I had a long explanation of this move worked out yesterday, but apparently it hasn't been posted - aargh! I hate my internet... Anyway, when I have time I might redo some of the diagrammes; the idea is that if I connect my stones as in the diagramme below, it becomes a tricky ko in which I will probably lose everything. Therefore, I have to capture his two stones and accept that he will squeeze me a little now.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 becomes ko
$$ +-----------------------+
$$ | . . . . . p . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O X O X . |
$$ | . . m . O . O X X . X |
$$ | . . @ . . X X O O X . |
$$ | . . . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | p . . @ 2 . X O O . X |
$$ | . 1 X X O . . B O . O |
$$ | . X @ X O . B X X O . |
$$ | . 3 W O X B . . O . . |
$$ | . 4 O . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . p . . . . . |
$$ +-----------------------+[/go]

:b5: @
this is a +4 variation for me and +3 for black

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Score - B: 45, W: 27
$$ +-----------------------+
$$ | . . . . . p . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O X O X . |
$$ | . . m . O . O X X . X |
$$ | . . @ . . X X O O X . |
$$ | . . 4 3 . X . X . . . |
$$ | p 2 1 @ X . X O O . X |
$$ | . W X X O . . B O . O |
$$ | . X @ X O . B X X O . |
$$ | . . W O X B . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . 6 . . . . . |
$$ +-----------------------+[/go]

It looks like I will lose by around 5 points. (It's hard to say because of the plus points.)
So my hidden move needs to be worth at least 5 points.

I'm really beginning to hate the plus points. The minus points are fun, but the plus points make building the sides a huge pain.
from what I learned from this game the plus points on the edge actually make the center more valuable.
This is counter intuitive, and I kind of misjudged some positions because of that.

explanation:
I think (and thought when we started this game) that losing a stone played at a plus point should lose you the bonus.
That way, if you have a plus point inside your territory, black can only prevent you to get the plus points, not take plus points himself.
I claimed the left and top plus point with this in mind. However as the rules became clear I'm now faced with the fact that black can play both of my plus points in sente. because of this my position is inferior to the black one.

is sente now because of my cutting points. So black gets 5 bonus points, he loses the stone so not point for that, and I have to respond inside my own territory (+6 sente for black). I can not play the plus point anymore so I lose 5 bonus points -1 stone inside my teritory (I lose 4 point gote option) so I count this as an 8 point loss for white.

If losing the stone lost you the bonus points move would in sente remove a 4 point gote move.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Score - B: 45, W: 27
$$ +-----------------------+
$$ | . . . . . p . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O X O X . |
$$ | . . m 2 O . O X X . X |
$$ | . . @ 1 . X X O O X . |
$$ | . . O X . X . X . . . |
$$ | 3 O X X X . X O O . X |
$$ | . W X X O . . B O . O |
$$ | . X @ X O . B X X O . |
$$ | . . W O X B . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ +-----------------------+[/go]

similar thing at the top plus point. also sente for black.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Score - B: 45, W: 27
$$ +-----------------------+
$$ | . . . . 6 1 2 5 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 4 O X O X . |
$$ | . . m O O 3 O X X . X |
$$ | . . @ X . X X O O X . |
$$ | . O O X . X . X . . . |
$$ | X O X X X . X O O . X |
$$ | . W X X O . . B O . O |
$$ | . X @ X O . B X X O . |
$$ | . . W O X B . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ +-----------------------+[/go]

Those two variation with the rules as they are cost me almost 10 points compared the the rules as I thought they were.

If I play another batoo game I'm going to change my play and focus more on the center. this allows me to later in the game mess around by playing the plus points inside my opponents territory taking points away for it.

as explained previously

not much thoughts this time. only move

I need some point so like I explained earlier I'm taking this plus point.
this one has some territory potential as well. the others don't.

Again, his move surprises me somewhat. Sure, a plus point is 10 points miai value, plus a little extra from the monkey jump. But my connection here takes away tons of hidden move aji for him, and it's also simply quite big (~8 points miai value?). I'm ahead by a few points now, and there's not that much he can do with a hidden move any more. The remaining plus points are miai now: this means if he takes one, I take the other.

I would have expected black to play more sente moves first ending with this sequence.
(he could have played both plus points as well as H2 in sente)

Now I get to remove some problems on the bottom. this move is actually quite a few points, because it connects my groups together.
also removing the aji of the B4 stone.

