Variations of Our Solution (IIIa)
No Early Kikashi
VAR (.1)
: ( 648aa) It will turn out that there is no need to do without this kikashi, because Black cannot get a better result - especially with Dany's Ko, where this kikashi might be in principle useful as an additional ko threat. After a long time of research we had to accept that our original hope had not been fulfilled. Quite contrary, continuing without this kikashi is a source of complications, with the better end for White. | |
: (A 648ac; 120 648ah; B 648aj; C 648an; D 648ao) Trying with , , or , instead, will end worse overall for White.
We now know that White would not gain decisively overall if she played her gote move in the hanezeki. : ( D 648cm) However, this is the moment, when Black has to play his kikashi in the hanezeki. | |
: We only realized this fact shortly before the 2020 update of our website was completed. We ask for your kind understanding that in this late phase of our elaboration we both felt unable to reduce the move numbers by two in many diagrams, and to restructure the variation tree. : ( A 648co; C 648ct; D 648cw; E 648cx) White must play at , instead, stopping Black from playing his kikashi in the hanezeki, while intending to choose Dany's Sacrifice in the lower left. : However, even here, White should have taken her last opportunity to play at in the hanezeki. For the result, please refer to the appropriate subvariation two moves earlier. | |
: ( A 648fa; B 648fd; C 648fo) However, Black could do better by playing his kikashi in the hanezeki now, or preventing White's throw-in in the lower left corner by the connection at .
Joachim found that this is the moment - just after White played her move in the lower left corner - to give atari at White's two stones with a move at , returning to what I thought to be the main line with the best final scores for Black. | |
: (A 648fx; B 648fz) She will be worse, if she prevents Black's kikashi in the hanezeki by playing herself, or if she blocks at at the top. | |
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: (A 648ga) This move does not do any harm here. However, it would be better for White to continue with the Main Semeai, instead. | |
: However, it would not benefit him to continue with the Main Semeai now, because he would still suffer from the Punishment Semeai. | |
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: ( A 648gb) As we now know, White must continue with the Main Semeai here. | |
Black must not play any reduction. Please note that Black has to capture at , before approaching White's group in the lower left corner with a move at . : (C 648gc) Please refer to the subvariations of this move for a detailed explanation of the problem's behaviour with this White's gote move at . | |
Capture Variation: There are no changes to the superordinate variation. White + 2 => White + 2 In the scoring diagrams, the previously mentioned additional moves - which will be played after the previous diagram - are shadowed. | |
Semeai Variation: There are no changes to the superordinate variation. Black + 4 => Black + 4 | |