As the stones are always at the same (4,4) points in the corners, Black always plays more (4,4) openings, and doesn't gain experience playing the (3,4) openings, or others such as (3,3), (5,4), (5,3), etc., except on two and three stones.Historically, in China, Black and White were constrained to play on diagonally-opposite star points for their first two moves in even games. In Japan, from some point in the sixteenth century perhaps, the board was empty in even games. The consequence was a deeper study of the joseki that in the Chinese system were used only in three-stone handicaps. Those joseki dominated opening theory in Japan, until the shinfuseki period of the 1930s. In contemporary go, the 4-4 point openings are fundamental.
As the stones are always at the same (4,4) points in the corners, Black always plays more (4,4) openings, and doesn't gain experience playing the (3,4) openings, or others such as (3,3), (5,4), (5,3), etc., except on two and three stones.Historically, in China, Black and White were constrained to play on diagonally-opposite star points for their first two moves in even games. In Japan, from some point in the sixteenth century perhaps, the board was empty in even games. The consequence was a deeper study of the joseki that in the Chinese system were used only in three-stone handicaps. Those joseki dominated opening theory in Japan until the shinfuseki period of the 1930s. In contemporary go, th,e 4-4 point openings are fundamental.