Mastering the Basics, Volume 7

Attacking and Defending Moyos

by Rob van Zeijst & Richard Bozulich

Copyright © 2010 by Rob van Zeijst and Richard Bozulich

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Preface

Knowing the basic principles of go is the key to being able to find the best move in the opening and the middle game. The way to internalize these principles is by seeing how they are applied by pros in their games and by contemplating a large number of problems in which these principles are used.

Attacking and Defending Moyos starts out by laying down 13 basic principles of moyos (frameworks of potential territories) with examples from the games of Takemiya Masaki, Yi Ch’ang-ho, Sakata Eio, Go Seigen, Rin Kaiho, Ishida Yoshio, among others. The second chapter presents detailed analyses of games played by top pros, showing how they build and defend moyos and how they attack them. Included are two masterpieces by Kitani Minoru, as well as games by Cho Chikun (the master of invading moyos), Hane Naoki, and Sonoda Yuichi (famous for his hyper-cosmic go). The third chapter presents 151 problems in which the ideas presented in the first two chapters can be applied.

This is an essential book even for those who like to play a tight territorial game, for they will undoubtedly often meet opponents who like to build moyos. On the other hand, it is also an essential book for those who like to build moyos but may be unsure of how to defend them against an attack.

Rob van Zeijst and Richard Bozulich
July 2010

Copyright Page

Mastering the Basics, Volume 7
Attacking and Defending Moyos

Rob van Zeijst & Richard Bozulich

Copyright © 2010 by Rob van Zeijst and Richard Bozulich

All rights reserved according to international law. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private use without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by
Kiseido Publishing Company
Kagawa 4–48–32, Chigasaki-shi
Kanagawa-ken, Japan 253–0082

ISBN of the printed version: 978–4–906574–77–3

Converted for SmartGo Books by John Mifsud.

Contents

Attacking and Defending Moyos
Mastering the Basics, Volume 7

Preface

Copyright Page

Some Important Terms and Concepts

Chapter One: 13 Basic principles for Attacking and Defending Moyos

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

Chapter Two: Example Games

Game One: Kitani vs. Hasegawa

Game Two: Kitani vs. Shinohara

Game Three: Iyama Yuta vs. Hane Naoki

Game Four: Iyama Yuta vs. Kang Tong-yun

Game Five: Cho Chikun vs. Sonoda Yuichi

Game Six: Fujisawa Hosai vs. Takemiya

Chapter Three: 151 Problems

Problems 1–10

Problems 11–20

Problems 21–30

Problems 31–40

Problems 41–50

Problems 51–60

Problems 61–70

Problems 71–80

Problems 81–90

Problems 91–100

Problems 101–110

Problems 111–120

Problems 121–130

Problems 131–140

Problems 141–151

One Last Example: Moyo and Kiai

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Some Important Terms and Concepts

Here we introduce some go terms used in this book. For a comprehensive glossary of Japanese and English go terms, refer to The Go Player’s Almanac 2001 from page 331 to 374.

aji

Aji refers to latent possibilities that exist in a position. Although these possibilities may never be realized, their existence influences the course of the game and enables certain moves to be made.

Dia. 1a

＞＜ ▶︎

In Dia. 1a the marked white stone in the corner is dead, but it still has aji. Because of its aji, White need not fear Black’s pushing through at A, so he can jump to 1, rescuing his three stones at the top.

Dia. 1b

＞＜ ▶︎

If Black does push through and tries to confine White to the top with 1 and 3 in Dia. 1b, White ataris with 4. After Black defends with 5, the aji of the marked stone comes to life and White captures Black’s stones on the right with 6 and 8.

atari

Atari is a threat to capture a stone or a group of stones on the next move.

Dia. 2a

The white stone in Dia. 2a is in atari. If White doesn’t defend by extending to A, Black may capture it with 1 in Dia. 2b.

