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© 2006 by Yilun Yang

Workshop Lectures, Volume 2

Yilun Yang

Buy the full book at gobooks.com

Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. He has many Internet students, holds frequent workshops around the country, and has published many books about the game and his special approach to playing it, emphasizing following precepts rather than memorizing patterns and sequences.

Yang was born in China in 1951 and had an active career as a professional go player and teacher there before coming to the US in 1986. He lives near Los Angeles, California. You can contact him at yly_go@yahoo.com.

Yang’s workshops typically involve several lectures and thorough analyses of the games participants play each day. In the lectures he guides players through the special approach to thinking about and playing the game that he has worked out during many years of teaching. He believes that play should be guided by applying easily understood principles rather than by memorizing common patterns and special sequences.

Yang argues that there are too many variables in go to make memorizing set patterns very efficient, but there are a relatively small number of easy to understand precepts that can effectively guide players' reading and play in every situation that arises. The five lectures in this book present some of these guidelines that are especially applicable to the opening stage of the game. They give the reader a small taste of the exciting approach to the game that Yang has developed and that he spells out in detail in the lectures and game analyses at his workshops. The actual lectures had more variations (many considered in response to questions by participants) than could be included in these print versions, but the main points are fully covered.

William Cobb, September 2006

Copyright Page

© Yilun Yang

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited.

Slate & Shell
1425 Westshire Lane
Richmond, VA 23238
www.slateandshell.com

Special thanks are due to Matthew Bengtson, William Cushing, and William Gundberg for help with proof reading.

Edited by William Cobb

Cover design by Laurie M. Crammond

Conversion to SmartGo Books by William Cobb

ISBN of print edition:
1–932001–31-X

Table of Contents

Workshop Lectures, Volume 2

Introduction

Copyright Page

How to Invade

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

Choosing the Proper Pincer

Side Extensions in the Opening

Playing a Territorial Game

Playing a Moyo Game

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About SmartGo Books

How to Invade

The focus of this lecture is on how to manage a common type of invasion. I will begin with a review of some of the basic guidelines for making an invasion.

An area along an edge of the board can be invaded on the third line if it contains at least twenty-one open points and has a doorway for escaping to the center. The open area must have no stones below the third line. This guarantees that you can either escape into the center or live inside if your opponent cuts off your escape route. When invading you should either play near a weak group or contact a strong stone. If the situation looks difficult to handle, contacting a strong stone will get you some helpful forcing moves. Otherwise, it is better to invade near a weak group, since your opponent will need to make defensive moves.

Example One

Example 1

Diagram “Example 1” has a suitable area at the top for White to invade. The area Black is surrounding contains at least twenty-four points (three lines at the top starting with B and going over at least eight lines to the right), and there is a doorway for escape into the center. An invasion at A, near the weak group of two black stones on the fourth line, is best. If White thinks the fight here would be difficult or risky, he could attach at B, but with such a large area the situation will not be difficult for White.

Example 1–1

Assume Black seals in White’s invading White 1 with Black 2, aiming to kill White’s invading group. How should White continue? White needs to find some sente moves that will be useful for creating eye space. The area to the right is more open so that looks like the way for White to go. Where should White play?

Example 1–2

In this case, although a third line play in general gains more space than a second line play, White 3 is better than a play at A, because it would be easy for Black to stop White A by playing at B.

Example 1–3

Black 4 is the normal response and White pushes again at White 5. After Black blocks at Black 6, White 7 is forcing. The final sente move for White in this direction is White 9. Black 10 then prevents White from connecting out. White A is not good now because after Black B, White must play a second move at C to actually increase eye space and that would be gote. White D is forcing, but White can play that anytime. Black will not make the gote play at D now, so White can wait. White still needs more eye space, so White must move to the left now. Where should White play?

Example 1–4

White A is forcing, but is not good for developing eye space. B, C, and D are all gote for White. Which one develops the most eye space? Here I need to note how to count the total eye space available to a group. I call the eye space inside a group “open points”. These are the points that you can count on getting even if you play entirely defensively in solidifying the group. This means the “open” points are those you can be confident of having available for making eyes. The three diagrams that follow show the eye space (number of “open points”) that will likely result from White B, C, and D. To be assured of making life, you need at least seven open points. Five or less is too short, six is often enough, but seven is a virtual guarantee.

