Being in good shape (* - **)

The satellite broadcast station SKY Perfect TV devotes a whole channel to showing go and shogi all day long. Top professionals provide exhaustive analysis and commentaries on these games that could help you improve your go.

You can record regular go programs every Sunday from 6 a.m. to 6:45 a.m. on Channel 12, when a game a week is featured between two relatively young rising stars. All participants are below 30, and winning this tournament is often a prelude to greater things. But even people with little interest in the game have been tuning into a go program broadcast on NHK's Educational channel from noon to 2 p.m. every Sunday. The broadcasts each show one game from the yearly speed-go tournament sponsored by NHK in which Japan's top players vie with each other with just 30 seconds per move, resulting in spectacular games with heart-stopping action. With such severe time limitations, you might expect mistakes to be commonplace and groups to die all over the board. But actually large groups rarely die and more often than not the best move is played. How can these pros play go at such high levels with such rigid time restrictions?

As they usually started playing go between the ages of 4 and 10, they have an intuitive ability to recognize "shape," a skill refined through playing thousands of games. It is said that some professionals have such good memories that they remember every game they have ever played or seen. But some professionals say they do not remember more than 10 games. I doubt both versions, but I know pros all have extensive knowledge of shape. So what is shape?

Basics of shape

In Diagram 1, making a bamboo shape (two marked black stones parallel to two other black stones, 2 and the marked stone next to it), with black 2 and 4 more effective than connecting as in Diagram 2, in which Black's original move at 2 becomes obsolete. A good shape usually implies that the stones work well together. Successful cooperation among stones depends on the purpose of the moves. So, determining what is a good shape and what is not entails a situational judgment. However, there are some general principles you may want to keep in mind. In Diagram 3, the two diagonally placed black stones are connected because A and B are miai, meaning that if White plays A, Black plays B, and vice versa. This type of connection is called kosumi. In Diagram 4, therefore the marked black stone is unnecessary to ensure a connection. This shape is called an empty triangle. In stark contrast to this is Diagram 5, where White has a stone at A in Diagram 3 and Black one at B. You can call this a filled triangle. Is this an effective shape? Yes, of course it is because no stones are wasted.

Solutions to last week's problems

In Solution 1, white 1 effectively cuts the black group as it makes miai of A and B. Black has an eye at C and one at D, but as his group gets cut, it dies.

In Solution 2, White 1 and 3 expose the weakness of Black's tobi and make cutting at A and B miai. Note that if Black answers 1 at 3, White plays at 2 and makes miai cutting at C and D.

In Solution 3, cutting with white 1 and 3 does the job. Diagram 3A shows that playing at 1 is not a good idea for White. In the sequence to 8, White loses 4 stones.

In Solution 4, invading at 1 is the correct move. In the sequence to 8, Black gains a lot, but after 8, White is not unhappy either. Black could follow through with A, B or C, white would play at D, black E would then be the important move. In actual games, be careful not to invade with 1 too soon as White's influence may radiate its power over the whole board.

In Solution 5, the combination of 1 to 5 is correct. In the sequence that follows, White has to struggle to survive and has no time to lend a helping hand to his stones around A. Note that Black should properly defend his corner stones around B, for example by playing 27 and 29-these moves ensure survival.

Diagram 5A shows what happens if Black invades with 1. The moves to 7 seem natural, but now White takes sente by exchanging 8 for 9 and 10 for 11, in order to take the large point at 12. This puts White in a good position.

The final problem was the most difficult one. In Solution 6, black 1 is correct and the sequence to 10 follows. In this game, black 9 and 11 are a good folluw-up, keeping the White group weak while building a moyo (framework) on the lower side.

In Diagram 6A, invading at 1 works at first, but in the sequence to 12, White builds a center moyo with a group that was supposed to be weak. Diagram 6B, the black combination is not very profitable as it provides White with immediate survival. Diagram 6B, if black 5 and white 6, black 7, 9 and 11 give Black a superior result. White's stones are still inefficient, while Black has good shape on the right side.

In Diagram 6D, however, after black 5 in the previous diagram, white 6 is a good move, forcing Black to capture with 7 and then fill with black 9 at 2. When White manages to cut through with 10, he cannot fail to get a good result. Due to the presence of white 10, after white 12, he can aim at A which in turn threatens a placement at B, forcing Black to respond. Even if Black defends against the placement at B, White can always play at C and, depending on the circumstances, he may be able to play at D, hollowing out Black's corner.
(The number of h indicates the levels from one representing beginners to five most advanced.)