Re: 1,1 point is bad?

[Christian Bauer <Christian.Bauer@xxxxxx>]

Hi Darren,

Darren Cook wrote:

> The other day on rec.games.go someone suggested that first move on the 1,1 point
> could be the best move but we just don't understand enough to utilize it properly.
> ...

In my opinon these guys are right. It will for a very long time (maybe forever) be
impossible for us humans, to prove exactly that 1x1 is a bad move. The exact prove
may need the complete anlaysis of the gametree, which is of cause nearly as big as
for a game starting with an empty board.

> ... I think it should be possible to disprove this. Here is a first attempt, for
> you to hack apart and improve upon:
>
> If black plays on the 1,1 point (empty 19x19 board), white can play the 2,2 point
> and tactically capture the black stone. Black is worse off than if he had played
> somewhere with more liberties (i.e. there always exists a move better than the 1,1
> point).

I think, this is wrong. Your right, that white can capture this stone, but this does
not mean that 1x1 was a bad move. Maybe the (or all) capturing sequence(es) (that
means, the josekis) leads to possitions which are favorable for black. (For example:
white gets the small corner and captures the 1x1-stone, but black gets much outside
influence.) You can think, that back on 1x1 is a sacrifice move, to get a special
kind of aji in this corner.

I also think (like you), that 1x1 not a very good move - but I think it would be
hard or impossible to prove this (in a mathematical sense).

I'm interested what some other guys think about this. Martin M., what do you think
about this?

A more general problem, where I thougth about some hours was: Is a move in the very
opening (lets say blacks first move) on the edge of the board (lets say on 1x10)
realy a bad move, or could it make some sens? First, I thought, that this is always
a bad move, but in the end I'm not so sure now.

ciao
   Cee Bee