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The Road Map to Shodan, Volume 5

Opening and Middle Game Go Problems for Kyu Players

by Richard Bozulich

Kiseido Publishing Company
Chigasaki, Japan

Buy the full book at gobooks.com

Opening and Middle Game Go Problems for Kyu Players presents 200 problems of positions that regularly arise in the opening and middle game. It is intended to supplement the Graded Problems for Beginners and Graded Problems for Dan Players series. Whereas the books in those two series are mainly about life and death, this book consists mainly of whole-board positions that regularly arise in the opening and middle game. Some of the topics covered are fighting inside spheres of influence, neutralizing thick positions, using thick positions to attack and make territory, the direction in which to attack and the direction in which to build walls, invading thin positions, defending and attacking weak groups, and matching the joseki to the overall position.

The initial problems in the book are in the 15- to 20-kyu range, but they gradually become harder in the latter part of the book reaching the level of 1-kyu by the end of the book.

As a bonus, an exhaustive exposition of the early 3—3-point invasion josekis is presented in an appendix. These josekis have come to dominate the openings in professional and amateur go since they were played by the artificial intelligence program known as AlphaGo. These josekis should be studied by every ambitious kyu player who hopes to rise to dan level.

Copyright Page

The Road Map to Shodan, Volume 5
Opening and Middle Game Go Problems for Kyu Players

by Richard Bozulich

Copyright © 2019 by 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 from Kiseido Publishing Company.

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

ISBN of the printed version: 978–4–906574–86–5

Converted for SmartGo Books by John Mifsud.

Contents

Opening and Middle Game Go Problems for Kyu Players
The Road Map to Shodan, Volume 5

Copyright Page

Preface

A Glossary of Go Terms Used in this Book

200 Opening and Middle Game Problems

Problems 1 to 10

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

Problems 11 to 20

Problems 21 to 30

Problems 31 to 40

Problems 41 to 50

Problems 51 to 60

Problems 61 to 70

Problems 71 to 80

Problems 81 to 90

Problems 91 to 100

Problems 101 to 110

Problems 111 to 120

Problems 121 to 130

Problems 131 to 140

Problems 141 to 150

Problems 151 to 160

Problems 161 to 170

Problems 171 to 180

Problems 181 to 190

Problems 191 to 200

Appendix. Early 3–3-Point Invasion

Variation 1. The Solid Extension

Variation 2. The Knight’s Move

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Preface

This book presents 200 problems of positions that arise in the opening and middle game. It is intended to supplement the Graded Go Problems for Beginners and Graded Go Problems for Dan Players series. Whereas the books in those two series are mainly about life and death and tesuji, this book consists mainly of whole-board positions that typically arise in the opening and middle game. Some of the topics covered are fighting inside spheres of influence, neutralizing thick positions, using thick positions to attack and make territory, the direction in which to attack and the direction in which to build walls, invading thin positions, defending and attacking weak groups, and matching the joseki to the overall position. Numerous examples of some of the most important go proverbs are given, such as ‘Play hane at the head of two stones’, ‘When caught in a crosscut, extend’, and ‘Capture the cutting stone’. These proverbs are so important that being aware of them and learning how to apply them will markedly raise your go strength.

The initial problems in this book are in the 15- to 20-kyu range — sometimes more difficult in order to expand on a topic — but they gradually become harder, reaching the level of around 1-kyu by the end of the book.

As a bonus, an exhaustive exposition of the early 3–3-point invasion josekis against a start-point stone is presented in an appendix. These josekis have come to dominate the openings in professional and amateur go since they were played by the artificial intelligence program known as AlphaGo. These josekis should be studied by every ambitious kyu player who hopes to rise to dan level.

Finally, I would like to thank Peter Blommers for reading the manuscript and finding many typographical and other errors. I also need to thank Rob van Zeijst who carefully read the appendix, made many suggestions, and provided a number of professional games in which some of the josekis presented in the appendix appeared.

