(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2]
RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[7.50]
PW[Gu Li]PB[Lee Sedol]WR[9p]BR[9p]DT[2013-10-20]EV[15th Chinese City League A, round 17]SO[Go4Go.net]C[This game(*), played recently in Round 17 of the Chinese League, pits two old
adversaries who dominated the world of Go 10 years ago. Both players are
famous for their powers of reading complex positions, but in this game, Lee
Sedol appears to have tempered his style (maybe because of his opponent) and
his play resembles simpler Go from a much earlier age.

Those who have read John Fairbairn’s excellent account of Shuei (**) , the “Meijin
of Meijins” from 100 years ago, may recognise strategic similarities, which I will
attempt to point out.

* I thank the Go4Go website, http://www.go4go.net, where I found it.

** "The Life of Honinbo Shuei", "The Games Honinbo Shuei Vols 1-4" and "The Commentaries of Honinbo
Shuei", available as Kindle ebooks at www.amazon.co.uk.]RE[B+Resign]
;B[pd]
;W[dp]
;B[pq]
;W[dd]
;B[fq]
;W[cn]
;B[ip]
;W[pn]
;B[qo]
;W[pj]
;B[qn]
;W[qf]
;B[nc]
;W[kq]
;B[mq]
;W[jo]
;B[dr]
;W[cq]
;B[ci]C[I suggest Lee Sedol had this move prepared, knowing it will act as a
red rag to a bull.]
;W[hq]C[This attacks the weakness in Black’s shape but Black chooses a non-
fighting variation and settles the group small, in exchange for
sacrificing three stones.]
;B[iq]
;W[ir]
;B[hp]
;W[gp]
;B[hr]
;W[gq]
;B[gr]
;W[jr]
;B[ep]
;W[go]
;B[in]
;W[fn]
;B[cr]
;W[io]
;B[do]
;W[co]
;B[dq]
;W[cp]
;B[en]
;W[ck]
;B[fm]
(;W[cf]C[How to assess the continuation to 42?

The value of White’s thickness is largely nullified both by the extension from
the shimari in the lower right and the fact that Black has poked his nose out
into the centre. White’s compensation is to play first on the left, but the black
stone is light and so not easy to attack.

Actually, Shuei played a similar way in a famous game featured in volume 4 of
John Fairbairn’s collection. His opponent is Tamura Yasuhisa (Black), the later-
to-be-famous Honinbo Shusai, who was his number one pupil. This game was
played on 13 th December 1895. See Variation.

]
;B[pi]C[Before deciding what to do on the left, Black plays what is now a standard
sequence to exchange territory for a thick shape – a shape loved by Shuei.

This thickness is useful as it further nullifies White’s thickness on the
lower side, effectively making the centre a worthless area. It also offers
support, albeit distant, to the lone black stone on the left.]
;W[qi]
;B[qh]
;W[ph]
;B[oi]
;W[oh]
;B[qj]
;W[ri]
;B[nh]
;W[rh]
;B[ni]
;W[qk]
;B[db]C[With 55 - 61 Black wheedles out a small territory at the top in exchange
for White attacking the lone stone severely with 62.]
;W[fc]
;B[fb]
;W[ec]
;B[eb]
;W[gc]
;B[cc]
;W[dj]
;B[eh]C[Is this a brilliancy? Had Black really already read out the
continuation to sacrifice the corner in exchange for 97 and 101? ]
;W[dh]
;B[dg]
;W[di]
;B[cg]
;W[eg]
;B[ef]
;W[fg]
;B[df]
;W[cd]
;B[ff]
;W[bc]
;B[bb]
;W[gf]
;B[gg]
;W[fh]
;B[ge]
;W[hf]
;B[he]
;W[if]
;B[dc]
;W[fe]
;B[ee]
;W[ed]
;B[fd]
;W[be]
;B[gh]
;W[fi]
;B[ie]
;W[bg]
;B[ch]
;W[ab]
;B[gi]
;W[ic]
;B[fj]
;W[ei]
;B[jf]
;W[ca]
;B[hb]
;W[gb]
;B[ib]
;W[ig]
;B[jc]
;W[ii]
;B[ij]
;W[jj]
;B[ji]
;W[je]
;B[kf]
;W[ki]
;B[jh]
;W[ih]
;B[jk]
;W[kj]
;B[jg]
;W[hj]
;B[ik]
;W[gj]
;B[hi]
;W[fk]C[Up to 122 White seems to get a very bad result, achieving only a gote
seki, leaving three stones isolated on the right and Black with the forcing
moves at  139 and 141

]
;B[of]C[After Black gets to 123 first the game
appears to be over.]
;W[ha]
;B[hc]
;W[qc]
;B[qd]
;W[rd]
;B[re]
;W[rc]
;B[qe]
;W[ob]
;B[nb]
;W[rf]
;B[se]
;W[oc]
;B[od]
;W[pc]
;B[gk]
;W[ej]
;B[hk]
;W[fj]
;B[ok]
;W[op]
;B[dm]
;W[cm]
;B[oq]
;W[ll]
;B[jn]
;W[ko]
;B[kn]
;W[mm]
;B[mn]
;W[nn]
;B[lo]
;W[lp]
;B[pl]
;W[pm]
;B[mp]
;W[qm]
;B[hn]
;W[ho]
;B[lr]C[163 is the icing on the cake. White’s erstwhile thickness can’t even live.

On the subject of thickness: John Fairbairn gave a very interesting lecture
10 years ago at the Open University on Atsui, a Japanese term which values
thickness through the lifecycle of the game; but to use thickness is difficult even
for professional players and although there are some specialists, there are many
more professionals who choose to play a territorial game.

For amateurs playing Handicap Go, thickness is easier to play for Black than
White – often the perfect extension away from thickness is already occupied by
a black handicap stone. In my experience, many resign handicap games which
are perfectly playable, muttering ‘well even if I lived your thickness would
have been overwhelming’. This is often not true: the thickness is often over-
concentrated shape, but remember not to put your hands too close to the fire –
the first rule of thickness is to play far away from it.])
(;W[]
;AE[nc][pd][qf][pj][ck][cn][in][qn][io][jo][ip][cq][fq][mq][dr][gr][jr]AW[kc][oc][ci][fm][om][pm][eo][qo][bp][ep][fp][hp][np][pp][qp][eq][iq][qq][cr][er]AB[qd][pe][qi][dl][fl][gm][dn][gn][on][fo][go][no][oo][po][cp][op][gq][hq][kq][oq][fr][ir]LB[em:A]TR[ci]C[Shuei, famous for his non-fighting style, makes a strategic exchange of
Black’s thickness for the corner and the marked stone, which partially
nullifies the thickness.

Later white A is played as a famous probe which leads to a two-point
white victory in a no komi game.

Are there similarities to be found between this position and in the
recent game between Lee Sedol and Gu Li after move 41?]))
