Cho U, who is only 24 years old ...

By Rob Van Zeijst

Cho U, who is only 24 years old, defended his Honinbo title last week by defeating Norimoto Yoda 4 games to 2. That seems to be decisive, but when we consider that Cho won games 1 and 6 by only half a point, we may well think that the Goddess of Fortune smiled down on him. The series of games was truly spectacular.

Cho, who came to Japan at the age of 10, took home ¥36 million for defending his Honinbo title. The games are two-day matches with a regular allotted time of eight hours per player, plus one minute per move after that. In the following game, Cho is black.

Diagram 1: With 27, Black starts a brusque fight, or so it seems. Actually it is quite subtle. Black plans to base his strategy on White's answer. At this point A and B are miai (if Black plays at A, white plays at B, and vice versa). After 35, White would normally connect at 27. However, White wants to create a ko with 38--white 36 is a good preparatory move as it increases the value of the ko threat (see Reference 1).

Reference 1: (Black 5 connects where the marked white stone was captured.) If White starts the ko immediately after black 1 by cutting with 2, Black captures with 3, ignores White's best ko threat at 4, and connects where he took the marked stone. After white 6 (his best move), the marked black stones can survive in the corner with 7 through 9. This is a terrible situation for White.

Reference 2: (Black 7 connects where the marked white stone was captured.) This is the actual game. Thanks to the 2-3 exchange, White can play 6 and 8 to compensate for the loss of the ko. This time the marked stones are dead. Sacrificing everything is too much, so Black has to escape with 9. White probably should have played at 10, even if the 11-12 exchange is painful.

Diagram 2: (Black 41 connects where white stone A was captured.) White 44 was not a good move (see Reference 2). Black got the chance to counterattack with 49. Up to 71, Black seems ahead. However, white 72 starts off a sequence lasting until 93 that gives White life inside Black's territory. The game is close.

Solutions to last week's problems

Remember that every move offers an entirely new board situation, so you should not depend on where the last move was played.

Solution 1: The left side is still fairly empty, which is why 1 is Black's best move. White 2 is natural but after 3, White's corner is exposed at A. White needs to defend somehow. Instead of 1, defending at B is too passive, but attacking the marked stones with C or D is too early. Black E defends against an invasion at F and prepares for an invasion at G, but it is not good enough.

Solution 2: In response to black 1, White should resist with 2, and again with 4. However, Black 13 and 15 are a good combination. If White does the same with 14 and 16, we get a completely different, asymmetrical result. After 21, White can force A for B, C for D, E for F and G for H so that he can live with I, but it looks like an uphill battle. Although complicated, it creates good opportunities.

Reference 3 Once White starts defending with 2, Black quickly gains control with 3, 5 and 7. The sequence through 37 is a plausible outcome. Black has 22 points against White's 14.

New Problems

Problem 1: Instead of white 38 in Diagram 1, consider some alternatives. There is the standard passive alternative, which is bad, and an aggressive one, which might turn out well.

Want to find out more? Come to Ben's Cafe in Takadanobaba, Tokyo, where the English-speaking go community congregates every Sunday. You can enjoy free lessons, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Ben's Cafe can be reached at (03) 3202-2445 or www.benscafe.com.

Van Zeijst is a four-time European go champion and European representative at the Fujitsu World Championship.