© 2017 Yuan Zhou

The New Territorial Style

Yuan Zhou

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There are different styles of play: traditional territorial style, fighting style, and what can be called ‘moyo’ style, that is, aiming for a large center territory. Recently, professionals have been moving toward a new version of territorial style, which differs from the traditional territorial style by incorporating deliberate center fighting in the middle game. Players with Black have been doing very well with this new style.

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About the Author

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 Go 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 Prodigy Cup.

In 1989, Zhou immigrated to the USA, becoming a US citizen and joining the American Go Association (AGA). He earned a BS degree in electrical engineering at the Unversity of Maryland, where he was the president of the University Go Club. He also became increasingly involved in AGA events, winning many tournaments. Zhou was also elected to the AGA board of directors in 2005 and is currently president of the XYZ Go Club, an official AGA chapter.

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 prestigious New Jersey Open, another of the biggest US tournaments, four times. Twice he won the Maryland Open, another major event that attracts strong players. These tournaments involve the strongest North American go amateurs as well as pros. In Zhou’s go career, he has defeated pros many times, including five 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 and the 2014 North American Ing Masters, and Feng Yun 9p in the 2011 SAMG World Team Go US Team Qualifier. Zhou also won the US Pair Go Championship four times. Zhou represented the USA in international tournaments many times (World Amateur Go Championship, Korea Prime Minister Cup, World Pair Go Championships, etc.).

In 2009, Zhou represented the USA in the 4th Korea Prime Minister Cup World Go Championship in Jeonju, Korea, and finished in fifth 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 regions as well as on the internet. He has also published many go books with Slate & Shell and SmartGo E-Books. Zhou resides in Germantown, Maryland. His website is at www.zhouyuan.com.

Copyright Page

(c) 2017 Yuan Zhou

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

Slate & Shell

www.slateandshell.com

Edited by William Cobb

Conversion to SmartGo Books by William Cobb

Table of Contents

The New Territorial Style

About the Author

Copyright Page

Introduction

Game One: Ke Jie 9p vs Tang Weixing 9p

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

Game Two: Kyu Kagen 3p vs Li Qincheng 1p

Game Three: Ke Jie 9p vs Chen Yaoye 9p

Game Four: Chen Yaoye 9p vs. Ke Jie 9p

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About SmartGo Books

Introduction

A generation or so ago it was not unusual for professional go players to play territorial style. Cho Chikun 9p of Japan was probably the most famous territorial player before the more recent turn to an emphasis on fighting style which was characteristic of the young Korean and Chinese pros who came to dominate the go world. Before Cho another solidly territorial top pro was Kitani Minoru. In very recent times, there has been another shift as we find more and more of the dominating young players putting a lot more emphasis on territory, especially in the early part of the game when playing on the 3–4 points has become common. An early example of this turn among young players was Chen Yaoye, who was promoted to 9p in 2007 while in his teens because of his international successes. In this book I have selected several games by current top young pros where this shift is clearly present.

There are certain advantages in playing territorial style. The opening can usually be played faster, which is significant in modern pro games where the basic time is often only three hours. Moreover, you can avoid some situations where accurate assessment of a situation becomes very difficult. Of course, you must be able to play accurately, but that goes for any style of play. The primary decision that has led to a revival of territorial style playing is that the initial advantage Black has from first move can in fact be maintained adequately this way. In the recent past as komi grew larger there was a concern that straightforward territorial play might make things easier for White. However, recent success by young territorial players with Black has shown that territorial style is definitely still playable.

However, there is a striking difference between the traditional and the new territorial style of play. In both, Black starts out aiming to make solid territory, but in the traditional territorial style Black expected to conclude with the task of reducing White’s outside potential that resulted from Black’s territorial gains. The new territorial style aims to prevent a strong white moyo and destroy White’s center potential by fighting much earlier in the game. Black aims to get a lead in solid territory and then fight over the outside potential. All Black needs to do is come out with a more or less even result in this fighting to win the game. This is actually an aggressive style of play.

Game One: Ke Jie 9p vs Tang Weixing 9p

Ke Jie 9p and Tang Weixing 9p are currently the hottest players in the professional go world. Ke Jie is ranked number one in China as well as in the world and holds three world titles. Tang Weixing just won this year’s Ing Cup to go with his earlier win of the Samsung Cup. The Ing Cup is the most prestigious of current international titles. It is played only every four years and has the largest prize money. So these two represent the highest playing level today—at least among humans. This game determined the winner of an invitational tournament including all the current Chinese holders of world titles. In 2016 Chinese players won virtually all the international events so this was a sizable group.

In this game, Tang Weixing is Black and Ke Jie is White. Komi is seven and a half. At this time, Ke Jie has been winning the vast majority of his games as White. Tang is another example of the new territorial style being seen among pro players. His middle game fighting skills are also very strong.