Dia. 2b

＞＜ ▶︎

Dia. 2c

The result is shown in Dia. 2c.

gote

Gote is a move which does not require an answer; a defensive move. Compare sente.

hane

Hane is a diagonal move played from a friendly stone in contact with an enemy stone.

Dia. 3

＞＜ ▶︎

White 1 in Dia. 3 is an example of a hane.

miai

Miai refers to two points of approximately equal value. If your opponent takes one of them, you can (and usually must) take the other.

Dia. 4

The points A and B in Dia. 4 are miai, so White is alive. If Black plays one of them, White will play the other.

moyo

Moyo is a framework which maps out a large area of potential territory. Some moyos are huge, while others are modest in size.

Dia. 5

In Dia. 5, the four white stones in the upper left map out a moyo. The four black stones in the upper right map out an even larger moyo from his corner enclosure along the upper right side and the top right. If Black were to play at A with his next move, he would have mapped out a huge moyo in the upper right quadrant of the board.

ponnuki

The shape left when a stone is captured by four opposing stones. The shape of the black stones in Dia. 2c is an example.

sabaki

When your stones are outnumbered in one part of the board, your aim will not be to make territory; rather, you will want to make good shape, rich in eye potential, so that your stones, if attacked, can easily make eyes in the area where they are attacked or can easily escape into the center. This is called sabaki. When making sabaki, it is not unusual to sacrifice some of the stones which are under attack. Here are two related concepts.

light

Stones are referred to as ‘light’ if they can be sacrificed to help other stones make good shape. A move played in the vicinity of stones that are to be sacrificed is called a ‘light move’. Moves that make sabaki are called ‘light’.

heavy

Stones that are heavy cannot readily make eye shape, and are vulnerable. If a group ends up as heavy, it has failed to make sabaki. Here are some diagrams which illustrate these concepts.

Dia. 6

＞＜ ▶︎

Dia. 7

＞＜ ▶︎

In Dia. 6, Black has mapped out a moyo at the top. If White wants to reduce this moyo, he can begin with a probe at 1. If Black blocks at 2, White will cut with 3 in Dia. 7 and play the forcing moves of 5 and 7. Next —

Dia. 8

＞＜ ▶︎

Dia. 9

＞＜ ▶︎

White 1 in Dia. 8 looks like an efficient move because it defends the two cutting points at A and B. In spite of this, it is bad. Black will peep with 1 and 3 in Dia. 9, and White is left with a clump of stones lacking eye-making potential after Black 5. These stones have now become ‘heavy’.

Dia. 10

＞＜ ▶︎

Since White 1 in Dia. 8 results in a heavy shape, it has failed to make sabaki. The correct way for White to play after Black 8 in Dia. 7 is with 1 in Dia. 10, White 1 is ‘light’ because it doesn’t defend the cutting points at A and B and treats the marked stones lightly — that is, White is willing to sacrifice them for the greater good.

Dia. 11

＞＜ ▶︎

For example, if Black does cut with 1 in Dia. 11, White can make a shape with eye-making potential with the sequence to 8. White has made sabaki.

Dia. 12

＞＜ ▶︎

Black could also cut at 1 in Dia. 12. White would then defend at 2. Black must extend to 3 and White jumps to 4 — a wedge has been driven between the two black positions at the top. He also has at least one eye at the top and is out into the center. White has succeeded in making sabaki.

sente

A move that must be answered; an offensive move. Compare gote.

tesuji

A skillful move which accomplishes some clear tactical objective, such as capturing a group, rescuing one of your own groups, linking up your stones, separating your opponent’s stones, or making good shape.

thick

A thick position has few or no defects, i.e., cutting points. Such positions are hard to attack. Thick positions are useful in that they can be used for attacking. Conversely, thick positions are hard to attack and it should be impossible for the opposing side to make sabaki against it.

thin

Stones that are weak or widely separated are called thin. Unlike thick stones, these stones are easily invaded or attacked.

