A short introduction for today's main topic.
A bamboo joint is a very strong shape. It gives flexibility and safety. The only real disadvantage is a bit of heaviness, but in most cases, when you make a bamboo joint in normal play, it gives you a powerful position, especially if you are in the middle, as it often happens.
The obvious strength of the bamboo is that while still being wide, remains connected. The player that makes a bamboo shape can connect even if the opposing player plays on one of the spots inside the shape. It reaches out freely to all four sides (especially so to the left and right in the above image), so it is flexible as well.
That was the introductory part. Now the main event. :)
Today I came across a very interesting shape that is related to the bamboo, but a bit more complicated and infinitely more interesting.
The book in which I found it called it "the alien symbol". The main feature of the shape is the opposing stone in place of the last piece of the bamboo joint. The book gives an example of how this can be very good for the opposing side (white, in the above image).
There is a more general principle behind this shape. Here is a quote from the same book:
In many ways, the Alien Symbol is a structural representation of the creative conflict that is the hallmark of Go (and perhaps of life as well). Stones that are connected are strong, and stones that are cut are weak - as E.M. Forester says: "only connect". The bamboo joint and the tiger's mouth are the twin icons of connection. You can take out an opposing force of any size with almost nothing, if you aim for the connections and the incomplete links of the chain - spoiling the bamboo joint as in the case of the Alien Symbol, or playing on the pivot as in the case of the tiger's mouth.
A bamboo joint is a very strong shape. It gives flexibility and safety. The only real disadvantage is a bit of heaviness, but in most cases, when you make a bamboo joint in normal play, it gives you a powerful position, especially if you are in the middle, as it often happens.
The obvious strength of the bamboo is that while still being wide, remains connected. The player that makes a bamboo shape can connect even if the opposing player plays on one of the spots inside the shape. It reaches out freely to all four sides (especially so to the left and right in the above image), so it is flexible as well.
That was the introductory part. Now the main event. :)
Today I came across a very interesting shape that is related to the bamboo, but a bit more complicated and infinitely more interesting.
The book in which I found it called it "the alien symbol". The main feature of the shape is the opposing stone in place of the last piece of the bamboo joint. The book gives an example of how this can be very good for the opposing side (white, in the above image).
There is a more general principle behind this shape. Here is a quote from the same book:
In many ways, the Alien Symbol is a structural representation of the creative conflict that is the hallmark of Go (and perhaps of life as well). Stones that are connected are strong, and stones that are cut are weak - as E.M. Forester says: "only connect". The bamboo joint and the tiger's mouth are the twin icons of connection. You can take out an opposing force of any size with almost nothing, if you aim for the connections and the incomplete links of the chain - spoiling the bamboo joint as in the case of the Alien Symbol, or playing on the pivot as in the case of the tiger's mouth.
"Some aliens contacted me, and told me about this." :D
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