I’m bad at playing with white. When I have black, I can enjoy the game at my own pace, but things don’t go well when I have white. Can you tell me how I should study so that I can get over this complex about playing with white? Consultation Two : Mr. Asakawa Hello, Mr. Asakawa. Thank you for your letter. I think that there are probably many go fans who share your problem with playing with white. I would like to tell you my basic way of thinking about playing with white. The thing to take care over with white is that if you start a fight immediately there is a strong possibility that you will be at a disadvantage. After all, as Black plays first, he will have one more stone on the board than you. Therefore, I aim at playing a leisurely game when I have white. If you play leisurely, taking territory, then the advantage of playing first is gradually reduced. If you can turn the game into an endgame contest, then the komi of 6.5 points will make its presence felt. Of course, though I advise avoiding fighting, you should fight in areas where you outnumber the opponent. You should avoid fighting unreasonably in areas where Black outnumbers you, instead lightly reducing his moyo or expanding your own territories and moyos. As a concrete way to study how to play with white, I think that playing through the games of your favourite professional in which he or she has white will be effective. Personally, I recommend the games of Shinji Takao, who plays a thick, orthodox style, or Shukaku Takagawa, who was known for his ‘plain style’ and who was an endgame expert. If in future you adopt a slightly different approach when you play white, focussing on playing leisurely and avoiding sudden fighting, I think that you will do better. Please give it a try.