Combat Series 1 - Knight Move Attack

Daidoji Akagi by Chris Appel, copyright Alderac Entertainment

It is proving, not unexpectedly hard to get actual examples of some of these attacks in game. Either the game just does not cause them. Or more likely a more important point prevents their play.

Either way rather than sit here and wait before moving on I thought a more useful compromise would be to study the position that requires the attack and then some of the variations that are often lesser compromises would be.

Now before I start I will point out that, unlike some you tube channels out there, I am not pretending the fundamentals sprung out of my head. The example in this post comes from James Davies excellent book 'Tesuji' published by Kiseido. One site that springs to mind gave the examples then all the variations as if the blogger thought it all up themselves.

First up we should look at the requirements. Now the base point here is a string in a diagonal line of color A, color B then color A. 

From the book

So we have 3 stones in a diagonal row with Black being the aggressor (in this case). A second point to note is that this does not have to be a 'kill# move - White could be alive and Black just wants to block them in. Also note that this attack needs a weakness in Blacks surrounding wall - in this case a single stone. If both sides of black are doubled up then a simple net would trap white with no further work needed.

So take this example

So there is no major weakness (currently) to the X marked black stones so playing at A would trap white. If one of the surrounding X stones wasn't there then there would be a weakness and the Knights attack becomes appropriate.

If we return to the book. Davies gives an excellent example of how White could use the Aji in the position caused by the single black stone to escape IF Black attempts the same attack. Let's follow through the moves.

So essentially White sacrifices the 2nd stone played (and possibly the 3rd) to break out the 2 stones. Now that group is still under attack so there is some grounds to consider just leaving them and taking points elsewhere but they are cutting stones and  if it lives then some pressure could be placed on Blacks 3? groups.

The essence of the Knights Move attack is that it both traps the white stones but at the same time reinforces the weak single stone.

As you can see if white plays the same then though White can still atari the single stone at F16 (again) it does not help. Black will connect at F17 and is fine.

Even if White then swings round to try and attack the North two stones and Black just plays very passively White cant out speed Black

i.e

Now white, to me, seems to have a better chance with the opposite Atari. If Black joins then White moves North and now has 3 liberties versus 2 for the adjacent Black group (and the bottom white stones also have 3)

Blacks only real choice with this second atari is to sacrifice the two upper black stones and make a strong wall around line 13 (thx to 1Deadly of Benkyo's patron group for dismissing all the other available options here as unworkable without bad play by white)

Not particularly good for black so an example that perhaps further strength in the surrounding stones is needed..

i.e One extra stone and white is damned either way

Perhaps a bend would be more realistic or one point jump. The key thing to note though it the one/two stones together have weaknesses which can be attacked and a situation can soon switch so the attacked suddenly finds their own position collapsing.

BUUUUT. Run this position through AI and AI begs to differ. It doesn't on the weakness of the upper stones. It thinks Black loses 8.4 points through the stated play.

What it does say is that after White pushes once to F15 Black should not block at G15 but instead extend the single stone to G16 - White cant break through and is still trapped and though it suggests possible attacks at the junction (G18 - also a potential move instead of G16) it expects white to play away at this point.

But notice that white can now apply the same pressure as before the knight. If  white pushes to G15 and Black caps to prevent escape white can drop to F14, black caps at F13 and white has an atari with G13, black extends and white can push out.

This series seems based on white actively pressurizing the top stones but if it wanted to escape then E13 would do the job though this would result in a blob without shape...

If you want to play through with the variations please see here, from move 27. Other moves are attempting to prevent the AI going overboard on 'bigger move elsewhere'

Knights move attack practice