Bki's study journal

[skydyr]

Well, arguably it (the main line) is disadvantageous here. White has close-ish support with the G4 group, while black has a low stone at R16. As a result, I think that fighting with multiple weak groups should favour white. More to the point, there is a time for all things. Complication is good when you are behind, and when you would otherwise be forced into an unfavourable position, but it can be a little like putting the game up to a coin toss. Uncomplicated is predictable, and predictable makes it easy to plan to build, maintain, and secure a lead.

Good points. I tend to underestimate the influences that groups relatively far away can have on the fighting.

I'm wondering now if I came across as too strong in my earlier post. When I say that the fighting should favour white, I don't mean that black should collapse or would otherwise throw the game away by playing into this line. Just, on balance, I think it's likely that white will come out slightly ahead of black as a result of the fight, assuming neither player blunders. Not game ending by any means.

[Bki]

Well, arguably it (the main line) is disadvantageous here. White has close-ish support with the G4 group, while black has a low stone at R16. As a result, I think that fighting with multiple weak groups should favour white. More to the point, there is a time for all things. Complication is good when you are behind, and when you would otherwise be forced into an unfavourable position, but it can be a little like putting the game up to a coin toss. Uncomplicated is predictable, and predictable makes it easy to plan to build, maintain, and secure a lead.

Good points. I tend to underestimate the influences that groups relatively far away can have on the fighting.

I'm wondering now if I came across as too strong in my earlier post. When I say that the fighting should favour white, I don't mean that black should collapse or would otherwise throw the game away by playing into this line. Just, on balance, I think it's likely that white will come out slightly ahead of black as a result of the fight, assuming neither player blunders. Not game ending by any means.

No you didn't come as too strong. At least I think I understood what you meant. It even showed in the game how his left side group could help, as it supported the pincer stone at K3.

There were plenty of overplay and mistakes on both side, but nothing died after all.

[Bki]

A very close game. I lost a big group in the middle game, but I had the territorial advantage before that and was able to narrow his advantage through a ko. Unfortunately, I still lost by 3.5 points.



I think should have been one intersection lower. He can break out, but doing so would destroy his top side territory.

should have defended the cutting point, my preference being H6. That peep of his was extremely annoying.

126 : I considered to attack either the middle white group or cut off the right side group. I think I chose wrong. H13 is what I think for an alternative.

196 was silly.

I'm curious whether I could have got the win had I played the endgame better. Anybody thinks so?

[Bki]

Okay, so I had some time with not much else to do than do problems today, so I finally finished 1001 L&D problems.

So, what I will do next?

I got GGPfB 4 recently, and only did a few pages at the moment... I think I will try to do at least 30 problem per day from it starting from tomorrow. Though if some problems prove difficult and take time to resolve, I might do less. And I might do more depending on my mood.

I've got Get Strong at Tesuji, and I've been doing 2 page per evening, and completed the 240 first problems.

I also have the first part of Cho Chikun's encyclopedia of life and death... Let's say for now that I will do 25 per day. Most of those are not long to solve, so it should be more than doable.

It's been some time since I finished Tesuji, so I might go through it again... Or maybe wait a month more before that?

I also got the first volume of Whole Board thinking in Joseki, which is indeed excellent, but I won't count it in the problems I do each day.

When I feel like reading go but not cramming problems, I will continue re-reading Attack and Defence or Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go.

I also have the french book Tsumego (which is, surprisingly, about tsumego). The problems are quite goods, but I think even better is the discussion, either discussing the various tesuji and their purpose, or examples showing how life and death relate to all other aspects of go.


For pro games, I'm currently going through Yasui Chitoku's game. I've got some time before I finish the collection, so I'm not sure who will be next. Go Seigen and Honinbo Shuei are on my "When Dan-level" list. If I decide to continue with the Edo period, maybe Shuwa? I really liked the games between him and Shusaku that were in Invincible. For more modern players, I've been thinking about Sakata, Takagawa, Fujisawa Shuko and Lee Changho.

Advices on that?

