Honte is a term used to describe a move that really takes care of a problem without leaving behind any weaknesses that can be exploited later. Sometimes it is hard to determine whether a move is honte or just slow and lacking dynamics. Examples from professional games give some insight into the fine line between them.

Diagram 1 shows an example of honte. The moves 1 to 11 are a joseki, with White getting the corner and Black capturing white 6 in a ladder. Of course, if White plays a ladder-breaker (move 12, not shown), Black will answer with 13. However, even when White plays a move that does not affect the status of the ladder, Black's next move should really be at 13-honte.

Diagram 2 : In response to 1, I often see people play at 2 and 4. This combination, they believe, protects both the corner territory with 2 and allows White to stick out his head with 4. So what is wrong ?

Diagram 3 : Usually, the best way to answer black 1 is to play at 2. But now black 3 poses a problem. To get the best deal in terms of territory, white 4, 6 and 8 are a good combination. Now compare diagrams 2 and 3. Diagram 2 seems to promise territory amounting to 15-18 points, but in diagram 3, White winds up with about 12 points. And this is only a territorial comparison. The real difference lies in White's mistake over black's two stones on the left. They looked somewhat weak, but after the moves in this diagram, they look strong and are showing some eye space, too.

Diagram 4 : But what about white 2 in answer to black 1? This is a little harder to explain and that is the reason why amateurs do not play honte when they need to. After this exchange, Black can aim at the double nozomi (peek) of A. But to do so, he needs some back-up, e.g. a stone at B or C that, in effect, threatens White's position while defending Black's. In addition, black moves at D and E will also require careful answers that cannot completely eliminate the bad potential (aji ga warui) that black 1 is sowing. In short, White is severely handicapped in any fight that may erupt on the right or lower side.

Diagram 5 : After white 2, Black cannot immediately play at 3 and 5 to cut off White's route to the center. White 8 is a splendid move that squeezes Black's cutting stones, leaving Black with a group of stones under heavy attack while White builds positions on both sides. However, a move around A (or 18 or 14, etc.) will invalidate this sequence, leaving White with little elbow room to fight in these neighborhoods.

Diagram 6 : This is an example from a professional game. When Black expands his territory with 1, White invades with 2. While playing through this game, I was tempted to play 3 at A. When I saw Black play at 3, I first thought that he must be ahead and wanted to play safely. But after a while it dawned on me that black 3 is a perfect example of honte. Even if Black played at 3 at A, White will jump to 4. What would have happened then if Black had chosen A ?

Diagram 7 : At some stage ,White may want to invade at 2. Black 3 looks natural, but if Black keeps answering with natural moves, White manages to stay alive (makes seki) in the sequence to 20. This is a severe loss for Black. To prevent this, Black would have to use an extra move. It becomes clear that playing the honte in diagram 6 is preferable to spending an extra move for a bit more of territory.

Answers to last week's problems

Solution 1 : White's original move (marked stone) is captured, but in exchange, the moves 4, 6 and 8 provide White with kikashi sequences allowing him to build a wall. Note that a move at A or B also is sente for White.

Solution 2 : Before answering the nozomi directly, White should play a counter-kikashi with 2. If he first answers with 6 and 8 later, white 2 might be ignored because then the two marked black stones are unimportant. White 6 induces 7, after which white 8 is essential. Next Black has to fight for his life with 9 to 21. White 22 is a clever move, but Black is prepared to counter with 23 through 27. Note black 31 (kikashi), which forces White's answer before moving into the center himself (black 33).

Solution 3 : In response to the marked white move, Black 1 is the endgame tesuji that Ryu Shikun used in his game to beat Koichi Kobayashi by half a point to win the Tengen title. Incidentally, he beat Kobayashi with three straight half-point wins-the first time this has happened. Black 1 ensures he gets to play 3 to 7 later in sente without adding any other moves.

Reference 1 : If Black plays at 1 immediately, White would play atari at 2, forcing Black to connect at 3, after which white 4 and 6 force Black to add more moves. Compared to Solution 3, the number of moves is the same, but Black has to take the three white stones off the board with 5 and 7 while White will not have to add stones in his own territory. The difference between these two variations is four points-enough to be decisive for the ultimate outcome.

New Problems

Problem 1 (intermediate): If White plays at A not only does it fail to protect its corner territory, it strengthens black 1. Where should White play ?

Problem 2 (intermediate): The moves to 14 form a joseki. As Black 11 can run away at any time, this position holds bad aji. To counter this, Black might try a move around 15. To deal with this, White could play at A and the sequence black B, white C, black D is sente. But White has a honte move that deals with 11 while aiming at invading at E. What is this move ?