Event Black Ronald Schlemper White Yong-Su Yoo Komi 6 Result B+Resign Source BGJ 67, April 1986, Page 24 Com Copyright British Go Association 1986, 1999 EndCom B 1 r15 W 2 d16 B 3 q3 W 4 d3 B 5 q5 W 6 q17 Com White 6: This move sparks off a joseki which is to have a significant bearing on the outcome of the game. Schlemper claimed this move is not playable, given black's strong position bottom right, since it gives black the ideal opportunity to play the fearsomely complicated 'Taisha' ('great slant') joseki with 7. EndCom B 7 o16 W 8 q15 B 9 q16 W 10 p16 B 11 r16 W 12 p17 B 13 p15 W 14 q14 B 15 r17 W 16 o17 B 17 p14 Mark A@o15 Com Black 17: An alternative to the traditional 'main line' of 1(A) in the variation. This diagram shows why Schlemper condemns white 6 in Fig 1. White's stones are forced to flee towards black's strong position, violating a fundamental principle of Go (stay away from strength - your own and your opponent's). Yoo, however, believed 6 was perfectly playable. He intended to follow variation 2. This move sacrifices two stones, but allows white to expand the upper side in sente. EndCom VAR B 1 o15 W 2 m17 B 3 s13 W 4 q12 B 5 m15 W 6 k16 B 7 n11 W 8 q10 B 9 n9 Mark ALL ENDVAR VAR B 1 o15 Com Yoo's plan EndCom W 2 m17 B 3 s13 W 4 n16 B 5 o13 W 6 m14 B 7 p13 Mark A@q12 Com White also retains various forcing moves around A to help him invade the right side later. EndCom ENDVAR W 18 q13 B 19 n16 W 20 m18 Mark A@m17 Com White 20: Only possible if the ladder starting from 1 in the variation is favourable. If White plays 20' at A, Black follows the second variation. EndCom VAR W 1 m18 B 2 m17 Com Sub-Variation to get move numbers as BGJ article. EndCom VAR B 1 m17 W 2 l18 B 3 n18 W 4 n17 B 5 o18 W 6 m16 B 7 l17 W 8 o15 B 9 n15 W 10 k17 Mark ALL ENDVAR ENDVAR VAR W 1 n17 B 2 p13 Com Sub-Variation to get move numbers as BGJ article. EndCom VAR B 1 p13 W 2 q12 B 3 p12 W 4 q11 B 5 m17 W 6 m18 B 7 l18 Mark ALL \T@n17 Com Dia 4. After 1 and 3, Black makes the severe two-step hane. If White just connects now, so will black, and his outer thickness is overwhelming. This position actually happened in the famous 'ear- reddening' game between Shusaku, 'The Saint of Go' and Gen'an inseki in 1846. EndCom ENDVAR ENDVAR B 21 m16 W 22 l17 Mark A@m17 D@s13 E@p13 B@n18 C@o18 Com White 22: Condemned as an outright blunder by Dutch commentators. The point is, that after black 23 and 25, white, it seems, must play at 26 to prevent black cutting across at A, and falls virtually a move behind instead, the continuation in the variation is an improvement given by the commentators. Black's corner is smaller, and White's group, thanks to the sacrifice stones, gets better eye shape. It is interesting to note, however, that 22 is given as standard in Ishida's Dictionary of Basic Joseki (Vol 2 page 178), with the continuation D, E, 27. Ishida's ghost writer notes that white replies to black B with C.