Richard Bozulich
June 30, 2019

A Glossary of Go Terms Used in this Book

aji — The 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.

atari — A move that threatens to capture a stone or a group of stones on the next move.

atekomi — A move played between two diagonally-placed stones of the opposite color.

dan — A ranking scale running from shodan (1-dan) up to 9-dan. For amateurs, there is a one-stone difference between ranks. For professionals, the difference is nominally a third of a stone. The top amateur rank in Japan is 8-dan, which is considered comparable to professional shodan. Compare kyu.

fuseki — The opening moves of a game.

gote — A move that does not require an answer; losing the initiative. Compare sente.

hane — A diagonal move played from a friendly stone in contact with an enemy stone.

honte — The proper move. The honest — or correct — move. The move may appear slow, but in the opening stages you will never go wrong playing it.

joseki — A set sequence of moves usually played during the opening and in the corners. Locally, they are the best moves.

kiai — Fighting spirit. Defiance. A move that refuses to comply with the opponent’s forcing move, but fights back with a forcing move of its own. One should play a move that is kiai when the honte clearly results in a disadvantageous position.

ko — A situation in which two opposing stones can capture and recapture each other endlessly. When this situation arises in a game, the rules stipulate that immediate recapture is forbidden.

komi — Compensation points added to one side’s territory at the end of the game. Nowadays 6½ points are added to White’s territory in an even game to compensate for the disadvantage of moving second. In many international tournaments the komi is 7½ points.

kyu — An amateur ranking scale running from about 35-kyu (a complete beginner) up to 1-kyu, the highest rank before shodan (1-dan). There is a one-stone handicap difference between ranks. Compare dan.

moyo — A large framework of potential territory.

ponnuki — The shape that results when a stone is captured by four enemy stones.

sabaki — Settling an endangered group.

sanrensei — An opening pattern in which one player occupies the three star points on one side of the board.

seki — Dual life. A situation in which neither of two groups of opposing stones has two eyes, but neither side can attack the other without losing his stones.

sente — A move that requires an answer or an unacceptable loss will be suffered. Compare gote.

shodan — 1-dan. The lowest dan ranking. The first level of an expert player. See dan.

tesuji — A skillful tactical move that accomplishes some objective.

big (opening) moves — These are the moves played in the opening where the players stake out their spheres of influence. They are: 1. Occupying an empty corner; 2. Approach moves; 3. Pincers; 4. Enclosing a corner; 5. Extensions along the sides. In this book, I will often refer to such moves as ‘a big opening move’, ‘a big opening extension’, etc.

urgent moves — These are moves that defend weak or vulnerable groups. They are also moves that attack weak or vulnerable groups. There is a go proverb stating ‘Urgent moves before big moves.’ What this proverb is actually telling us is that settling a weak group takes priority over all other moves. It also implies that if your opponent has a weak group, attacking it takes priority.

200 Opening and Middle Go Problems

Problem 1

Fighting Inside Spheres of Influence

White to play

＞＜ ▶︎

Black has entered Black’s sphere of influence with 1. After Black makes a checking extension with 2, how should White respond, at A or at B?

Answer 1

Correct

＞＜ ▶︎

White should make a tight two-space extension to 1. He has now established a stable position within Black’s sphere of influence.

Wrong

＞＜ ▶︎

Extending three spaces to 1 leaves White with a thin position. Black will split the white stones by invading with 2. White now has to fight in an area where Black has the advantage. That is, his stones are outnumbered five to two.

Problem 2

Hane at the Head of Two Stones

Black to play

＞＜ ▶︎

When Black has the marked stones in place, an early invasion by White at the 3–3 point with 1 is unreasonable. After the exchange of 2 for White 3, what is Black’s most forceful move?

Answer 2

Correct

＞＜ ▶︎

The hane of Black 1 is the most forceful move. It follows the go proverb ‘Play at the head of two stones.’ Those are the two marked ones. Black 1 deprives them of a liberty, so, relative to the two black stones below, they are weaker. White has no better response than 2, against which Black extends to 3.

Inferior

＞＜ ▶︎

In some positions, extending to Black 1 can be a good move, but here it is inferior. After White 2, Black should certainly play a hane at 3 (at the head of three stones). With 7, the joseki comes to a pause with White ending in sente and with more profit than in the correct answer.

(See the Appendix for a detailed study of the 3–3-point invasion.)

Problem 3

Invading Thin Positions

Black to play

＞＜ ▶︎

This is a continuation of the wrong answer in Problem 1. After Black invades with the marked stone, White jumps to 1. How should Black continue?

Answer 3

Correct

＞＜ ▶︎

Black should attack the white stone below with the diagonal move of 1, driving it in the direction of his enclosure below. If White extends to 2, Black jumps to 3. White is now split into two weak groups.

