I considered cutting or clamping first, but I don't see a neat way to play afterwards and would prefer if black has to protect after (since there's no really great ways to protect that I can see).

Not much choice here. I briefly considered the connect, but removing one more liberty from that group is not really useful, and with the bamboo I have a stronger shape on outside.

One thing that bothers me for several moves now is how big a move at L4 is. It seems liek the 4 white stones have to run into the center then, which makes a total of 2 white groups running into the center. Sounds liek a good possibility for a splitting attack ?

I might be too optimistic in the strength of the bamboo group, but it doesn't look like it can be killed. This capture is very big because now I don't have to give up R3 if black plays atari and the cut at C7 is becoming more dangerous. If I don't play this capture, black might tiger mouth instead and while F5 will probably be my sente the solidarity of the groups in the area changes completely.

Of course, the danger is that my top group might get killed, but I don't see a very harsh attack because I can either run out or have base locally due to G17 possibility?

No real good attacking move. I'll take more territory, I'm ahead.

Probe to see whether black will hane or capture.

Ed'll love me:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm101 Prisoners: B-2 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . W X . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X B B . O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . O . X . . W . O X X X . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O O X . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . X . . . X O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . X O O O X . O X X O . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O . X O X O . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . X O X O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . X , . . X O . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . X . O . O . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . X . . X O . . |
$$ | . O X . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . |
$$ | . O . X . . . O . X . O . . X . X O . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . O . . . O X X X O . |
$$ | . . O X . . O O O X . O . X O X O . . |
$$ | . O X X . . X X X O O . . . O O . . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This has got to be a good example of a bad exchange with this broken shape? Surely just would have been better?

I thought perhaps black would have pushed up at F16 instead, but I guess he didn't like the aji that remains after. Here I'm not really planning to get much in centre, I just want to connect my group in sente.

As someone who know's shaddy's style as well as anyone, I feel that illuck hasn't played this match correctly. You need to call shaddy out when he plays ... ambitiously. If you follow him around the board, he'll end you. I haven't seen enough aggressive play by illuck. (note that I am well and truly on the booze side of the force right now, so I can't edit this beyond spelling/grammar to make any sense ...