Cho U collected his fifth title ...

By Rob Van Zeijst

Cho U collected his fifth title when he won the NHK hayago (speed go) title for the second time. In the finals he beat Gosei titleholder Norimoto Yoda, the man he defeated last year to capture the Meijin title. The NHK title is a knockout tournament broadcast on NHK-E every Sunday from 12:20 p.m. to 2 p.m. It is exciting because only 30 seconds are allowed per move. Before play starts, a top pro gives an instructive 20-minute lecture.

We have been studying the crosscut. This week we look at two pro games in which the crosscut appeared.

Kisei title match

This is the final game in the best-of-seven match between Kisei title holder Naoki Hane (Black) and Satoshi Yuki.

Diagram 1: The problem was how should White respond after Black crosscuts with 1. White has to be careful, as the stones marked with X's are not fully alive yet. He, therefore, chooses the combination 2-4--prompting Black to answer with 3 and 5 to bottle up the stone marked with a triangle--before switching to the top with 6. Since Black cannot invade on the right side, he strengthens his own stones with 7 through 11 and without worrying about White strengthening his position in this area, too. Black then plays 13, forcing White to extend to 14, which has no impact on Black's already strong stones. This way, Black can develop the lower side with 15 through 31. White makes a halfhearted invasion with 34 and 36, but black 41 threatens to connect with A or cut with B. White's stones 34-38 may come under attack later, too. Black is leading and in the end won the game by 4! points. In successfully defending the Kisei title, Hane took home \42 million in prize money.

NEC Cup Final

Diagram 2: This is the third game of the NEC Cup finals between Ryu Shikun (White) and Cho U. White has just played the marked stone in the center. Black is unable to play at 2 because the sequence white A, black B and White connecting at 1 would result in Black losing this stone. Black's only recourse is at 1. With 3, Cho shows his fighting spirit. The game then becomes more serious as Black seems to have taken on too much. With 16, White appears to be launching a lethal attack on Black's center group. However, the exchange 11-12 proves valuable when Black pulls a surprise with 17 (see Reference 1).

White then starts a large-scale attack on Black's stones with 18 and 20, but Black captures the three marked stones while ensuring that he will stay alive in his corner in the lower left and safeguarding his lower center group with 41. In the end, White resigned.

Reference: (black 9 captures 6 at 1) After black 1 (17 in Diagram 2), if White connects at 2, this would be followed by black 3, white 4, black 5, white 6 (which would capture the ko), black 7, white 8 and black 9, which would recapture the ko. White could not win the ko and would, therefore, lose the game. Note that after Black plays at 3, White's marked stones are in danger too.

Solutions to last week's problems

Solution 1: When Black crosscuts with 1 (as in Diagram 1), White can resist with 2 through 8. However, after black 9, White's best option is cutting off the marked black stone, but this would not amount to much. After 12, Black has good moves at A and B, and even if he plays elsewhere, White will be handicapped with the cutting point at A. White's position is not good at all.

Solution 2: In response to Black's crosscut, White can also play 2 and 4. White seems to have succeeded with 6 and 8, but if Black plays at A, White's marked stones could come under attack. Black may also connect at B later, which would lead to a large-scale battle.

Solution 3: For alternatives after Black's crosscut, see Diagram 1, Solutions 1 and 2 and Problems 1 and 2.

New Problems

Problem 1: Lee Changho (Black) is playing his teacher, Cho Hunhyun. Because of the presence of 7, Lee chooses a very aggressive variation with 11 and 13. To ensure that he does not lose these stones, where should Black play next?

Problem 2: This is from a fast game between top pros. Note the top right is completely different from the game in Diagram 1. With 1 through 7, Black builds thickness to attack in the top right. Where should Black play after white 22?

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

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