© 2008 by Yuan Zhou

Master Play: The Style of Takemiya Masaki

Yuan Zhou

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This book is one of a series about the specific playing styles of some of the most famous go professionals. Though most Western players have heard of such famous players as Takemiya Masaki, few have any real understanding or appreciation of each professional’s individual playing style. This series is an effort to remedy that situation. In each volume, Yuan Zhou, one of the top US amateurs and a popular go teacher, author, and lecturer, presents two games of a particular player with a very detailed analysis that focuses on clarifying what is distinctive about their style of play. Readers will find that this is not only illuminating for understanding what it means to speak of a playing style, it also leads to an enhanced appreciation and understanding of the game itself.

The game analyses in these books began as informal presentations at Zhou’s home to a high kyu and a low dan player: Ben Armitage 1 dan and Bill Cobb 4 kyu. They occasionally contribute comments and responses to questions from Zhou. The books were prepared from video tapes of these sessions.

Zhou has a particular talent for helping weaker players understand what is going on in pro games and guiding them to become stronger players by studying pro games. He intentionally includes kyu players in his intended audience, not just stronger players. Zhou can be contacted through his web site at www.zhouyuan.com.

Yuan Zhou (American Go Association 7 dan) was born in Tianjin, China. Tianjin is a major city in the northern part of China, near Beijing. His father taught him to play go at the age of six, and a year later he won the Tanggu District Junior Championship. After this auspicious beginning, Zhou began professional go training while he was still seven years old. He was twice invited to represent Tianjin in the All China Go Prodigy Cup.

In 1989 Zhou immigrated to the USA, became a US citizen, and joined the American Go Association (AGA). Zhou was the president of the go club at the University of Maryland, from which he earned a BS in Electrical Engineering, and became increasingly involved in AGA events, winning many go tournaments. Please see the list below for Yuan Zhou’s thirty US go titles. Zhou was also elected to the AGA board of directors in 2005.

Zhou is one of the top competitors on the American go scene, winning the Eastern US Open, one of the biggest US tournaments, in 1992. He also won the New Jersey Open, another of the biggest US tournaments, four times. Twice he has won the Maryland Open, another major tournament that attracts strong players. Zhou placed in the top ten many times in the US Open, North American Masters Cup, and the North American Fujitsu Qualifying Tournament. These tournaments involve the strongest North American go players and include pros. In Zhou’s go career, he has defeated pros many times, including four times in even tournament games: Hak Soo Kim 6p in the 1996 Fujitsu, Xuefen Lin 1p in the 2001 Eastern Oza, Huiren Yang 1p in the 2009 North American Masters, and Feng Yun 9p in the 2011 SAMG World Team Go US team Qualifier. Zhou has also won the US Pair Go Championship four times, and he has represented the USA in international tournaments many times (WAGC, Korea Prime Minister Cup, World Pair Go Championship, etc).

In 2009, Zhou represented the USA in the 4th Korea Prime Minister Cup World Go championship in Jeonju, Korea, and finished in 5th place.

In addition to his competitive successes, Zhou has become a popular teacher and lecturer, frequently giving lectures and teaching lessons at various go clubs in the eastern US region. He has also published many go books at Slate & Shell (www.slateandshell.com). Zhou resides in Germantown, Maryland, and can be contacted through his web site at www.zhouyuan.com.

Yuan Zhou’s Thirty US Go Tournament Victories:

Mid Atlantic Open 1990
Eastern US Open 1992
NoVa Cherry Blossom 1992
NoVa Cherry Blossom 1993
NoVa Pumpkin Classic 1993
University of Maryland Open 1993
Maryland Open 1994
New Jersey Open 1995
University of Maryland Open 1995
New Jersey Open 1996
New Jersey Open 1997
Philadelphia Open 1998
NoVa Congress Tune Up 1999
Mid Atlantic Open 2000
Pennsylvania Open 2000
Korean Baduk Eastern US Open 2001
New Jersey Open 2001
Maryland Open 2002
Pennsylvania Open 2002
Virginia Open 2003
US Ing Redmond Cup 2004
US Pair Go Championship 2004
Virginia Open 2004
Philadelphia Open 2007
Mid Atlantic Open 2007
US Pair Go Championship 2009
North American Ing Masters Qualifier 2009
North American Ing Masters Qualifier 2011
US Pair Go Championship 2011
US Pair Go Championship 2012

William Cobb, May 2013

Copyright Page

© Yuan Zhou

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 William Gundberg, Larry Russ, and Evans Palmour for help with editing and proof reading.

