Game Review 1 - Shusaku Plays Hoshi
Much is made about the fact that, in the Classical Era of Go, players tended to place their opening moves on either the komoku (3-4) point or the mokuhazushi (5-3) point. Even the 4-5 opening was played more often than the hoshi (star point 4-4) move which is so common today.
In this fascinating game, however, a fifteen year old Kuwahara Shusaku, already a 4-dan pro, plays the hoshi opening against Mizutani Shunsaku, 6-dan, in 1844. Shusaku plays white in this game, earning that right by beating Shunsaku in four straight games. Needless to say, he had a lot to prove.
This game appears in John Power's "Invincible - The Games of Shusaku" as Game Ten, and was commented on by Miyamoto Naoki 9-dan. However, since that commentary is way over the comprehension level of most kyus, I have created my own, simpler commentary. For the professional comments, you can always buy the book.
Now, to get started:
Moves 1-6
These first moves could occur in any game today, with the possible exception that black would normally play in the open corner before making an enclosure. In this situation, the next two moves should be obvious to everyone, so if you have not glanced at the next diagram already, try to guess where black will play next, and how white will respond.
Moves 7-11
The moves at 7 and 8 are both immediately necessary, and should be played without hesitation. Both are points that are desireable to both players, and once black takes 7, white is obligated to play 8 to retain balance.
9 is the standard approach, but 10, though the most common response today, was rare at that time. It shows the sharp and innovative thinking Shusaku would become renowned for. By comparison, 11 is a bit slow and low by today's standards. It would be common to play at L4 or K4, or make a corner move at Q2 before extending along the side.
Moves 12-19
Miyamoto's commentary notes that black has a plan in mind when he plays the contact move at 13. However, it is generally the case that this move, which strengthens your opponent, is not advisable unless you have stones on the opposite side poised to surround your opponent. It is interesting to note that Mizutani's plan was less than successful.
The formation made by 5, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 18 is, of course, standard in modern go as well, and should be placed into memory as a regular formation. Move 16 prevents black's planned extension to C14. Black builds up his influence by playing 17, which creates a large moyo (framework or potential territory) in the bottom left. White has to play 18 to prevent black from attacking the O17 group, and this gives black the opportunity to play 19, limiting white's ability to build an equivalent moyo.
Moves 20-45
This corner sequence begins with the move 20 invasion of the 3-3 point. Often, the 5-13-15 formation is treated as uninvadable, but here we have a very strong showing by Shusaku. The essential problem for black is that white is strong on both the top and the right. Normally, black would respond to this invasion by giving up some of the corner in exchange for outside thickness, but in this game that thickness is useless. In this result, white gets the corner in exchange for letting black take a chunk out of the top. Both players are eager to ensure that they do not get sealed in. Many novice players make the mistake of playing too passively, but the professionals, especially in this case, pull out all the stops to prevent such an outcome.
This fight in the corner is so involved that I would not recommend remembering it. Playing it out to get some sense of the flow and the thinking is amusing, though. Power's book provides ten variations on the sequence to show other possible outcomes, so there's plenty to discover in this fight.
Moves 46-55
This is a great example of playing light to press your opponent down. Again, you see black play 51 to avoid being sealed in. It is also his sente because white must respond with 52, or risk losing his group. 53 is a move outside of the regular kyu domain. Miyamoto's commentary calls this "an ideal move, combining attack and defense," but it's an example of a move that a kyu simply cannot and should not try to imitate. We unfailingly play it at the wrong time, and in the wrong place.
Moves 56-89
Move 62: B10
Since my reason for choosing this game was because of the opening, this side fight is the last bit I will comment on. The rest of the game is center fighting which eventually spills over into the upper left. White starts out this left side fight with a probing move - 56 - which is extremely common. In this case, white uses that move to make an attack on black's 7-17-19 formation possible. When White plays 60 to begin the real attack, black is forced to block at 61 to prevent white from linking up. That gives white the necessary extra move to work with, which he plays at B10. The sequence proceeds with black making life by capturing white's sacrifice stones, and with white leading the way out into the center with 82 and 84 while pressing black down. Black, of course, again fights to avoid being boxed in, and ensures a center position with 81 and 87. White pushes at 78 and 86 to get more influence at the top.
From this point on, the game is focused on the center fighting. White wins by one point, which was a major achievement for Shusaku since, in the pre-komi age, white was at a significant disadvantage.
Here's the complete kifu (game record):
