Kirby's Study Journal

Kirby · **#621**

Shaddy wrote:

for 26, I think you have only two options: shoulder hit or cap. In the game, your group became very thin.

Shoulder hit at G16?

Also, I guess my strategy must be wrong. My reasoning was that, if I keep his group weak, my thin group was strong enough. Maybe this isn't practical?

Shaddy · **#622**

yes, g16. problem was that his group became much stronger than yours, partially because of the massive black wall to the right.

Kirby · **#623**

Well, I played three games today. And my rank is plummeting - just in time for US Go Congress, eh? I wanted to play until I won, and I lost the first two, so that's why I played three games. On the forums, it's fun to ask generalized questions about small details in your study, or how to study in the most efficient way. I did this last week, in fact, commenting on the way I studied go problems (the thread went in a weird path I didn't imagine, but anyway...).

But the bottom line is simple. The reason I'm losing is simply because:
* I didn't put enough effort into these games. Reviewing the games, it just takes a few seconds to recognize some of the problem areas. I can knit-pick about the details, but the bottom line is that I didn't spend a lot of effort thinking.
* I didn't put enough effort into study. These days it's not uncommon for me not to do go problems at all. Furthermore, when I do problems that have a rank associated with them, I have a hard time focusing. I have trouble even with problems ranked as "5k". Clearly, I'm not focusing enough.

I have the tendency to try to analyze ways to get better at go. But the reason I'm doing poorly these days is quite simple: garbage in, garbage out. It's not the complicated formula I want to make it out to be. There is no secret. Put quality in, get quality out. Put garbage in, get garbage out.

So here are a few "garbage" games. I guess garbage is more fun than nothing at all.

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

---

Kirby · **#624**

Typically I write out "highlights" in the form of diagrams.

I'm not going to do that today. That's because I think that the takeaway from these three games is simple:

* Garbage in, garbage out.
* Quality in, quality out.

This applies both to while I'm playing the game, and when I am studying. Maybe part of the problem is that garbage can be relaxing. I don't have to think as much, and it's still a little bit fun.

So maybe I need to dislike garbage more...

Problem is, it's so easy to play a garbage game. And it's so easy to lack focus while "studying". And it's still fun. So I really need to find a way to stop enjoying garbage so much. I tell myself I don't like it. But is that true?

OtakuViking · **#625**

I think you hit the nail on the head with the garbage thing. The problem is that we often automatically assume that more is better and that if we keep playing, eventually our rank (which we mistakenly equate with skill/improvement), will increase. The real focus while playing a game should be to play the best game you can. Every move should be the best move you can make. You should try to count the score at intervals, some recommend 30,50,100 or some such and always play accordingly. If ahead, try to get more ahead and not give your opponent a chance to catch-up, if behind it's time to start a fight and try to orchestrate a comeback. We have to remember that each move we play has to count for something. In the end, given equal skill, the person who makes his moves count just that little bit more (i.e exerts himself to always find and play the best moves), will win. But winning games and increasing ones rank should never be the focus even though it automatically wants to be. We should always focus on just playing the best move we can in a given situation. If we messed up, we must reassess the board and play the move that can get us back in the game. This focus on always playing the best move is one way to counteract garbage/lazy games. Another thing is to not immediately respond to your opponent, take a couple of seconds with the hand off the mouse and actually consider what your opponent is trying to do. We must not only focus on our own moves, but also consider the opponents moves. I've often had a problem with underestimating my opponent and kinda going psht, meh at all his moves even though they may be legitimate. So every move counts, ours and our opponents. If our opponent plays a sub-optimal move and we just respond with another sub-optimal move instead of trying to find the best move/counter, then we aren't really playing, are we?

