i've been tricked!!!
or i guess he was weak 5 dan

Don't worry, they're generous with the ratings there--they're at least one stone weaker than AGA ratings. The owner thinks I'm nearly 2d (I don't agree), I don't know why he handicaps me like I'm 3d. I think my strengths just happen to coincide with his weaknesses. That or he's just leading me on... Plus I've been trying to improve lately, I would like to defend 1d at congress...

The same plan, but delayed one move to get some extra liberties first. This threatens to connect with a monkey jump underneath.

Am I the only one who fears for black? I looks like Araban is getting exactly what he wants with the current exchange. I don't have any variations in mind, but surely black could have gotten a better result. What do the stronger players who aren't playing the game say?

Joaz drew many many useless diag that will never happen...
i understand that he is working very hard to show all the variations...but too much of nothing doesnt really help.
anyway...if black connect two groups with monkey jump... in gote...while white gets influcence in sente... that is really bad for black.
yes i can see the rank difference between two players.
if i was black..i would not try to save that stone...
it is more effective to use them as aji for later.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Move 26
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O X . X . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O O . X . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . X O X . . . X , O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . a O b O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Warning: Bit longer than usual, will try to be more succinct next time.

So...it's the ultimate question: 'a' or 'b'? 'a' essentially surrenders N17 and gives Black roughly 10 points on top. However, the compensation is that it prevents Black playing there in sente and trailing a bit of aji. Furthermore, it is solid and if Black does try to take the stone (which is kind of like bait), then it will only strengthen my outside so I think it's worth less than 10 points. But let's just say it's worth 10 for the sake of discussion. So the question could perhaps be worded: "Should I give up ~10 points to prevent the sente atari from Black?".

I couldn't come to a truly definite conclusion on one or the other. Instead, I decided I was in favor of 'a' over 'b' by about 70%. So I decided to go on random.org and get a random number between 1 - 10. If it was 4 - 10, I would choose 'a', but if it was 1 - 3 I would choose 'b'. The result was , so I chose 'a'.

I think the question requires some pondering, so I hope observers think about this question and offer their thoughts and suggestions (either to each other, or to me ), not only on their answer to this question but also whether they think the question is even correct to begin with! Is my choice too slow? Or is it solid? Is 'b' an overplay? Or is it efficient? These are the sort of questions I had to answer in my head before placing my stone down. I just hope I answered them correctly.

Also, I hope by this point you realized I was just joking about relying on a pseudo/"truly"-random generator to determine my move . I will save my defense on why I chose 'a' over 'b' in my next text analysis (move 40), since it will require plenty of diagrams and a lot of explanations. I know there will be people who disagree with me. I can only hope the people who do aren't the stronger ones .

Second line, the line of champions! (re Joaz's move)

I would have played Araban's b...

a is better in my opinion - solid and leaves less aji. The top is small and unimportant.

I'm not trying to be condescending, but what kind of move is this black descent? It just feels plain wrong to me.

I too would have played 'b' without any thought at all. 'a' seems better after reading all these comments but for me 'b' just seems like a good momentum play .

I'd probably take a here. Solid is good.

My choice would have been 'a', which means that, according to the 'Second Terrian Theory of Correctness', the right answer is probably 'b'.

The reasoning behind makes a seem quite natural to me. seems like something I would play and then feel bad about (sorry Joaz).

I would have played 'a' even before I saw how Araban himself responds ^^

AAHH, why does Joaz try to save useless stones *right after* his opponent spends a move to more or less neutralise them?? Instead of the game move ('a') I would play this black 1 every time. Just the difference between this whole board (albeit a bit loose) black moyo and a white move there seems huge!

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Move 23
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O X . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O O . X . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . X W a . . . X , O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

By the way, if I were white, I would not have played the marked move. Instead, I would have extended at 1; white is pretty solid on the top side anyway. But then again, I know nothing, I'm only 1 kyu...

@daniel_the_smith

Regarding the differences in Joaz's and Sol's understanding of the position I have been struck in general in Malkovich games between the difference in thinking between player's appreciation of the position - the Violence / Magicwand in particular are noteworthy as they seem to be of a similiar strength and the difference comes down to attitude. In this game I tend to feel the difference comes from Sol being a bit stronger and thinking more clearly about the game. I think this is shown by the feeling of observers that Joaz's position is already becoming unfavourable.

It's just that Joaz gets sidetracked alot.

He'll read, but he doesn't have a good goal in mind for the reading.

He will develop sequences based on the wrong direction, valuing the wrong stones, and misunderstanding who gets the better of it.

This is a classic example. "I will threaten to connect under, then do something."

This is based on a premise that your opponent gives a damn, which, as Solch demonstrated, is clearly untrue.

Before you start reading, you have to have a clear understanding of what you want, and what is valuable. Otherwise, your hard effort will be for naught.

As to the question of wether a or b: in a KGS game I would have played b, ready for a fight. When looking longer at it, I also feel that Araban's move is stronger, as it keeps the white stones connected.

Another thing regarding Joaz's play: I do not want to sound foolish giving advice to a much stronger player ... but: I get the feeling Joaz should play some high handicap games (5 or 6 stones) with white. I teaches you to let go of your stones because they are small and it teaches you to appreciate influence, because sometimes it is all you have. Anybody thinks that makes sense?

Arrrggg! I've ben playing really disconected go recently and I don't know why. I suspect that is what the unusually large number of comments is about. You guys are probably speculating "Has Joaz gone around the bend?" or making bets on how soon I will resign.

Well, other than my go game, I'm fine. Oddly enough, I'm playing the best vollyball of my life, playing in tournaments - with players who are mostly young enough to be my children - and winning by lopsided margins.

Will I resign? It is close. I'm down about 20 points with little to show for it. But I'm going to hang in there a while, if for no other reason than to monitor my own thought processes so that I can figure out what I am doing wrong.

BTW any advice on that subject would be appreciated. ( Speculation on cognitive process, not go moves. ) If it does not relate directly to the game, I'd prefer to see it unhidden or in a PM - particularly in a PM if it is strongly critical.

Anyway, back to the game. I'm in for the proverbial penny, so I have to push through, else I have nothing for my troubles.

I'm about 7 stones weaker than you, so anything I say might be totally worthess. But watching this game and your previous games against Sol, sometimes I feel like you are overanalyzing and possibly convincing yourself to play moves you might not in faster settings. Do you feel this is the case? Sometimes in Malkovich games I feel like I have all the right "reasons" on paper to play a move, but there's just that faint sense of unease about an "unnatural looking" move, that often turns out to be correct intuition. I'm starting to feel recently and especially after seeing Magicwand play that this kind of intuition is a major part of strength, and you might be losing it if you overthink the situation in these unlimited time settings.

Edit: Also, there's a specific reason for these comments that has nothing to do with your play. Don't worry about them