:: Igo Hatsuyôron 120 (2020)

Variations of Our Solution (IIIa)

No Early Kikashi

VAR (.1) (.4)

: ( 648ed)
Black plays his kikashi at the top.

We will assume in this subvariation that - in principle - Black does not want to return to the throw-in of in the nakade at the left edge.

: (137 648ef)
White has to block at the top immediately.

It might be tempting to insert her kikashi in the lower left corner - what is often advantageously possible after Black's push at the top - but this move will be a grave mistake here.

:
Black continues with the Main Semeai, also defending his lower left corner. He does not mind just having lost one potential ko threat at the top.

:
White continues with the Nakade Sequence.

:
Black will be unable to win Dany's Ko, so he occupies one of White's approach-move liberties at the left.

:
White has to connect the ko.

Please note that neither side will touch the hanezeki before White's decision point.

Black plays 2/4 reductions.

White will start the Semeai Variation with her kikashi , in the hanezeki.

Capture Variation:

Compared to the super²ordinate variation ...

  • Black's cumulated gain in the lower left corner is two points.
  • Black did not destroy one point of White's territory in the upper right corner.

In total, Black gained one point.

White + 2 => White + 1

Semeai Variation:

At White's decision point, Black's large group in the upper right will have nine liberties, eight direct ones (), and one approach-move liberty ().
White on her side will suffer from the final ko in the upper right centre - found by Joachim ( 648ag) - that depends on the existence of two White cutting points in the centre (), and Black's large ko threat at at the top.
Black's large group in the upper right will not survive the semeai, but Black will capture White's wC-stones in the upper left, and win by about 15 points.

Black will win the game by a large margin.

Copyright © 2020 Thomas Redecker.

Design by Jan van Rongen, modified by Thomas Redecker.

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