In the event that one loses a game horribly, it's natural to immediately want to redeem oneself by 'destroying' someone and winning. (The focus has now switched from playing the best moves/game we can, to 'winning', but winning is a consequence of the aforementioned). So when this happens, instead of immediately queing up for another game and angrily trying to destroy the opponent, it's best to take a break, make a cup of tea and put your mind off the game for a little while. The temptation of the ego to re-assert itself through a glorious victory is very hard to resist sometimes, but we must recognize that expecting to win when we are emotionally unstable after a horrible loss is unrealistic. Always, we must examine the board without emotion and find the best move. This is the only way. We must forget about winning and about ego. Instead, we must focus our entire being on playing the best moves.

When studying/doing problems, we must discipline ourselves to just pick a candidate move and start reading. Sometimes it can be hard to focus and we may be discouraged because we cannot immediately see the vital point to kill and just easily read out a common remembered sequence to confirm the move. However, the only way to solve problems is to pick candidate moves, read if they work or not, and if they don't, move on until we find the solution. In this case it's a matter of discipline. However, some problems are solved by techniques we have yet to encounter and if we cannot solve a problem within a reasonable amount of time, say 10-15 min, then it's best to just look at the answer and learn the technique for next time. In any case, if you discipline yourself to read methodically, then you will benefit from the problem even if you cannot find the solution and must turn to the answer sheet to learn the technique. Discipline in solving problems by picking a candidate move and methodically reading it out ensures that the study has not been wasted, even if an answer is not found. This is similar to focusing on playing the best move during a game. Even if you lose/don't solve the problem, you will still benefit from it.

Another cure I can suggest for playing alot of mindless games, is to simply stop and just replay pro games for a couple of days, a week or however long you feel like while also continuing to solve problems. For problems it can also be useful to set yourself a time goal, like 30 min a day or 1h a day.

Just my 2 cents, hope it was helpful

Kirby · **#626**

Thank you, OtakuViking, for your insightful reply.

You mention several things, but one that sticks out to me is the mindset of playing the best moves. What concerns me is that... this desire to play the best moves... I'm not sure I see it within myself - at least not within my present self. Playing moves, even when they are garbage moves, provides some entertainment in itself. So if I’m honest with myself, I must ask, “Where is the benefit?”

I can make an analogy with physical exercise. It’s easy to fantasize about losing a lot of weight, building up muscles, living in a healthy way, and exercising. I can tell myself to avoid unhealthy food, to stay away from alcohol, and to stop sitting around and using the Internet. But until that desire to live in a healthy way is strong enough to overcome the desire to eat that burrito at lunchtime, or to sit down in my chair and troll on L19… It’s hard to see any change in habits.

So to come back to the topic, your advice about aiming to play the best moves is truly good. But where is the benefit that makes the effort worth it?

---

Edit: And after a bit of exercise today, I reflected a bit on this some more. It's not totally related, and perhaps a bit of a paradox in bringing it up, but I have another observation on my behavior.

Namely, I feel that I sometimes express my thoughts about my lack of study, lack of diligence, etc., quite easily and publicly.

When I think of why I do this, perhaps it's a sort of "pseudo-guilt".

That is to say, if I publicly express my frustration with myself, perhaps I soften the guilty feeling I have. That is to say, if I publicly state my guilt, it makes me feel better, even if I have done nothing to fix the problem.

In saying this publicly, maybe it's a bit funny. But maybe, if I want to deal with my guilt, it's better to do it in private.

Just a thought.

Kirby · **#627**

This Saturday is the start of the 2015 US Go Congress.

I cannot believe that the time is already here... And, looking back at my ambitions from a few months ago... I am not ready for it. I had dreams a few months ago about studying very hard, playing many games online, ranking up, and doing very well at the US Open. Sadly, my study wasn't what I hoped, my game results are not good, and I have "ranked down". Perhaps more of a problem is that I've been a bit of a downer lately. It's probably clear from the tone of my recent posts in this journal. Maybe it was due to poorly played games, or maybe I just haven't studied enough, but I've even questioned why I even play go. I've pondered motivation - maybe I don't have the intrinsic motivation that I thought I had.

