Hi all,
This was a blitz game I played tonight. Since it was blitz there's probably no need for a long detailed review, but I had some questions about this game:
1) What would have been a better way to play during the opening in the lower left?
2) Did I make any mistakes in technical execution during middle game fighting?
3) How was black's direction of play in this game? Do I use influence in the right way?

You can find the review below:


Thanks in advance for your help,
Cheers,
Hushfield

Move 10: If you pincer to attack, the low tight pincer is ok. If you pincer to prevent his moyo, a higher, looser pincer ( like D9 ) is better. The advantage of being higher is that you can run more easily. The advantage of being looser is that you are further away from a stone that might be used to attack you.

Overall, I find the idea of any pincer dubious here. I'd just play strong with F4, let him start a framework, then later use that strength to invade. ( I may be wrong here. Maybe a stronger player will advise? )

See Herman Hideema's post at http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewto ... 837#p40837

Move 30: I like this. Force him toward the wall.
Move 32: Your territory, if any, will come from the middle, upper side, or right side. If you want to attack, play M4 instead. As the proverb says, 'Make territory while attacking'.

Move 34: The peep is aji keshi. Maybe it makes him heavy, but there is too much room to run for this to be a profitable venture for you. Hold off on the attack and grab big points like Q10.

Move 44: After some dithering, your attack comes from the right direction. But Q10 is still big.

Move 48: If you must attack, push him toward the wall with L7. Or strengthen the wall with G11 or F10. But your move really does neither well.

Move 61: Ouch!!! This is big. It should have been yours.

Move 68: You MUST hane.

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Some comments about the early play around the lower left corner:

I agree with Joaz that the pincer at move 10 is dubious. In fact, I would call moves {9,10,11} all mistakes in the direction of play. The most important feature of the joseki which ends with the W stone at C14 is that the left side is largely played out, in that neither side can expect to make a large moyo around there. The bottom and right sides have become larger than the left side, considering all the available open unclaimed space. So playing to make territory along the left side is not a good strategy.

Move 12 is great and should give B a very good result here. B should be happy to let W connect or make a small life on the left side, in return for B thickness facing the more valuable bottom side.

The hane at move 16 is certainly good, but I would not criticize a block at C7, letting W take the corner, getting massive thickness and sente in return. I would certainly play that way against an opponent three stones stronger than me.

Move 18 should just connect at D3, so as not to give W the important point B2 in sente. B could also play either of the marked moves you suggested in the game notes. The double hane at A would be a nice sacrifice tesuji to confine W to the corner and earn the block at C7 in sente.

Move 22 is greedy, and is revealed as an overplay just a few moves later. Just block at D7 and give up one stone when W cuts. You could fight to save your stone(s) after W cuts in either variation, but that seems very dangerous in a handicap game, and is completely unnecessary, since the sacrifice gives B a good position.

Finally, the atari at move 26 is bad style. Since you plan to go back and connect after the atari, just skip the atari and extend to F7 directly. B then threatens to capture the W cutting stone in a ladder, so W will probably have to defend at E9 anyway, giving B sente to play around K4. With the transposed game sequence, B effectively used that sente to push at F8. If W pushes at F8, B can hane and fight or just passively extend. The B moyo grows faster than the W moyo if W keeps pushing (imagine a B move at E13), and the two B stones which have been cut off retain a lot of aji.

Thanks for referring me to Herman Hiddema's post on pincers. Now I actually have a reference for judging whether pincer is good or bad. Upon looking at the position again, I would indeed just respond calmly at F4, let white extend along the left side and take Q10 instead.

You're right, I waited too long to play Q10.

I think this is what magicwand once described as "this move has no purpose. it is not attacking or making any points. really big mistake. if you dont make such mistake you will be alot stronger. it is like losing your turn." I didn't notice it during my review either, but it's pretty obvious now that this is an empty move.

I wanted to make sure that I got to play the other point, but indeed there's no way that white will ignore the hane, and than the extra black stone helps my cause even more. That and tenuki when the stones touch is just bad technique.

I hadn't thought of playing C7 directly, but indeed, there's not that many points for white in the lower left, and Black gets more than enough in return. An instance of stronger player being more open to switching direction suddenly, it just never occured to me to play from the other side.

Ah, D3! this was the move I was looking for in game and couldn't find afterwards in the review.

Thank you for this! If I can think like this and apply this principle in my games I think it would be an improvement of one stone.

Thank you both for your detailled analysis.
Cheers
Hushfield