Chapter One: 13 Basic principles for Attacking and Defending Moyos

A famous go player is reported to have given the following advice: ‘Don’t think, just play.’

Like the sayings of many great men, there is a deep truth hidden beneath its surface. However, such utterances must not be taken literally. What does this pro really mean?

Most of the day-to-day activities that we engage in require little or no thought. As we read these sentences, we are not conscious of their letters, words, or grammar. What remains after reading them is only their meaning. When we speak, we don’t think about the words or the syntax of our utterances; we say what we want to say without being conscious of these particulars.

When a pianist performs a Beethoven sonata, his fingers move across the keyboard without any conscious effort. Hours upon hours of practice are necessary to produce what is called ‘muscle memory’.

The great mathematician Gauss once described his discovery of a proof to a theorem as ‘a sudden flash of lightning’.

However, none of these skills and insights would be possible if we did not undergo intensive training in the basics. This certainly applies to go. After a beginner learns the rules, he internalizes the basics by playing a lot of games.

The playing field of a game of go consists of 361 points. This is a huge area, and it would be nearly impossible time-wise to come up with plausible moves by examining each point. A go player needs some principles to guide him in whittling down this enormous number of possibilities to just a few candidate moves. Once a player knows the strategic and tactical principles of go, he doesn’t have to ‘think’. The best move or moves will occur to him almost out of the blue. This is what intuition is.

In this chapter we present 13 basic principles that are related to moyos. Learning and internalizing these principles will help you avoid unnecessary thinking when confronted with a moyo. And once you have mastered them, you won’t have to think; your intuition will guide you.

1. Reduce a moyo by playing into it no farther than its outer rim.

Dia. 1

In Dia. 1, White has staked out a moyo on the right side. The outer limit of this moyo is the line linking the marked stones. Following this principle, Black should play no farther into White’s moyo than the point of a.

Dia. 2

＞＜ ▶︎

Black 1 in Dia. 2 might be entering a little too deeply because this stone could come under attack. If Black tries to escape with 3 to 9, White can confine Black within his moyo. Black should be able to live, but the wall White makes with the sequence to 10 could give him an advantage in the left part of the board. Of course, this would depend on White’s position there.

Dia. 3

＞＜ ▶︎

Black 1 in Dia. 3 might be just the right point for reducing White’s moyo. If White defends with 2, his stones are not working efficiently. With respect to the marked stones, a white move at 1 would be ideal.

Dia. 4

＞＜ ▶︎

If White tries to confine Black with 1 in Dia. 4, Black can easily escape with 3 and 5. Later, Black can further reduce White’s territory with a or b.

Dia. 5

＞＜ ▶︎

Black 1 in Dia. 5 is a bit too far away to be an efficient reducing move. Although White 2 at a would make ideal shape with the two marked stones, White 2 still works well with those stones.

Dia. 6

＞＜ ▶︎

The position in Dia. 6 arose in the final round of the 2nd Jinro Cup in a game between Yi Ch’ang-ho (white) and Takemiya Masaki played on February 23, 1994.

White has played a reducing move with 1, just above the outer rim of Black’s moyo, defined by the line linking the two marked stones. This is the perfect point for reducing Black’s moyo.

Dia. 7

＞＜ ▶︎

If White played one line deeper with 1 in Dia. 7, Black would cap with 2. White runs away with 3, but Black would then lean on the white stones at the top with the attachment of 4. Both the white stones within Black’s moyo and the ones at the top are now under attack. Trying to reduce Black’s moyo with a deep invasion such as 1 would put White on the road to defeat.

Dia. 8

＞＜ ▶︎

In the game, Black answered White 1 with 2 in Dia. 8. Because it was hard to predict how a direct attack on White would turn out, Black attacked indirectly with the diagonal jump of 2. White retreated with 3, seeming to fear that he would get into trouble if he jumped more aggressively into Black’s moyo. Black 4 was a good move. White cuts through with 5 and 7, then plays 9, threatening to pull out his stone at 5. After exchanging 10 for White 11, Black captures the stone at 5 with 12. White pushes into Black’s moyo with 13, and Black blocks with 14. Next, White has to decide whether to cut at a or to play a hane at b.