But what's past is past. There is no need to dwell on negativity excessively. Rather, I'd like to look forward to what I can do from this point forward.

So, I have made a resolution for this year's Go Congress. In contrast to the last two years, where I had ambitions of winning all of my games, my goal is different this year. Namely, my goal for this year's Go Congress is to reignite my passion for the game. I can play games online any day. But Go Congress happens only once a year. And if anything can make me passionate again about Go... It's probably the US Go Congress. So here's to finding my passion, again. :salute:

Cheers!

Oh, and if you happen to be attending this year's Go Congress, by all means, introduce yourself to me! If you can't find my name tag, this is what I look like:

EdLee · **#628**

Enjoy Congress!

Kirby · **#629**

EdLee wrote:

Enjoy Congress!

Thank you. If you're attending, I look forward to seeing you.

EdLee · **#630**

Kirby, no.

Have fun.

( If they ever return to this area...

)

EdLee · **#631**

Congrats on your 5-0 score so far. Good luck with Game 6 tomorrow!

daal · **#632**

Kirby wrote:

But what's past is past. There is no need to dwell on negativity excessively. Rather, I'd like to look forward to what I can do from this point forward.

So, I have made a resolution for this year's Go Congress. In contrast to the last two years, where I had ambitions of winning all of my games, my goal is different this year. Namely, my goal for this year's Go Congress is to reignite my passion for the game. I can play games online any day. But Go Congress happens only once a year. And if anything can make me passionate again about Go... It's probably the US Go Congress. So here's to finding my passion, again. :salute:

Cheers!

American Go E-Journal wrote:

Albert Yen Leads in US Open: Albert Yen 7D, undefeated going into the final round of the US Open on Saturday, is the favorite to win this year’s Open. Other 5-0 players: Xiaocheng Hu 4D; Yifan Zhang 3D; Gilbert Feng 2D; Brian Kirby 1D; Kelly Liu 1D; Mark Fraser 7K; Sherrie Echols 9K; Ryan Kim 21K. Click here for complete results through Round 5

Looks like passion is working for you

Way to go!

Kirby · **#633**

Thanks, guys. The short answer is, yes, my passion is back.

Going 6-0 is just a bonus :-)

Uberdude · **#634**

Well done Kirby. Can we see the games?

Kirby · **#635**

Uberdude wrote:

Well done Kirby. Can we see the games?

I didn't record them, but I should be able to remember them for the most part. I also have some ideas from Inseong, and also Feng Yun for one of the games.

I've got to submit a code review for work, but I'll see if I can reconstruct the games here after that.

Kirby · **#636**

I decided to start posting here, again. Earlier, I got into a rut - I played a lot of games, but the quality of play and review was low.

I will try to refrain from that and make sure I put thought into any games or reviews that I have.

Here's a game I played today, along with some comments and variations.

Kirby · **#637**

Here are some interesting positions.

Position 1

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ Position at move 29 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , B . . | $$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O O O O X O . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . X X O X . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In the game, I played the marked move. It seems a bit lacking in strategy to me. It doesn't protect an invasion in the top right, isn't connected with the bottom right corner, and is just kind of sitting there.

To be safer against invasion, I could play this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ Position at move 29 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . B . . | $$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O O O O X O . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . X X O X . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

But ultimately, I think I like to just enclose the corner in this case:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ Position at move 29 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . B . . | $$ | . . O O O O X O . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . X X O X . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I can't get everything in one move, and enclosing the corner is solid. Furthermore, I can followup when white plays on the right:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ Position at move 29 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . 5 . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . 2 . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , 3 . . | $$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . 1 . . | $$ | . . O O O O X O . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . X X O X . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I think this type of play is fine.

