. The sequence to
White 10 can be expected. With 11, Black secures territory on the lower
right side while keeping up the attack on White.

422
 4
2 3
1

Dia. 2. Wrong
Black 1 in Dia. 2 is a timid move. White ataries with 2, then makes shape
on the outside with 10. Black stones are not working efficiently because
they have the bad shape of an empty triangle.

423
Problem 22

1 5 6
3 2
4

9 7

Black to play
After White jumps to 9, what should Black do?

424
Answer 22

3
1
2

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should make White’s stones heavy by playing the diagonal
attachment of Black 1 in Dia. 1. After White descends to 2, Black can
jump to 3 and stake out a large moyo in the upper right.

425
 8

7
5 6
3 4
1 2

Dia. 2. Wrong
If Black simply jumps to 1 in Dia. 2, White will threaten Black’s moyo by
sliding to 2. After Black extends to 7, White can push up with 8. Black’s
stones are now overconcentrated.

426
Problem 23

Black to play
Extending all the way to the marked stone is a bit of an overplay. How can
Black punish White for this move?

427
Answer 23

3 1

4 2

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should invade at 1 in Dia. 1. This is the vital point. White resists by
pushing up with 2. After Black 3, White has to escape by jumping to 4.
Black can now attack the white stone on the upper right by jumping to 5.

428
 6
2 1
4 3
5 7

Dia. 2. Variation 1
White might try attaching with 2 in Dia. 2. The sequence to White 6 can
be expected. Descending to Black 7 is now the tesuji for capturing the two
stones below and defending his own stones.

429
 2
1
6 4 7
3 5

Dia. 3. Variation 2
If White tries to trap the invading stone with the diagonal move of 2 in
Dia. 3, Black will cut with 3. After Black descends to 5, White has no
choice but to connect with 6. Black turns with 7, rescuing his stone at 1
and capturing the two white stones in the lower right.

430
Problem 24

Black to play
White has just attached with the marked stone. How should Black
respond?

431
Answer 24

b 1 2
4 5
a 3

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should block with 1 in Dia. 1, then atari with 3. After White 4,
Black threatens to capture a stone in a ladder with 5. White has two
choices: ‘a’ or ‘b’.

432
 11
10
7
8 9

Dia. 2. Variation 1
If White 6 in Dia. 2, Black captures with 7 and 9. Black links up with 10,
but Black stakes out a huge moyo at the top with 11.

433
 13
11 15
12 14
8 7 9 16 17
6

10

Dia. 3. Variation 2
If White 6, Black plays 7 and 9. White defends with 10 and Black secures
the corner with 11 and 13 in sente. Black also stakes out a moyo with 15
and 17.

434
 10 8

9
11

Dia. 4. Variation 3
Instead of 8 in Dia. 3, White might play 8 in Dia. 4. Black would block
with 9, forcing White to defend with 10. Black would then secure the
territory on the lower left with 11.

435
Problem 25

Black to play
White has staked out territory on the right side. However, his position is a
bit thin. How should Black invade?

436
Answer 25

12
9 4 11
10 3
8 7 13
6 5 1
2

Dia. 1. Correct
Black 1 in Dia. 1 is the vital point. If White wants to confine Black to the
right side, he can play 2. Black attaches with 3 and the sequence to 13 can
be expected. Black’s group is alive, but White is thick on the outside.

437
 10

12 11 9
6 5
3
4 13
1
2 7
8

Dia. 2. Variation 1
White can also answer Black 3 by drawing back to 4 in Dia. 2. Black lives
with the sequence to 13, but White has been able to play 8 and 10, so
Black’s territories in the upper and lower corners will suffer. Black must
carefully consider the timing of this invasion.

438
 13
2 10 1 12
9 8 11 14
5 3 16
7 6 4
15

Dia. 3. Variation 2
If White tries to confine Black to the side with 2 in Dia. 3, Black will
attach with 3, then wedge in with 5. With the sequence to 16, White
captures two stones. Next –

439
 18 22
17 21
23
19
20

Dia. 4. Continuation
Black blocks with 17 and throws in a stone with 19. Black then descends
to 21 and starts a ko with 23. Since Black captures the ko first, he has the
advantage in this ko fight. Again, the timing of this invasion must be
carefully planned.

