I wanted to take the last big spot and thought of N4. But it seems relatively open to invasion and black can approach the formation with H3, digging under my stones, if I dont' defend. And if I do he still can do things to my 'territory'. So I dismissed that one and thought of It takes away black's approach and invites black to invade, which hopefully is good for me. I'm very unsure about this move, as it's very close to black's strength and somewhat overconcentrated, I'd say, but still I wanna try it.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bm31
$$ -----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . |
$$ | . . 4 . . O . . . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | . X . O . . . . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . X X , . . . . . O . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Yes, urgent before big. I wonder if is bigger --
if at (a), then ponnuki in sente at (b); and B still has a weakness at (c):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W
$$ -----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . |
$$ | . . a . . O . . . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | . X . O . . . . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X 1 . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . X X b . . . . . O . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Alright ... I still want to get R7 sometime soon, but I also want to make sure my corner can still get out into the center (don't get surrounded, right?) ... so, I'll finally extend here. White has 3 stones floating at C5 now and won't make much territory with them. His bottom still ahs a couple invasion points at M3 and J3, if I need them (I hope not to need them, but who knows?).

This is the point in my games where I am more lost than I'd like to be. Big points have mostly been played, and an overall plan should be forming. I'm not very good at plans.

It seems to me that this is a good time to jump in here. I have space enough to wreak havoc on the bottom, and it's about time I started to reduce/invade this area.

Trying to make him heavy and push him towards my strength, the shimari.

Trying to make B heavy is OK, but B may not comply.
If B does extend up, W still has a weakness at H3.

Also, the shimari is not exactly "strength" — it's not weak, either —
it's not even cash yet.

Later, B has this kind of annoying thing:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ -----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . . . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | . X . O . . . . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X . 3 . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . X X , . . . . . O . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . O . . . W X . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Only move, I think. I expect he might squeeze me with O3. H3 and K5 both seem interesting points to continue with if he does so. If he doesn't squeeze me, I can try P3 or Q2.

Keeping pressure on black while helping my stones on the left a bit.
I looked at one point to the right of , but if he plays on L5 then he can split my stones.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bm41
$$ -----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . . . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | . X . O . . . . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . . . . . . b . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . X X , . . . . . O . 1 . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . O . . . O X . a . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

Not sure if is the only move, but it's certainly a first feeling.
But (a) is too soft -- B would be very happy to jump to (b), etc.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ -----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . . . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | . X . O . . . . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . b 2 a . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . . . . . W 1 3 . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . X X , . . . . . O . X . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . O . . . O X . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------[/go]

Possible continuation. Then W can choose between push (a) or connect (b).

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm41
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . . . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | . X . O . . . . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . . . . . O C . . . . C . . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . . . . . . 3 . O . . |
$$ | . X X , . . . . . O . X . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . O . . . O X . . C O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

looks like a flexible point, aiming at any of the points.

I think I'll probe here and see what he does. There are a number of options available to him, and I can respond based on that.

I don't want to give him the possibility of a cross-cut with P2 because of the forcing moves he'd then have.

I now have the option to live in the corner with a tripod shape. I'll just leave that there for now and see if I can move out with my iron pillar. There's still some aji at H3 I can exploit, and I think Q2 might haunt my opponent's mind a bit, too.

Attaching to try and gain some strength (that's the theory, right?) ...

I don't want him to get out too easily.
I'm not sure if black can live in the color starting with R3, but it's not a priority now to do something there.

Building a heavy group ... something might have gone wrong here ...