Is Kirby really behind as he says he is? He has 20+ points of solid territory. White has lots of probably territory, but not one point that black can't suceessfully invade if he wanted to. There are, of course, consequenses to such invasions.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O 2 1 . 3 . , O . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . |
$$ | . . . , . O . . O , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . O . X O O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Obviously, my opponent's shape on the left is bulletproof, or close enough to not matter. I do have a few weaknesses (the F16 peep is nontrivial, and helps B. This seems like kind of an issue, but I'll just have to do my best to keep E12 weak. Ideally, I would love to make territory (6th line would be nice) while chasing that group, but shape issues that you may be hinting at, like the peep, makes it so that it will not likely be so easy. Regardless, I've made my bed, now it's time to get comfy. The game still seems perfectly playable for both sides, so I intend to do just that.

I want to strengthen my two stones. That's my real intention behind this sequence. I figured the peep was a bit forcing and maybe useful for me. That's why I played it first. If I don't, white might play a move to take it away.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm51 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O O X b . . , O . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . a . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . |
$$ | . . . , . O . . O , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . O . X O O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This seems like the best way I can find to separate black. If I played at 'a', I don't like the amount of hane/crosscut/contact garbage it grants black. Obviously, black can't push and cut immediately, for fear of 7 years bad luck (walking under a ladder? no?) If my opponent plays 'a', I'll probably take 'b', because it seems to give less forcing mvoes than connecting immediately would. I fully expect my opponent will immediately turn to attack my four stones on the left, but my shape is reasonable, so I can jump about as far as he can. There's a chance we may get into a 'nobody dies' situation, in which case I'll try to use forcing moves against his group to get more stones on the outside, either making territory or at least 'transferring' my influence.

This feels a bit aggressive, but maybe I can pressure his stones a bit.

kirby wrote:


Pressure his stones? Those stones are dead. You people have seriously got to start doing more invasions, fighting and, most important of all, killing.

What's wrong with being aggressive. Whittle, hue(correct spelling?), rend, kill, destroy. For goodness sake.

These stones get out with G10

could you post a variation, I don't see it.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm55 I'm looking at (a) If it works, how the HELL do you see stuff like that?
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O O X . . . , O . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O O 4 5 . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . 3 2 . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . 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 knew someone would post such a reply
G10 was the first thing I thought of (honest), and I still can't see the sequence. Aphelion or anyone, please enlighten me.

Oops, I'm an idiot. I totally misread that cut - and I've looked at it for like a minute too!

Possible ko complications? It doesn't look worth it on this board ... but maybe later ...

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm55 Desperation ko
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O O X . . . , O . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O X X 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O O 7 6 . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . 4 5 . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . 2 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . |
$$ | . . . , . O . . O , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . O . X O O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

OTOH ... even if those stones are dead, the aji is quite large, I think ... useless right now, but White might be able to use the aji to make a few reductions in the late middle game ... or maybe I'm hallucinating again ...

OK. B55 then, was huge. 13 pts approx with a single move. I think B is favourable.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm51 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O O X . . . , O . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X 8 7 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 9 6 . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . |
$$ | . . . , . O . . O , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . O . X O O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Oh, crud. I had originally planned this 56, expecting 57 at 58. However, obviously, this doesn't look as good. Honestly, my opponent has enough points that I should probably count and consider resignation. Sorry, not at all pleased with my go, of late. I'm taking this move instead because it's the best sente I'm likely to get out of things.

I have been playing very poorly, lately. My mind is a bit more scattered than usual. Still, I want to get through that type of thinking. Despite feeling weird, I can still at least try to read this local situation.

I think that I have iterated through all possibilities, and have captured his stones here.

As for future plans... I don't know. But at least I think that I should play this move here, at this moment.

Man what a big loss for White.

This is gross, and frustrating. I'm not sure if I have enough to still be really in the game at the moment. I'm almost down to 4k, because I feel like this has been happening every time I play lately. I need to get better at confidence, and also at reading ahead so I don't make huge blunders like 54 (which I assume is why I had to lose D11). I'm going to try to start a fight if I can get or keep sente. R16, or somewhere on the right side seem like my best options. This move is a big reduction on the left. It feels a bit thin, but I feel like I need to be this aggressive.

I've recently dropped in rank heavily as well, and am only just now re-stabilizing. I know how you feel in terms of frustrating ... you just need to relax and take it in stride. We all have our good days and bad days. A bad Go move is unforgiving, sometimes.

This game is in the early stages, though ... who knows what will happen later on?

Yeah, I've been resigning too early, lately. It's partially a result of trying to count better (and thus seeing how far behind, which seems more legitimate), but it's also partially because I'm always really pessimistic in estimating, and I tend to assume that I'm the only one who can make small moves/mistakes/gote.

My goal is straightforward: split white. I want his stones to become weak:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm51 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O O X . . . , O . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . W . W . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . |
$$ | . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . O X X . |
$$ | . . . , . O . . O , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . O . X O O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O O X . . . , O . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . |
$$ | . . . X 3 1 . . . . . . . . . O X X . |
$$ | . . 4 , 2 O . . O , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . O . X O O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This is the best way forwards of fighting that I see that doesn't sacrifice one side or the other utterly.

If you connect, I C4.