Lesson 134: Popular Openings (5)
By Nam Chi-hyung
We've seen some of the older variations of PO-2. Of course they are still valid, but a player should never stop innovating.
Diagram 1
In the last lesson, Black answered with the one-space jump at A, which required him one more move at B to secure the territory on the upper side. What if Black plays the knight's move at 1 here? If White plays 4, the same as before, then, with 3, Black can keep the corner in sente by forcing White to answer. As you may guess, this result is quite satisfactory for Black.
Diagram 2
Since White doesn't like the result of Diag.1, it is natural for him to change. As you see, he tries to prevent Black from playing 3 in Diag.3 by playing 2 before securing the side with 4. If Black answers with 3, then White can come back to 4. This final situation is more favorable for White than the one in Diag.1, because he has both the bigger territory on the side and a good move to squeeze Black with A on the upper side.
Diagram 3
So now it's Black's turn, and the sequence from Black 3 to 5 is almost like a joseki. After this, White normally comes out toward the center with A, and it becomes a fight in various ways. However, all the fights are doable for both players. If Black adds one more move at A in order to avoid the fights, the black stones on the upper side will be attacked by White with B.
Diagram 4
Now, let's see the variations derived by White's attachment at 2, instead of jumping at A. The sequence shown here is a somewhat old-fashioned joseki, which is still played. As with the other older josekis, the result of this one is also peaceful and well-balanced.
Diagram 5
As mentioned before, modern players prefer more dynamic sequences. However, Black 3 here chose the wrong direction to bend. The result up to 8 is pretty bad for Black since the fact that White can play A in sente at anytime isolates the black stone in the corner.
Diagram 6
Therefore, Black has to bend from 3. This time, it's not good for White to play atari with A. What White should focus on in this sequence is to make his stones strong toward the upper right corner, and White 6 is well suited for this. To play 7 instead of taking White 2 off is a good move for preventing White from bending at A, and the sequence from White 8 to Black 15 is the commonest one. Although this is one possible choice for White, the resulting situation looks a little bit better for Black.
Diagram 7
To go into the 3-3 point with 1 is another option for White instead of White 8 in Dia.6. However, the fight up to Black 20 seems not easy for White.
Hence, it is not easy for White to get a good result by attaching under the dividing black stone, and that's why White usually jumps out with A in Diag.4.
The writer is a baduk professor at Myongji University and a professional player of the game.