how to evaluate the reading result

[HermanHiddema]

Here's a recent opening of mine, I've tried to document my thoughts at every move.

(;CA[Windows-1252]SZ[19]AP[MultiGo:4.3.0]PW[Robert Rehm]BR[4d]PB[Herman Hiddema]
WR[5d]KM[6.5]RE[B+4.5]GM[0]
;B[pd]C[I like opening 4-4, its symmetry gives the opponent as little information as possible, and it's flexible]
;W[dp];B[pq]C[I like to approach the lower left, then play Low Chinese.];W[dd];B[fq]
C[If white responds C6, I will play R9];W[po];B[pl]C[With the stones at Q16 and F3 in support, I am willing to fight, so I pincer. The two point high is one of my favorites.]
;W[no];B[nq]C[I'm expecting R3 now, see variation]
(;W[lo];B[lq]C[Still expecting R3];W[qf];B[qh]C[I think white's last move was a mistake, this pincer is a nice dual purpose move, also helping the Q8 stone.]
;W[qc];B[qd]C[Only move.

The other block doesn't work, because it is gote and black has no stone around K16 in place, so white can neutralize the black wall.

This works nicely with Q8 as well, and I like to have sente to attack white in the lower right.]
;W[pc];B[od]C[Playing joseki.];W[rd];B[re]C[Joseki];W[rc];B[qe]C[Joseki];W[nc];B[me]
C[If white plays the normal defense at N17, then I will play N8 to build a large territory while attack white, a perfect follow-up

I think the balance of territory is now about equal, including the komi, while the balance of power is in my favor due to my strength in the center.]
;W[ml];B[mc]C[White ignored N15, so I play the follow-up];W[nb];B[fc]C[Approach white while extending from my black formation in the upper right.

Not good in hindsight, as black has little prospect for territory at the top due to the O18 stone. The other approach would be better, pushing white towards my strength.]
;W[cf];B[cn]C[I have no good follow-up at the top now, So I'll ignore. With black's strength at the right, and 3-3 still open, the black stone at F17 needs no help.

White has ignored an appraoch here earlier, so I will make a double approach here, then see how it develops.]
;W[dn];B[dm]C[hane is instinctive here, black needs very good reasons to not play it, and I don't see any.]
;W[co];B[en]C[Forced after white's last move (which I think isn't good).];W[do]
;B[bn]C[Keep the corner weak by not giving white anything. The alternative at E7 allows white to take a stone and be worry free.]
;W[fp];B[gp]C[Hane is instinctive again, here. White cannot allow F5, so will play there, then I get to play E3 and that's fine by me.]
;W[fo];B[eq]C[As expected.];W[dq]
(;B[em]C[I want to keep aji in the corner, so I'm removing this cut, which would allow black to capture a stone.

In hindsight, this leaves black vulnerable at the bottom.]
;W[ip];B[go]C[Damn, J4 is too good, I should have prevented that. It was unrealistic to focus on the corner aji like that. Allowing the cut at E7 is actually fine, see variation on previous move.]
;W[fn];B[io]C[My group is weak, I can attach, then try to fight to get something here.]
;W[jo];B[in]C[I don't want to allow an atari here, so I have to extend.];W[gn];B[jp]
C[Cut and fight. My shape is bad, if I can capture J4, it is somewhat better.];W[kp]
;B[jq]C[Can't let this be captured.];W[kq];B[jn]C[Lets force white into bad shape before defending at J3.]
;W[jr];B[ko]C[Whoa, he ignored, I think that's a major mistake! Capture immediately. He probably thinks J3 is a good forcing move.]
;W[iq];B[lp]C[As expected. J3 is no good, I can sacrifice a few stone in exchange for overwhelming influence. I like where this is going.]
;W[jo];B[jp]C[I prefer this to L6 because it allows the atari of L2 and forces white to play defensively here.

White will have to play a move to capture my stones, otherwise I will play H2 and his stones will be in trouble.]
;W[gq];B[ln]C[Nice forcing move, White can't ignore this, because then I would be connected and my thickness would be immense.]
;W[mo];B[kr]C[Same as the previous move, white cannot allow me to connect.];W[jq]
;B[nm]C[Split white.

I now have overwhelming influence in the center, and white is weak and heavy in the lower right.

Although white has picked up some points in the lower left, he cannot make much more than 20 points there. The balance of power is in my favor so much that I'm way ahead now.

From here, a fight develops in the lower right. The opening is definitely over now (and has perhaps been for 20 moves ])
(;B[jp];W[em];B[dl];W[fm];B[ci]C[This is good for black.]))
(;W[qq];B[qr];W[lo];B[lq];W[qj]C[This is my expectation, but R10 could be Q11 as well, depnding on white's preference

I will now either play a counter-pincer (R13) or jump out (O7, O8, N8, P9 are all options)]))

[Chew Terr]

Thank you Herman, this is a good demonstation of the fundamental opening principles. My goal is to get good at this sort of thing so I can be ahead by move 50 in every game. Can't blame me for dreaming =).

[HermanHiddema]

Here's another game with my thoughts on every one of my opening move, this time against a 6 dan. I think this one is a little more interesting, as it didn't devolve into middle game fighting as quickly as the previous one.