Dia. 9

＞＜ ▶︎

Cutting with White 15 in Dia. 9 is the correct move. With the sequence to 21, White has broken into Black’s moyo in the upper right. Black takes a firm hold of the stone at 15 with 22, and White starts to reduce Black’s moyo at the bottom with 23.

Dia. 10

＞＜ ▶︎

Against the hane of 1 in Dia. 10 (b in Dia. 8), Black would connect with 2. After the exchange of White 3 for 4, Black doesn’t have any weak groups or the bad aji of 15 in Dia. 9.

Dia. 11

＞＜ ▶︎

White 3 in Dia. 8 was a cowardly move. White should have jumped into Black’s moyo with 3 in Dia. 11. If Black confines White with 4 and 6, White will have no trouble living within Black’s moyo with 5 and 7. Most of Black’s potential territory has been wiped out, so this will be an easy win for White.

2. Don’t let your opponent make a moyo while he is reducing yours.

The diagonal jump of Black 2 in Dia. 8 made Black 4 a good move. However, Black must not play at 4 without first playing 2.

Dia. 12

＞＜ ▶︎

If Black immediately defends his moyo with 2 in Dia. 12, White will exchange 3 for 4, then close off the upper left part of the board with 5. If Black continues with 6, the sequence to Black 14 can be expected. After 15, White’s moyo is bigger than Black’s. Moreover, White has an endgame move around a so Black’s moyo is not at big as it looks. As an exercise, count the sizes of both the black and white moyos.

Black’s move at 2 in Dia. 8 and his subsequent one at 10 ensure that White won’t be able to make a moyo on the left side. Black 2 is a move that is similar to a leaning attack.

3. Defend your moyo with a leaning attack.

Dia. 13

＞＜ ▶︎

White invades Black’s moyo with 1 in Dia. 13. Black attacks with 2 and 4, and White runs away with 3 and 5. If Black continues to directly attack White’s stones, his three stones in the upper right corner will be weakened. Black must find another way to continue.

Dia. 14

＞＜ ▶︎

Black should attach with 6 in Dia. 14. This kind of move is called a leaning attack: it leans on one group while indirectly attacking another. White turns with 7, but Black continues to lean on White’s group at the top with 8 and 10. If White defends with 11, Black restarts the attack on the white group on the right with 12. After the sequence to Black 18, White’s stones are trapped.

Dia. 15

＞＜ ▶︎

If White answers Black 6 with 7 and 9 in Dia. 15, Black can again trap the white stones with 10.

Dia. 16

＞＜ ▶︎

Instead of 9 and 11 in Dia. 14, White could escape into the center with 9 in Dia. 16. However, Black would connect with 10, turning the area that was once White’s territory into his own secure territory. This is sufficient compensation for Black’s losing his moyo on the right.

Dia. 17

＞＜ ▶︎

The position in Dia. 17 arose in a game between Ohira Shuzo (white) and Go Seigen. Having invaded White’s moyo, Black’s stones in the center are trying to link up with their ally below. But White starts a leaning attack with 1.

Dia. 18

＞＜ ▶︎

Black defends the bottom with the moves to 16 in Dia. 18, but in the meantime the black stones in the center have been surrounded.

4. Build a moyo by attacking weak stones.

Dia. 19

＞＜ ▶︎

The two marked stones in Dia. 19 are not in immediate danger, but they are vulnerable. If Black attacks with 1, White should defend with 2. Black then maps out a moyo by jumping to 3.

