(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2]
RU[Japanese]SZ[19]HA[2]KM[0.50]TM[1500]
PW[opponent]PB[Xai]WR[16k]BR[18k]DT[2011-03-25]PC[The KGS Go Server at http://www.gokgs.com/]AB[pd][dp]C[: hi]RE[W+30.50]
;W[pq]C[Xai [18k\]: hello]
;B[cc]
;W[fq]
;B[dm]LB[iq:1]C[For a reason I can't explain, I wanted to play at 1 but then decided to play what I did]
;W[cn]
;B[dn]C[For the next sequence of moves, I wanted to try to keep the corner for myself but I ended up making a wall...  I was afraid of white crawling along the 3rd line towards C3 but wasn't sure what to do

-- If your opponent is determined to invade and take a small amount of territory in the beginning of the game, that's fine. You will get more than enough compensation in power outside.]
;W[co]
;B[do]
;W[qe]
(;B[cj]C[C3 here instead looks better. It will probably kill those stones. See variation.

Your move looks too loose.]
;W[cm]
(;B[cq]
;W[dl]LB[cj:2][dn:1]C[Here you let white out. Now your stones are cut off from each other (groups 1 and 2).
It's almost always better to keep yourself connected and strong.]
;B[eq]LB[jc:2][qj:1][jq:3]TR[fq]C[I'm not sure why I played this move. I probably thought I was turning D3 into eye space. I thought about playing 1 ,2, 3 but did not

-- Yes, this is a pretty terrible move. :)
First you should recognize that the reason you're even thinking about gaining eye space is because you let your stones get separated a few moves ago.

But secondly, your group is much stronger than the marked stone. It would be better to pincer here (3 could work) so that your opponent cannot establish a base for their stone.

Your move just coaxes them into growing stronger.]
;W[el]
;B[qj]
;W[qm]
;B[qg]
;W[qd]
;B[pe]
;W[qf]
;B[pf]
;W[qc]
;B[pc]
;W[pb]
;B[ob]
;W[qb]
;B[nc]C[This is a good result for you. You kept him sealed in and your stones are connected, which is good.]
;W[jq]
(;B[jo]LB[hq:1]C[Again, I wanted to play 1 but then played K5 thinking that I would try to contain white to the side of the board?

--It's not possible to contain white to the side here. White has too many stones and too much open space to think about doing that.

A good thing to do here would be to build a big territory framework in the upper area. See variations.]
;W[kp]
;B[jp]
;W[iq]
;B[gq]C[I wanted to try to prevent the F3 stone from connecting to his friends

-- The F3 stone is a small fish in a big pond. Capturing it is worth a couple points. Making a large territory framework on top could be worth 50 points.]
;W[fp]
;B[fr]
;W[gp]
;B[hp]C[Setting myself up for a double atari. Oops.]
;W[gr]
;B[er]
;W[hq]
;B[ip]C[This is a very bad move. You already have some useless stones here. Now you are making them into an even bigger clump of useless stones.

If you have stones which...
Are not making territory
Are not destroying your opponent's territory
Are not cutting your opponents groups
Are not providing support to your own groups

Then they are useless! There is no reason to save every stone. Only save the ones that are useful.

All you are doing here is giving white a bigger target to attack. If you play elsewhere and white kills those stones-- who cares! They are worth few points.]
;W[kn]
;B[jn]
;W[jm]
;B[ko]
;W[lo]C[With all these cutting points I could not resist just playing a cut atari move... but I could not find a good followup after the atari]
;B[km]
;W[ln]
;B[im]
;W[jl]
;B[kl]
;W[il]
;B[hm]
;W[gm]
;B[gn]C[With that move I've lost all those stones..]
;W[hl]
;B[fn]
;W[hn]
;B[in]
;W[ho]
;B[fm]
;W[gl]
;B[go]
;W[io]C[By trying to save them, you ended up giving white unbelieveable thickness and power. Remember, don't try to save stones that aren't doing anything useful (until the very end of the game when you have nothing better to do).

