Lesson 3 – The Opening (1)

Yokoso! Konnichiwa! Ogenki desu ka?

In the next few lessons, we will talk about the Opening in Go. In Japanese, it is called Fuseki, in Chinese it’s call “bù jú” and in Korean it’s called Poseok. I don’t know much about Japanese (although I am learning that language now) nor do I know much about Korean. However, I do know a bit of Chinese since I am of Chinese descent. The Chinese word means more than just the Opening. “Bù” has the meaning of plan and “Jú” has the meaning of game. Taken together it has the meaning of “Planning the Game”. Something along that line.

Looked at from this angle, we get a feeling that the Opening is not just the few moves that we play at the beginning but it implies that it has a far reaching impact on the game because it is a stage where the strategy for the game is planned. It is therefore important that one has a good foundation in the Opening so that one can have an easier victory instead of having to fight back hard from a bad Opening and taking a lot of unnecessary risks later.

In this lesson, we continue from Section A.2.4 from the Module A Study Pack on the Building Territories. Please review the section first before continuing.

From the Study Pack, we have understood why the game normally proceed from the corner first, then to the side and then only to the center. This does not mean that the center is not important nor is it forbidden to play in the center on your first move. Of course you can play anywhere on the board and in fact, you are encouraged to experiment. But theoretically, starting the game from the corner, then the side and then moving out in to the center is a lot more advantageous and that’s why even up to today, professional players still normally start from the corner and then extend out.

The above paragraph summarizes what was taught in Section A.2.4. Now, in this lesson, we will study how to start from the corner. You may think, “Yeah, right. Start from the corner but there are still so many places I can put my first stone. What is the difference if I play here or there at the corner?”. This and subsequent lessons will answer that question and we will study the special properties of the corner. In this and the next few installments, the normal first move at the corner will be studied one by one, their meaning, advantages and disadvantages. Once you know their special properties, their meaning, advantages and disadvantages, then you have some control on how you want the game to develop for you.

In this installment, we shall study the 4-4 point.

Diagram 1.

The above point is called the 4-4 Point, or in Japanese it’s called the “Hoshi” point. In Chinese, it’s called the “Xing” or Star Point.

As you can see, the 4-4 point is symmetrical, i.e. it does not have any directional bias. It does not lean more to the right nor does it lean more to the left. It is right in the middle. And also, as you can see, it is not too near to the corner and also not too far away from it. It looks like a nice position, isn’t it? If you have the feeling that it is a very flexible move, then you are quite right! It is flexible in that it is free to move to the left or to the right, take territory or move towards the center.

However, it is quite a surprise to know that the 4-4 point is quite a relatively recent invention in Japanese Go, although ancient Chinese games start with the four 4-4 points already occupied and therefore the player has no choice at all. In old Japanese games, the 4-4 point is quite a taboo and not many player plays their first move with them. Only in the early 1900s, most notably during the New-Fuseki movement initiated by the legendary Go Seigen and Kitani Minoru that the 4-4 point got its well deserved attention and popularity.

So, you may be curious, if it is so flexible and quite a nice point, why is it a taboo then?

To know the answer, one first has to know the biggest weakness of the 4-4 point. And the biggest weakness of the 4-4 point is that it does not secure the corner at all and it can be easily robbed of its corner. The diagram below explains:

Diagram 2

In Diagram 2 above, when Black plays the 4-4 point, White can immediately invade at “1″ and the sequence to “12″ follows. This sequence is called a Joseki, i.e. a standard pattern for the corner which you don’t have to worry about at this point. In a future lesson (check the lesson plan), there will be Joseki lessons. At this point, it is enough for you to understand the weakness of the 4-4 point. After White invaded at “1″, Black virtually has no territory at all but has a group of stones facing the center. Of course, this group of stones will have some use in the future which I will show you in the next few lessons but locally and immediately, Black is robbed of its corner. Many people do not like this at all.

Secondly, you may ask, “Why not then I secure my own corner so that no one can invade?”. This is a good question and the answer is it is not very efficient for Black to spend moves to secure the corner. The following diagram explains why:

Diagram 3

To fully secure the corner, Black has to play moves “2″ and “3″. Spending two additional stones to secure the corner is not efficient at the beginning of the game and if any one of the two moves are ignored, White can still get into the corner! But if you are really sharp, you will ask, “Why can’t Black secure the corner with just two moves as in the two diagrams below?” Good question. Here is why:

Diagram 4 and 5

Of course Black can immediately secure the corner with “2″ in the two diagrams above but this defeats the purpose of playing at the 4-4 point! When you play at the 4-4 point in the beginning, you intend to make use of its advantages, i.e. especially its flexibility. If you are so concerned about the corner territory, don’t start with the 4-4 point! So when you start your move at the 4-4 point and then play the second move as per Diagrams 4 or 5 above, you are inconsistent.

Let me show you one game example in employing the 4-4 point.

Diagram 6

Let’s say the game proceeds as per in Diagram 6 above where White takes territory and Black keeps on playing on the high points and flexible points. You can see that Black is not very concerned about the corner and in fact, it welcomes White to come and invade and take the corner as per moves “a” and “b” in Diagram 7 below.

Diagram 7

As you can see in Diagram 7 above, after White invaded at both “a” and “b” and after the joseki moves, Black has a huge framework in the center and threatens to convert this whole thing into solid territory. If Black managed to convert this framework (or Moyo as we have discussed in our earlier lesson) into solid territory, Black will have quite a good game. This is the way to employ the 4-4 point. Not by having a fixation on the corner but to use it to develop flexibly.

This is all for this first installment on the properties of the corner move. In our next installment, we will talk about the 3-4 point, or the “Komoku” in Japanese and “Xiao Mu” in Chinese.

Till then, ja, mata ne!

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