© 2011 Janice Kim

Learn to Play Go

Volume IV
Battle Strategies

Janice Kim 3 dan
with Jeong Soo-hyun 9 dan

Buy the full book at gobooks.com

In Volume IV of this award-winning series, two top masters reveal the essential principles and techniques of good fighting, many explained in English for the first time:

Battle strategies for invasions, reductions, running battles, contact fights

Identifying key stones and expendables

Life in the no-parking zone

Killing with the pivot and the alien symbol

Capturing races — at-a-glance analysis

Ko fighting — timing and threat management, dragon style

Praise for the Learn to Play Go series:

“By far the best English-language introduction yet published”
—Games Magazine

“Brilliant”
—R.G. Mills, British Go Association

“For those who want to get strong quickly”
—Cho Hoon-hyun 9 dan, Ing Cup World Champion

Don’t miss the other four volumes:

• Volume I: A Step-By-Step Guide to the Game

• Volume II: The Way of the Moving Horse

• Volume III: The Dragon Style

• Volume V: The Palace of Memory

This ePub reader does not support full scripting, so diagrams may not be interactive.

Copyright Page

Published by
Good Move Press/Samarkand
145 Town Center #685
Corte Madera, CA 94925
www.samarkand.net

1st edition © 1997 Janice Kim
2nd edition © 2011 Janice Kim

All rights reserved. This book or any part or parts hereof may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from Good Move Press.

ISBN of print edition: 0–9644796–4–8

Book design by MikeSamuelGraphics.com

Conversion to SmartGo Books by John Mifsud

About the Authors

Janice Kim

Janice Kim was born in Illinois in 1969. She became the first female student at the Korean Go Academy in 1983 and entered the professional dan ranks in Korea in 1987, the first Westerner ever to do so. She won the Fuji Women’s Championship in 1984, took second place in the World Youth Championship in 1985, and third place in the EBS Cup in 1994. She was promoted to 3 dan in 2003.

After graduating from New York University, Ms. Kim authored the five books of the Learn to Play Go series and founded the online Go company Samarkand. In 2008, in an effort to explore similarities in strategy games, she played in the World Poker Tour’s Woman’s Championship in Las Vegas and placed fourth. She currently resides in the San Francisco bay area with her husband and two children.

Jeong Soo-hyun

Jeong Soo-hyun was born in Korea in 1956. Since entering the professional dan ranks in 1973, he has played in numerous championship leagues, winning the Shin Wang title in 1986. He was promoted to 8 dan in 1994, and 9 dan in 1997.

A well-known teacher, Mr. Jeong has written more than twenty books and is a popular commentator on Korean television. He served a term as President of the Korean Professional Go Association, the youngest person ever to hold this prestigious post. Now a university professor teaching Go, he lives in Seoul with his wife and two children.

Contents

Learn to Play Go
Volume IV
Battle Strategies

Copyright Page

About the Authors

Preface and Acknowledgements

Part I: The Middle Game

1. Invasion and Reduction

The chapters in gray are included only in the full book.

2. Battle Strategies

3. How to Attack

4. How to Take Care of Your Stones

Part II: Life and Death

5. Searching for Life

6. Death by Design

7. Capturing Races

8. Ko Fighting

9. Test Yourself

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About SmartGo Books

Preface and Acknowledgements

Edward Lasker, the well-known chess player, once said “If there are aliens, they play Go.” Others have gone so far as to postulate that not only do aliens play Go, but that Go itself is a message from the aliens to us. One might wonder in that case what the aliens are trying to say.

So far in my research I’ve been noticing recurring patterns in Go that I speculate hold the key to the aliens’ code. Many of these patterns are documented here for the first time. I’ve taken the liberty of naming some of them, although this was an agonizing task, as in the case of the “Alien Symbol” (the “Poodle” being a close-running second choice). Throughout the text, “I” refers to Janice Kim, who is fully responsible for errors, omissions, and mistranslations of the extraterrestrial signals I have been receiving. As a way of making the “great pronoun debate” work for us, I’ve adopted the convention that Black is male and White is female.

Volume IV, the continuation of the Learn to Play Go series, assumes knowledge of basic ideas and terms covered in the first three volumes, including dual life, eyes and eye shapes, basic capturing techniques, haengma or the six basic relationships between stones, basic opening theory, and counting and scoring the game. Knowledge of Go terminology is de-emphasized, although the terms hane, sente, and atari are used frequently and should be familiar to the reader. Key terms to know are in boldface and described within the main body of the text, or in notes below the text when a fuller description would break the flow.

This volume is designed so that any player who has read the first three volumes should have no inordinate difficulty understanding and using the information presented—with the exception of the “Extra for Experts” sections, which may require deeper study to grasp fully. However, I strongly believe that even much more experienced or higher-ranking players can benefit from studying the often-overlooked fundamentals which this book endeavors to cover.

