The Follow Up to the Kick and Jump Jōseki
Jōseki (定石, lit. ‘fixed stones’) is a set order of moves that resolves a local situation in a way that is agreeable to both sides.
There are a couple of challenges related to learning Jōseki.
- There are many Jōseki and to every one of them there are many variations. You have to put a lot of work into learning even a relatively small set of them.
- The question, if a given Jōseki should be played, is always depending on the context. The promised 50:50 gain for both sides doesn’t necessarily apply. Some only yield profit if there is a thick position in the opposite corner, others only work if a ladder break is in place. So you always have to take the whole board into account.
- Most importantly, as soon as you learn Jōseki you start relying on knowledge instead of analysis. This is the reason behind the proverb ‘study Jōseki and become two stones weaker’.
That’s why learning Jōseki should not be very high on your to-do-list before crossing the 5 kyu mark.
However, the ‘kick and jump’ Jōseki gets played (or at least, should be played) in every single game with a handicap of six or more stones. Often there are several opportunities to apply it in the same game. And AI has even shown that it can be played in equal games as well. Therefore you can expect that knowing them will help you pretty much in your games.
The sequence is straightforward and the possible follow up variations are comparatively simple to understand. Because I find myself explaining this over and over on Wednesday nights I decided to publish a couple of diagrams explaining the gist of the follow up moves.