He gets sente, but I'm glad to have gotten the marked stone in:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm31 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , O . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . O . X O O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I'm taking a bit of a risk here, not solidly killing O3, and leaving some aji in the top left. However, this is such a huge area of the board that I feel like I probably ought to take it. Obviously it works with my wall to the right, if my wall isn't punished too harshly. I imagine that Kirby will either extend up the left to continue taking massive amounts of points, or he will shoulder hit M3 as a reduction, or he will try to escape with O3. If he plays on the left, I will work on building the bottom. If he shoulder hits, I will probably try to use it to remove the aji of O3. If he activates O3, I will try to chase and keep him weak, ideally while claiming points on bottom.

actually, this common shape is usually considered strong enough so that you don't have to immediately remove black stone's aji, so i wouldn't worry about white's wall very much

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B31 Diagram 48-1
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ . . O . X O O X . . |
$$ . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------[/go]

I almost prefer white's position right now. I suppose that means I need to think a bit more about a good comeback strategy.

I can't think of a good alternative at this stage in the game...

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . O X O X . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . O O X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . W . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Are you not worried about a ladder breaker; . It might be a good reason for the variation you played.

This seems to be the best way I can find to relate to both the stone on the left and my wall to the right. I feel a little behind, because my opponent has a lot of fairly solid territory. There are some invasion and reduction points, but obviously I can't hit them all. I still most want to play in the top left, I think, though my opponent has sente and gets first dibs...

I thought he was going to play a more moyo-oriented move. Maybe jump up one space or something like that. With the move he played, I feel like I have time to patch up a shape that's been bugging me a lot.

If he doesn't respond, I get more cash.

Here, I feel like Bill would tell me that if a wall is truly thick, it can ignore small pressures against it. As a result, I'm going to try to take sente to press back. If black ataris my stone at C18, I can atari at D12, and be glad of it. If he responds, then this move was good sente (seemingly not burning too worthy of aji), and I can look at other areas. I'm considering either a shoulder hit on the left low stone or a move at one of the several boudaries of frameworks. F7 or O13 look particularly juicy, as they're glancing at some fairly reasonable invasions. For example, after O13, I have R16, which I can follow up with R13. That'll need some more reading (as always), but it looks like it might have potential.

I think it's consistent to respond locally... Though I don't really like it.

On a conference call, so I can't comment too fully. However, I just like this too well to pass on. I have influence above and below, and this gives me some options on the left. Or rather, it gives Kirby some options about what to give me. Either he tries to fight it and makes his cutting stones heavy (in which case I'll try to get some territory from chasing), he can wall me out of the left, in which case I may get to expand with something like E7/F7, or he can build the bottom left, in which case I split and reduce the left side. I expect C11 next, as it threatens to cut off my stones, saving his cutting stones, but I'm willing to leave that aji and connect afterwards, in order to get 48 where it is. 48 gets me a bit further south, helping me build the wall I want. I kind of feel like my opponent should have kept simple, instead of taking the double-hane.

How do you feel about your shape compared to your opponent's shape (i.e. the two groups that are now locked in battle)? What do you see your self gaining from the fight?

What's your plan next? How are you gonna deal with all that center influence?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm41 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , O . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . 5 X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . a . 4 3 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 6 . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X . 8 . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . |
$$ | . . . , . O . . O , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . O . X O O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I think 46 is better shape as it threatens a or b later. It's not good aji for black's lower left group.

I think Chew has the advantage in the fight here. But I didn't want to respond passively to his last move, because I feel like I am behind anyway.

So I don't really know how he plans to attack me, but I've got to fight through it in order to come back in this game, I think.