Thanks to my family, Michael J. Simon, Brian D’Amato and the D’Amato family, David Mechner, John Lee, and Barbara London. More thanks to Liz Shura, Valerie Blum, and the extraordinary Jonathan Englander and Bruce Price.

Janice Kim
September 1, 1997

Preface to the Second Edition

Why a whole volume on battle strategies? This subject is worth getting solid on the fundamentals, because for the most part, battle strategies are counter-intuitive: that’s right, if you don’t learn it from somewhere, you’re unlikely to pick it up just from playing. Concepts like driving towards your thickness, inviting your opponent into your camp rather than securing it, and attacking from a distance aren’t natural and don’t make a lot of sense until you have learned and experienced quite a bit, and even then it can be a struggle to go against one’s inclinations. I’ve tried to provide a rationale and examples of battle strategies of winning play, and the tactics or tesuji that go with them, so that as Shakespeare says, you can assume a virtue if you have it not, or put another way, so you can fake it ‘til you make it.

It’s my hope that this second edition, which I’ve tried to make clearer now having the benefit of more than ten years of student feedback, will allow readers to learn new things and how to implement them, while at the same time seeming very simple. Many thanks to my family, especially to Malachi, who at 8 is my inspiration for trying to make Go accessible and made uncannily insightful suggestions. Thanks also to Anders Kierulf, who I feel is doing some of the most important work in Go today.

Janice Kim
September 29, 2011

Part I: The Middle Game

Many people feel lost in the middle game. It’s true that it’s hard to know if you are making mistakes in the opening, so it may seem easier. And there are more stones on the board in the middle game, so it may appear more complex. But actually there are fewer places to play in the middle game than in the opening, and you are playing with more information, so don’t let the middle game throw you.

Chapter 1—Invasion and Reduction

1. The Difference

Knowing the techniques of invasion and reduction, and the difference between them, is crucial in middle-game fighting. Both techniques are used to neutralize your opponent’s potential territory, but there is a big difference. In an invasion, you operate inside a hostile area to prevent it from becoming territory. A reduction works from the outside to prevent your opponent’s area from getting any bigger. Invasions can be dangerous—there’s a chance your stones may be killed when they are deep in your opponent’s sphere of influence. Reduction is a safer way of playing. If your invasion succeeds, it has a greater effect than a reduction in terms of territory, although it frequently costs your turn to do so or gives your opponent strong outward-facing stones which may have an effect on territory in the future. Judging whether an invasion or reduction is better is a central strategic question of the middle game.

Diagram 1

Black wants to prevent White from converting the area on the left side into territory. He might consider the invasion at A or the reduction at B. Let’s look at how they differ.

Diagram 2

＞＜

If Black invades at 1, White attacks at 2 and there’s a good possibility that Black’s stones will be trapped. This is a dangerous position, since it’s difficult to live in this narrow space. However, if Black does live, White doesn’t make territory in this area.

Diagram 3

＞＜

Black can reduce at 1, staying a safe distance away while preventing this area from getting bigger, but then White can make some territory with 2.

Invasions and reductions have their pros and cons. The first thing to consider is if there’s a good chance of getting killed. If death seems likely, the scale tips towards a reduction. But if it doesn’t seem too dangerous, the scale probably tips the other way.

2. Safety First

Diagram 4

＞＜

Black invades at 1. If White attacks at 2, can Black live?

Diagram 5

＞＜

Black can make a base with the two-point extension at 3, so this invasion is not very hazardous. (Notice Black has the option of attaching at A or B, a standard way of securing life in this kind of position.)

[extension: generic term for a move along the side away from one of your stones, to make a base or territory.]

Diagram 6

＞＜

What if White plays 1, taking away Black’s potential base? Black can jump out at 2. Next if White A, Black can keep his head out by jumping at B, so the invasion is reasonable.

Diagram 7

＞＜

What if Black invades at 1, where there is one more marked white stone on the right and an iron pillar (the two marked stones) on the left? Then White will probably cap at 2. This time Black can’t jump out, and he’ll have difficulty making a secure base right up against White’s wall of iron. In this case, the invasion is an overplay, or a move that tries to accomplish too much—if your opponent responds well, you’ll be at a disadvantage.

[iron pillar: two solidly-connected stones on the third and fourth lines.]

[cap: an opposing stone with a one-point jump relationship to a stone closer to the edge (usually on the third line).]

3. Using Backup

It’s a good idea to have backup before you invade.

Diagram 8

＞＜

The invasion at 1 is a sharp move. Because of the marked black stone, White can’t catch the invader.