Example 1–5

If White plays 11 at B in diagram Example 1–4, and we assume purely defensive play afterwards by White as shown, White has six open points.

Example 1–6

If White plays White 11 at C in diagram Example 1–4, there are again six open points as marked. (The ✕ marked point is open because White’s descent to the edge is sente while Black’s push here is gote. So we assume White will get the ✕ point.)

Example 1–7

However, White 11 at D in diagram Example 1–4 yields seven open points, so that is the best. Also, having seven open points means White is assured of having enough space to make two eyes and need not read out the potential life and death problem here.

So we can take this as a general guideline:
To settle your invasion stones after being sealed in, make as many sente moves as possible that develop eye space and then make the biggest gote move for eye space.

Example Two

Here’s a slightly different situation:

Example 2

In this case, the area to be invaded is slightly smaller but at least twenty-one points, which is the minimum, so an invasion should still be doable. How should White proceed after the invasion stone is sealed in by Black 2? Can White gain six or more open points for this inside group? If not, White should do something else instead of trying to live inside.

Example 2–1

Since the space for White is more cramped this time, White tries to make eye space from the third line with White 3. After Black blocks with Black 4, White 5 is another useful sente move that helps White link up. Does White have another useful sente move?

Example 2–2

If White descends with White 7, White will probably not be able to create enough eye space. After White 9, White has only four or possibly five open points. White must find something better.

Example 2–3

White 7 played here is forcing because it threatens a double atari. Assuming Black defends at Black 8, how should White continue?

Example 2–4

White 9 is best because it virtually gives White two eyes already. When trying to make life, it is better to make two separate eyes if you can, rather than trying to enlarge your space a bit. Moreover, White 9 threatens a jump out to A next. So Black will block with Black 10. Does White have any more useful forcing moves toward the right?

Example 2–5

No. White should not play this hane and connect sequence because it damages White’s own position in the right corner. It is forcing, but it’s not useful.

Example 2–6

White 11 gives White two eyes for sure and is virtually forcing against the corner. If Black does not block on the top edge, but does something like Black 12, White can create lots of forcing moves with White 13 and damage Black severely.

Example 2–7

Black should play Black 12 this way, and White is solidly alive after White 13.

Example Three

Example 3

Here the situation is changed a bit. Black has a stone on the third line in the upper right. Now the open space is barely twenty-one points (starting at A and going seven lines to the right), so this will be a harder place for White to live after the door to the center is closed. White must keep an open mind about the possibilities. It is too late for White to consider attaching to a strong stone at A. If White wants to attach to this stone, that should be the first play.

Example 3–1

White’s effort to make life as shown here does not create enough eye space in this situation. The only open points White can be sure of are the marked five, which is not enough. (Also note the order of White 7. If White 7 is played at White 9, Black will respond at 7.)

Diagram 3–2

Attaching this way with White 3 is even worse. White is in serious trouble here. Because this area is so narrow White has to consider another possibility. If after this sort of invasion your escape to the center is cut off and you cannot live inside, you must consider how to sacrifice the invading stone to gain a benefit. That is a third option in this sort of invasion (besides escaping into the center and living).

Diagram 3–3

This White 3 is the best way to try for the third option of sacrificing the invading stone. If Black 4, White should not just link up and try to live. In this case, White again would end up with only five open points.

Diagram 3–4

White must get more space. After this White 5, does White have enough room? No, White cannot block Black A at B, because Black C would be an atari, and White would collapse. White must find more forcing moves.

Diagram 3–5

This White 7 is sente. If Black blocks with Black 8 and both players then connect, White has six or seven open points, so this is a success. (The ✕ marks a possible open point.)

Diagram 3–6

Black may decide that since the entire group cannot be killed, he will instead separate White with Black 8. White can then force with White 9 and 11. Black makes about ten points by capturing , but White has gained even more to the right. This is even better for White than living inside. Threatening to make profit by sacrificing the invading stone is a useful third possibility for White.

The full book continues this chapter with additional examples, followed by chapters on Choosing the Proper Pincer, Side Extensions in the Opening, Playing a Territorial Game, and Playing a Moyo Game.