So, I outlined the aji against Black's lower group in my earlier post. None of that aji seemed particularly immediate. So Joaz's choice of 62 was a little surprising - it eliminates aji I can't actually use yet.
My expectation was that 62 would have been played at the top. I think playing at the top was the best move. However, 62 threatened a cut, so was sort of sente, and patched up some aji, whilst taking territory. So if it was a mistake, it was a small mistake.
Then 63 was supposed to be a quick sente bodge on my part. I was reluctant to play it, since it's slight aji keshi.
For example,
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Emergency!
$$ -----------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . X . O . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . O . . . , . . . X . X . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . 5 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . 1 X 4 . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . 3 X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . X X X , . . . . O , O . . |
$$ | . . X O . O O O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . O . . . X O . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . X X . X X X X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . O . . O . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O O . O X X . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------------[/go]
White 63 argubably made my group a little weaker since I lose options like the above. However, if black answered my plan was to play this:
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Plan
$$ -----------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . X . O . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . O . . 5 , . . . X . X . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . X 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . 1 X X X , . . . . O , O . . |
$$ | . . X O . O O O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . O . . . X O . X . . |
$$ | . . . . 4 3 X . . . . . O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . X X . X X X X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . O . . O . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O O . O X X . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------------[/go]
I planned to probe at 3. The 1-2 exchange may be useful in some lines where black tries to cut, which is why I decided the appriopriate time for 1-2 was now.
If black replies at 4, I've protected the cut in sente so get the big point at the top. So black may consider alternative moves to 4 e.g.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Plan
$$ -----------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . X . O . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . O . . . , . . . X . X . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . X 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . 1 X X X , . . . . O , O . . |
$$ | . . X O . O O O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . 5 O . . . X O . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . 3 X . . . . . O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . b . W . 4 . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . a X X . X X X X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . O . . O . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O O . O X X . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------------[/go]
This line keeps the cut active for black, so it's probably prudent to finally connect. Next I have gained moves such as the marked move, which appears to makes miai of a and b. This may casue black some issues, so I may get first move at the top here as well.
Obviously, black didn't actually reply to 63 with the block I expected. The actual move takes a bit of territory, and strengthens black a bit, so it has some good qualities. However, pushing through with 65 is satisfying. Although it deosn't appear to take immediate territory, it indirectly strengthens me whilst weakening black.
I once read that Go is largely a topological game. It's a sentiment I agree with. 64 as played ignored an obvious connection, and so feels unnatural whilst going against the topological aspect of the game.
One upshot of these topological concerns is that my central moyo is potentially getting bigger. I will give a diagram whic demonstraes this.
I have played 67 to give the same choice as outlined above, and hopefully connect my bits in sente.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Moyo Game
$$ -----------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . X . O . X 4 . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . O . . . , . . 3 X 6 X . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X . X . . . 8 7 . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . 0 9 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . O X X X , W . . . O , O . . |
$$ | . . X O . O O O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . O . . . X O . X . . |
$$ | . . . . 2 1 X . . . . . O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . X X . X X X X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . O . . O . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O O . O X X . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------------[/go]
This shows why puching through black-s shape helps me in the centre. I gain some forcing moves which have value and suddenly as moyo appears. .. (The marked stone is the last move here).
This sequence is clearly a little optimistic for me - black can counter-attack in various ways at various points. But it illistrated my belief that 64 as played was a mistake and lets me catch up a little more. (62, in contrast, wasn't clearly a mistake, and lost a negilible amount).
If black answers 1 at 2 as above, I won't go for the moyo option immiedately. Instead, I will play as shown:
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Moyo Game
$$ -----------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . X . O . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . O . . 3 , . . . X . X . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . O X X X , . . . . O , O . . |
$$ | . . X O . O O O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . O . . . X O . X . . |
$$ | . . . . 2 1 X . . . . . O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . X X . X X X X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . O . . O . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O O . O X X . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------------[/go]
I will capture at the top and await developments. I am behind, but the gap is closing.