Dominique vs. David Part 2: A Calm Opening, and then a Probe

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Ultimately, I decided to respond to Dominique's approach with the simple one-point jump at 4. We shared the corner with 5 and 6, and Dominique stabilized his group with 7. I then took the big side star point at 8.

What followed were two more approach patterns similar to the one that occured in the topright corner, the first one consisting of moves 9 through 13 (identical to the topright corner pattern except for the two-space jump at 10, which I felt worked well with 8). 14 is what's called a "checking extension", expanding the black group's base while limiting the white group's ability to extend at the same time. Normally, a two-space extension from an already settled group is considered too slow a move this early in the game, but because of its dual purpose, a checking extension is particularly valuable. Finally, white approached the bottomleft corner with 15, and after 19, the ball was in my court.

The question is: what to do? Well, before I get into that, first some comments about the opening so far. This is what you might call an incredibly calm opening. I'd even go so far as to call it a boring opening. To an observer, it looks as though there has been no struggle whatsoever; just a mechanical performance of standard patterns. Now, the truth of the matter is that on just about every move, I considered several possibilities, and spent a good deal of time reaching the decision I reached. I cannot speak for Dominique; I know his moves came quicker than mine, but I do not know how much total time he spent considering each one (it could just be that Dominique devotes all his energies for several minutes to decide on a move, whereas I think casually on it over several hours while I perform other tasks).

Regardless, this is where we ended up. How come? I wonder if this placidity is more common to play-by-email games, rather than real-time games. If so, I could think of an explanation for that phenomenon: when you have a lot more time to consider the possibilities, you are less likely to A, be overly aggressive, or, B, create vulnerablities in your own formations which invite your opponent to attack.

In any event, to decide move 20, I had to consider the actual state of the board. Black has about 40 points of potential territory on the left side (though it's not completely safe from invasion or reduction just yet), and about 15 points on the topright, for a total of 65. White has no more than 25 points of secure territory, but has total dominance over the bottom and right sides of the board, plus 4 points of komi. It seemed like my objective should therefore be to try to establish a presence somewhere in white's framework in the most delicate way possible, so that I don't create an easy target for attack which will allow white to solidify large swaths of territory in the process.

Diagram A

Partly to achieve that goal, and also to try to stir up some excitement in this otherwise boring game, I played the tsuke (attachment) at 20, as a "probe". Probes (of which attachments are often an example) are moves which force your opponent to respond, but where it's not clear how he should respond, and where that response can have a relatively large impact on the future course of the game. Sometimes the player who played the probe will immediately follow up, or sometimes he will leave the situation as it is, to serve as a source of complication and worry for his opponent later on.

Any decent Go player's first instinct against a tsuke is to play a hane (pronounced "hah-nay"; meaning diagonal wrap-around), at 2 (or a) in Diagram A. Occasionally, it is better for white to respond to the tsuke with a simple stretch at b or c, to avoid complications, but that is usually a submissive way to play, giving black an easy time. The hane is more severe, taking away a liberty from black's stone.

Diagram B

In the actual game, Dominique mainly had to choose between a and b in Diagram B. In this case, a seems inefficient, given the proximity of the white stones on the left. Such a play would allow black to easily stake a presence in the wide stretch to the right, supported by 20. After a, black could play b, and now white has a cutting point above a to worry about, while black can create a base for himself.

So Dominique played 21 at b. Yet, there's something awkward about the shape doing this makes. Certainly 20 is now very weak, but it can be treated as a throwaway stone by black, and white's formation has something to worry about as the game progresses.

Diagram C

The question now arises for me: do I leave this situation as it is, and invade white's framework elsewhere, or should I immediately follow up? If I do follow up, how? One possibility is to make life on the side. This is undesirable, because I will end up with a very small amount of actual territory, much of it on the second line, in exchange for giving white a powerful, thick wall on the third and fourth lines. Another possibility is to force myself through to the left, cutting off two white stones in the process, such as in Diagram C. However, careful reading reveals that such an attack would be doomed to failure; after white plays the double-hane at 29, black's three stones have no escape.

A remaining possibility is to treat 20 "lightly" — i.e., to not be so worried about the survival of that stone per se, but to use its presence to achieve something else in the area. There are many potential ways to do so, and I'll spend some time thinking about them, but for now I haven't decided.

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