It will become a game of the type secure cash vs. speculative influence zone. I always have difficulties with handling such situations, hopefully in a Malkovich game I can learn something of it

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm21 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . |
$$ | . . O , X X . . . , . . X . X O O . . |
$$ | . . . O O X . . . . . . . X O . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

Hmmm. Hattori's one space jump doesn't look too bad, eh?

Is the two-space-jump to difficult to fight?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

This is blacks area of influence so he should get a favorable result I think.

Up to now, the fuseki developed not really to my liking. I'm not sure if my was a good move since I had more weaknesses to fix afterwards than I initally expected. Instead I could have calmly taken the corner by myself (R3 or R4), however that is a completely different game.

In this position, I want to make one further extension/support to my F4 stones and then approach upper left, e.g. like follows:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm21 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . c X X . . . |
$$ | . . O , X X . . . a . . X . X O O . . |
$$ | . . . O O X . . . . . b . X O . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

Instead approaching upper left I can lean on left side a bit further, e.g. E9, E10, but this will also increase white's cash at left side while I'm still "on influence" only.

Regularly finishing the Joseki by playing (a) seems ridiculously overconcentrated in this position. Instead I will have to invite white to jump in e.g. at (a) and start some messy fighting. Unfortunately w has a forcing move at (b) and maybe also (c). But I've decided for influence, now I have to deal with it.

Time to reduce. This looks a little deep, but I think that attaching below B25 creates enough aji to make this move work.

Answering passively e.g. at J4 feels too submissive/overconcentrated. Therefore I want to extend my F4 stones along left side and let white the decision to either answer at left side or proceed further in the center.

The game move might look slowish, however I have to be careful about the connection f4-f7, a move like D7 might look more "effective" but leaves a weakness at F6:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm27 Prisoners: Black is split and not happy about that.
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 1 . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . 3 2 6 . O . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . O 4 5 . . . . . . . . X X . . . |
$$ | . . O , X X . . . , . . X . X O O . . |
$$ | . . . O O X . . . . . . . X O . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

In the game position - depending on how white reacts - I could aim for (a) for reducing white's left side and settling my stones, which also makes an approach at (b) interesting. In an emergency I still have the defence (c), otherwise I can jump further at around (d):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm21 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . b . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . d . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . a . . 7 . . . O . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . |
$$ | . . O , X X . . c , . . X . X O O . . |
$$ | . . . O O X . . . . . . . X O . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

Playing at bottom, e.g. K4 is a bit tricky due to the forcing move M3 and finally seems to strengthen white's center more quickly than necessary. Therefore I keep trying to strengten my groups along both sides. It seems that O7 is more solid than P7.

I don't think I can tenuki, so I think its best to jum into the center while making a 3 dimentional shape.

Fixing my shape (now, there seems no more cut possible at right side), putting some latent pressure on center and threatening a big moyo in upper right could not be totally wrong. The bottom side has become completely uninteresting. With k4 I could secure around 15 points there while handing over all the influence on the remaining board to white.

I think my center group is strong enough to take a big point, and this one is HUGE. If I am incredibly lucky, I might even get to split him down the middle and attack the wall on the left.

I would have liked to play myself at the place of for sure. However after I had the feeling that I have to reinforce the connection between my N4 group and top side. Because white could disturb with forcing moves like M3 it seems not too easy to live at the bottom, if this group gets separated. But maybe I was too pessimistic here(?). In any case this would be interesting to further analyze.

Regarding the game move - if white replies at left side I am planning to play some "capping" move on the center and see what happens. My left side group has better shape than my right side group, in an emergency I could settle it at the bottom by playing K4. If my plan works I'll get some strength in the center radiating towards top side.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm31 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , 4 . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . 1 . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 2 . . X . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . O . . O . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . X X . . . |
$$ | . . O , X X . . . , . . X . X O O . . |
$$ | . . . O O X . . . . . . . X O . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

My sealed move.

He seems to want to capture the middle group on a huge scale. I thought about tenuki, but it seems a little dangerous. My shape here is light and three-dimensional, so it should be fine. I think it can live inside without too much trouble if he tries to swallow it.

While white still has some options, I think that black would be happy if he were able to get lots of outside forcing moves in exchange for making white live small in sente, and then proceeding to consolidate a huge moyo on the upper right into territory. Black could have the same potential as before, and all white got was a 2-point living group in what's now a dame area.

I'm not really glad with the opening. The only thing w has to do is to stay alive in center, then at least my left side is fairly ineffective. But the show must go on...

Since he keeps trying to build the center, I guess I will just make sure I eat it all up. The only are of the board where Black has large potential is the right hand side, so I jumped in that direction.