440
Problem 26

1
2

Black to play
After White slides along the bottom with the marked stones, the diagonal
move of Black 1 is also a strong move. What should Black do after White
draws back with 2?

441
Answer 26

6
5 4
7 3

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should block with 3 in Dia. 1. If White cuts with 4, Black ataries
with 5, then links up to his stones in the corner with 7. Next –

442
 10
8 11

Dia. 2. Variation 1
White stones at the bottom have been split into two groups. White will
atari with 8 in Dia. 2, then try to settle his stones on the outside by
attaching with 10. However, Black will extend to 11 and White’s two
stones on the second line will be weakened.

443
 11
10

Dia. 3. Variation 2
If White tries to settle his stones at the bottom by attaching with 10 in Dia.
3, Black will extend 11, negatively impacting the five white stones on the
left.

444
 5 7 9
4 3 8
6

Dia. 4. Variation 3
Instead of cutting with 4 in Dia. 1, White might link up his stones with 4
and 6 in Dia. 4. However, Black will confine White to the second line with
7 and 9. White will have a hard struggle to make two eyes for his group.

445
Problem 27

Black to play
After Black 5 in the correct answer to Problem 23, White jumps to the
triangled stone to try to make a living group in the upper right. What
should Black do?

446
Answer 27

12
2 11
1 7
13
3
10 8 6
4
a 9 5

Dia. 1. Correct
Black answers the marked stone by making a probe with 1 in Dia. 1. White
will usually answer with 3. Next, Black takes away White’s base while
defending his own with 3. White now has to escape into the center, but
Black keeps him separated at the top with 7, 11, and 13. White wants to
play at ‘a’, but he has another defect at ‘b’ that needs to be addressed.

447
 7
1
2 6

3
5 4

Dia. 2. Variation
If White ignores Black 1 and jumps out to 2, Black builds more influence
with 3 and 5, letting White live (for the moment), then splits White’s
stones with 7. White has three vulnerable groups to look after.

448
Problem 28

Black to play
This time White plays the diagonal move with the marked stone. What
should Black do?

449
Answer 28

14
13
7 5 11
6 4 8 16
3 2 12
1
10
9
15

17

Dia. 1. Correct
If White plays marked stone, Black is happy to confine him with 1 to 5 in
Dia. 1. Locally, White is dead, but because Black has to cover the
weaknesses in his shape with 9, White can make life with 10 and 12. Later,
Black can play 15, which threatens to kill the white group, so White has to
defend with 16, enabling Black to pick up two stones with 17. Incidentally,

450
Black should attach at 13 to make sure that his stones in the corner always
have an escape route into the center.

451
Problem 29

10

9
c
11 d
a 12 13
b

1 3 6
2
4 7
5

Black to play
Black 10, together with the marked stone, puts severe pressure on White’s
stone at 9. White 11 is the vital point. After the exchange of 12 for White
13, Black must extend, but there are four extension points: ‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’, and
‘d’. On which of these four points should Black play?

452
Answer 29

7
3
2 1

4 5
6

Dia. 1. Correct
Black’s best strategy in handicap games of six or more stones is to build
influence in the center, even if it means giving White secure territory. He
will then find that this influence, together with the handicap stones, will
develop into large frameworks of potential territory. If White invades these
frameworks, Black can get territory and influence elsewhere by attacking

453
the invaders.

Applying this logic, Black should extend on the outside with Black 1 in
Dia. 1. After White defends with 2, Black confines White to the left side
with 3. White secures the territory there with 4 and 6, but Black builds up
a massive moyo at the top with 7.

10
2
1 4
9 3 6
5 8
7
a

Dia. 2. Wrong 1
Descending to the second line with Black 1 in Dia. 2 does not utilize the

454
influence of the handicap stones. White blocks with 2, forcing Black to
hug the edge with the sequence to 9. White then secures his stones in the
center with 10, neutralizing the influence of Black’s star-point stones.
Some black players might be pleased with the territory they seems to have
taken in the lower right corner, but it is not secure, as White can exploit its
bad aji by cutting at ‘a’ and aiming at ‘b’.

