How to balance influence vs territorial plays on a 13x13 board?

Question

Most of the answers to "What is a good opening on a 13x13 board?" deal generally with the differences between large and medium boards. I'd like to ask more generally about how I should be thinking on a 13x13 board. I feel comfortable fighting on a 9x9 board, and generally on a 19x19 board I prefer to play for influence throughout the early game.

However, I get confused in the middle. With a medium-sized board the center is small, which suggests a more territorial style, yet due to that same smallness, a "moyo" including most of a side is easy to set up, which makes me want to do that. How should I think about these differences in the fuseki?

Answer 1

Territory is more important on a 13X13 board than on a 19x19 board, because it's smaller. Therefore, a given chunk of territory is more valuable. That is because the corner josekis give a "fixed" amount of territory, while the resulting outer walls are worth less (and overlap more) on the 13 x13 board. So you should play a "lower" (near the edge) more territorial game on the smaller board.

I don't like to play this kind of game because it "corrupts" my thinking for the larger, regular board. The one advantage I see for 13x13 is that you get to the endgame faster (and it is a disproportionately larger part of the game, thereby giving you more "practice" in this part of the game. Endgame and opening are more important with the smaller board, while the middle game shrinks.