Just going back to my last move, I thought that G17 was sente. I also wanted to play D13 (gote, yes?), B3 (too small, yes?), thought about S6 (another gote move, yes?), considered K15 (cap no good with the extension to G17 available, yes?), S10 (getting side territory seemed too small and gote, yes?), finally I keep looking around G6/H5 for a moyo (again, gote, yes?). I'll try to be more specific in the future, even if it means I produce more drivel. Thank you for your advice! Oh, and since I'm still looking at these moves as follow-ups, I can wait till the end of the game to read any criticisms, thanks.

And I'm pretty sure I'm both missing good moves entirely and dismissing good moves out of fear since MFoG really punishes my tactical errors (or creates tactical complications where I miscalculate), especially involving cuts. Connection problems are at the top of my list of failings to address. I think someone else suggested Art of Go: Connecting Stones. I plan on purchasing some SmartGo books next pay.

Could've placed at all four 3-3 points. Let's try something different.

I guess that I don't know sente from gote! Anyway, Ed's move was a complete surprise. I did think that he might play at the 3-3 but not at this 3-4. I really want to play at R18, B3, and S6, in that order of assessment, but I didn't seriously consider any other move right now in this position. Oh, sure, I can point to lots of other spots I wish I had stones, but I'm not going to cheat and fill in the board with Black stones.

Nothing to see here, move along!

As a follow-up to this, you'll notice that black has allowed white to gain two groups that are pretty solid and have side or center access in the UR and BL, with F4 and Q13. This is, in a sense, black having punished himself by not sealing white in, and is, in a way, a vindication of white's supposedly incorrect strategy, since white has strong groups with territory plus the ability to contest the middle. If each of those groups were sealed in properly, white would have a much more difficult game ahead.

White's goal in a handicap game is (or should be) to catch up steadily, and if the handicap is correct, they should be very close to black in the endgame, either winning or losing by a few points.

R18 and S6 are rather small on this board. Since black's group in the lower right is very strong, S6 is just points. In the upper right, R18 doesn't threaten much, and Black doesn't yet have to worry about defending that particular group.

But playing in the upper left is definitely right.

If we change the order of the sequence:
if directly at 3-3 instead of attach at (a),
B might have blocked at (a) instead of (b) :

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

Continuation:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

After that, is unclear: (c) or (d)...since we got some external input.

Don't ask me, I'm just playing the "standard" corner moves that end in gote. I did notice that by playing first at C16, instead of C17, Ed induced the direction he wanted me to block.

I agonized over playing this move or F9. If F9, however, I didn't like the fight after White plays C6. Maybe I'm deluded but I believe that I am still ahead, so I think that I should avoid unnecessary fights. I briefly considered capping at K15, but I think the stone can squirm too much and may still connect out to the right and gouge out more territory. (Yeah, as fearful as I am, don't you wonder how I get out my door?) I still want to play moves at R18, S6, and B3. Someday I hope to tenuki! BTW, I forgot to mention that by playing at C16, Ed lead me to block the left side--yeah, it's all his fault, I'm innocent I tell ya--so now the stone at G17 feels off slightly.