© 2008 by Yilun Yang

Workshop Lectures, Volume 5

Yilun Yang

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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 lectures in this book present some of these guidelines. 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.

William Cobb, June 2008

Copyright Page

© 2008 by 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 Larry Rush, Matthew Bengtson, Evans Palmour, 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:
1–932001–39–5

Table of Contents

Workshop Lectures, Volume 5

Introduction

Copyright Page

Choosing Areas in the Opening

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

Handling Unusual Opening Moves

Protecting a Position

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Choosing Areas in the Opening

I have discussed in some detail guidelines for playing in the opening in the first chapter of The Fundamental Principles of Go (See the Summary of Opening Guidelines at the end of this chapter). In that earlier discussion the emphasis was on finding the biggest move. In this lecture I would like to discuss another dimension of opening play, namely, the importance of the relative potential each player has in a given area for deciding whether and how to play in that area.

Diagram 1

This is a common opening situation. Where should White play?

Playing at A or B would be fine. The left side is White’s best area of potential for development and closing a corner that has a 3–4 stone is a high class move in terms of the guides for playing the opening. Also the left side is the most open area. Since Black is playing a moyo game, the high play at A will probably be more useful.

What about the top and the bottom? At this point White does not have good development potential at the top because the white stone there is low. Both players have good potential on the bottom, but Black has more potential than White because of the black stone on the middle star point on the right side.

Diagram 2

＞＜

After White 1, the top is the most open area, and Black 2 develops Black’s potential while reducing White’s.

Where should White play next—on the left side or at the bottom?

The bottom is the biggest open area now. Black has more potential than White at the bottom because of the stone in the middle of the right side, so in this area White must focus on reducing and destroying Black’s potential, not White’s own development. Should White choose A, B, or C?

Diagram 3

＞＜

This White 3 is the most common choice. It makes the maximum reduction of Black’s potential. A is also okay; it reduces Black’s potential and also helps to develop White’s. B is not good because it neglects the need to reduce Black. Playing at C would also not be good since this high play aims at developing a moyo position and this is not the place for White to try to develop a moyo. If White already had good moyo potential in this area, C would be okay.

Diagram 4

＞＜

What if White starts with this 1? A lot of players do this, but it is wrong, because the top is not the biggest open area. How should Black answer?

Not at A because this is the smallest open area. It would be better to just play the simple response at B. White would probably play C to help White 1 and to be high since this is a moyo game. Then Black could play on the biggest side at D or E.

Diagram 5

＞＜

Since it is one stone against one in the upper right corner, Black can also play elsewhere. This Black 2 would be good for Black’s moyo, but then White will play 3 and now White 1 has become a good move in the correct area! So Black cannot play this way. When your opponent makes an unusual move, consider whether there is a good follow-up move. If so, you must prevent it. White has an ideal follow-up here at 3 so Black must approach the upper left corner with Black 2.

Diagram 6

＞＜

This high play at Black 2 is correct since Black is playing a moyo game and the high play may enable Black to get outside influence.

How should White respond: develop on the top or squeeze from the left side?

Diagram 7

＞＜

White 3 is a wrong direction move. The left side is more valuable than the top. Black should not now try to destroy the top, but to reduce White’s potential on the left. How should Black do that?

Diagram 8

＞＜

Black should begin with a forcing move at 4. White forces with 5, and Black draws back. After White protects with 7, Black needs a third line move to make a position. Should Black play at A or at B? Closer to the three black stones above would be too small and further away would be too loose.

Diagram 9

＞＜

Black should play at 8. Playing at A leaves White forcing moves at B and C. It is better to make a solid position in this area; one move and it is done, leaving White no convenient forcing moves.

Diagram 10

＞＜

So White should play 3 on the left side. A two space high pincer for development would be standard in this situation. Black now does not aim at destroying the top side, but at gaining some outside influence to help develop the moyo. So Black moves out into the center with 4.

Diagram 11

＞＜

White must defend with 5. Next Black should not play at A or B because that would be trying to destroy the top area. White’s prospects on the top are not good because all the white stones are low. The area Black should aim at is the left side. Black should patiently extend to 6, keeping a well-connected shape. When this group is safe enough, Black can aim at invading the left side and attacking .

This analysis shows why the approach with White 1 in the upper right corner in this sequence is the wrong move. White will quickly fall behind this way. White is trying to develop in an area where White has little potential.

Diagram 12

＞＜

This White 1 is a good play. It makes the top side the area with the most potential for both players, so Black plays 2, staying high to expand the moyo. Let’s assume White 3 next, a good move that reduces Black’s potential and is in the most open area. In which area should Black respond?

The full book continues this chapter with many more examples, followed by chapters on Handling Unusual Opening Moves and Protecting a Position.

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© 2008 by Yilun Yang

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