Subject: THE BIG GAME 4 Question From: John Fairbairn <JF@harrowgo.demon.co.uk> Date: 1997/04/26
The next few moves were:
Black 23: r15
White 24: p15
The alternative r16 (see diagram) was of great interest as this was a new pattern (because of Black 15). They suggested Black would play atari at p15, White q14, Black r14, White p14, Black q17. But then it gets messy: White r17, Black r18, White s18, Black q18, White s16. The black stones are not easy to capture as he has a potential ladder breaker at q12, then if White p16, Black s15. But as the ladder favours White just now, Black would have to try something else first.
Black 25: r17
Intermediate question: Was the new move Black 15 to be judged a success or not?
White 26: k17 (peep)
Cheeky.
Black 27: l17 (connects)
White 28: j13 (knight's move)
g16 was rejected because of Black h15, White h16, Black g15 (see diagram).
[JF I'd say because it makes White thin above and below and loses touch with the real focal point - the centre and right-side]
Now Black 29 was seen as a good move. What was it?
Remember always to think of White's best replies but what you have to keep in mind here is shape and what flows from that: thick/thin and heavy/light shapes.
In a book of 200 fuseki problems (this game is still in the fuseki by the way) put out by the Nihon Ki-in, there was an afterword in which they said they had analysed which proverbs were most relevant to the answers. The most important by a long, long way was "urgent points before big points." Also very important was "a two-space extension makes a nice house." Coming up behind this were "a one-space jump is never bad" and "attack is the best form of defence." They mentioned also: "Kosumi in the opening is a good move," "Keep away from thickness [yours as well as the opponent's]", "One side high, the other side low,", "the star point leaves invasion at 3-3" and "it's a long lane that has no loaf on the bread".
-- John Fairbairn
