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Introduction: The Scope of Shape
1
Introduction: The scope of shape
What is shape?
Strong go players have in their armoury many set patterns of play. While
shape (Japanese
katachi)
could mean any pattern that regularly occurs on
the go board, it is useful to restrict the idea somewhat. The most immediately
valuable shape ideas are those revealing the position of
vital points.
A vital
point is a key location. If you occupy it, that by itself will give you a good
result, not by some magic, but because of the nature of the position.
This is very important in practical play: from the point of view of reading,
playing the vital point is only looking one play deep! Strong players are
able to play well without much apparent thought, simply by concentrating
on correct shape (which is not to say that deep reading has no part in go).
To start out, there is a small collection of go proverbs that help one to
recognise those vital points of shape. (See the proverb index on p.216.)
They are heuristics, not rigorous rules, and so are best studied with their
exceptions: the meta-proverb says ‘beware of applying proverbs blindly’.
How do
joseki
and
tesuji
relate to shape?
In learning the basic tactics of go, one at an early stage identifies cutting
points as crucial. Some time after that, the study of
tesuji
problems shows
that major tactical gains may result from certain standard plays, in particular
those taking advantage of lack of liberties. Good shape plays may be less
extreme or dramatic than those handled under the heading of
tesuji,
and yet
still offer important advantages. Opportunities to play
tesuji
occur only a
few times in a game between well-matched players, but good shape is
constantly required.
Before studying shape, most players will encounter a few set openings, called
in Japanese
joseki. Joseki
are standard sequences, including the conventional
corner openings. They are patterns that have been evaluated by consensus
of professionals.
A given
joseki
sequence steers a way though many possible variations, some
of which are discarded as obvious tactical failures. Normally many further
variations are rejected as poor shape: some of the players’ stones are
2
Shape Up!
inefficient or redundant, one of the groups created has inadequate eye shape
or is difficult to develop further, and so on.
Objectives of this book
To explain which points are vital in given shapes.
To show how good shape is achieved, and bad shape exploited, in fighting
contexts.
To integrate shape proverbs into your knowledge of go.
To look behind the proverbs to another level of more explicit mechanism, to
provide supporting material, and to explain exceptions.
To break down the barrier between
tesuji
and
joseki
points of view, connecting
pure intuitions with learned knowledge.
To demystify many common
tesuji.
To help the reader to visualise how and where a
tesuji
might happen in the
future, a requirement for a
dan
player.
To discuss the choice of variation at a point in a
joseki,
when tactical reasons
alone aren’t a sufficient guide.
To address as we go along questions about
suji,
or correct style, covering
some of the content of the many texts on ‘kata and
suji’
in the Japanese
literature.
To contribute to the local, critical theory of go, by attempting a systematic
listing of possibilities in a pattern, with criteria for choosing amongst them.
To develop an ingrained respect in the reader for the principles of good
shape (for example: connect but remain light and flexible, don’t fill in your
own liberties without very good reason, develop rapidly but also take into
account eye shape).
To provide a reference on shape (there are an index of shapes and a proverb
index at the end, to help you refer to particular patterns).
To show in action the comparative method of go study.
What should I study at my level?
From 10
kyu
to 5
kyu
levels, you should probably concentrate on recognising
standard shapes as they come up in your own games, or play through
professional games looking for them. It may be hard to understand why
mistakes in shape are bad play, until you have also studied the basic shape
concepts. In particular the study of
joseki
at this point may appear to be
unrewarding, plain and simple memorisation.
Problem solving, first of all about basic life-and-death and then more general
tactics under the heading of
tesuji,
is likely to seem more attractive to the
player interested in progressing beyond 10
kyu.
After solving enough
problems from the go literature, you should begin to find the vital points in
formations. This book can serve as a reference for these standard shapes.
Introduction: The Scope of Shape
3
The extended
joseki
example studied in this Introduction is suitable for
players about 5
kyu
and stronger. You can use it as a diagnostic test for what
you already know. If you don’t initially get much out of it you should
probably read some of the simpler sections first (see below).
The approach of this book
Books on
joseki
are arranged by variation; books on
tesuji
are organised in
one of two ways: by underlying shape, or by function (as in the
Fujisawa
Shuko Tesuji Dictionary,
the current standard work). None of these structures
makes for readability, but they are suitable for reference works. We normally
adopt a combination of shape and function approaches.
Studying this book
Some people will read this work through as a book (if you are of
dan
level
you might enjoy this); perhaps alternating with a book on
tesuji.
There are
five main parts, each starting on a fresh area, within which the chapters
generally increase in difficulty. The parts, too, become harder as the book
progresses. Each chapter is broken down into short sections dealing with a
specific topic. There are also three problem sets, the third being much harder
than the others.
Otherwise you may find it helpful to study one of these shape ‘courses’.
You can use these section lists as our indications of difficulty.