Edited by William Cobb

Cover design by Laurie M. Crammond

Conversion to SmartGo Books by William Cobb

ISBN of print edition:
1–932001–44–1

Table of Contents

Master Play: The Style of Takemiya Masaki

Introduction

Copyright Page

A Brief Biography of Takemiya Masaki

Takemiya Wins the First World Championship

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

Playing Moyo Style with White

Buy This Book

About SmartGo Books

A Brief Biography of Takemiya Masaki

Let’s start by having you two tell me what you know about Takemiya Masaki.

4 kyu: Takemiya is one of the best known Japanese pros; everybody knows about his famous “cosmic” style with its emphasis on a center moyo. For a number of years he was a dominant player, winning both national and international tournaments playing this way and is still very active.

1 dan: Right, I heard about him as soon as I started playing. His style is so distinctive—and beautiful. I really enjoy going over his games.

4 kyu: He’s a very entertaining fellow, too. I remember him singing a song at the World Amateur Go Tournament banquet.

Yes, Takemiya is unusual among Asian pros. They usually tend to be rather self-effacing. When asked how they’ll do in an event, they generally say things like “I’ll do my best” and “My opponent is a very strong player”. Takemiya is more likely to say “I intend to win!” He’s very friendly and out-going, and very popular, especially among amateurs. Takemiya probably has more fans than any other pro.

Takemiya was born on January 1, 1951, which makes him fifty-seven [in 2008]. He is still active in pro tournaments. He plays the same style as always, going for center territory by means of a moyo and frequently starting with the sanrensei, three star points pattern. Part of the reason for his popularity is that amateurs feel they can understand his style, which seems easy to play, at least at the beginning. The sanrensei avoids a lot of josekis and it’s main aim seems obvious. We will see, however, that this style is not so easy to play; in fact, it is surprisingly difficult.

Takemiya has had an illustrious career. He was a student of Kitani Minoru and reached 9 dan in 1977. He has won the Honinbo title six times, holding it for four years from 1985 through 1988. He was the first winner of a world go championship, the international Fujitsu Cup in 1988. He won the Fujitsu again the next year as well. Takemiya held the Judan title for three years, 1990–1992 and took the Meijin title from Kobayashi Koichi in 1995. He was the challenger for the Kisei three times, although he never won that title. He has held many other titles and received many awards as well.

Takeyima has an unusual theory about how to play go. The traditional view, still generally adhered to, is that you should aim first at the corners, then the sides, and finally the center. This theory was challenged, as you know, by Go Seigen and Kitani Minoru, who emphasized the importance of the center in the new opening theory (shin fuseki) they popularized. Playing the sanrensei was part of this approach. However, they did not play it as consistently as Takemiya has. After he became established as a pro, he has played the sanrensei in virtually every game in which he held Black.

Another way of describing Takemiya’s style is to say that he emphasizes thickness. The value of thickness is a bit of an issue in go. It is a lot easier to understand territory, but to become a strong player you must understand the value of thickness. Territory is like cash, you can count to see what it is worth, but thickness is like a check without the amount filled in, it could be for a million dollars or for only one dollar. This is why most players still follow a more traditional style, not emphasizing thickness and a moyo to the extent that Takemiya consistently does.

What Takemiya shows us is the freedom of go. There is no single fixed way to play the game. It is remarkably open. We say that go is about space, speed, and freedom. Takemiya offers a useful lesson about the freedom of the game.

The traditional approach of corners, sides, and then center is easy to understand. The reasoning is that it is easiest to make territory in the corners and the sides are easier than the center, which is so open. Takemiya’s response is that there are so many complications in the corners, so much aji, so many life and death problems. It’s true that it’s difficult to make territory in the center, but once it is made, it is very solid. It is not nearly as easy to invade and live inside a moyo as it is in the corner. The invader cannot easily find a base in the center, whereas there are lots of ways to make a base when you invade a corner.

Emphasizing the center is a more difficult way to play because there are no well established patterns to rely on. In the center you must use your imagination and talent, your creativity, and your understanding of the game to play. This is why being able to handle the center well is a mark of a strong player.

