Although people say fuseki research all goes to AI variants nowadays, but pros are still experimenting with creative fusekis. So I would like to start a post where people can share new fusekis
I will just start with a fuseki that has a “funny name” - the Shite opening. (the naming is not meant to be a joke, the inventor’s name just happened to be Niu Shite). Its key feature is the move 5 into the center, and sort of a countermeasure to prevent complex 3-3 joseki like the flying knife/dagger, or even old ones like Taisha.
This came from the 3rd round of the Taiwan and Japan pros exchange tournament yesterday, where Niu Shite also participated. With a modified Shite fuseki opening
When black first makes an exchange on the LL corner, and then plays the Shite opening on move 11. Somehow, it looks very “natural” at that spot. Even using AI to run with a high playout, that spot jumps out with a higher winrate than any surrounding spots in the air.
In this game the left corner looks like a 3-4 and standard joseki without the usual black extension to K3 or K4.
In the original idea the lower left is white 4-4.
Yet N9 is the exactly optimal move for both? Not N10 or M9? I wonder how much you would have to change the context on the board, to shift this magical point away from N9.
And the key is to use the Shite keystone in the air as an anchor and gain outside high positions if possible. And the distance to the side is quite important for assisting the attack white would want to play on the lower right than really building a center moyo. Measure the distance with 2 space jump, or large knight’s move, and see if they help defend any weakness from the outside.
