By responding to the approach on the bottom right, I feel I'm in danger of being a little too standard. My fear is that by responding to the approach, I will fall into a joseki and just give up sente; in this case, I have sente and can use this move to see what Black will do. In response to that, I can spoil it to my liking. Because of the 5-4 approach black chose, and the 4-4 stone in the upper right, it's hard for Black to settle either corner to his liking with one additional stone. In essence, I feel that the tempo is worth more than the next move in any particular location.
This is a handicap game, so I feel I have to maintain a little more aggressiveness than is comfortable for me until I feel that the advantage has been lost; the top left went a way toward that goal, but I need to provide my opponent with the possibility of mistakes. For that, I will seek complication. If I get it, and come out well enough, I can settle into my own more natural patient (passive) game.
Posts: 2495 Location: DC Liked others: 157 Was liked: 443
Universal go server handle: skydyr
Online playing schedule: When my wife is out.
Continuing with my analysis, one of the issues with a pincer in the top right is that it seems to be an all-out strategy, banking on influence to win a game where black has no solid territory and white has all four corners. I'm leery of my ability to seal off the center sufficiently to accomplish this.
Any extension or other reinforcing move for the corner, though, is giving white a base on the side, so it's critical that black takes into account the lower right and has a plan concerning it before moving in the top right.
The tsuke-osae or attach-block seems promising at first, giving black a solid position on the right and securing the corner, but it activates the cut aji to some degree for white since the ladder no longer works. This is one way the cut could play out. I think black could profit well in the running fight with territory on the left side, and it looks like it kills a lot of white's potential on the bottom.
This cut clearly doesn't work out directly for white because his liberties are too short. Black could continue by solidifying the upper left and reducing the bottom through attacking. There is a lot of aji here though.
Perhaps white would continue in a different manner after 11...
This seems pretty playable for both sides. Black will probably have to take care of the bottom right group next, and the cut at f5. White will probably try to reduce the left, but the top right group is strong so black can't easily attack it. Perhaps the previous diagram was better?
I didn't look at the attach-extent joseki because it ends in gote for black, which I think is the kiss of death in this position. The last thing I want to look at is the simple keima response.
White has sente here, but I think that something like 8 is urgent to keep the top left corner meaningful, and it's less urgent for black because the top side stone is closer to black's strong corner now.
I also wouldn't be terribly surprised if white was using the original approach as a probe to figure out what to do in the bottom right. This makes me want to play something more urgent than the keima by instinct, but what might white do? I think a pincer would be problematic as white's approach move is floating a bit.
Something like this maybe? That looks okay for black, and there's a target for attack in the white group on the right.
I think I will go with the keima. I would appreciate any commentary from stronger players on this position for later, as there is nothing that really jumps out at me as the move to play.
White 33. I continue to seek complication. Black may attempt to press me low on the bottom; I'm not concerned, the territory is open on two sides. I am beginning to eye the top; after Black's extension, it is open only on one side, but it seems good enough for me to keep it in mind right now.
I briefly considered a keima press or a one space jump down to s5 to split, but decided I wanted a base against which to push white.
@The Intrepid:
You know, I never really considered the one space jump. Post-hoc, I'd say that it leaves the corner less secure and with so much influence I'd like to make some territory to balance it out, as well as to more easily stabilize the loose black stone at H16.
Is that move even playable? I feel like white has liberty problems and cutting points everywhere. Extending is automatic, but there are so many options for white and none of them look very good at a glance, so I'll read in depth when I see white's response.
Posts: 2495 Location: DC Liked others: 157 Was liked: 443
Universal go server handle: skydyr
Online playing schedule: When my wife is out.
I've sent Blake a PM a week or so ago and haven't received a response. Is there an agreed upon acceptable amount of time to wait before declaring the game over and looking at comments?
Posts: 734 Liked others: 683 Was liked: 138
Rank: Washed up never was
Universal go server handle: Splatted
Blake hasn't even visited the forum for a month so it seems pretty likely he's lost interest. Unless your particularly keen to continue I'd just read the comments.
Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 1 guest
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
Blake
Because of the 5-4 approach black chose, and the 4-4 stone in the upper right, it's hard for Black to settle either corner to his liking with one additional stone. In essence, I feel that the tempo is worth more than the next move in any particular location.