What should have i done?

[kaien]

http://online-go.com/game/586229, i´m the black. I just want tips , like "with you played at some place you have a stroger influence". Could some one do this for me?

[EdLee]

Hi kaien, Welcome to Go and this forum.

Instead of your , can you find a better local move?
(This may be a difficult question for you right now.)

Hint:

Your was sente. (Why?) (Do you know of sente and gote ? )

In my opinion you resigned too soon in this game.

[oca]

Like EdLee, I don't understand why you resigned...
If I had to continue that game and had to choose my color, I will choose black...

[xed_over]

As has been mentioned, you resigned too early. You were building a very strong wall. Looks like you could have easily dominated the game with that.

One thing I like to do in my self-review, is to examine the game backwards. You can already see what happened, so just back up and see if you can find better moves instead. As Ed suggests, those stones at the bottom were dead before you realized. Maybe you could find bigger moves elsewhere instead?

Its difficult to try and figure out what your intentions were in the game. At one point, it looks like you were getting too focused on trying to surround the white group at the bottom -- it was never gonna happen. They have too many liberties. With each turn, he's gaining more and more liberties (as well as cutting off and capturing your few stones), so you're never going to be able to overtake and reduce him to zero liberties for a capture. Keep count of your (and your opponent's) liberties. Realize when you're falling behind in a capturing race, and move on to something bigger.

I don't know why so many beginners try to "capture" by hitting the nose of some small group of stones (your move ). He can squeeze out in multiple directions still and keep your stones cut off and separated from each other. You need to attack from a position of strength, which often means keeping your stones together.

Remember, this is a territory game. The one who controls the most territory wins. And capturing is NOT the most efficient way to gain bigger territory.

Also remember to share. Your opponent is going to get SOME territory. Its ok. Let him get some territory, just let it be smaller than yours -- and so far, that's what happened in your game at the point you resigned. You "surrounded" that white group and forced it to live small by sacrificing your few stones. And built up lots of power across the rest of the board.


Hope some of this helps.

[Uberdude]

I don't know why so many beginners try to "capture" by hitting the nose of some small group of stones (your move ).

Because they hope their opponent will not play a move before their next move.

[EdLee]

I don't know why so many beginners try to

It's very easy to forget what we were like when we were beginners.
Corollary: it's not so easy to remember -- it helps to have lots of experience working with beginners. And consciously try to see and feel from their perspective.

Its difficult to try and figure out what your intentions were in the game.

If a pro were to review many of our moves, the same comment may pop up. A lot.

Beginners are exploring, just like we all are. Only their space is slightly different from ours (but not by much! )

Like babies learning to crawl, then to walk. Lots of experimentation, lots of falling. That's how we all start.

[Uberdude]

kaien, I made a short review of the early moves at http://online-go.com/game/review/17351

The most important tip I can give you is pay more attention to whether your stones (and your opponent's) are connected or if they can be cut.

[Abyssinica]

I don't know why so many beginners try to "capture" by hitting the nose of some small group of stones (your move ).

To be fair it is a tesuji; I would never have considered that move, even as a beginner I guess, in a million years, yet was amazed when I first read it in the James Davis book. Of course it doesn't work here.

[xed_over]

I don't know why so many beginners try to "capture" by hitting the nose of some small group of stones (your move ).

To be fair it is a tesuji; I would never have considered that move, even as a beginner I guess, in a million years, yet was amazed when I first read it in the James Davis book. Of course it doesn't work here.

yes, I'm fully aware that there is a tesuji that starts like that, but beginners don't know it.

and can you elucidate on how this situation is different from the situation where the tesuji works? I can't. Not clearly enough, anyway. I have the same problem with attaching to stones. Its usually just simpler to tell beginners "don't do that", until they are able to learn on their own when they can, and when they can't.

and I'm sure I must have done it when I was first learning, but I don't remember doing it, and more importantly, I don't remember what my reasoning could have possibly been for even attempting that -- else I might be able to better explain why they shouldn't.

[Abyssinica]

I don't know why so many beginners try to "capture" by hitting the nose of some small group of stones (your move ).

To be fair it is a tesuji; I would never have considered that move, even as a beginner I guess, in a million years, yet was amazed when I first read it in the James Davis book. Of course it doesn't work here.

and can you elucidate on how this situation is different from the situation where the tesuji works?

Black needs more of a wall on the left with enough liberties to net the stones. Say, if black had m4 and l4?

[Bill Spight]

yes, I'm fully aware that there is a tesuji {nose attachment} that starts like that, but beginners don't know it.

and can you elucidate on how this situation is different from the situation where the tesuji works? I can't. Not clearly enough, anyway. I have the same problem with attaching to stones. Its usually just simpler to tell beginners "don't do that", until they are able to learn on their own when they can, and when they can't.

I think that it is a mistake to give beginners such blanket advice. Let's face it, attachment is a frequent tesuji. Some 40% of the tesuji examples in the Segoe-Go Seigen tesuji dictionary are attachments. Why warn people against attachments? Sure, beginners make mistakes, but they make mistakes anyway.

The advice I give is that it is usually better to attack from a short distance instead of attaching. The reason, as Bruce Wilcox so nicely put it, is that in contact fights both sides normally get stronger. When you are attacking you do not want your opponent's stones to get stronger. When you are defending, you do want your stones to get stronger, so you should often attach. Remember the proverb, Sabaki is attachment.

[xed_over]

I think that it is a mistake to give beginners such blanket advice.

and I think its a bigger mistake to overwhelm beginners with too much technical advice.

maybe we can find a balance

[illluck]

I think that it is a mistake to give beginners such blanket advice.

and I think its a bigger mistake to overwhelm beginners with too much technical advice.

maybe we can find a balance

I think Bill's suggestion "The advice I give is that it is usually better to attack from a short distance instead of attaching. The reason, as Bruce Wilcox so nicely put it, is that in contact fights both sides normally get stronger. When you are attacking you do not want your opponent's stones to get stronger. When you are defending, you do want your stones to get stronger, so you should often attach." strikes a pretty decent balance.