4
3 8

1 2
5 6
7
a

Dia. 3. Wrong 2
Extending to Black 1 in Dia. 3 leads to a result similar to Dia. 2. After the

455
sequence to Black 7, White has established a strong position in the center.
Black still has to worry about the bad aji of a cut at White ‘a’, followed by
a peep at ‘b’.

11
16 5

4 1
3 10 17
2

8 14
9 12
13 6 7
15

Dia. 4. Correct 2
Black 1 in Dia. 4 emphasizes the center, so it is also a good move. After
Black 5, White invades the corner with 6 to see how Black will respond,
but, after 9, he switches back to the center with 10. After Black 11, White
plays out the sequence in the corner to 14, then secures his position on the

456
left side with 16. Finally, Black expands his moyo with 17.

457
Problem 30

White to play
Instead of answering White 1 by capturing the marked stone with ‘a’
(Black 2 in Dia. 9 in Chapter Three), Black attacks the two white stones
with 2. How can White punish Black for this overplay?

458
Answer 30

4 6 a
8 1 5
2 3 9
7 b

Dia. 1. Correct
Descending to White 1 in Dia. 1 is the key move. If Black blocks with 2 to
capture these two stones, White readily sacrifices them with the forcing
sequence to 7. He then connects with 9. Black’s attack with 2 in the
problem diagram has failed. If Black cuts at ‘a’, White ‘b’ captures two
stones.

459
 8
3
5 4
7 1
6
2

Dia. 2. Variation
Black 4 to 8 in Dia. 2 look like a strong attack, but –

460
 b a

10 11
12 9
14 13
15

Dia. 3. Continuation
White easily settles his group with the tesuji of 9 in Dia. 3. If Black resists
with the sequence to 14, his position has too many defects after White
extends to 15. Note that White must not exchange ‘a’ for Black ‘b’, as the
cut of White ‘b’ is an essential condition to ensure that Black’s position
collapses.

461
Problem 31

Black to play
After Black played the marked stone (Black 17 in Dia. 4 of Problem 29),
White invaded with the marked stone. How should Black continue?

462
Answer 31

3
7 2 1 17
16
4
6 10 5
14 11
8 15
9 12
13

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should make an iron pillar with 1 in Dia. 1, blocking the white
stone’s access to the top right. White now has to make life within Black’s
sphere of influence. White extends to 2 and Black defends his corner with
the knight’s move of 3. White lives with the sequence to 16, but he ends in
gote, so White can secure the upper right corner with 17. Note how

463
Black’s wall on the left is transferred to the right.

464
Problem 32

Black to play
After Black played a hane with 9 in Dia. 4 of Problem 29, why did White
switch to 10? Couldn’t he have continued with the atari of 1 in the problem
diagram?

465
Answer 32

7 12
8 6 13 14
10 9 15 16
4 11
2
5
3

Dia. 1. Correct
If White cuts with the marked stone, Black will not play at 3 (the expected
joseki move), but will connect with 2 in Dia. 1 instead. After White 3,
Black plays a series of ataris with 4, 6, and 8, then connects with 10. White
tries to escape with 11, but Black ataries with 12. If White resists with 13
and 15, White’s stones are trapped after Black 16.

466
Problem 33

3 8 10
7
6 4 1
5

9
a 2

11

Black to play
In this four-stone game, White plays an unorthodox move with 9. Securing
the corner with 10 is Black’s best response. White now plays a pincer with
11, threatening to take control of the territory on the right side with ‘a’.
How should Black respond?

467
Answer 33

Dia. 1. Correct
Black 1 in Dia. 1 is a simple but strong move. It peeps into White’s
potential territory on the right side and stakes a claim to the lower right
corner. White’s shape in the upper right is defective, so he has to repair it
by playing 2. Black can now take a big point at the top with 3. Black is
making good progress. Besides 3, he has secured the upper right corner

468
and staked out a claim to the lower right corner.

2
4 3
5

Dia. 2
Answering Black 1 by blocking on top with 2 in Dia. 2 is not good. This
move just sets Black’s stones in motion, enabling him to link up to his
stone at 1 with 3 and 5.