Diagram 9

＞＜

White has no choice but to play at 2 and let Black connect in the sequence to 7. In this invasion, not only did Black destroy White’s area, but he gained some territory as well.

Diagram 10

＞＜

If Black doesn’t have backup, White can engulf the invader with the diagonal at 2. When Black pushes up at 3, White blocks at 4. If Black cuts at 5, White cuts at 6, and Black can’t escape.

Diagram 11

＞＜

White’s all—or—nothing moves in the previous diagram are overplays when there’s backup (Black’s marked stone). One way for Black to escape is the clever move at 5—now Black can connect underneath at A or B.

Diagram 12

＞＜

Black’s marked backup stone makes for an easy invasion at 1.

Diagram 13

＞＜

Again, because of the marked backup stone, White has no choice but to let Black connect with 3 and 5. Most successful invasions use backup.

4. When Invading Looks Grim

When you feel it’s dangerous to invade, reducing is usually a better choice.

Diagram 14

What should White do about Black’s framework, or large potential territory?

Diagram 15

＞＜

If White neglects this area, Black can enlarge it with a move at 1 or A. It’s difficult for White to break into this area now, but she can’t allow Black to make territory of this size. White needs to do something before Black plays 1.

Diagram 16

＞＜

What if White invades at 1 in this position? The diagonal at 2 is a good surrounding move. If White pushes out at 3, when Black plays the hane on top at 4, White has trouble getting out. She needs to make two eyes inside, but that looks difficult. And even if White succeeds, it will probably lose White the initiative, and give Black influence that would dominate the rest of the board.

turning

＞＜

[Black 1 is called turning.]

hane

＞＜

[Black 1 here is a hane, a “quick turn” leaving a cut at A.]

Diagram 17

＞＜

What about an invasion at 1 on this side? Again, Black can seal White in with 2 and 4. Making two eyes inside is not easy. This is probably a good area to think about a reduction.

The cap and the shoulder hit are the moves used most frequently for reduction.

Diagram 18

＞＜

White caps at 1. Although Black will still make territory, this move prevents Black’s area from getting bigger. White 1 is probably not going to get caught since it is out in the center.

Diagram 19

＞＜

If Black plays at 2, White can attach at 3. If Black responds at 4, White can jump at 5, further reducing Black’s area and strengthening White’s stones. (With 4, if Black plays the hane at A, White can just extend at B, waiting for a chance to use these stones as backup to exploit weaknesses in Black’s position later.)

[shoulder hit: a play one line higher (usually the fourth line) with a diagonal relationship to an opposing stone.]

Diagram 20

What should Black do about White’s area on the upper side?

Diagram 21

＞＜

An invasion at 1 here seems dangerous. Black only has room to make a narrow extension. White can attack severely at 2 and 4.

Diagram 22

＞＜

In this case, a shoulder hit at Black 1 looks appropriate. When a stone is on the third line, pressing it down with a cap or a shoulder hit is often a good idea.

Diagram 23

＞＜

If White pushes at 2, Black extends at 3. If White continues, Black keeps extending. Up to Black 11, White takes territory, and Black gets thickness—that is, a strong, influential group of stones. This result is good for Black, because his thickness is actually worth more than White’s territory.

Diagram 24

＞＜

Pushing once at 2 and then turning at 4 is a standard way of dealing with the shoulder hit. If Black 5, White prevents Black from making the tiger’s mouth with 6, and Black makes a knight’s move connection at 7. Black hasn’t made thickness, but he has prevented White’s area from expanding. (You may have seen in Volume I that the knight’s move connection has the most scope for getting out into the center. In this case, Black 7 isn’t really a connection—White can cut with White A, Black B, White C —but Black can afford to give up a small part of his group in exchange for thickness if he does get cut, so Black’s not worried.)

Tiger’s Mouth

[Three stones of the same color in a “V” shape is the tiger’s mouth.]

Knight’s Move Connection

＞＜

[Black 1, protecting against a cut at A —with a knight’s move relationship to each of the marked stones that may be cut—is the knight’s move connection.]

Middle Game Tip: When the opponent’s area is sketched out with a stone on the third line, it’s often better to reduce. That’s because these areas usually aren’t big enough to make an invasion worthwhile, and invading stones may have trouble living with the prime base-making real estate already taken. On the other hand, if the stone is on the fourth line, you might want to consider an invasion, because the potential territory is uncomfortably large and it’s a bit easier for invaders to live underneath stones on the fourth line.

In a related vein, the third line is sometimes called the territory line, because if you play there, it’s probable your opponent will reduce and you’ll end up with territory. The fourth line is called the power line, because if you play there, your opponent will probably invade, and you’ll gain influence by attacking.

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© 2011 Janice Kim

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