A Japanese joseki book also gives variation 2 as very slightly better for White - but of course there are no black stones waiting in the bottom right. Finally, variation 3... What does all this prove? Certainly that book judgements have to be taken in context; but maybe also that there's more to this position than meets the eye. EndCom VAR W 1 r18 B 2 s18 VAR B 1 s18 W 2 q19 B 3 s13 W 4 q11 B 5 n14 W 6 s19 B 7 t18 W 8 s17 B 9 s16 W 10 l17 B 11 q8 W 12 s14 B 13 r14 W 14 r13 B 15 s12 W 16 t16 B 17 t17 Prisoner s17 W 18 t15 B 19 t13 W 20 s11 ENDVAR ENDVAR VAR W 1 l17 Com The next 6 moves are played in any old order to provide the starting point for the variation sub-diagram. EndCom B 2 q18 W 3 p18 B 4 r18 W 5 n17 B 6 o12 VAR B 1 o12 W 2 q11 B 3 o10 W 4 s14 B 5 s15 W 6 q8 Mark \T@n17 ALL ENDVAR ENDVAR VAR W 1 l17 B 2 q18 VAR B 1 q18 W 2 p18 B 3 r18 W 4 k17 Mark A@n17 Com ..., where white plays 4 instead of A is also adjudged very slightly better for White, ... EndCom B 5 n14 W 6 s14 B 7 s15 W 8 p13 Mark B@q10 Com ..., while white 8' at B is given as another possibility - it was White's move in the game. EndCom B 9 o13 W 10 o12 B 11 n12 W 12 o11 Mark A@n17 B@q10 ALL ENDVAR ENDVAR B 23 q18 W 24 p18 B 25 r18 W 26 n17 Mark A@m17 Com Prevents cut at A. EndCom B 27 n14 W 28 s14 B 29 s15 W 30 q10 B 31 k15 W 32 j16 B 33 r8 Com Black 33: An ideal move: an extension from a shimari that attacks White's stones. EndCom W 34 d5 Com White 34: Too slow. Better at 35 to prevent black's double wing extension, and offer long distance succour to the right side group. EndCom B 35 k4 W 36 p9 Com White 36: Again slow, but this time absolutely necessary. Imagine a black move on this point. EndCom B 37 c7 W 38 c10 B 39 c4 Com Black 39-43: A standard sequence. Black takes root in white's corner. EndCom W 40 c5 B 41 b5 W 42 d4 B 43 b3 Mark #39-43 Com Black 39-43: A standard sequence. Black takes root in white's corner. EndCom W 44 c3 B 45 b4 W 46 b2 Mark A@h3 B@e7 Com But white 46 is again slow. It keeps black eyeless, and is worth quite a few points. But better is 50 (A) immediately, since black 49(B) is an excellent point. EndCom B 47 a2 W 48 c2 B 49 e7 W 50 h3 B 51 j15 W 52 h16 B 53 c17 Com Black 53-67: Another standard sequence. EndCom W 54 d17 B 55 c16 W 56 c15 B 57 b15 W 58 b14 B 59 c14 W 60 d15 B 61 b13 W 62 b16 B 63 a14 Prisoner b14 W 64 b17 B 65 c18 W 66 b18 B 67 d14 Mark A@e15 Com Black 53-67: Another standard sequence. 67 strengthens Black's group, and makes 75(A) sente. White is now in difficulty, with two weak groups on the board. EndCom W 68 e10 Mark C@d8 Com White 68: Too straightforward. A better try is to peep at 78(C), see variation. EndCom VAR W 1 d8 B 2 d7 W 3 c8 B 4 b7 W 5 f9 Mark ALL Com Yoo felt he would have still had a chance after this. EndCom ENDVAR B 69 d9 W 70 e9 B 71 d10 W 72 d11 B 73 c9 W 74 e11 B 75 e15 W 76 d18 B 77 h15 Mark A@h9 B@g15 C@s9 Com Black 77: Good play. He calmly strengthens his last weak group, giving white no chance to start a fight. White in the meantime has