Position 2

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ Position at move 53 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X B . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . | $$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X X O . | $$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . | $$ | . O . . . O O . . . . . . O . X . . . | $$ | . X O O O O . O . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . X X X O X O O X . . . . O . X . . . | $$ | . . . . X X X O . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Though my opponent answered it, the marked move was naive of me. White can proceed to jump in at 'a' and do damage. Instead, I should just block:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ Position at move 53 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . | $$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X X O . | $$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . B . | $$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . O . . . O O . . . . . . O . X . . . | $$ | . X O O O O . O . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . X X X O X O O X . . . . O . X . . . | $$ | . . . . X X X O . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I also think the marked moves were small ones:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ Position at move 53 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . | $$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X X O . | $$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . B O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . O . . . O O . . . . . . O . X . . . | $$ | . B O O O O . O . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . X X X O X O O X . . . . O . X . . . | $$ | . . . . X X X O . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

---

I included some other variations of positions I thought were interesting in the SGF file.

But I'm not going to elaborate for the sake of quantity. I want to avoid making garbage reviews, so I'll stick to just these two positions for now.

ez4u · **#638**

A few alternative positions...

Position A

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Bcm1 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . 6 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . 5 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . 7 . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . 3 O . O X . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . 1 . 2 X . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Ishida gives :b1:

as a possibility when there is a White stone around the left-side star point. Black plays to reduce White's left side. My database bears this out. All 40+ examples of :b1:

have a White position on the left side. White should probably block at 2. If 3, White plays 4 and is happy to let Black live in gote. The play at 'a' remains as sente against the corner.

Position B

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Bcm1 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X X . . 1 . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . a , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . O B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O O O O X . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . X X O X . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In the game Black played 'a' with the comment, "Kind of slow, but I felt it helped my group." I think that something like :b1:

is much better. Black should consider the marked stone as kikashi and not reinforce here. White's group in the lower left is too strong. Adding a stone nearby will not be interesting. What can we call Black's resulting shape in the game: a shovel, a scow? "Make a barge-like shape!", doesn't have the ring of a great proverb to my ear.

Position C (refer to your position 1)

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Bcm1 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . 1 . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X X . . B . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . a , . . . . . , . . . . . , b . . | $$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . O O O O X O . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . X X O X . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In the game with the marked stone on 'a', you played 'b'. In your analysis you looked only at alternatives on the right side. How about pincers at the top? White's only weak stone is in the upper right while none of Black's stones are weak. Why leave White time to fix things up? Notice how much more natural :b1:

might seem with the marked stone instead of 'a'.

Position D (in your variation)

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Bcm1 $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . 7 5 X . . | $$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . 8 6 4 . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . O . . . O O . . . . . . 1 . a . . . | $$ | . X O O O O . O . , . . O B b 3 . . . | $$ | . X X X O X O O X . . . 9 O 2 X . . . | $$ | . . . . X X X O . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In the game file you gave the marked stone as an alternative to 'a'. I like it much better. After all, you already used it on the left side to make White over concentrated there! However, I prefer :b1:

to your 'b'. If White rushes to erase the right side, her three stones will probably come under attack after Black uses the cut at :b9:

to strengthen the corner shape. What do you think?

skydyr · **#639**

A few thoughts on the early game:

:b11:

I don't like this line. It does give you more territory, but it also ruins your bottom-side prospects if white gets H4 as he does later. If black had a solid group here, a corner enclosure in the bottom right would work well with it.

:b19:

I prefer the variation where black takes H4. White's moyo isn't much of a muchness, and white owes a move in the upper right. Black could do something on the top side or just make a corner enclosure that works with both sides.

:b27:

I wonder if it's too slow. You already got a submissive response out of white with the attachment, and white's attachment helped your group too. White also played the territorial move at F17 rather than the more aggressive F16.

:b29:

I prefer a corner enclosure too, because the other two moves have an iffy relationship with the bottom right, and white's topside stone is still weak. R12 isn't a big threat without backup.

Bill Spight · **#640**

What were you thinking? I know, you gave some variations. But really, what were you thinking!

If that doesn't make sense to you, consider :b17:

.

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