Weekly update:

Tsumego nine minutes.
Awesomebaduk 40 minutes.
Youtube go magic video 14 minutes.
I played 100 minutes.
Reviewed my games for 15 minutes.

We played a game on OGS: https://online-go.com/game/65953512. Aaron was black, I was white. Although White was ahead during the whole game, I didn't feel the game was easy.

I'll post a few remarks for both players that I understand from the AI review. Other comments welcome!

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . f . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . c . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , b . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . e . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In this position, White played Q9 but AI prefers a or b. The idea of a is clear: build on the top while putting pressure on Black's left group. If Black plays around b next, don't care and continue to build. I was aware of that possibility but preferred to split the right side, however Q9 was not optimal since it allowed Black R11. A move at b would have been better: if Black c then White makes a base with e. If instead Black e then White makes points with f while putting pressure on the three black stones.

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[go]$$Bc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d X . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . a , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . b . . W . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . . . . W . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . c . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In this position Black played L3, however this is not the correct direction. Black seems to be making points at the bottom but after Black L3, White can invade the corner at c, and then take care of his marked group by attaching at d. The idea of the big shimari R4-N4 is not to make points but to make influence, and influence is used to attack. So instead of L3, Black should have attacked at a, and then White would need to defend at b. Then Black can play elsewhere. Black a is locally double-sente, so pretty big.

Note: during most of the game, White missed the opportunity to invade the lower right corner at R3.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . O . O . a . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . f . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . h X X X . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | g d c O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . e i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . b O . O . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , X . . X . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In this position Black wanted to defend his weak group by attaching at a, but this is a 2.5 pt mistake. AI prefers to play b. Although this doesn't connect the two black groups yet, White doesn't want to separate the two groups with c because if the sequence d-i follows next, White ends in gote and White's upper left corner is damaged.

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[go]$$Bc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O O . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . O . O . X O . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . X X X . . X . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . O . O X e . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . O O a d . h , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . c b . . . O . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . g . f . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . . . . . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , X . . X . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In this position Black separated the two weak white groups with the sequence a-g, however this actually helped White to settle his group O6, and then White didn't have difficulty defending the group K10 by attacking the stone g.
AI thinks that instead of a, Black should have played at h, which puts pressure on Q9, separates the two white groups while increasing Black's potential in the upper right.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O O . . . . . . O . . a . . |
$$ | . O . O . X O . . , b . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . X X X . . X . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . O . O X X . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . O O X O . d , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . X O . . . O . X . |
$$ | . . . . X X O . O X . O . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O X . . c . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . X . . . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , X . . X . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In this position, Black played a big move at a, which triggered White b. While Black "a" wasn't a really bad move, AI thinks that putting pressure on White with c or d would have been slightly better.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Position at move 70
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O O . b . . . . O . . X . . |
$$ | . O . O . X O . . c O . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . X X X . . X . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . W . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . a O . O . O . O X X . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . O O X O . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . X O . . . O . X . |
$$ | . . . . X X O . O X . O . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . X . . . O . O O . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O , X . . X . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This move was an endgame mistake, AI thinks that a is 5 points better, however Black's response at b was a turning point of this game. White's last move threatens to cut. Since this Black's group is weakened, Black cannot afford to create another weak group. Instead of b, Black should have played at c. Many continuations are possible but if the following sequence is played

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[go]$$Bc Position at move 70
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . 8 4 . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O O . 3 2 . . . O . . X . . |
$$ | . O . O . X O . . 1 O 6 . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . 7 . 5 . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . X X X . . X . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . W . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . |[/go]

then White does make territory by linking two groups, but Black has made a reduction in sente while strengthening his central group and can still hope to win with good endgame.

A few moves later...

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . O . X . . X . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X X . . . . X X O . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O O X X X X O X O . . X . . |
$$ | . O . O . Y O O O O O O O Z O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . Y Y O . . . . . Z O X . . . |
$$ | . . Y Y Y . O Z Z . Z . . Z O X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O O . Z . Z . Z O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . Z . O O O . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . O . O Z Z . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . O O Z O . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . X O . . . O . X . |
$$ | . . . . X X O . O X . O . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . X . . . O . O O . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O , X . . X . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Black's position is now desperate since he can't defend both groups.

Thanks for the game and review, jlt.

For the week.

Tsumego: six minutes.
awesomebaduk: 10 minutes.
Pro game review: 29 minutes.
Played one hour 58 minutes.
Reviewed my games two minutes.

Past week:

Only three minutes of tsumego.
40 minutes at awesomebaduk.
A little under three hours of play.
18 minutes of reviewing my games.

Monthly update:

77 minutes of tsumego.
nine hours 52 minutes of play.
50 minutes reviewing my games.
23 minutes on awesomebaduk.
16 minutes reviewing pro games.

Monthly update:

74 minutes tsumego.
13 and a half hours of playing.
75 minutes of reviewing my games.
55 minutes of studying pro games.
Four and a half minutes reviewing katago games.
I canceled my awesomebaduk subscription.

So you're currently almost 4 months in of the 1 year period you gave yourself to rise from 3k OGS to about 2d OGS.

How do you feel it's going? Do you feel that you're still on track to reach your goal?

I don't feel like I've made much progress. I might be happy if I hit 1d.

I had an interesting game today. Quite tense.