Variation

＞＜ ▶︎

Instead of 1 in the problem diagram, White might try to save his stone below by jumping to 1. In that case, Black would attack the stone above with the diagonal move of 2. If White 3, Black jumps to 4. Again, White is split into two weak groups.

Problem 4

Hane at the Head of Two Stones

White to play

＞＜ ▶︎

When White has occupied the 3–3 point, the shoulder hit of Black 1 is often played. In response to White 2, however, Black 3 is not a good move. The position is similar to the one in Problem 2, but here it is White’s move. How should White take advantage of Black’s mistake?

Answer 4

Correct

＞＜ ▶︎

White must play a hane at the head of the two marked stones with 1. Those two stones are now short of liberties. Black 2 is the natural response. White now plays another hane (a two-step hane) with 3, forcing Black to extend to 4. White now comes back and connects at 5, aiming to play a hane at ‘a’ later on.

Variation

＞＜ ▶︎

White can aggressively push with 5, forcing Black to extend to 6. The drawback here is that it leaves an atari at ‘a’ that Black can play to isolate the white stones at 3 and 5. The sequence from White ‘b’ to Black ‘e’ is White’s privilege.

Joseki

＞＜ ▶︎

After the exchange of 1 for White 2 , the correct move for Black is to extend into the center with 3. The moves to Black 7 are a basic joseki; White gets territory and Black gets influence in the center. White often omits the move at 6.

Problem 5

Ignoring a Checking Extension

Black to play

＞＜ ▶︎

After White invades Black’s sphere of influence with 1, Black makes a checking extension with 2. Instead of extending to ‘a’ as in the correct answer to Problem 1, White switches to the left side and makes the sanrensei formation with 3. How should Black continue?

Answer 5

Correct

＞＜ ▶︎

Black should attack White’s stone with 1. White can escape into the center with ‘a’, but this move gains no territory. On the other hand, Black has mapped out territory on the lower right side with 1.

A severe attack

＞＜ ▶︎

Later on in the game, Black can cap with 1, threatening to capture the white stone and all the territory on the right side. White can escape by playing either ‘a’ or ‘b’, but neither leads to a good result.

Problem 6

To Play Aggressively or Defensively

Black to play

＞＜ ▶︎

Should Black confine White to the corner with A or should he extend solidly to B?

Answer 6

Correct

＞＜ ▶︎

Extending to Black 1 is a solid move. Black’s stones have no weaknesses. White 2 to Black 5 is White’s privilege, but they leave Black with a thick position. This is a basic joseki. (See the Appendix for a detailed study of the 3–3-point invasion.)

Wrong 1

＞＜ ▶︎

The hane of Black 1 is an overplay. White cuts with 2 and Black must defend at 3. After exchanging 4 for 5, Black has bad aji, so White will play elsewhere and wait to see how the position develops. A white move played on a crucial point could bring the stones at 2 and 4 to life.

Wrong 2

＞＜ ▶︎

Black must not disengage from the joseki by omitting 1 in the correct answer. White will play a hane at the head of the two marked stones. Jumping to Black 2 is the shape move. Black 2 at ‘a’ is bad; White will answer with ‘b’.

Problem 7

Attacking Technique

Black to play

＞＜ ▶︎

When Black caps with the marked stone White runs away with the diagonal move of 1. How should Black continue his attack? The answer illustrates a basic attacking technique.

Answer 7

Correct

＞＜ ▶︎

The knight’s move of Black 1 is a standard attacking technique. White can only push with 2 and 4, forcing Black to secure territory. Next —

Continuation

＞＜ ▶︎

With the moves to 12, White manages to get to the top. After 13, he can probably make eyes in gote, but Black has built influence in the center which he can utilize by playing a high approach at ‘a’. If White ‘b’, Black ‘c’.

Problem 8

A Hane or an Extension

Black to play

＞＜ ▶︎

Should Black play at the head of the two white stones with A or should he simply extend to B?

Answer 8

Correct

＞＜ ▶︎

Black should simply extend to 1, threatening to invade the top. If White defends with 2, Black extends to 3, securing a base for his stones.

