He took longer to respond to my last move. Maybe he was just relaxing, but maybe that also means that he was planning. I had better do so, too.

I think I can turn this into a result where I come out ahead...

But it's break time for me.

I'll try to write more explanation in future posts. When Magicwand responds immediately, I always feel like playing immediately, too. I will slow down and explain my thoughts more.

Never peep a niken tobi! Black's shape was thin here, now White releases Black of this burden. It seems that Black will get to defend on the top after all.

Perhaps he was drunk. I hear you lose a stone worth of reading ability per beer

The three white stones look weak to me and White has to do something about it. The peep does not lose sente and strengthens them a bit. What would be your proposal for White instead? Tenuki or play something different locally?

Things are a bit complicated, but I think that I have to block here. I have three potentially weak groups. His group on the right isn't that strong, though. Also, I might be able to make his top right weak as well.

It will be complicated, but I should be able to live with everything. I need to start with this, though. I cannot think of another feasible option.

That the white group on the right is so weak is mainly due to White playing in the centre instead of simply defending here.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . C . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . O . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . O X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

However, let's not dwell in the past.

One thing to keep in mind is that the white group in the top right currently is not too weak, as it can live anytime. However, one should take care that it does not get enclosed without time to defend. The group on the right side also has such points as S6 and R10 to make some rudimentary shape. Again, getting enclosed would be very bad. You can see how splitting such almost-alive groups makes things quite unpleasant for their owner.

I think that White should have played something like this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . X O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . a X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . X . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , O . . W . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . X O . . . X O . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . X . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . X O . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . O . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . O X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Note the threat at 'a'. Depending on how Black answers, White would then have to look after one or the other group. It is complicated, but that happens when you do not help your weak stones.

One more thing:


I would say that most bad moves are sente. This is a huge category, especially for typical "kyu mistakes". The problem is that the answer is worth more, sometimes even much more than the "sente move". One could trace this kind of error back to a lack of understanding of the first Go rule: "Both players alternate moves, playing one stone on their turn."

Note that I do not say that sente is bad; it is just that sente is no excuse at all for a bad move.

**SpongeBob goes away to meditate on this**

I can hear people saying that this is a bad move already... But I don't like to play by proverbs - I like to play in a practical way that I understand...

Anyway, I see that I have two options:

1.) I could tenuki the bottom right. I keep trying to read a way to live, but I am not so sure that I can right now... So doing tenuki altogether will probably kill me.

2.) I can live in the bottom right.

In either case, I would like to prevent white from sliding in. But I'd like to do it in sente. For example, if I play like this, white can slide in at "a" when he wants to:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . X O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . X . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . X O . . . X O . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . X . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . X O . . . . . X . a . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . O . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . O X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . B . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

So I'd like to have the move I chose in the game in, in sente. But if I don't play this now, I don't think it will be very sente.

White might ignore later...

So I want to play this now. Based on how he responds, I will see if I can tenuki from the bottom right... I'll probably have to play another move in the bottom right, though.

I don't think I can tenuki. I do not know how to respond to this move by white:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . B X O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . X . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . X O . . . X O . O O . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . X . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . X O . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . O . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . O X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

So, I will play there myself.

His group is basically alive, but I must keep pressure on it to help my weak group.

I still think Kirby is going to win this one. But I am beginning to wonder if perhaps Magicwand doesn't try very hard on KGS if he is only 3d there...

I think I need to make my group safe. I thought of a few alternatives, such as the connections at "a" and "b":

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . X X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X X O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . b . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . X . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . X O . . . X O . O O . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . X . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . X O . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . O . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . O X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

But while I may be able to bring my group to immediate safety, I am being too passive, and he can still attack my center group easily.

With the move I played, I keep him sealed in more, while simultaneously helping my groups. I think that it is the way to go.

Don't really like the last few moves that Kirby made, I think this way is better:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . 2 X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . 4 X O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . X . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . X O . . . X O . O O . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . . X . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . X O . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . . O . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . X . O X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This way, White is still not alive and Black gets the corner while sealing White in. Simple, yet clearly more effective than the route Black chose. The extension of P16 he made becomes instantly low in value after W gets R18.