The Avalanche Joseki

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Black move at 'a' leads to the small avalanche (konadare) and at 'b' to the large avalanche (onadare).

The avalanche joseki (nadare joseki in Japanese

Japanese language

is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...

) is one of the most celebrated joseki

Joseki

In Go, are studied sequences of moves in the corner areas of the Go board, for which the result is considered balanced for both black and white sides. Because games typically start with plays in the corners, players often try to use their understanding of joseki to gain local advantages in the...

 in the opening stage

Go opening theory

In the game of Go, the term opening theory refers to concepts which underlie where, why, in what order, and in what shapes the first several moves are played...

 game of Go

Go (board game)

Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...

, and the one that has been most deeply studied in modern times. Hundreds of unique variations have appeared in high-level games. Aside from the taisha joseki

Taisha joseki

The taisha joseki is the Japanese term for the most celebrated of all joseki in the game of go. It is often described in go literature as having a thousand variations ; this is more than a figure of speech, since many hundreds of subvariations have been documented, in high-level games, books and...

, which has traditionally been said to have more than 1000 known variations, the avalanche is thought to be the most complex joseki; but the nadare fits much better with current ideas on opening strategy and is often used, while the taisha has been quite unfashionable for a generation.

Sequence of moves

The avalanche occurs after the moves 1 (3—4), 2 (5—4), 3 (5—3), and 4 (4—4). The moves 5 (4—3) and 6 (3—5) then always follow (image at right). There is then a five-way choice for the next play. Point a (6—4) leads to the small avalanche (konadare) and b (6—3) to the large avalanche (onadare).

Origins

Most go openings emerge from casual games into prominence when they appear in a high-profile match, but the origins of the avalanche joseki in professional play can be fairly accurately traced. In games from 1927, three years after the founding of the Nihon Ki-in

Nihon Ki-in

The Nihon Ki-in , also known as the Japan Go Association, is the main organizational body for Go in Japan, overseeing Japan's professional system and issuing diplomas for amateur dan rankings. It is based in Tokyo. The other major Go association in Japan is Kansai Ki-in.Nihon Ki-in was established...

, Kitani Minoru, then aged 18, began experimenting with it after one of his opponents used it against him.

Kitani was a leading figure in the development of the New Fuseki that revolutionized Japanese go in the 1930s, and one can see in the "avalanche" early evidence of his interest in the importance of central influence.

Reasons for previous neglect

This opening was not previously used because it violates a principle that governs generally sound play. After Black 3, White 4 brings to mind the well-known go proverb

Go proverb

Go proverbs are traditional proverbs relating to the game of Go, generally used to help one find good moves in various situations during a game. They are generalisations and thus a particular proverb will have specific situations where it is not applicable. Knowing when a proverb is inapplicable is...

, "hane (bend) at the head of two stones". In accordance with this proverb, White should play b — however, depending on the situation elsewhere on the board, White 6 may be not only playable, but preferable.

Variations within the nadare

The onadare is the most complex line of all: the konadare can lead to a running fight, but tends normally to force the issue into settled formations. A new move found by Go Seigen

Go Seigen

Wu Qingyuan , generally known in the West by his Japanese name Go Seigen, is considered by many players to be the greatest player of the game of Go in the 20th century and of all time.-Biography:...

 in 1957, in a Saikyo Tournament game against Takagawa Kaku, is probably the most famous joseki innovation since the 'secret weapon' plays in the taisha of the early nineteenth century. It set off the modern intensive research in this joseki. It allows the first player to take the corner territory, and usually leads to a complex large-scale fight in the centre.