Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O X O . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . W . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O O X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O X . X . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . O X X O X X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . X . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

First thoughts:

Soo, that game is a thing I guess.

Overall it does not seem to look bad for me(which is what one would expect in a high handicap game).

I think I handled the top rather poorly, and the middle does not look ideal as well, but neither is a disaster just yet.

The right side has quite a bit of aji for white left, but its still pretty peachy.

A play around M14 would be big, tying my groups together and giving more aji to my string at the top. The cut at K8 also looks juicy.

First I have to decide what to do about the approach though. It seems like really good timing from Kirby, since I have trouble coming up with a good reply.

I don't want to just tenuki, a double approach is probably too good for him, since he already has stones at the top side.

Simply backing off will make it too easy for him to tenuki and I think he wants to get a move around M14 as well.

Kicking might be reasonable, but after F16 he can probably undercut me too easily.

A tight pincer would be nice here, but it might be too overconcentrated in regards to my stone on the left.

Attaching on top might be possible, but I gotta try to remember some of the joseki first and how they relate to sente.

Decisions, decisions

White playing against 9-stone handicap can get some solace from the old "proverb" that says every time Black loses sente unnecessarily is equivalent to losing one handicap stone.

Surprised this thread is starting again - shouldn’t I have won by time?

It’s almost amusing.

IIRC, the handicap was too high when we played last time, and chances are, he’s improved more than I have since then.

Oh well - could be fun. I think a little Malkovich could do me good these days.

Lets go with the pincer, my initial concerns still stand, but it seems like the most reasonable option.

If he jumps I'll play F17. That should give me a good result, since he can't press because of the D10 Stone.

If he goes into the corner I'll block towards the bottom. He will get some territory on the top and I'll be overconcentrated, but then his middle strength will go mostly to waste.

I think the best moves for him are tenuki or a double approach. If he double approaches I will attach(probably to the top stone) or split at E15, if he tenukies I'll have to see where he goes first, probably somewhere around M14, to put more pressure on my two-space jump..

I don’t know what to do, but jumping out seems like my best option. Then again, what do I know? I lost a game by like 60 points yesterday..

I'm suprised, this seems like one of his weaker options.

I'll keep playing as planned, I think a pincer on my two stones on the left in incoming.

I'm really interested in his followup. D8 seems like a natural move. I have to do some reading, but attaching underneath may be simple and good enough. This is the area where he has most potential to make points, so a long as my two stones on the left don't die I'll probably be ahead once the dust settles.

attack

So far as expected.

I'll use the weekend to do some reading, I should be careful since this will shape how the game will go in the future.

Since these stones can't really run anywhere I'll need to live locally, but if he gets too strong he will just get more play in the area.

I don't think I can win a ko, otherwise the cut at j9 might be a funky idea.

I'll look at C8 and E8 first, these look like the most promising.

Lets play from the outside. I don't think I can really fight here. He probably needs to respond (Iron pillar?) or attaching underneath will be too good for me. If he gets to just swallow the middle left, it is going to be a lot of points, about 45 to my estimate, but on the other hand I don't see a lot of potential for him elsewhere, at least nothing that matches my right side.

I looked at the attachments, the top one seems to go nowhere.

I think I can quite easily live with the one underneath, but even the most simple sequence I found seems too good for him:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . O . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O X O . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . 5 . . . . O O X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X 4 . . . O X . X . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . 3 2 . . . . . O X X O X X . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 O . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 6 . . . . . . . . . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . X . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Huh..

My first thought is this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . O . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O X O . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O O X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O X . X . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . O X X O X X . . . . |
$$ | . . W O a . . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . X . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Not sure about follow ups (eg. 'a'), yet.

Should be Ok. I think I’m gaining ground.

Since I expected it I prepared a reply.

I think this is the proper move in regards to the top left. Gives me the corner and creates some aji for my middle left stones. I'm not 100% sure, but I feel like he needs to keep to left dead, so this is probably sente.

If he responds some candidates for followups are E3/R4 and just take points or play around M14 to tie up any aji around there. K8 seems also nice, but lets make sure I'm relatively safe befor I start a fight with the guy that is (at least)9 ranks stronger than me

{hushed tones} Food is scarce in the top left quadrant. White cuts off an escape route and menaces Black's corner group.

Mh, I don't think I have ever seen this move

Well, gotta do some reading, though chances are I will have to respond locally.

C16 is probably ok, if a bit submissive.

C15 and D15 look stronger, but I don't know how this will affect the corner. Fighting in this area won't turn out well for me.

Simple (might be best)?

I briefly looked at C15, but after Atari-Connect we are both more solid and my cut at B14 isn't worth much. If I need to connect there I should just do it right away.

D15 might be a good move, but it looks dangerous to say the least. I'll try to not bank this game on my fuzzy reading if I can =).

Little by little, I'll try to catch up.

Tricky part about handicap games is not to be too impatient.

I think this should be a good response. Taking the corner is consistent with what I did in the top left.

Two other responses I have discarded: D2 and E3.

I think D2 takes the corner more firmly, but I also know there are some tricky plays after white wedges and I'm not gonna bank this game on weather or not I can outread him (hint: I probably can't).

E2 will end up giving me influence, but I'm not sure if I get sente. If not he can just jump to G8 and that might be game over.