I choose this move because it aims at influence and has lots of complicated joseki. I will try to keep my head cool in the beginning though.

I thought about playing C16 to prevent w corner enclosure, but that move seems to allow w to play more lightly while attacking my group (eg. he plays C17 attachment or C14 pincer and suddenly my stone looks very outnumbered). I like C10 because if w does play enclosure, then I already have a stone placed in w's next optimal extension. There's also the fact that if w doesn't play enclosure, I can then more easily ruin that corner with C10 as support.

Blacks move seem to indicate a turtle-plan, playing safe by avoiding white chances for attack by not invading deep into white's formations.

So, I will continue to expand and I will not enclose the corner just yet because it would simplify the game too much since this is handicap game.

However, blacks move already makes it hard to pincer a approach in the corner because black now has support. So if black goes into the corner, my only real option is to make influence. but that was the purpose of my stone anyhow so I can't complain.

I was half expecting an approach from the other direction. Hmm, it looks like w might try to start with a big moyo up top. I have no intentions of losing my cool over that this early in the game. Since I start with the advantage, he should be the one worrying about my moyos. In any case, I will happily take an extension towards my bottom right corner. Always remember when you take stones to use them!

In the mean time I have to think about what to do with that top left corner. I definitely know that is an invitation in order to create a running group (running group = bad for me this early), but it would be pretty big to prevent w from having it all. I'm thinking I'll keep playing elsewhere to make things less empty for now.

Black answered with a low move which means that he has reduced attacking power at the top. I shall use this opportunity to split the bottom. I assume black will attack the top, but I'll deal with it when it happens.

Increasing potential on the right. My next target is to attack that O17 stone to start some stuff on the top (being stronger on the right side also helps this attack), and then I can spoil that top left corner while I'm at it. Too bad he prevented my double wing...

I also like the idea of forcing the miai with the bottom stone.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . a . . O . . b . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Black missed an opportunity to attack the top here, his move indicates that he is intent on simplifying the game and the slight cost of efficiency. The downside is that it might work, it's not that easy to regain 3 stones without winning at least one fight.

I can't attack O17 as effectively after the last move. I think it is time to ruin that corner. It'll be very interesting to see how this turns out. If w attacks the stone, then I'll have to decide whether to start a fight, or use it to destroy the top--or both. If he pressures it in order to build a wall towards the center, then I'll be happy as long as I make corner territory and have the left over large knight to the right to potentially tear apart.

Like I said earlier, pincering is not really an option since black has support on this side. This works well with my formation and is a very normal development of the 3-5 stone. Black become a little too low. In an even game, The slack move on the right-side and the low formation here would had put him in a difficult situation already. However, it may be difficult to overcome 3 stones at this pace.

Pressuring my stone to build a wall, I see. C15 is the natural response to this. After that I'll need to decide between D18 and continuing to build territory on the left side--D18 looks way better I think. Then again it would be nice to leave as much aji as possible for the top if I eventually need to live inside of it.

One second thought, I'd hate to go D18 and be closed into tiny corner while white builds strength against C10. I'll just keep the side strong and let him build his wall. Nothing to be worried about while the weakness of 4th line stone and large knight is still on the top.

I'll deal with the aji in the upper left corner later, right now I just want to expand fast and then I can start with more micromanagement.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . a . O . . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , O . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . # , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Black cannot play (1) easily because the marked stone is too close now.

(a) is big for both players.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 3 O . . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , O . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 2 O . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . # , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This variation makes the marked move pretty good, so I probably have to find something else.

Using Q10 to make right even stronger. All that's left now is for w to approach the bottom left corner.

Gotta start some fight eventually, or else w will happily take the bottom and the top and turn the game even. There's also the possibility of further splitting at M3.

All normal so far.

No, you don't. Black would still be ahead by two stones. If White happily takes the bottom and top, Black has the right and left side, and Black still has the corners (invading which will hurt the white sides but solidify the black ones).

Here, the lower part of the left side was the biggest open area of the board, and the black hoshi stone in the lower left was the one with the most urgent need of attention. Black is already low on the left side, so for the high-low balance, the simple one point jump to D6 would have been perfect.

The wedge between the white stones is usually only played when Black already has support at M3. Here, White has the support. The natural progression is now for White to jump to F5, which Black has to answer at D6, then White plays kosumi at J4. It is the same as if you had played D6 to begin with (normal), White jumps to F5 (strengthening the lower side), and then Black invades at White's strongest area (very bad).