Need serious advice for fending off/countering attacks.....

Linokai · #1

Chew Terr · #2

I don't have time to go for a full review, but there are two basic guidelines that I can suggest, from glancing at the game.

First, if your opponent plays in the general vicinity of your stones, consider if it's worth responding. Your opponent's first few moves are in the top right, but you don't actually play support for the top right stone until much later. It's not necessary to, but do keep in mind that if you're outnumbered in a fight, it's hard to come out with a great result.

Second, and more importantly: when in a fight, and considering a move: contemplate which direction it will 'push' your opponent's group. If my opponent's two choices are to flee left or right, I can make the decision by blocking one side.

For example move 14, you push the white stone down. That makes your opponent finish surrounding Q7, effectively killing it remotely. As an alternative, you could have played R6, forcing your opponent to flee into your bottom right star point, which kills it with a ladder after you play at P5.

This second guideline is particularly obvious in ataris, but extends beyond that. For example, if you want to attack a group, consider which way it will be fleeing. If blocking one way would make it flee towards a weak group of yours, don't do that unless you have a plan for how to handle it. However, if you can slam his group into a wall of your own, he's going to be scrambling to survive.

As a further extension on this, you can then consider the following: assume you can't kill your opponent's group. Killing can be really hard to do, especially early, when there is plenty of board to flee to. If you execute an attack from one side, where will the group go? In turn, where will YOUR stones end up? Can you figure out an attack such that you will be roping off territory while you attack, even if you don't kill? This is kind of advanced, and hard to do (I have a hard time not just aiming for murder), but it's one thing to try to keep in mind as you're learning.

A few non-guideline comments: Moves like 34 and 36 are very small compared to things like defending S15. Your opponent can kill S15 with a single stone, more than making up the points you are threatening to reduce. Also, consider sacrificing stones instead of trying to save every stone. Ask yourself, "Does this stone make territory for me or does it keep two weak opponent groups separate?" If the answer to both is 'not really', then you should start thinking of the stone as insignificant. By doing this, you'll be playing elsewhere, getting big moves in exchange for small stones.

Dusk Eagle · #3

Here's a few suggestions. Overall, you sometimes had some stones which were overextended, making them quite weak (such as at move 47, 52, 72, and 136). Also, some of your early moves were simply endgame, and were too small to be played at the point you played them (as I've noted in the file). In your next game, try to avoid making moves which leave your shape too weak. This is quite tough to do; it takes experience. But it makes it a lot harder for your opponent to attack you, and if you have a strong position and he doesn't, attacking him becomes natural. Also, try to avoid playing endgame moves before the endgame (this is a bit easier to do than the first thing).

Puppycakes · #4

Things to think about

1. Try to keep your stones as connected as possible while disconnecting his.
2. Don't attack by attaching. This tends to strengthen opponent stones.
3. Learn to differentiate useful stones and those that aren't.

Useful stones:
1. Make territory.
2. Give influence.
3. Keep him from taking a giant territory in the form of an invasion or reduction.
4. Are cutting stones.

Non-useful stones:
1. Are those that are plastered to enemy walls.
2. That will never make any territory and that your opponent doesn't gain that much by capturing them.

I hope this is helpful.

Need serious advice for fending off/countering attacks.....

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