Lesson 136: Popular Openings (7)

By Nam Chi-hyung

In modern Baduk, you must remember that the center is no less important than the corner or the side. Black's opening, starting with two stones located on the star-points, is one case where you can see that importance. Josekis are also being changed according to this new trend of valuing the center. However, Baduk cannot be played when wholly dependent on a single concept.

Diagram 1

The sequence from 1 to 11 is the same as the one we learned in the previous lesson. Since the main purpose of Black's choosing this sequence is to build up an influence toward the center, it may seem to be a good idea to push with 12 to 18 instead of jumping with a knight's move at A. However, an influence in the center cannot stand by itself. Even though Black's wall on the lower side is flawless, it cannot exercise its full power when White comes in the right side with 19. Moreover, B remains still, as Black's weakness.

Diagram 2

Let's go back to Black's knight's jump at 1. As you already know, White has to divide the right side and then Black connects at 3 to protect the weakness there. In the previous lesson, White's answer against Black 3 was A, and then Black approached with B. But, what if White expands at 4? Black cannot develop the right side because of White 2. Will he also lose the chance to attack the white stones in the lower left corner?

Diagram 3

Actually, the player who will be in trouble is not Black, but White. Since White didn't jump at 1, now Black squeezes White by occupying that position. Obviously, White can easily save his group on the side with 2 to 6. However, the life is no better than a death. As you can see, both the corners on the lower side come into Black's control, and White has only a few weak stones.

Diagram 4

Therefore, White must defend the lower side with 1, and the resulting sequence up to 12 is one of the modern openings. The outcome is well-balanced, with a fair distribution of territory and influence. Among the moves, Black must be sure to play 6 before 8 and 10; otherwise White will not answer in the corner, but counterattack the black group on the left side. Of course, it would be a hasty move for White to capture Black 2 instead of answering in the upper left corner with 7.

Diagram 5

It can be another option for Black to peep at 1 before connecting at 3. The main difference between the result of this diagram and the one of Diag.4 is whether a White stone is located at A or not. It is natural that Black prefers this outcome, since the corner is not yet perfectly White's, but Black's position on the left side is also not as strong as before. The choice between these two variations is up to you.

The writer is a baduk professor at Myongji University and a professional player of the game.