Roadmap to SDK: Basic Joseki for Starting the Game

Joseki is a small part of the game. But at first, it can be confusing to start a game without knowing any joseki. I will show you some basic joseki I recommend for getting a solid starting position with points and strong groups.

I recommend starting with 3-4 openings. They are easier to understand and use. Their goal is to get corner territory. While you can pincer or even tenuki, these are more advanced ways to play, and we’ll cover them later.

4-4 joseki used to be very simple. And not much to it. You would approach and then slide into the corner.

Everyone used to play this way. But after AI became strong, people started copying it. There are a lot more options: they can 3-3, attach instead of sliding, or not approach at all, and then you have to know how to enclose with a 4-4. And playing with the 4-4 is just as complicated. The 3-4 approaches have stayed the same. Some variations have just become more popular.

Let’s look at some basic 3-4 options.

High approach, attach under. This joseki is good for gaining corner points. Sometimes move 6 will be at A but it is rarer, you still play at 7 next.

Low Approach, kick. This is also good for gaining corner points.

What to do if they don’t approach your corner?

You can enclose your corner.

Sometimes they will do a two space approach

You can just take the corner with 3. If they do a two space high approach, then you can still respond with 3 taking the corner.

And that is about it. Very simple.

If your opponent doesn’t know these yet, or plays something different, you have to keep your stones connected and your groups strong. We’ll talk about that all the way to 1d.