Wrong

＞＜ ▶︎

The hane of Black 1 is an overplay. It does play at the head of two white stones, but they are anchored by the marked white stone, so Black has no good follow-up. White cuts with 2 and Black extends to 3, following the proverb, ‘When caught in a crosscut, extend.’ White also extends and the two marked black stones are stranded within White’s sphere of influence.

Joseki

＞＜ ▶︎

This problem arose from the moves shown in this diagram.

Problem 9

The Direction of Play

Black to play

＞＜ ▶︎

White has just invaded the corner with 1. In which direction should Black block, at A or B?

Answer 9

Correct

＞＜ ▶︎

Black should block with 1. If the joseki to Black 5 is played, Black’s wall works perfectly with his marked stones to build a massive moyo.

Wrong

＞＜ ▶︎

Black must not block on the other side with 1. After the joseki to White 8, Black’s marked stone has lost much of its value.

Problem 10

A Joseki Variation

White to play

＞＜ ▶︎

Instead of extending to A, as in the correct answer to Problem 2, Black plays a two-step hane with 1. This is also a popular and important joseki move. How can White respond?

Answer 10

Correct

＞＜ ▶︎

If White wants influence along the top, he should cut with 1, then capture a stone with 3 and 5. Black responds with 4 and 6, securing the corner. White now aims to play at ‘a’ to utilize the aji of the white stones in the corner.

Variation

＞＜ ▶︎

If White wants influence facing down the right side, he should play a hane with 1. The moves to Black 8 are an old joseki that is rarely seen in professional games. Black’s corner is bigger than in the correct answer and there is little aji for White to exploit.

Go Books Published by Kiseido

➤ Books available in SmartGo Books.

Introductory and General

➤ K39: How to Play Go: A Concise Introduction by Richard Bozulich and James Davies

➤ K50: Go – A Complete Introduction to the Game by Cho Chikun

➤ K31: The Second Book of Go by Richard Bozulich

K40: The Go Player’s Almanac 2001 edited by Richard Bozulich

K30: Japanese Prints and the World of Go by William Pinckard and Kitagawa Akiko

Problem Books for Beginners

Graded Go Problems for Beginners by Kano Yoshinori

➤ K46: Volume 1, Introductory Problems (35-kyu to 25-kyu)

➤ K47: Volume 2, Elementary Problems (25-kyu to 20-kyu)

➤ K48: Volume 3, Intermediate Problems (20-kyu to 15-kyu)

➤ K49: Volume 4, Advanced Problems (15-kyu to 1-kyu)

Elementary Go Series

For more than 30 years, the Elementary Go Series has been the standard texts for go players who want to get a firm grasp of the fundamentals of go. Not only is the theory of go elaborated on, the reader is also given problems to show how these theoretical concepts are applied in actual games.

➤ K10: Volume 1: In the Beginning – The Opening in the Game of Go by Ishigure Ikuro

➤ K11: Volume 2: 38 Basic Joseki by Kosugi Kiyoshi and James Davies

➤ K12: Volume 3: Tesuji by James Davies

➤ K13: Volume 4: Life and Death by James Davies

➤ K14: Volume 5: Attack and Defense by Ishida Akira and James Davies

➤ K15: Volume 6: The Endgame by Ogawa Tomoko and James Davies

➤ K16: Volume 7: Handicap Go by Yoshiaki Nagahara and Richard Bozulich

Get Strong at Go Series

A series of problem books covering every phase of the game from the opening to the endgame. Each book contains 170 or more problems ranging in difficulty from elementary to advanced. Thus, they can be used by players ranging in strength from 20-kyu to dan-level. By studying go in this problem format, you will not only learn basic principles as to why moves are made but also train yourself in thinking through and analyzing positions. You will encounter a great many of the same or similar patterns that will arise in your own games. We guarantee that diligent study of this entire series will lay the foundation for becoming a truly strong player.

K51: Volume 1: Get Strong at the Opening

➤ K52-K54: Volumes 2–4: Get Strong at Joseki I, II, III

➤ K55: Volume 5: Get Strong at Invading

K56: Volume 6: Get Strong at Tesuji

➤ K57: Volume 7: Get Strong at the Endgame

➤ K58: Volume 8: Get Strong at Life and Death

K59: Volume 9: Get Strong at Handicap Go

➤ K60: Volume 10: Get Strong at Attacking

Mastering the Basics

A series of books, especially written for high-kyu players, for mastering the basic techniques of Go. Each book in this series consists of hundreds of problems designed to hammer home the fundamental concepts of go theory and technique. A thorough and patient study of this series is the fastest way to go through the kyu ranks.

