Guess the next pro move #2

[cyclops]

Uh...Kirby? When do we get to find out the answer?

only after my vote, which is a.

[Dusk Eagle]

The sequence Kirby showed reminds me of this:

$$ Black to play
$$ ---------------
$$ | . . . . . . .
$$ | . O . O X . .
$$ | . . . O X . .
$$ | . O O X . X .
$$ | . X X X . . .
$$ | . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . .

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$ Black to play
$$ ---------------
$$ | . . . . . . .
$$ | . O . O X . .
$$ | . . . O X . .
$$ | . O O X . X .
$$ | . X X X . . .
$$ | . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . .[/go]

Ok, it's not too hard once you've seen Kirby's diagram, but here's the solution:

$$B Black has achieved profit in the 'x' area in sente
$$ ---------------
$$ | . . . . . . .
$$ | . O 2 O X . .
$$ | x 4 1 O X . .
$$ | 3 O O X . X .
$$ | x X X X . . .
$$ | x x . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . .

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B Black has achieved profit in the 'x' area in sente
$$ ---------------
$$ | . . . . . . .
$$ | . O 2 O X . .
$$ | x 4 1 O X . .
$$ | 3 O O X . X .
$$ | x X X X . . .
$$ | x x . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . .[/go]

$$W If white gets to play 1 first, it no longer works for black
$$ ---------------
$$ | . . . . 1 . .
$$ | . O . O X . .
$$ | . 3 2 O X . .
$$ | . O O X . X .
$$ | . X X X . . .
$$ | . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . .

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W If white gets to play 1 first, it no longer works for black
$$ ---------------
$$ | . . . . 1 . .
$$ | . O . O X . .
$$ | . 3 2 O X . .
$$ | . O O X . X .
$$ | . X X X . . .
$$ | . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . .[/go]

[gaius]

$$Wc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . j X X . X . X d . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X O X . . X O . . . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . O O O X X O f . . . O . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O O O . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . O X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . g x . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . b . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . e . . . . . . . . . . . . h . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . c . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . a . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

j, d, and f are small and gote and thus out of the question. i feels strangely disconnected to the other white stones; h is probably a bit better, but gives away too much territory. So we are left with: making a shimari, invading directly at g, or extending at a or c. Of these, the invasion at 'g' feels much too direct because black can easily sacrifice one stone and g will be too close to white's thickness.

Out of these, I pick e. I believe it is sente, ie. black has to defend at the point marked x. If he does so, e is clearly in a better position than b because the corner is not so open. After black defends, you make perfect shape at a, and your thickness in the top should help you in all the fighting to come. If black plays a instead, then the invasion at g will become very painful for him. If you play a first, black can approach at b and although I think it is not terrible for white, it feels a bit too easy for black.

[zinger]

I guess a.

edit: ah I see the answer is already posted. Why does black answer 5 in the game? He could still live if white captures there.

[amnal]

edit: ah I see the answer is already posted. Why does black answer 5 in the game? He could still live if white captures there.

If white captures, his wall becomes perfect with no defects. Black must then live in gote, at the same time weakening his group on the left. It's bigger than it looks for white to capture.