There is no hurry to play anywhere around the ko area.

Not too happy about my position right now, but we'll see if I can manage it. This move secures the bottom group, now I just need to somehow deal with my middle group.

I now feel very confused with the kos. How can I valuation if it worths to play or not. And White move at 41 is perfect shape. Is then move 40 too slow?

If you *had* to play black 10 and also 30 (say you'd reached a similar position against a seven dan in a handicap game), where would you? (short sequence appreciated). (Alternately, whether you felt it was an appropriate punishment for a preceding mistake (eg. you would have preferred 8 @K17, as you said)).

Also, I only just noticed your 1000th post, pretty quality stuff.

I feel like Psychee forgot about the giant leftern moyo, which has been in place since . However I don't feel strong enough to comment myself on how black's play in the bottom right/right should have taken that into account (just in case someone else wants to take up that cross).

Sometimes it's better to play at O7 rather than capture, but I think here this move is better (it leaves me a bunch of possible ataries on his stones). If I were him, my next move would be N7.

I would have played just like he did, but I like the result white got on the top side (considering black started with control of both the top corners), though I feel I somehow could have done slightly better, run-on sentence ftw. That's why I would have preferred as black to play at K17.

Regarding , I don't normally consider playing a move like Q9 when I have a stone like Q6, but I didn't say it was bad. This result on the right actually seems pretty good for him right now, though whether that's because is great or because of an error on my part (such as ) is hard for me to say.

To be honest, I'm not sure what I would have done if I was black at move 30. I would find it rather awkward to handle, which is the reason I played in the first place.

The reason I left no comment for is that I couldn't properly justify it, but I didn't want to talk myself out of playing it .

To connect which side, I'll think about it later...

And I should have played P3 first after he strengthened his group... Seems i lost on timing.

No choice here. I'm kind of surprised he avoided the ko throughout this whole sequence - it seems to me that fighting the ko could have been quite favorable for him.

Oh, this is just such an headache ...

Too many cuts.

Someone sent me a message this morning, in which he mentioned this game saying I was ahead. And I don't believe so .

Just a note for myself: I want S15, I want P3, I want R10....

Hmm. In my judgment, that last move was a mistake. I would have connected on the other side. He may have feared the push-and-cut variation starting at , but after I think I lose.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . . O . . O O X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . X X . . , O X . X . X . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . . O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . 3 X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 X O X 9 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 X O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 6 4 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 X 5 . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . O . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

But in the actual game, I believe I can cut through him, so that's what I'm doing. I don't want to connect along the second line to my top-right group unless/until I absolutely have to. If he ends up letting this group live on its own, than a second-line connection would be redundant.

Currently, I don't see any very good variations for him, so I'm starting to feel pretty good about the game again. Let's see what he has in mind.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . . O . . O O X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . X X . . , O X . X . X . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . . O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 X O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1 3 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 5 . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . O . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm1 at
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . . O . . O O X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . X X . . , O X . X . X . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . . O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3 B O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 7 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . O . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

s'funny, I rather liked that block side:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm47 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . . O . . O O X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . X X . . , O X . X . X . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . 4 . O X . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . . O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 X O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . O . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I would consider this connect is necessary. Play at N6 in this situation is not considerable.

My aims are:

1. build a strong wall towards center.
2. make sure my corner lives.
3. prevent his group from connecting.

Maybe this is best for him:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . . O . . O O X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . X X . . , O X . X . X . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . . O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 O O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X a . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . O . 1 . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . O . . 3 O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

It's hard to say for sure, but this result seems better than straight connecting at either or 'a' for .

Reading is my weakest part.

Here, to seal black in doesn't work well if two black group connects. So still try to separate them.

Will white nobi at P3?

This is fine for me. I still have many ways to reduce his corner later.

I'd write more, but I really didn't know what else to say right now.

Let's look at the play at N6 that Psychee rejects...

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . . O . . O O X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . X X . . , O X . X . X . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . . O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 B O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 O 6 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . O . 7 . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

at the marked stone
I think this is more or less the normal expectation. Black has achieved the aim of separating the White groups and building strength in the center. From here the players have to resolve the corner. Objectively White has weaknesses on both sides so Black should not fear the fight. On the other hand, this is a four-stone game so Black may well not be confident of surviving disaster in the corner. However, the first step to becoming stronger is not to dismiss N6 unless one has analyzed at least this far.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . . O . . O O X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . X X . . , O X . X . X . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . . O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . 2 . O O O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . O . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . O . . 1 O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

After , I'll probably have to take gote with , which gives him another move on the left. That's rather dissatisfying, but what can I do about it?

I think I've caught up somewhat from the four-stone handicap, but will I really have enough at the end? I think I'll need to be quite aggressive and greedy from now to pull the game so that it's close enough for me to hopefully catch up in endgame.

huh --- nothing to comment

Ok, he's out. Now need to solidly reduce the aji in the corner. Even though O12 is big.

He earned a move at S16 in the fight