In the opening stages of the game, territory and influence are equally important. However, if you concentrate only on making territory and ignore influence, the chances are you will find yourself at a disadvantage later on in the game. In handicap games, the handicap stones are high on the star points and are not efficient in securing territory. It is therefore natural and strategically correct for Black to emphasize influence. However, kyu-level players lack the ability and the confidence to play an influence-oriented game; instead of taking chances on positions in which the territorial...