I've said it before, and I'm apt to say it again: Go is a topological game. I can't see any alternative for my move, which connects white bits whilst disconnecting black bits. In fact, my move is so natural that I think Joaz's previous move was a mistake. It feels like aji keshi, and weakens his lone stone at the top.
For my previous move, it's tempting to try to swallow the black stone at the top e.g.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ -----------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . X . O . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . O . 4 1 , . . . X . X . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . 2 . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . O X X X , X . . . O , O . . |
$$ | . . X O . O O O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . O . . . X O . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X 3 . . . . O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . X X . X X X X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . O . . O . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O O . O X X . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------------[/go]
Black 2 roughly connects some black bits, and forces white to connect on dame. IT seems to more or less activate the stone at the top. I seem to not make much progress here.
Black 2 is such a nice move that I felt like I ought to prevent it. I was lucky - the move played not only prevents it but has a few aims itself. (It took me a while to find the move, and I stumbled upon it more by luck than design.)
Black could contemplate saving the single stone after the move played:
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ -----------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . X . O . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . O . . 2 3 . 7 8 X . X . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . 6 5 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . 1 . 4 . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X . . 9 . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . O X X X , X . . . O , O . . |
$$ | . . X O . O O O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . O . . . X O . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . X X . X X X X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . O . . O . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O O . O X X . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------------[/go]
If he does that, I get an attack against the entire centre thing. It's unlikely to die, but I will have fun harassing it.
Alternatively, black could try this:
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ -----------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . X 7 O . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . O . 5 6 , 8 . . X . X . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 3 4 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . 1 2 . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . O X X X , X . . . O , O . . |
$$ | . . X O . O O O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . . O . . . X O . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . X X . X X X X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . O . . O . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O O . O X X . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------------[/go]
This may be playable for black. I swallow the top side on a reasonable scale, and my centre group is now reasonably thick. I definitely have chances to win if I get a lot of the big endgame points.
With the move 72 as in the game, I have no idea what a reasonable follow up is for black.
I have some further thoughts on the topological benefits of my move: I gain in the endgame due to keeping black separate
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc 2 tenukis
$$ -----------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . X . O . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . O . . . , . . . X . X . X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . 1 . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X 4 X . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . 3 . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . O X X X , X . . . O , O . . |
$$ | . 7 X O . O O O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 8 X X . . . . . O . . . X O . X . . |
$$ | . . . . 5 O X . . . . . O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 6 . X . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . X X . X X X X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . . . O . . O . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O O . O X X . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ --------------------------------[/go]
The move at 3 becomes nearly sente - black may survive without 4 as above, but it will be a small life. I then pick up some sent moves against the other big black group. The net result is that black ends up without much territory around here.
Finally, I may emerge with sente from whatever fighting happens. For example:
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc
$$ -----------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . W W B . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . O . X 7 O . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . O . 5 6 , 8 . B X . X 0 X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 3 4 . . . . . . . 9 . . |
$$ | . . . X . . 1 2 . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X . . B W . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X B X . . . . . . B W . . . O X . . |
$$ | . W . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . O X X X , X . . . O , O . . |
$$ | . W X O . O O O . . . . . . . . . W W |
$$ | . B X X . . . . . O . . . X O . X B W |
$$ | . . . . W O X . . . . . O O . . . B B |
$$ | . . . B . X . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . X X . X X X X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . B X X . . . . O . . O . O . X . . . |
$$ | . W O . . O O . O X X . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . X O . . . . W B . B . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . W W B . . . |
$$ --------------------------------[/go]
White 9 above is very big. It's almost double sente.I have also added some hypothetical endgame moves which may happen if Black is passive.
I think I'm around 5 points behind here. I also potentially have more entertaining moves to try against the lower right corner. So (if black is passive or makes further mistakes) I am well in the game.
Also, this diagram doesn't take into account 72 as played. This seems to be a slight mistake, so I've caught up more.
Go is a topological game - particularly in the relatively early stages.