Probably the most common fuseki for amateur go players.

In the game of Go (Wei Qi/Badouk), fuseki has approximately the same meaning as the term "opening" has in the game of chess. It refers to the first few moves of the game, when each player sketches out a vague framework, deciding on where they plan to generate influence, and where they plan to take territory. Like in chess, certain opening patterns are more common than others, and some are common enough that they earn a name of their own. Fuseki is one of the hardest things for amateur players to grasp, so many amateurs choose one or more of these well-known fusekis and use them continuously.

Probably the most common fuseki choice for an amateur player playing Black (I've seen it used as White, too, but it's intended for Black) is the Chinese fuseki, so named because it was first played in China. This fuseki is formed by the three Black (X) stones in the diagram below:

   a b c d e f g h j k l m n o p q r s t 
19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
16 . . . O . . . . . + . . . . . X . . . 16
15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
10 . . . O . . . . . + . . . . . + . . . 10
09 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X c . . 09
08 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08
07 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07
06 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06
05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d . . 05
04 . . . O . . . . . a . . . e . + . . . 04
03 . . . . . . . . . b . . . . . X . . . 03
02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02
01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01
   a b c d e f g h j k l m n o p q r s t 

The + signs are hoshi points. For those who don't play Go: ignore them. They're for reference only.

I've put three White stones in san-ren-sei formation on the left, just because obviously White will be building her own opening formation while Black is playing the Chinese opening, and san-ren-sei is probably the most common opening for White at amateur level.

Generally, the hoshi (4-4) stone in the top right is played first, followed by the komoku (3-4) point in the bottom right, and lastly the middle stone, which is sometimes played at "c" instead (this is called the low Chinese fuseki; the one shown is the high Chinese fuseki). Next, Black is aiming to play "a" or "b," but the strategy can work without a stone there, so those points are optional.

It's important to note that Black is not enclosing the bottom corner at "d", even though such a keima shimari is usually the idea when playing a stone at the 3-4 point (Q3 here). The reason for this is the stone at Q9 (or R9). Black wants to build a large moyo (framework) and eventually induce White to invade at or near the point "d." The Black stone at Q9 allows Black to play at "e" (O4) and launch a powerful attack on the invading stone, building territory along the bottom (and possibly the right side as well) in the process, which is why a stone at "a" or "b" is good for Black, and why I usually play there myself ASAP when I'm White, faced with the Chinese fuseki.

Although it's generally considered incorrect to approach a 3-4 stone like Q3 from the outside, like "e," one will sometimes see White play there against this opening, simply because approaching from the "correct" side at "d" is exactly what Black wants.

Tengen (K10, the center point of the goban) is also an important point for both sides, as a stone there will have a strong effect on the fight that will likely occur in the bottom right.

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