Takemiya Wins the First World Championship

This first game was the final game of the first world championship, the first Fujitsu Cup, in 1988, when Takemiya was at the top of his game. His opponent was Rin Kaiho, also a very strong player, but more traditional in his style. Takemiya is Black and the komi is five and a half points. Basic time is three hours, with the last five minutes treated as five one minute periods of byoyomi.

Moves 1–5

＞＜ ▶︎

Takemiya begins with his trademark sanrensei, of course. The sanrensei does have the advantage that it is easy to make the initial plays. Study has shown that this opening can be played by Black regardless of what White does. Of course, what comes later is not so easy for White.

The common star point with a 3–4 point opening is a favorite of Rin Kaiho’s.

Avoid Center Plays

The key thing in playing a moyo game is to not start playing in the center—at A or B, for example. The key is for the moyo to be naturally formed through the give and take of the game. To be successful it must emerge naturally from the flow of the game. If you try to force it, it usually doesn’t work.

Moves 6–7

＞＜ ▶︎

White chooses a normal approach at 6. White could also play on the top side. Naturally, Takemiya plays a one space high response at 7. When you are aiming for a moyo, you don’t want to get involved in complicated local interactions. You should try to quickly occupy key points and then develop the moyo. This means you want to have sente as much as possible. Fast development is the aim.

Takemiya finds the vast, open center much more appealing than the cramped corners and sides. Many players say that if he did not play the “cosmic” style so consistently he would probably have a better overall record. However, Takemiya believes this is the best way to play, at least in the sense that it is the best way to reveal the beauty of go.

Moves 8–9

＞＜ ▶︎

Rin Kaiho continues to follow the traditional way with a slide into the corner at 8. However, Takemiya does not defend at the 3–3 point in that corner in response, after which White would extend back along the bottom edge to settle his group. Black wants to keep more alternatives open in the lower right and to take sente. So Black leaves that area and makes a high approach at 9. Playing these fourth line moves is, of course, consistent with building a moyo.

Moves 10–12

＞＜ ▶︎

White continues to follow the traditional way with 10 and 12, making territory in the corner. Note that Black does not play the avalanche joseki, which would be possible in this case, because that is a complicated pattern that would embroil Black in a large local fight, which he wants to avoid at this point. Black’s next play is a move popularized by Takemiya.

A Normal Joseki

＞＜ ▶︎

This would be a normal joseki after White 12. However, in this case White would now have sente and would probably approach at A. You can see that this would seriously undermine Black’s attempt to make a moyo; the moyo would be restricted to the right side. This is playable for Black, of course, but it would not be a Takemiya-style game.

Move 13

＞＜ ▶︎

Black 13 shows Takemiya’s creativity. Playing this sort of move is quite different from making a modification in some already worked out pattern. In the latter case you would have some guidance, but not here. This sort of move depends entirely on your own judgment and sense of the game.

Let’s consider this move a bit. If you don’t feel the value and possibilities of a move like this, you shouldn’t play a moyo style game. Here we begin to see the difficult part of playing a moyo successfully. The first thing to notice is that there is a cut at A. The normal joseki protects against that cut. So what happens if White cuts?

If White Cuts–1

＞＜ ▶︎

If White cuts at 1 as in this diagram and then plays atari at 5, it doesn’t work out well for White.

If White Cuts–2

＞＜ ▶︎

If White plays 5 as in this diagram, White would only capture the one stone and Black would be getting very thick on the outside. This also would not be good for White.

If White Plays Elsewhere

＞＜ ▶︎

On the other hand, if White should play elsewhere, Black’s follow-up would be 1 in this diagram. This would give Black too much moyo potential for White to allow.

Moves 14–15

＞＜ ▶︎

The previous diagrams show that Black is not worried about the cut because it would not be good for White to play it. So White’s response at 14 makes sense: White gets solid territory and extends toward an open area.

After White 14, Black again has sente. Unlike in the normal development of this joseki, Black does not need an extension down the left side. In fact such an extension would not work well with this black shape. Black 15 makes sense in terms of a moyo. If Black plays at A in the corner, White would move out to B, damaging Black’s moyo potential and making the upper left black shape of dubious value.

The full book continues this game to the end, followed by a thorough analysis of a second game.