First reading (10
kyu
course):
1.1, 1.2, 1.3. 2.1 to 2.5. 3.1, 3.4, 3.5B, G and M. 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6. 5.1,
5.3, 5.4. Problem Set 1 first half. 7.1, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6. Problem Set 2 first six
problems. 11.1. 13.1, 13.2, 13.4.
Second Reading (5
kyu
course):
Introduction. 1.4, 1.5. 2.6. 3.2, 3.3. 4.3, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9. 5.2, 5.5, 5.6. 6.1,
6.3. Rest of Problem Set 1. 7.2, 7.3, 7.7, 7.8. 8.1, 8.2, 8.3. 9.1. Rest of
Problem Set 2. Chapter 10. 11.2, 11.4. 12.4. 13.3, 13.7. 14.1, 14.2.
Third Reading:
3.5. 6.2, 6.4. 8.4, 8.5. 9.2, 9.3. 11.3, 11.5. Chapter 12. 13.5, 13.6.
Chapters 14 and 15. Problem Set 3.
References
This book could usefully be read in parallel with
Tesuji
by James Davies
(Kiseido),
Get Strong at Tesuji
by Richard Bozulich (Kiseido, this book has
many examples on correct
suji), Tesuji and Anti-Suji of Go
by Eio Sakata
(Yutopian), and
Proverbs,
Max Golem translator (Yutopian). For a general
introduction to go read
Teach Yourself Go
by Charles Matthews (Hodder &
Stoughton/NTC) which provides enough background to begin this book.
We refer in the text to ideas of Bruce Wilcox;
EZGO
–
Oriental Strategy in
a Nutshell
(Ki Press, ISBN 0-9652235-4-X), written with Sue Wilcox, is a
representative book.
4
Shape Up!
An example treated
joseki-style
The rest of this Introduction works over a single opening pattern. This
approach is typical of
joseki
books: you take a single corner opening and
discuss a number of variations. You can read on to get a feel for the overall
scope of shape ideas, and examples of some basic proverbs, in the context
of decision-making. There’s therefore the disadvantage of no single
conclusion or main point. That partly explains why this isn’t the way adopted
in most of the rest of the book. Generally we take one pattern and look at it
in various contexts. Then there is some basis for comparative reasoning,
and a bit more dogmatism.
♦
Cross-references are given to the main text, in case at some point you
wish to follow them up, and a number of proverbs are highlighted like
this.
4
2
1
3
6
7
5
This is a regular sequence in a corner
occupied first by Black, at the 3-3
point. It is relatively simple: Black’s
control of the corner is not contested,
while White plays to avoid making
a weak group. The White group then
exerts influence in the centre.
It is decided early on that Black has
the corner, and after that both players
can be said to be ‘making shape’.
Behind even such an ordinary development there may lie dozens of variations.
We shall look at quite a number in the remainder of this introduction, as a
way of surveying the facets of the idea of shape.
♦
Other related 3-3 patterns are to be found in 1.4, 1.5, 3.1 and 3.3.
Immediate loss of good shape
To begin with a fundamental
example, White’s choice of 3 here is
bad shape. With 4 Black applies the
proverb
play
hane
at the head of two
stones.
After that White cannot get
a good result in this part of the board.
If you commonly allow this to
happen to your stones, you can
probably make an instant
improvement by avoiding this sort
of result.
3
2
4
♦
This and related proverbs are studied in Chapter 4.
Introduction: The Scope of Shape
5
Playing for light shape
There is another recognised
possibility for White 3. White can
make the one-point jump played in
this diagram.
White must
understand the purpose of this move.
When Black plays 4 as shown, White
will not be able to connect the two
stones solidly. Therefore White 3 is
a so-called
light
shape.
2
4
3
The main reason to prefer light shape (2.6) is that it makes
defensive tasks easier. A characteristic mistake of amateur
players is to make
heavy
shape: to develop groups without
sufficient regard to their future defensive requirements.
This problem manifests itself in various ways: reluctance to
sacrifice stones, even those without any great strategic
significance; a greedy attitude to invasions, not admitting that
the opponent deserves at least some territory; reduction plays
that are too deep, and which have to struggle for life; too many
solid connections and groups underdeveloped because of
unreasonable fear of later cuts or invasions.
Strong players are keen on sacrificing stones. They can do that
successfully, for several reasons: understanding of which stones
can be sacrificed, and which are essential; good technique to
get the most out of a sacrifice; accurate judgement of the resulting
position; and a sharp eye for later use of stones given up.
9
6
8
5
7
6
9
7
5
8
10
Normally White plays on 5 and 7 the outside, as in the left-hand diagram,
and treats the marked white stone as a potential sacrifice. If White tried
harder to save it, as in the right-hand diagram, White would immediately be
involved in a difficult fight when Black cuts with 8.

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