Dia. 20

＞＜ ▶︎

In Dia. 20, Black’s three stones on the left side have no base. White 1 attacks them. If Black escapes with 2, White 3 maps out a moyo on the right. If Black tries to escape by playing 2 at a, White attacks with b. If Black c next, White d again maps out a moyo.

5. Play urgent moves before building or attacking moyos.

‘Urgent moves before big moves.’ This is one of the most important proverbs related to the opening. Any player who wants to achieve dan-level strength must understand this proverb.

The big moves are: 1. occupying the empty corners; 2. approach moves; 3. corner enclosures; 4. extensions along the sides; 5. moves played into the center (these are the ones that build moyos).

Urgent moves are those that defend weak groups, giving them the resiliency to withstand an attack. By extension, finding a weak group of your opponent’s and attacking it must also be an urgent move.

Dia. 21

＞＜ ▶︎

In Dia. 21, Black would like to expand his moyo by jumping to a. However, it is more important to attack the weak marked stones with 1.

Dia. 22

＞＜ ▶︎

White must defend these stones with 2 to 6 in Dia. 22, but, after the sequence to 7, Black has built a moyo at the top and is now aiming at an attachment at a.

Dia. 23

＞＜ ▶︎

Locally, Black 1 in Dia. 23 is a big move because it reinforces Black’s moyo at the bottom. However, after White extends to 2, his stones at the top are settled and he no longer has any weak groups.

Dia. 24

＞＜ ▶︎

In Dia. 24, Black has to defend his two weak stones on the left with 1 before playing 3. Moreover, Black 1 is sente: White must defend with 2. Now Black can expand his moyo on the top right with 3. If White omits 2 —

Dia. 25

＞＜ ▶︎

If White extends to 2 in Dia. 25, Black will continue his attack on the white stones in the lower left corner with 3. After the sequence to 11, White’s group is not yet alive. He will have to defend it in gote, so Black can take another big point.

Dia. 26

＞＜ ▶︎

If Black rushes to play 1 in Dia. 26, White will invade with 2. After the sequence to 8, White has deprived Black of the territory on the left and has taken it for himself. This is a huge loss for Black.

6. Be willing to transfer a moyo from one part of the board to another.

Dia. 27

The position in Dia. 27 arose in a game between Handa Dogen (white) and Sakata Eio in the 2nd Meijin league. Black has staked out a moyo on the left side of the board. White must stop Black from reinforcing it, so he invades by attaching underneath with 1 in Dia. 28.

Dia. 28

＞＜ ▶︎

After White 3 and 5, Black caps with 6, forcing White to live in gote with the sequence to 13. Black has now built a strong wall on the left and he uses it to stake out a large-scale moyo at the top with 14. What had previously been a rather thin moyo on the left is now a thicker one at the top.

Dia. 29

＞＜ ▶︎

After Black 6, it is not a good idea for White to try to escape into the center with 7 in Dia. 29. His attempt to do so with the sequence to 11 fails. He still has to come back to secure his stones on the upper left side. By playing this way, White has helped Black to solidify his territory on the lower left side.

Dia. 30
29: connects

＞＜ ▶︎

In the game, White continued with 15 in Dia. 30, staking out a big moyo for himself. Black immediately jumped in with the standard erasing moves of 16 and 18, then pulled these stones out with 22. With the sequence to 30, Black’s wall on the right side of his moyo became thick and the whole moyo was set to become actual territory.

Dia. 31

＞＜ ▶︎

The position in Dia. 31 is from a game played by Takemiya (black). His opponent was Sakata Eio. White has just turned with 1. One’s first instinct might be to block with 2, but White might later attach at a and erase Black’s moyo. If Black plays 2 at b, White a would be a big endgame move.

Dia. 32

＞＜ ▶︎

Left with no good choices at the top, Black played 2 in Dia. 32, transferring his moyo to the lower left. White gets to play 5, but, after the sequence to 12, Black is thick in the center. Even though White might invade Black’s unorthodox enclosure, Black will end up with a sizable moyo.