Joseki Encyclopedia

Star Point 3-3 Invasion Basics

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star-point-three-three-invasion-basic

Level: beginner/intermediate
Updated: 2026-05-17
Concepts: corner life · outside influence · territory · endgame timing
Tags: joseki · star-point · 3-3 invasion · corner life

Lesson board

Star point, corner invasion, outside-influence finish.

Lower-left corner

Black plan

The baseline plan for this lesson. Black blocks, hanes, and extends while White lives in the corner.

White finish

The recommended beginner finish. White crawls once more instead of sealing the upper contact point too early.

Sequence

setup

Black 1 star point, White 2 corner invasion

White enters the corner to live locally and reduce Black's star-point territory.

Black's first job is to block one side. White then crawls out, and Black decides whether to build outside influence or choose the sharper double-hane territory branch.

The pattern is not about killing the corner; it is about trading White's life for Black's outside strength or territory.

Playable branches

Later notes

Direction note

Opposite-side block: same idea, reversed direction

Black may block the other side when that direction fits the whole board better.

The local principle stays the same: block one side, let White live, and take compensation outside.

Endgame timing

Boundary hane-connect: big later, small early

If Black's outside is already completely solid, White may later take the boundary hane-connect as an endgame play.

In the opening, the same move often only helps Black become thick too soon.

Life-and-death note

Do not leave the corner too thin

If White postpones the final crawl too long, Black can sometimes make the corner eye shape awkward in later fighting.

For a beginner pattern, finish the crawl and avoid a complicated life-and-death problem.

Mistake map