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My Play Has Been Poor Lately
http://www.lifein19x19.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=506		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Dusk Eagle [ Tue May 11, 2010 8:15 pm ]
Post subject:  My Play Has Been Poor Lately
Lately I've been playing very poorly and losing a lot of my games. Sometimes I'll make some really stupid, fatal error straight away, but more often than not I'll be ahead in the beginning but will see my advantage disappear as the game goes on. This game basically epitomizes that trend. I would really appreciate some help in seeing what I could do better, as it is frustrating knowing that I once could play better than this.

P.S. Move 108 was particularly stupid, I know, but I certainly did more wrong than that.


Thanks for any help you can offer!
Author:  topazg [ Wed May 12, 2010 2:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My Play Has Been Poor Lately
I'd have probably played the lower right approach high at P4 at move 30 - it feels like it makes a better position for fighting with your thickness.

34 I'm certain should be at P7. Either you get to bend around Black's corner, or pick how you attack the bottom stone. Here, I think you just made lots of running groups, whereas I'd have been tempted to press down his N4 stone, starting with M5.

I don't like move 60. It seems to ask Black to walk down the left, making short work of your thickness. I'd play D13, making miai of D10 and E16 as White here.

By Move 69, White doesn't feel favourable to me - not really bad either, but it doesn't feel like White's built up a big lead. The walls that could have become powerful are largely neutralised by Black thickness elsewhere. The left hand side (see move 60 comment) feels too nice to Black, and his N6 wall (see move 34 comment) feel too generous also.

Move 74 must be at J14 surely?

Move 78 seems slack. You are playing purely to disconnect. But if he lives below your disconnecting stones are just heavy, and your thickness in the lower left has gone. E10 here feels much better.

You probably had sensed things weren't going well when you played 110, but the lower middle looks urgent. If Black gets J6 then L6 next, that middle could become very large.

Just my gut feelings from a quick playthrough :)
Author:  Harleqin [ Wed May 12, 2010 3:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My Play Has Been Poor Lately
:w6: blocks from the wrong side.
Author:  Magicwand [ Wed May 12, 2010 4:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My Play Has Been Poor Lately
Harleqin wrote:
:w6: blocks from the wrong side.


you must be kidding.
wrong side? for what reason???
Author:  topazg [ Wed May 12, 2010 4:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My Play Has Been Poor Lately
Magicwand wrote:
Harleqin wrote:
:w6: blocks from the wrong side.


you must be kidding.
wrong side? for what reason???


R4 is aiming to develop along the bottom side, so building a wall facing that does make sense - I agree with Harleqin now he's said it, but I hadn't noticed on my play through at all :(
Author:  Magicwand [ Wed May 12, 2010 5:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My Play Has Been Poor Lately
50: should be R7
you must stop playing moves like 42 or 78. that shape is 99% bad moves.
you played very weak kyu player. you should never lose to him.
try avoiding aji keshi. you have way too many moves that are aji keshi.
Author:  Joaz Banbeck [ Wed May 12, 2010 5:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My Play Has Been Poor Lately
6: It is a minor thing, but blocking the other way should be theoretically better, for there is one more space on the bottom than on the side.

34: I think that this should be at R2.
If we step back and look at the whole board, we can see that you have already given up 25+ points in return for influence. You eventually have to convert that influnce into points of your own by attacking something.
You have the beginnings of a splitting attack. You have to keep your targets from getting eyespace.

44-50: This sequence is aji keshi. If you can't kill, save them all for ko threats.

58: You must hane here. You have two targets, and you have forced one of them to get eyespace in th corner. You have to attack the other. Otherwise your walls are going to become useless. O11 is a dominating stone now.

70: This may be your last chance to use your walls. L16 or K16 starts a more vigorous attack. ( Note how different this would be if O11 were white. )

74: Looks ok to me. Perhaps Topazg's J14 is a typo. I think he meant move 72.

78: Yes, it is slack. I'd prefer D10. It puts more pressure on the stone to the south.
As for the stones to the north: remember, contact moves are usually defender's moves. You would do better to build strength on the side by chasing the black group on the lower side, the come back with B14 and B19.

102: I like the spirit of this move.


Summary: Black's two early corner invasions were terrible, and by move 28 you had a won game. Your walls were worth way more than the territory that he got in return. But you let him neutralize your walls bit by bit, and by move 100 he was fighting on equal terms in the middle.
To use walls you must keep the position fluid and uncertain. Keep him from having eyes. Start running fights and struggle to stay ahead. Hane whenever possible. Split whatever you can. Sooner or later something will splatter against your wall and die.
Author:  topazg [ Wed May 12, 2010 5:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My Play Has Been Poor Lately
Joaz Banbeck wrote:
74: Looks ok to me. Perhaps Topazg's J14 is a typo.


Hehe, nope, I promise!

I think the extension does almost nothing. The hane increases the danger of the miai second line connection points, and strongly wins the race to get ahead. If White can start the process of sealing Black in then shoulder hits like D12 start to develop the middle in a big way. White needs to start generating a big framework for Black to invade, or what is the thickness going to do?
Author:  Joaz Banbeck [ Wed May 12, 2010 6:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My Play Has Been Poor Lately
The hane is a great move at 72. :D
Author:  Harleqin [ Wed May 12, 2010 7:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My Play Has Been Poor Lately
If you look at the situation after :w28: and compare the upper and the lower side, I hope you will agree that the direction of :w6: is not of minor importance.
Author:  topazg [ Wed May 12, 2010 7:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My Play Has Been Poor Lately
Joaz Banbeck wrote:
The hane is a great move at 72. :D


Hahaha, ermmm, yeah, oops, that's the one :D
Author:  Dusk Eagle [ Wed May 12, 2010 1:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My Play Has Been Poor Lately
Thanks for all the help guys. I'll try to apply this to my future games, especially Magicwand and Joaz's comments about aji keshi. Now that I think of it, I am often trying to play a situation all the way out right away, which is not a good idea. I'll keep all this in mind :D
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