Joseki

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Jōseki ( Japanese 定 石 , literally established stones ) stands in the theory of Japanese board games for a proven standard sequence of moves. The word is used in relation to various games.

In the theory of Go , a Jōseki is a proven local standard sequence of moves, mostly in the corner of the board. Jōseki is created through consensus among professional players. Most of the time, a Jōseki indicates a sequence of moves that ends with an even result. In some cases, a jōseki, similar to the gambit in chess, is a strategy that locally is a loss to a player. Globally, however, this can lead to an improvement for a player. The usefulness of a Jōseki can only be assessed in the context of the overall position.

In Shogi , Jōseki ( 定 跡 , literally established traits ) basically means the same concept. Since the first phase of the game is mainly characterized by Jōseki, this term is often used synonymously for the opening in chess .

Opening theory of the Jōseki in Go

A jōseki in the corner traditionally begins with the setting of a stone on a corner field, this corner still being free of stones in an area of ​​10 × 10 fields. This first move is answered with a return move (kakari). The starting move is almost always on a 3-3, 3-4, 3-5, 4-4, or 4-5 point.

Of these moves, the classic 3-4 point (komoku) and the more modern 4-4 point (hoshi) are played the most. The standard answers here are 5-3 or 5-4 to the 3-4 move and 3-6 / 6-3 to the 4-4 move. The number of variants after these trains is quite large (there are 10 reasonable trains per train number).

In many cases, the corner games come to a definitive end, after which the players move on to another location. In some cases, heavy hand-to-hand combat breaks out that no player should neglect. In these cases, the outcome of the fight in the corner decides the whole game.

An analysis without considering the other stones that have been set is rather fruitless. The longest corner opening books go 50 moves deep. Most corner openings do not have any special figurative names. A few that have their own names are known by Japanese names: taisha, nadare (avalanche), "The Magic Sword of Muramasa ". These are some of the most complicated openings and are not recommended for beginners.

Tenuki

Useful is also the Tenuki , a concept one breaks out in which of a sequence to play in another corner before the official end of the Josekis was reached. After a Josekifolge has been completed, a return is the same area successor named. There is no theory for this, but you can see numerous fixed move orders in professional games. However, it is extremely important that players do not downplay joseki mechanically from memory, but adapt them to the overall situation on the board. One should always be aware that Go is a game that involves corner analysis and joseki are only likely to be good moves. Blindly following joseki will not improve your game.

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