Hi reader,

I want to give a little context for this game:

It seems fairly obvious that failing to run out with the big group in the middle was one of the key reasons I lost this game. However, I've lately been in a slump where it feels like I'm playing too slowly and/or passively in the early and middle game and then playing catch-up with my opponent. This is especially true when I'm playing white (go figure ). Hopefully, that helps to explain some of my questionable choices, such as approaching with instead of taking the corner.

In light of this, if you could give any advice that would help me address this problem I would be very happy.

I'm not doing a full review, but connecting directly with :W62: is sub-optimal shape. Because of the White stone at J13, you will already have a tigerss mouth on one side of the cut if he pushes through, so you only need to worry about the other side. J9, J10, or maybe even H9 (since the ladder works) all produce better results.

The proverb says "only a fool fails to protect against a peep," but there are sometimes more than one way to protect a peep. It is a good idea to pause a minute and see if there is a better way to handle it than the obvious.

Some comments:


As you noted, handling that white dragon was a lot of the pain in this game, but as the proverb says, "big dragons never die". Killing a big group is very very difficult and requires a lot of support. There were lots of weaknesses in black's position that could have been exploited with a bit of careful reading and better shape.

Thank you very much for your time!

I was feeling a bit abashed about this game after losing such a big group but now I'm glad I posted. It's pleasing to know I was moving in a workable direction, even if my execution leaves much to be desired.

You both have given me much to consider with regard to shape in a fight. I see now that there were many of my moves that made my stones heavy without attacking black or escaping. My priorities were off but I will focus my study on that area in the future.

Question for skydyr:

Cheers!

H2 is a possibility. You could also consider G3 to split or build a lot of influence in sente, but make sure you read it as there are a few connection tesujis you may need to know.

Should not w12 be q4?

If white feels the need to punish directly, and is confident that he can read it out, yes. Punishing this can lead to quite complicated fighting, though, so it might not be the best decision if you're unsure about your ability to carry it out successfully.