➤ K71: Volume 1: 501 Opening Problems by Richard Bozulich and Rob van Zeijst

K72: Volume 2: 1001 Life-and-Death Problems by Richard Bozulich

➤ K73: Volume 3: Making Good Shape by van Zeijst and Bozulich

➤ K74: Volume 4: 501 Tesuji Problems by Richard Bozulich

➤ K75: Volume 5: The Basics of Go Strategy by Richard Bozulich

➤ K76: Volume 6: All About Ko by van Zeijst and Bozulich

➤ K77: Volume 7: Attacking and Defending Moyos by van Zeijst and Bozulich

➤ K78: Volume 8: Fight Like a Pro – The Secrets of Kiai by van Zeijst and Bozulich

➤ K79: Volume 9: An Encyclopedia of Go Principles by Richard Bozulich

K80: Volume 10: Close Encounters with the Middle Game by Michiel Eijkhout

➤ K87: Volume 11: Sabaki – The Art of Settling Stones by Richard Bozulich

➤ K88: Volume 12: Attacking and Defending Weak Groups by Richard Bozulich

Elementary Books

➤ K02: Basic Techniques of Go by Nagahara Yoshiaki and Haruyama Isamu

K28: Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go by Kageyama Toshiro

K36: Opening Theory Made Easy by Otake Hideo

➤ K82: Handicap Go Strategy and the Sanrensei Opening by van Zeijst and Bozulich

K83: The Basic Principles of the Opening and Middle Game by van Zeijst and Bozulich

➤ K84: The Basics of Life and Death by van Zeijst and Bozulich

K85: A Survey of Basic Tesujis by Richard Bozulich

Advanced Books

Graded Go Problems for Dan Players

K61: Volume 1: 300 Life-and-Death Problems (5-kyu to 3-dan)

K62: Volume 2: 300 Tesuji Problems (5-kyu to 3-dan)

K63: Volume 3: 300 Joseki Problems (1-dan to 3-dan)

K64: Volume 4: 300 Life-and-Death Problems (4-dan to 7-dan)

K65: Volume 5: 300 Tesuji Problems (4-dan to 7-dan)

K66: Volume 6: 300 Joseki Problems (4-dan to 7-dan)

K67: Volume 7: 256 Opening and Middle Game Problems (1-dan to 7-dan)

K81: A Dictionary of Modern Fuseki: The Korean Style

K29: Reducing Territorial Frameworks by Fujisawa Shuko

Game Collections

➤ K01: Invincible: The Games of Shusaku edited and compiled by John Power

K07: The 1971 Honinbo Tournament by Iwamoto Kaoru

➤ K91: Modern Master Games, Vol. 1: The Dawn of Tournament Go by Rob van Zeijst and Richard Bozulich, with historical notes by John Power

K92: Modern Master Games, Vol. 2: The 2014 Ten-Game Match between Gu Li and Lee Sedol, Part One: Games One to Five by Rob van Zeijst

K93: Modern Master Games, Vol. 3: The 2014 Ten-Game Match between Gu Li and Lee Sedol, Part Two: Games Six to Eight by Michael Redmond 9-dan and Rob van Zeijst

PP01: Tournament Go 1992 edited and compiled by John Power

Refining Your Go Technique

K69: Cosmic Go – A Guide to Four-Stone Handicap Games by Sangit Chatterjee and Yang Huiren

K26: The Direction of Play by Kajiwara Takeo

K33: The Chinese Opening – The Sure-Win Strategy by Kato Masao

K45: Positional Judgment – High-Speed Game Analysis by Cho Chikun

Dictionary of Basic Joseki by Ishida Yoshio

K21: Volume 1: 3–4 Point Josekis

K22: Volume 2: 3–5 Point Josekis

K23: Volume 3: 5–4 and 4–4 Point Josekis

The 21st Century Dictionary of Basic Joseki by Takao Shinji

K41: Volume One

K42: Volume Two

Go World

Go World was a quarterly magazine that covered the Japanese and international tournament scene. Analysis of games from tournaments and instructional articles for players of all levels.

A complete set of Go World from the first issue to issue #129 is available on three DVDs from Kiseido Digital. To order, go to www.kiseidodigital.com.

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