So I'm definitely out of the depression/mixed episode and back playing go obviously. I'm having a lot of fun, rediscovering my love of problems and no longer suffering from crippling anxiety about people which was stopping me going to the go club and from playing online.

Current ideas are: Keep doing problems from 1001 L&D and Get Strong at Tesuji. Both are suitable for my level I think. I'm reading Attack and Defence but most of it goes over my head to be honest, or at least it feels that way. Still, it's interesting and encouraging me to experiment aggressively in my games (with all the problems that brings at the start!).

I'm very much still a DDK I think. This isn't bothering me though, I'm happy so long as I feel I'm improving and/or having fun playing and I feel both are true at the moment. One thing I'm very much enjoying is chatting to and playing L19 people on Kaya, it's been very nice to play ye!

Some comments.

_________________
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

¡Bueno!



Get in touch with your inner 5 kyu.

_________________
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

Thank you for the review Bill.

A few more comments on the 4-stone game which Bill just reviewed exhaustively --

There is often a choice between an hanging connection and a solid connection. The proper choice depends on the situation. You seem to play the solid connection nearly exclusively. This is sometimes necessary (move 28), but often the hanging connection can be better (moves 18, 102, 110).

Bill criticized move 34 (M3) already and gave some better alternatives. Let me just give more of the reasoning. Look at the board after move 33. Which side is potentially larger, the right or the bottom? Clearly the right side is much larger and more open.

On the bottom, White has low stones at J3 and O3, separated by only 4 lines. If W manages to make that space into territory, it amounts to less than 20 points. Invading here is small for B.

On the right side, B has a large wall on top, separated from the bottom corner by 8 lines. That wall is crying out for an extension, to map out a huge territory. If W manages to make a comfortable base here, the B wall will lose its effectiveness.

After extending somewhere around Q10, suppose W plays elsewhere. A good continuation for B would then be O4 or O5. Exchanging O5 (B stone) for M4 (W stone) would be far better for B than exchanging M3 (B stone) for O5 (W stone).

Was the M3 invasion perhaps a case of optimistic reading? If W responds by taking the 3-3 point, the sequence M3-R3-P3-P2-O4 would be ideal for B. Unfortunately W did not cooperate. The exchange M3-O5 instead is very good for W. I would even call M3 the losing move. Looking at the game, this is where I first felt W how had winning chances.

The actual losing sequence was moves 44-46-48, where you suffered a huge loss. It seems like fear of being cut lead to this problem. Ed and Bill have given better sequences here. The main point is that B must not back off from the fight. After blocking at move 40, B is at least as strong here as W, so B should keep playing strongly.

Finally, even after losing those three stones, there was a lot of aji left in the position. When you suffer a loss like this, you should look for ways to salvage some compensation. Anytime after move 52, the tesuji O4 looks very interesting, leading to a nice squeeze. However, it does not quite work, does it? Still, exchanging P5 for N3 seems like too little. Is there really nothing better? How about jumping in at P2? Try reading out some sequences. It looks like W might have to give up the R3 stone and the corner, which would be quite satisfying for B.

Thank you for your patience mitsun.

Edit: The solid connection habit came from when I'd been playing for a few days and being told by a SDK not to make hanging connections until I was much stronger.

Bill, thanks, very tricky (see 2-step ko var )

Yes, very tricky. Now you are ready to consider both every time and choose the better one, or tenuki.

And this is why I have this journal so these bad habits picked up from when I was weaker can be pointed out to me explicitly and expunged.

My opponent thought I'd improved over yesterday:



Also beat a KGS 3k handily with 8 stones which I was happy with. Just looking for general thoughts on this game rather than a full review. Was I aggressive enough in the opening? Did I become too passive again in the middle game? I know I messed up in the bottom left quite badly, I think the extension was a case of big over urgent.

Thank you for the review Ed.

I didn't see it mentioned in Ed's review, but in the bottom left, white messed up originally. White needed to cut instead of connect at b4, so as to get the other leg at d2 in sente. I'm pretty sure that until move 70, a black play at B1 makes a ko in the corner, though black has to pick a good time to make it so that his two groups on the side don't get into danger or have lots of local threats against them.

Quite possibly.



I would say so.



I don't think so.



You mean the extension on the bottom side at ? You can make a case for the solid connection at D-05 or for starting the ko right away at B-01. (OC, you overlooked the ko. That being the case, the solid connection looks good. )

_________________
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

Thank you Bill and Skydry, yes I completely missed that ko. :/

Good day at the club. Finally beat Alejandro who has crushed me on 9 stones since I started playing. Came within 20 points of a Kaya 6k in an even game, happy with this. Have one person left to beat on 9 stones (an EGF 2k). Should prove an interesting challenge.

Awww, am I no longer a 9 stones goal?

Hehe, you'll make a fine long term one.

Not too long at this rate

Haha, just got decimated by 60 points by a 3d.

Admittedly though it was blitz and I *suck* at blitz.

Edit: Actually, that sounds like I thought I should win, um, no I don't.