469
 9
3 8
7
6 4 1
10 5
12 11

Dia. 3
Instead of 9 in the problem diagram, sliding to White 9 is the joseki. Black
would then press on the top with 10 and 12. White played 9 to avoid this
variation.

470
Problem 34

Black to play
In the position in Dia. 3 in Chapter One, White played the marked stone.
How should Black attack White’s eyeless string of stones?

471
Answer 34

9
7
8 4 6 1
3 2
5

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should first peep with 1 in Dia. 1. He can then secure the corner
with 3 and 5. Next, Black forces with 7, then jumps to 9, building a moyo
facing the top. Instead of 9, Black could also have staked out territory at
the bottom by playing at ‘a’.

472
 a
1

4 3
5 2 6

Dia. 2
If White doesn’t answer the marked stone but takes a big opening point
with 1 in Dia. 2, Black can cut white in two with 2 and 4. The idea behind
the triangled stone is twofold. First, it is taking away White’s base, while
reinforcing his squared stone. Second, if White plays elsewhere with a
move at 1, Black follows up with 2 to 6. White is now in terrible trouble.
At the same time, while it is urgent for White to reinforce his stones with a
move at 2 or 4, both of which make good shape, it is not urgent for Black

473
to attack. Therefore, if White were to play 3 at ‘a’ or ‘b’, Black can just
answer at ‘b’ or ‘a’ respectively.

474
Problem 35

Black to play
After White exchanges the marked stones, he switches to the bottom to
make an approach move with 1. How should Black attack the white stones
in the upper right?

475
Answer 35

2 1
5 3 4

Dia. 1. Correct
Black should play the diagonal move of 1 in Dia. 1. If White pushes up
with 2, Black plays a hane with 3. White cuts with 4 and Black extends to
5, splitting White into two groups. No matter what happens, one of these
groups will die.

476
 2 1 3
4

Dia. 2
Black can expand his territory in the corner by attaching underneath with 1
in Dia. 2. However, after White 4, the marked stone has been neutralized
and it has become harder for Black to attack White’s stones.

477
 7 5
3
4 1 2
6

Dia. 3. Ponnuki
Attaching above with Black 1 in Dia. 3 is even worse than the moves in
Dia. 2. After the sequence to 6, White gets a ponnuki facing the center.
Black has to secure the territory at the top, so White can break into the
lower part of the board with 8. Because of White’s ponnuki, Black will
have a hard time isolating the stone at 8.

478
Problem 36

a 1
2

White to play
Instead of connecting at ‘a’, Black answers White’s peep at 1 by blocking
with 2. How should White continue?

479
Answer 36

6 7
b 5
4
1
2 3
a

Dia. 1. Correct
White should play a hane with 1 in Dia. 1 and he can live in the corner
with the sequence to 7. Depending on the position, Black might push in at
‘a’ to erase his bad aji. But in that case, White will end in sente and he can
establish a position at the top with ‘b’, neutralizing Black’s wall on the
right.

480
 6
4 8
2 1 5
3
7

11
9
12 10

Dia. 2
If White answers Black 2 with the hane of 3 in Dia. 2, Black will atari with
4, then defend against a cut with 6. After the sequence to 13, White lives,
but he is perfectly confined to the upper right side. On the other hand,
Black has a thick position on the outside that projects influence throughout
the board.

481
 8
12 6 4 5
10 3 9
2 1
7
11

Dia. 3
White can also turn with 3 in Dia. 3. In that case, the two-step hane of
Black 4 is the tesuji. After White connects with 9, Black has to defend
against a cut with 10. White gets two eyes with 11 and Black secures the
top with the knight’s move of 12.

482
Problem 37

b 1 a

Black to play
White plays 1 to erase Black’s moyo. How should Black respond? How
should Black respond if White plays 1 at ‘a’; at ‘b’?

483
Answer 37

b 1 a

Dia. 1. The limit of Black’s moyo

The line between the two marked stones in Dia. 1 defines the limit of
Black’s moyo. White 1 lies right on this line and it is consider to be the
ideal point for erasing a moyo.

Black has a choice of defending at ‘a’ or attacking at ‘b’. Either move is an

484
irreproachable strategy.