If black plays it out correctly black wins by 16 points. There is no way to make up for that by using my hidden move.
On the board I win by 14 points giving 7 komi would mean I win by 7 points had this been regular Go.
a 24 point difference due to the extra rules of Batoo is HUGE. Apparently the Batoo rules have quite a big impact on the game.

I'm definitely going to play completely different if I play another game of Batoo.
This was a nice game to see how the special aspects of batoo influence the game.
I focused too much on normal Go and did not use the Batoo aspects of the game as well as my opponent did.

There are times when you need to think long and hard, and times when you don't. This is a plus point in sente (if white doesn't answer, it loses him about 15 points...). If white answers, I get the other plus point as well, and I will have a comfortable lead. Him still having the hidden move is of course a bit unnerving, but I am so solidly connected, I don't see him making any big upsets with it.

I have the feeling that this game is over. Let's see if he can manage to pull something off.

only move

if he takes the other plus point next I'll resign.

hmmm just thought I might try a really nasty hidden move.
even though I failed at using it effectively, I can still play it so I get some feedback (can read his hidden text at the end) to get some more feeling for using it if i play another game of batoo

He will have to answer this move, otherwise he loses two stones. But he cannot block, otherwise I still capture everything:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 ... and white weeps...
$$ +-----------------------+
$$ | . . . . 6 1 2 . . . . |
$$ | . . . 7 5 4 O X O X . |
$$ | . . m . O 3 O X X . X |
$$ | . . @ . . X X . . X . |
$$ | . O O X . X . X X . . |
$$ | X O X X X . X O O X X |
$$ | . O X X O . . B O O O |
$$ | . X @ X O . B X X O . |
$$ | . . W O X B . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . O . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ +-----------------------+[/go]

Meanwhile, my lead is growing and growing and growing

I'm really curious how Laurens judges the game in his comments, and how much he's looking at sneaky ways to get back... I'm actually somewhat surprised that he didn't use his hidden move yet - and now it might be too late to do that, because I am very solid everywhere.

like I wrote in my previous post I was about to resign now,
but i want to try out my hidden move to at least have used all aspects of this batoo game.
so I played it now, instead of resigning.

Hmmm... I wonder where he played his hidden move, this looks like a deed of desperation. Somewhere around 'a' looks to be the only real ko threat he has, but I don't think he played there. It's simply too small even after he follows up. There's not really anything in the 'b' area either, unless I blunder. And a move around 'c' will just die after the move I played. Well, I'll just play the obviously biggest endgame, and I'll find out what plan he has in mind here soon enough I suppose...

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Hidden move choices
$$ +-----------------------+
$$ | . . . . . X . c . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O X O X . |
$$ | . . m . O . O X X . X |
$$ | . . @ . . X X . . X . |
$$ | . O O X . X . X X a a |
$$ | X O X X X . X O O X X |
$$ | . O X X O b . B O O O |
$$ | . X @ X O . B X X O . |
$$ | . . W O X B . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . O . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ +-----------------------+[/go]

By the way, if I can capture these two stones, I will only connect everything throughout the rest of the game. I have 31 points more than he does, and on the board I'm only about 5-10 points behind (not counting his hidden move of course). Should be enough, so there is no need to gain anything at all from endgame.

now we just have to play the last few endgame moves.
not much special anymore
except maybe.... my hidden move

not much to tell.
blocking here is big, else white walks into my territory.

My guess for the hidden move:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Score - B: 61, W: 30
$$ +-----------------------+
$$ | . . . . W X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X O X O X . |
$$ | . . m . O X O X X . X |
$$ | . . @ . . X X . . X . |
$$ | . O O X . X . X X . . |
$$ | X O X X X . X O O X X |
$$ | . O X X O . 0 B O O O |
$$ | . X @ X O . B X X O . |
$$ | . . O O X B . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . O . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ +-----------------------+[/go]

The main purpose of this move is not really to play endgame, but to make yet another eye for my group, as shown below. With this hidden move still waiting for me somewhere, I can never be careful enough. To make it even more painful for white, it looks like sente for me. And no, it is not necessary to be tricky and try to force him to play the minus point. I have enough.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 The plan
$$ +-----------------------+
$$ | . . . . O X . . . . . |
$$ | . . 4 . O X O X O X . |
$$ | . . m 2 O X O X X . X |
$$ | . . @ 1 3 X X . . X . |
$$ | . O O X . X . X X . . |
$$ | X O X X X . X O O X X |
$$ | . O X X O . . B O O O |
$$ | . X @ X O . B X X O . |
$$ | . . O O X B . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . O . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ +-----------------------+[/go]