Moves 1–4

＞＜

Black starts with the alternating 3–4 points (komoku) pattern that is basic to traditional Japanese territorial theory about playing go.

White’s nirensei (two star point) opening is very popular among current players. It was also preferred by AlphaGo at that time.

Moves 5–7

＞＜

Black chooses a large corner enclosure with 5, and White naturally prevents Black from getting two solid corner enclosures with 6.

Black 7 is a common way to start a territorial continuation.

Variation

＞＜

However, as shown in this diagram, this continuation would allow Black the sente move at 6, aiming at the weakness in White’s shape. Especially since AlphaGo’s play, this pattern is often avoided by White by attaching at A with 5. Black 5 in the game () aims to prevent this variation by threatening to get a much bigger corner.

Moves 8–11

＞＜

So White picks the other direction with 8, aiming for the avalanche joseki which would work well with White’s two 4–4 point stones at the bottom.

Black continues with the large avalanche joseki by playing 11, which is normal today. The small avalanche (Black 11 at A) is generally seen as good for White since he can get excellent outside influence.

Of course, this is an extremely complicated joseki.

Moves 12–14

＞＜

White chooses to avoid the avalanche in favor of a simpler joseki with 12 and 14.

The direction is good for White, of course, with the 4–4 point stone in the lower right corner. Stronger players, including AlphaGo, prefer to avoid situations like playing the large avalanch joseki that are basically contests of memory rather than reading and fighting skills.

Moves 15–17

＞＜

Naturally, Black aims to break up the right side with 15 lest White easily get a better whole board situation than Black. This is territorial style, aiming at the corner since it has more territory. A play in the middle of the right side would also give White more choices about continuation. Of course, White could pincer Black 15 but that choice can lead to complications White might not welcome. So White simply plays 16.

Black responds with a simple extension, not sliding into the corner since White would pincer then.

Moves 18–20

＞＜

White prevents a black attack with the extension to 18. Black responds with a slide to 19 to prevent a white attachment that would make this black group overconcentrated. White will not now give Black sente by defending in this corner.

The lower left corner is obviously the biggest place to play, hence White 20.

Black now clearly has a territorial style position with three solid shapes. White is a little faster with a bigger structure at the bottom.

Moves 21–22

＞＜

Black makes a somewhat strange move on the left side at 21. Traditional theory would dictate a play at the bottom to break up White. Since White has a low stone on the left side, Black 21 doesn’t seem that big.

White naturally responds with 22, which is a good move, completing a bottom moyo. Most players would prefer White at this point in the opening.

Black’s territorial style play may seem a little slow at this point.

Moves 23–27

＞＜

The usual invasion point in this situation would be at A, the 2–5 point. Black 23 aims to avoid giving White the corner.

But White makes the corner solid with 24. So Black has to run out with 25.

White continues to attack from the outside with 26, aiming to control the center.

Black continues to run out with 27 to avoid getting sealed in.

Moves 28–31

＞＜

White continues to pressure Black from the outside with 28, and we can begin to see why Black played high. It is a big help to his running center stones.

Black now plays a normal testing move at 29. White 30 guarantees killing Black 29, although it retains some aji.

Black 31 again makes good use of the high placement of .

Moves 32–35

＞＜

White 32 reduces Black’s potential on the left side.

Black reveals his plan for this area with the push and cut of 33 and 35.

Black’s peaceful territorial style play ceases: violent contact fighting starts in the center. Here we see how the new territorial style starts off grabbing solid territory, but then looks for chances to start a fight to destroy White’s outside potential instead of aiming for later reduction.

Moves 36–39

＞＜

This fight is obviously critical. Both players must extend. This “pinwheel” shape after White 36 and Black 37 is a common one in fighting.

White jumps to 38 because of the weakness at A.

Black jumps to 39 to put pressure on the two now isolated white stones. In fighting, attacking is the focus rather than defending. Of course, White cannot give up these two stones.

Moves 40–42

＞＜

White 40 threatens to cut off the four black stones in the lower left center.

White 42 prevents Black from connecting: A and B are now miai for doing that.

So Black must make this group live. A normal way would be to use the aji of by attaching at C and when White descends to prevent that, Black would slide to D. Black could live this way. White would then attack in the center. However, Black chooses a more aggressive way.

Moves 43–44

＞＜

Black ignores his weak group and continues to attack on the outside with 43. This is a bit of an overplay. Tang is not intimidated by his opponent’s status as number one in the world.

White 44 stops Black’s normal way of saving his inside group, which looks like it is in serious trouble.

End of sample chapter. In the book, this game is commented to the end.

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© 2017 Yuan Zhou

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