
Basics of the 5-3 Point
In other courses on the opening, Go Magic has regularly recommended avoiding the 5-3 point because it can lead to some very complex and long joseki. But what do you do if your opponent plays it on you? Or, what if you like complications and you want to use it? It’s time to level up your opening!
In this course we dive into the deep waters of the 5-3 point and try to demystify the most common joseki associated with it. In the end we even discuss some opening patterns you can use and fight the AI’s unflattering opinion of this classic human move.
Suitable for: 12–3 kyu players who are already familiar with basic josekis.
Course Contents
Teacher
Matthew McKee 4d
Amateur Go Player, poet and novelist from Japan.

Course Includes
Reviews

The joseki course was excellent, with a great teaching style, and I learned a lot. As constructive feedback, I would have preferred more coverage of modern AI joseki instead of older variations that are rarely played today. Focusing on current AI-recommended lines would make the course even more practical and relevant.
Well actually I didn't know about this first move and those josekis, I like to fact that it gives you another approach to the corner when nowadays the AI says otherwise.
Awesome course. I especially liked the chapter on opening ideas.
Being only ~20kyu, I became interested in mokuhazushi play after seeing M. Redmond's analyses of Dosaku and Doteki. The course is very well explained, so much so, that nothing felt out of my grasp even being only 20kyu. It covers the very basics of the mokuhazushi, but it does so extremely well. Hopefully there will be a follow-up, perhaps, a full course on the Taisha exclusively?!
Excellent course. Final quiz a bit esoteric as it requires you to think imaginatively based on the course materials. Several questions are not explicitly given to you by the course and therefore feels a but unfair due to the gamified nature of gomagic. To fail and retry is an excellent study system but is demoralizing in a "final test." Throw us a bone!
Good course. I would only add a lesson about your opponent not following joseki
Great course, and Matthew does a fantastic job of engaging us throughout the lessons. However, the content feels too specific and some wider conclusions (which there are, but could be more) would benefit in the usage of this opening.
I really enjoyed Matthew as a teacher! For now, I’m not planning to play the 5/3 point much, but at least I know how to respond calmly. So all the stars to you!
Loved the style of this. 5-3 is super complex, but I’ve had people play it against me before. Feel better prepared to engage it now…maybe even start playing it myself. Also, Matt’s goban is fantastic!
different kind of course than the usual, but still very cool
nice course
Excellent. Clear and stimulating. I particularly appreciated the joseki part. Interprating the moves based on elementaty principles makes the sequences easy to understand and therefore to memorize. Even the taisha seems (probably deceptively) simple.
Great course! Very well explained, thank you!
Friends ask why I play 5-3 all the time nowadays. I put on my stoic smile and say: "I'm searching for the truth on the go board".Sometimes I break character and scream "I'm here to play GO!!!" while slamming a stone on the board if I have any at hand. That's a side effect of these Matthew courses as well...
loved the course
great course
Very good course.
Really loved it. Started the course in order to manage my opps playing 5-3 but by the end I wanna play 5-3 as well 😀
Me gustó mucho el estilo del instructor: muy didáctico y asertivo. El curso abarca todo lo necesario para aprender a lidiar con la apertura 5,3.
wonderful course! Not many people would think to make a course about the 5-3 point, which makes it so unique. Also very professional.