(;CA[Windows-1252]SZ[19]AP[MultiGo:4.3.0]EV[Korean Ambassador's Cup]RO[2]DT[2010-06-12]
PC[Delft]PB[Herman Hiddema]BR[4d]PW[Frank Janssen]WR[6d]KM[6.5]TM[2700]RE[W+R]GM[0]
;B[pd]C[I usually open 4-4. It's flexible and gives the opponent no information]
;W[dd];B[pq]C[As black I usually play 4-3 in combination with the 4-4, giving options like modern Chinese or Kobayashi]
;W[cp];B[eq]C[Since the lower right is black, I play the low approach.];W[ip];B[en]
C[Interesting pincer. I don't know any specific joseki for this move, but I guess I can't go wrong with the two point jump here. If anything, its thinness is now not as severe as it is with the two point high pincer.]
;W[cm];B[dl]C[I'll press down here first, and then attack the J4 stone later with my thickness.]
;W[cl];B[dk]C[Pushed from behind, I'm happy to walk ahead.];W[ck];B[dj]C[Another push. I could ignore that and switch to an attack, but I feel I can't really go wrong with extending again.]
;W[lq];B[cj]C[White has avoided being attack, but left me the bend. I feel this is the only move I can play now. Finish what you start, and all that.]
;W[qo];B[po]C[I want to settle my stone in the corner. If white plays the hane on the outside, and it goes as I expect (which is Q6-P5-R4-R3-R9-O3), then I settle easily, and I'm hoping that O3 will induce white to play G3 so I can fix my thin position in the lower left with a move at C3. I worry that Q4 might be good for white, but I don't see why it should be a problem. Still, I worry ]
;W[pn];B[oo]C[Yay, he's playing what I want.];W[qp];B[qq]C[According to plan.];W[qk]
;B[nq]C[Exactly what I wanted. I'm happy, though not because the position is better for me, but because it is even and everything went as expected.]
;W[gq];B[cq]C[Yay, he play G3. I wanted him to do that, because I had this response planned.

I now expect him to play B3, then I will play D4, he'll be forced to play C5, and I can take sente to play at the top first.

Another option is that he'll play D4, but that looks bad for him.]
;W[dp];B[dq]C[Whoa, he played D4. This is looking good.];W[ep];B[bp]C[I'm getting a big corner now, and his shape is bad, so he'll have to take gote to fix it.]
;W[bo];B[bq]C[Now, he'll have to play F4 to fix his shape, and then I can oplay C14 to settle my group.]
;W[fp];B[cf]C[Good. I'm happy now. I got a big corner in the lower left, and the wall that he built in return is made useless by my stones in the center. The balance of territory is about even, the balance of power is in my favor. I'm ahead (by about 5 points, I guess).]
;W[fc];B[qi]C[I'll aim at the aji of R7, and if he replies I'll settle the upper right with a move at R14. I want to switch to endgame as quickly as possible, since I'm ahead.]
;W[ok];B[qf]C[I like this. All groups are stable, I'm ahead, it's good.];W[pb];B[oc]
C[I think the ladder to the lower left is good for me, so I can play like this and make trouble for him.]
;W[ob];B[nb]C[Joseki, he'll cut.];W[nc]
(;B[mb]C[Wait. The ladder is not good. Arg. Ok, I'll have to play differently. Allow him the corner. See variation for the joseki I meant to play.]
;W[qd];B[qe]C[Ok, you can have the corner.];W[rd];B[nd]C[At least this ladder is good :-/]
;W[pc];B[mc]C[Oh, that makes me happy! The corner is still ko, and now there's no more ladder breaking threats on the horizon.

(See variation starting at S18 for the ko)]
(;W[pe];B[od]C[Must defend.];W[bd];B[ef]C[I don't want to play this move, but I worry that playing tenuki would be a typical example of my too thin style of play. I'll play thickly like this.

(in hindsight, this is too slow, H17 is much better)]
;W[ph];B[pi]C[All my instincts were screaming at me not to play this, but I was annoyed that Q12 seems such a good move, and I thought I could push up at least once.

This is a mistake, and now the middle game starts ])
(;B[rb];W[qb];B[rc];W[ra];B[sb];W[qc];B[oa];W[pa];B[sd];W[re];B[rf];W[se];B[na]
C[Ko, black needs one approach move at T14]))
(;B[mc];W[nd];B[lb];W[qd];B[qc]
(;W[rc];B[rd];W[qe];B[re]C[This is the ladder I misread, I thought E6 was a ladder breaker, but it isn't ])
(;W[pc];B[rd];W[od];B[qe]C[This is the variation I wanted to play, if the ladder had actually been good.

In hindsight, I shouldn't try for such fighting joseki when I'm ahead.])))

[John Fairbairn]

Herman: A propos the lower left joseki in the second game, you may wish to look at the 1973-10-22 game between Kato and Takemiya which features it in two corners in a peculiar form of mirror go (the mirror occurs post hoc after both sides of the board are played out independently).

I think that game will suggest that White's strategy was flawed even before D4, but I also think you are not using "thick" properly. The fact that you felt compelled to play C14 rather than "approach on the wider side" suggests to me that you saw your supposed thickness (centre left) as weak, which is a contradiction.

[HermanHiddema]

Herman: A propos the lower left joseki in the second game, you may wish to look at the 1973-10-22 game between Kato and Takemiya which features it in two corners in a peculiar form of mirror go (the mirror occurs post hoc after both sides of the board are played out independently).

Thanks, I will have a look! I think I've seen the position from that game before, is it mentioned in one of the recent New in Go articles on mirror go?

I think that game will suggest that White's strategy was flawed even before D4, but I also think you are not using "thick" properly. The fact that you felt compelled to play C14 rather than "approach on the wider side" suggests to me that you saw your supposed thickness (centre left) as weak, which is a contradiction.

Yes, you're right. I was using "thickness" where "influence" would be far more appropriate. The two point jump is light and thin, so thickness was never really an appropriate term. I actually mention that it is thin in later comments, so I'm not even being internally consistent

[Jedo]

I really like these commentated openings! I often feel like the opening gets a short shrift by many player who seem to suggest that it is unimportant.