4
3
13 12
9 2
14 8
6 7 5

10
11

Dia. 2. Correct 1
If Black defends his moyo by jumping to 2 (‘a’ in Dia. 1) in Dia. 2, White
will follow up with another erasing move at 3. Black is happy to keep
defending with 4, turning his moyo into solid territory. After White 5,
Black plays a series of forcing moves with 6 to 10, then, after White 13,
takes sente and plays the big opening point of 14, attacking the three white
stones on the upper left side.

485
 11 12
15 9 10
3 4
2 5
16 7 6
13 8
14

Dia. 3. Correct 2
Black can also cap with 2 in Dia. 3. White will be able to settle his group
with relative ease with the sequence to 15, but Black is still satisfied
because he now has a lot of solid territory as well as sente to play the big
opening point of 16.

486
 1 2

Dia. 4. Favorable for Black

White 1 is safely outside the line defining the limit of Black’s moyo. In
this case, the orthodox move is for Black to defend with 2. Black could
play elsewhere, but he should view the exchange of White 1 for 2 as
favorable for himself and be satisfied.

487
 c
a
b
d 12
11 9 10
19 7 8
4 3 6 14
2 1 15 5 13
20 17 16
18

Dia. 5. Inside the line

White 1 in Dia. 5 is played inside the line defining the limit of Black’s
moyo. In this case, Black must not hesitate to cap at 2. White can live by
attaching with 3 and cutting with 5. This is a standard sabaki tesuji. Most
importantly though, Black must not try to kill White; he should play
calmly and safely with the sequence from 6 to 14. White has little choice
but to more or less make life with 15 to 19, allowing Black to take the big
point of 20.

488
Black is more than satisfied with this result. He has turned a large part of
his moyo into solid territory and White ‘a’–Black ‘b’–White ‘c’ is no
longer sente because Black doesn’t have to answer at ‘d’. Moreover, White
is not completely alive.

489
Problem 38

Black to play
Occasionally, the attachment of White 1 is seen. It looks like a bad move –
an approach at ‘a’ is more orthodox – but White might be wary of Black
building a large-scale moyo as in Problem 37. How should Black respond?

490
Answer 38

22
23 17 15 13 21 20 11 12
24 18 16 14 10

8
19 7 9

6 5
3

4 2

Dia. 1. Correct
‘Drive your opponent’s weak stones in the direction of your strength.’ This
is an important proverb that every kyu player must learn and remember,
and it should give you a hint as to how Black should play. Namely, he
should answer the marked stone by driving it in the direction of his strong
stones in the upper right with 2. Black must not even think about killing

491
White; he should be happy with just being able to break into White’s
corner with 8, 10, and 12. White is forced to crawl along the second line
with 13 to 17 to live. Even though White can live both on the right and at
the top, even in sente, Black gets overwhelming influence. It will be hard
for White to win this game. Also, notice how little territory White has
gained and how many moves he has spent getting it – this is the hallmark
of inefficiency. On the other hand, Black’s stones are working efficiently.

492
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496
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497
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498
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499
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Dictionary of Basic Joseki by Ishida Yoshio

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501
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502
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503
Table of Contents
Handicap Go 2
Preface 5
Copyright Page 7
Contents 8
Some Important Terms and Concepts 9
Chapter One – The Strategic Principles of Handicap Go 11
Chapter Two – A Winning Strategy for Black 112
Chapter Three – Playing with White 177
Chapter Four – Example Games 265
Chapter Five – 38 Problems 351
Problem 1 352
Problem 2 355
Problem 3 358
Problem 4 360
Problem 5 364
Problem 6 369
Problem 7 372
Problem 8 375
Problem 9 378
Problem 10 381
Problem 11 384
Problem 12 387
Problem 13 392
Problem 14 397
Problem 15 399
Problem 16 402
Problem 17 406

504
Problem 18 409
Problem 19 412
Problem 20 416
Problem 21 421
Problem 22 424
Problem 23 427
Problem 24 431
Problem 25 436
Problem 26 441
Problem 27 446
Problem 28 449
Problem 29 452
Problem 30 458
Problem 31 462
Problem 32 465
Problem 33 467
Problem 34 471
Problem 35 475
Problem 36 479
Problem 37 483
Problem 38 490
Go Books Published by Kiseido 493
About Go Books 503

505