Hello all. Well, I can't seem to stop taking long breaks from go and then coming back and playing like crazy. (I think some consistency would help me out a lot, but that's for another discussion). I just started playing on the Tygem servers, and people there seem to be stronger than on KGS. I set my rank as 11 kyu, which is roughly my KGS rank, and played a Chinese 11 kyu on Tygem. I am black, he is white. I was obliterated but I enjoyed the game, here it is:



Things I note:
39: was it a mistake to leave the gap in my wall on the right, with W38 right in front?
51: wasted move, I believe
59: misclick, but what can one do? I meant to hane. (I think this would have helped me) (The following invasion was the end for me)
91: abysmal move, I apologize to every human who has ever played go for making this move. I should have played at the key point that my opponent then plays at W92

I am sure it is rife with other terrible mistakes. Please help me see. I am trying to use these games to help guide my study.

Also, the conversation between the Chinese player and I was very fun. He said that he learned weiqi from a TV show, and when I asked him how he become stronger, he said do "live or die" problems every morning, every day. I promised him I would follow his advice. Halfway through he said my Tygem rank should be more like 17 kyu, toward the end of the game he said I deserved 16 kyu rank. (BTW, final question, does anyone know how to change their rank on Tygem? Do I have to make a new account and register it as 16 kyu?)

Thanks to all!

82: He'd dead. There is no reason to short yourself on liberties. One of the most profitable ways of killing something is to take more territory/prisoners with your surrounding groups so that they are alive without having to fill the dead group's liberties. At the end of the game, you just take the dead stones without ever having filled all of their liberties. And you get additional points for all of those unfilled liberties.
Think about this: T10 is your point if his group is dead. If you have to play there to ensure that he is dead, you are costing yourself a point. So just play moves like Q2 and O7 and P10. ( In particular, I'd play P10 here )
There is no need to play around T10 unless he does. When/if he does, then you reply, and it costs you nothing. ( He gives you an extra prisoner, you fill one of your own points. It's a tie, right? )

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Oh my, you're right. I can't believe I didn't see that. I just looked at the shape and my mind yelled: "There is still potential for 2 eyes!" I let him resurrect himself!

Yes - move 83 definitely should have been P10. Yikes. Back to tsumego weight-lifting for me.

Any other nightmarish moves to think about?

Signifier,

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . O . . X . . . O
$$ | . . O . O O X X O . O O O . .
$$ | . . . O X X X O X X X X X X .
$$ | . . X X X O O O O O O O O X .
$$ | . . . 2 1 X X O X 3 7 X O X .
$$ | . . . . 4 . 6 X X 5 . O . . .
$$ +-------------------------------[/go]

From the game, but rotated. To me it seems w lives if he plays at 1.

Ooops! You're right

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Ed and Joaz, as usual, thank you very much for your help. I feel like discussing my games and mistakes on these boards really helps me clarify how to become stronger most efficiently, and your repeated help has been a great asset.

I have decided to not make another thread but to post a new game in this thread. I am again looking for noticeable mistakes, overplays/underplays and other tactical errors, but I was wondering if someone could specifically comment on the early game. What sort of strategic errors am I making? Am I playing less valuable points when there are bigger points on the board? For example, move 15, should it have been near C10 instead? Am I messing up basic strategic themes of attack & defense?

Also, a big invasion starts around move 58. I eventually kill all of his invading stones. In this battle, how did I do? Did I only succeed because he made errors in this battle?



Thank you again to everyone who comments on these threads and helps beginners like me become stronger.

Signifier,

9: Ed is being generous in his comments about move 9. The invasion is not ok. It allows him to build a wall facing his shimari in the lower left.
Running is way better, for exactly the reason he indicates.

15: Q6 is huge. If he then blocks, you hane on top.

31: Again, M8 is big.

57-117: Nice kill

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