The game is now probably not winnable.]
;B[em]
;W[fl]
;B[ic]
;W[di]
;B[ci]
;W[dh]
;B[ch]
;W[dg]
;B[cg]
;W[de]
;B[ce]
;W[ie]
;B[df]
;W[ef]
;B[cf]
;W[ii]
;B[ee]
;W[fe]
;B[dd]
;W[ff]
;B[fd]
;W[gd]
;B[fc]
;W[kk]
;B[ll]C[I stubbornly thought I could save these stones...]
;W[mk]
;B[ml]
;W[nl]
;B[lk]
;W[lj]
;B[nk]
;W[mj]
;B[nm]
;W[ol]
;B[mm]C[: -  _  -]
;W[om]
;B[nn]
;W[oo]
;B[cl]
;W[no]
;B[ck]
;W[ni]
;B[oj]
;W[oi]
;B[pi]
;W[pj]
;B[pk]
;W[ok]
;B[pj]
;W[og]
;B[pg]
;W[nf]
;B[pl]
;W[pm]
;B[kd]
;W[ke]
;B[le]
;W[kf]
;B[ld]
;W[lf]
;B[me]
;W[mf]
;B[oh]
;W[nh]
;B[ph]
;W[ne]
;B[nd]
;W[gc]
;B[gb]
;W[hc]
;B[hb]
;W[jd]
;B[id]
;W[he]
;B[jc]
;W[je]
;B[fb]
;W[kc]
;B[lc]
;W[kb]
;B[jb]
;W[lb]
;B[mb]
;W[mc]
;B[md]
;W[ja]
;B[ib]
;W[ma]
;B[na]
;W[oa]
;B[pa]
;W[qa]
;B[oa]
;W[od]
;B[oe]
;W[of]
;B[oc]
;W[rg]
;B[rh]
;W[sf]
;B[sh]
;W[sg]C[Is there anything I could do to invade the white upper corner?]
;B[ri]
;W[re]
;B[qq]C[Trying to invade just to gain experience]
;W[qp]
;B[rp]
;W[ro]
;B[qo]
;W[pp]
;B[rn]
;W[rq]
;B[so]
;W[sp]
;B[sq]
;W[rr]
;B[qn]LB[rm:A]C[I believe I should have played at A instead..]
;W[rm]
;B[sm]
;W[sl]
;B[rl]
;W[sn]
;B[on]
;W[pn]
;B[po]
;W[mn]
;B[sm]
;W[lm]
;B[sk]
;W[sr]
;B[sp]
;W[qr]
;B[ql]
;W[nj]
;B[fs]
;W[gs]
;B[ep]
;W[fo]
;B[dj]
;W[ej]
;B[ei]C[I thought I could try to find a way to hurt all those unconnected white stones..but could not]
;W[eh]
;B[fi]
;W[fh]
;B[gi]
;W[dk]
;B[cp]
;W[]
;B[]TW[ra][sa][rb][sb][rc][sc][rd][sd][ge][se][gf][hf][if][jf][rf][eg][fg][gg][hg][ig][jg][kg][lg][mg][ng][gh][hh][ih][jh][kh][lh][mh][ei][fi][gi][hi][ji][ki][li][mi][fj][gj][hj][ij][jj][kj][ek][fk][gk][hk][ik][jk][lk][nk][kl][ll][ml][hm][im][km][mm][nm][in][jn][nn][on][jo][ko][mo][hp][ip][jp][lp][mp][np][op][gq][kq][lq][mq][nq][oq][qq][hr][ir][jr][kr][lr][mr][nr][or][pr][hs][is][js][ks][ls][ms][ns][os][ps][qs][rs][ss]TB[aa][ba][ca][da][ea][fa][ga][ha][ia][ja][ka][la][ma][ab][bb][cb][db][eb][kb][lb][nb][ac][bc][dc][ec][kc][mc][ad][bd][cd][ed][od][ae][be][de][af][bf][ag][bg][ah][bh][qh][ai][bi][qi][si][aj][bj][rj][sj][ak][bk][qk][rk][al][bl][sl][am][bm][cm][an][bn][cn][sn][ao][bo][co][ro][ap][bp][aq][bq][dq][ar][br][cr][dr][as][bs][cs][ds][es]C[Xai [19k\]: thanks])
(;B[df])
(;B[fd])
(;B[ej]TR[cj]C[This builds a framework on top AND puts some pressure on the white group, and you strengthen your marked stone. Multiple-purpose moves are best.]))
(;B[cl]C[This is a great opportunity to seal in the white group. ]))
(;B[cp]
(;W[bp]
;B[bq]
;W[bn]
;B[bl]
;W[bm]
;B[cl]
;W[ao]
;B[am]
;W[aq]
;B[br]C[White is dead here.])
(;W[bl]
;B[cl]
(;W[bk]
;B[bm]
;W[cm]
;B[bo])
(;W[bm]
;B[cj]
;W[bj]
;B[bi]
;W[ck]
;B[dk]
;W[bk]
;B[di]
;W[bp]
;B[bq]
;W[ao]C[Perhaps they can live, but again, black makes a huge gain in outside influence.
]))))