many urgent points he wants to play (eg 94(A), 96(B), C, etc). EndCom W 78 d8 Com White 78-88: A desperate attempt nonetheless to create a group to attack. EndCom B 79 c8 W 80 d7 B 81 d6 W 82 e8 B 83 c6 W 84 e6 B 85 f7 W 86 f5 B 87 f6 W 88 e5 Com White 78-88: A desperate attempt nonetheless to create a group to attack. EndCom B 89 h7 W 90 b11 B 91 c12 W 92 c11 B 93 b9 W 94 h9 B 95 k7 W 96 g15 Com White 96-98 seals off a large territory, and injects some bad aji into black's positions at the top. But leaves himself with two chronic groups... EndCom B 97 g14 W 98 g16 B 99 g12 W 100 h11 B 101 h12 W 102 k9 Mark A@n9 B@l10 Com White 102: The decisive mistake, since it makes 103(A) an ideal splitting attack. Better is to play at 150(B), when black has no obvious point of attack. EndCom VAR W 1 l10 ENDVAR B 103 n9 W 104 f14 B 105 f13 W 106 h14 B 107 g13 W 108 l8 B 109 n7 Com Black 109: White's right hand group is looking ever sicker. EndCom W 110 l7 B 111 k6 W 112 m6 B 113 j3 W 114 h6 B 115 j8 W 116 k12 B 117 j9 W 118 j10 B 119 j12 W 120 k10 B 121 h2 W 122 g3 B 123 m4 W 124 k13 B 125 l11 W 126 k11 B 127 n11 Mark A@k16 Com Black 127: A mistake. If Black plays first at 132(A) the game is over, since White's sequence 128-138 no longer works and his centre group probably dies. EndCom VAR B 1 k16 ENDVAR W 128 e13 B 129 d13 W 130 l15 B 131 l16 W 132 k16 B 133 l14 W 134 k14 B 135 m15 Prisoner l15 W 136 j14 B 137 f15 W 138 l15 Prisoner h15 j15 k15 B 139 s10 Com Black 139: The coup de grace. In the moves to 158 white saves a part of his group and defends his lower left side, thanks mainly to the fact that black plays safe and doesn't carry out his ko threat after 156. White then succeeds in the sequence up to 182 in capturing some black stones. But even this leaves him behind (try counting the score). So he makes a last desperate attempt to pull something off in black's corner. EndCom W 140 o12 B 141 n12 W 142 o10 B 143 r11 W 144 n10 B 145 p12 W 146 p7 B 147 m10 W 148 m9 B 149 m8 W 150 l10 B 151 l9 Prisoner m9 W 152 s9 B 153 r9 W 154 m9 Prisoner l9 B 155 g2 W 156 m11 Prisoner m10 B 157 o11 W 158 f2 B 159 q7 W 160 k2 B 161 j2 W 162 q2 B 163 r3 W 164 p3 B 165 o4 W 166 p4 B 167 p5 W 168 r10 B 169 s12 W 170 r2 B 171 s2 W 172 n3 B 173 n4 W 174 l5 B 175 l4 W 176 k5 B 177 j5 W 178 j6 B 179 h5 W 180 g6 B 181 g5 W 182 g7 B 183 n6 W 184 m5 B 185 e12 W 186 o3 B 187 m2 W 188 n5 B 189 o5 W 190 r6 B 191 q6 W 192 q4 B 193 r4 W 194 s3 B 195 s4 Com Black 195: Almost a costly blunder. Should be at 196, when white's tricks are exhausted. But if White now plays 196' at 198, a direct ko for the life of white's group results - see variation to 196. EndCom W 196 t2 VAR W 1 r1 B 2 p1 VAR B 1 p1 W 2 t2 B 3 t3 Prisoner s3 W 4 s1 B 5 r5 W 6 s3 Prisoner s2 B 7 t4 W 8 o1 B 9 o2 W 10 n2 B 11 n1 Prisoner o1 W 12 p2 B 13 o1 W 14 q1 B 15 l2 W 16 m1 Prisoner n1 o2 o1 p1 B 17 o1 W 18 n1 B 19 s2 Prisoner s3 ENDVAR ENDVAR B 197 s1 W 198 r1 B 199 p2 Com White resigns after 199. EndCom