[oren]

For pro games, I'm currently going through Yasui Chitoku's game. I've got some time before I finish the collection, so I'm not sure who will be next. Go Seigen and Honinbo Shuei are on my "When Dan-level" list. If I decide to continue with the Edo period, maybe Shuwa? I really liked the games between him and Shusaku that were in Invincible. For more modern players, I've been thinking about Sakata, Takagawa, Fujisawa Shuko and Lee Changho.

Advices on that?

I recommend going through the commented games at gogameguru.

https://gogameguru.com/get-better-at-go ... -go-games/

You didn't need to pick specific people to follow. You just need good games.

[Bki]

For pro games, I'm currently going through Yasui Chitoku's game. I've got some time before I finish the collection, so I'm not sure who will be next. Go Seigen and Honinbo Shuei are on my "When Dan-level" list. If I decide to continue with the Edo period, maybe Shuwa? I really liked the games between him and Shusaku that were in Invincible. For more modern players, I've been thinking about Sakata, Takagawa, Fujisawa Shuko and Lee Changho.

Advices on that?

I recommend going through the commented games at gogameguru.

https://gogameguru.com/get-better-at-go ... -go-games/

You didn't need to pick specific people to follow. You just need good games.

Well, at the moment I'm focusing more on replaying as many games as possible, rather than getting the most of each games, so commented games are not necessarily the best for that.

As for playing through specific people's games, it's also mostly a matter of convenience. Replaying a game over a sgf is meaningless, and having my computer next to my board is a bother. It's easier to get a collection of games from a single player, so I can just print a bunch of game records.

[Bki]

I played badly today... Managed to throw a few won games because of stupid blunder and carelessness in the endgame (though to be fair, one of those was a handicap game).

No game for review today though. I'm too tired and depressed by my bad play to go over them.

Problems done :
GGPfB 25-55
Get Strong at Tesuji : 241-252
Cho Chikun Encyclopedia of L&D : 1-25

[Bki]

There's need to be some rest, so I didn't do much today.



I played this game. I made a very bad mistake in the top, but managed to salvage thing by living there.

Problems :
GGPfB : 56-78 (that is, finishing the first part)
Get Strong at Tesuji : 253-264

[Bki]

The only interesting game I played today : (the others were too easily won)



I should have either played more lightly with , or more solidly with

Then I didn't check the weaknesses in my shape before playing 116.

Problems :

GGPfB vol 4 : 79-108 (got quite a few of them wrong, though)
Get Strong at Tesuji : 265-276
Cho Chikun Encyclopedia of L&D : 26-50

My reading is quite good when I apply myself, I think, but my judgement is questionable. Some problems I considered the correct answer (as long as with the various possible resistance), but judged them inferior.

Is there any good collection of more strategical problem? That might be a way to solve that problem.

[skydyr]

looks too deep to me. Black's stone is low, so he can't build a moyo too efficiently there in any case. What if you just played a checking extension, followed by a corner enclosure if black jumps? If you're really worried about black's potential, something lighter like a cap or maybe a knight's move reduction may be more apropos, but I don't think white needs to worry about it yet. A border point like G14 may also work well, as following up with M17 would be nice for white. Straightforwardly building a shimari in the lower right may also be fine. It stabilizes the right side a great deal, and locks in territory, while it's not clear that black has a single killer move as a followup. The only thing I can think of for black as a followup to white's shimari is a gote checking extension that leaves black quite low on the bottom.

[Bki]

looks too deep to me. Black's stone is low, so he can't build a moyo too efficiently there in any case. What if you just played a checking extension, followed by a corner enclosure if black jumps? If you're really worried about black's potential, something lighter like a cap or maybe a knight's move reduction may be more apropos, but I don't think white needs to worry about it yet. A border point like G14 may also work well, as following up with M17 would be nice for white. Straightforwardly building a shimari in the lower right may also be fine. It stabilizes the right side a great deal, and locks in territory, while it's not clear that black has a single killer move as a followup. The only thing I can think of for black as a followup to white's shimari is a gote checking extension that leaves black quite low on the bottom.

I'm not sure about a checking extension, as white can't really aim at an invasion if black ignore it (a kosumi would lead the invasion toward the wall, and make it impossible to connect underneath), so black will instead approach the lower right.

An enclosure is a good idea. An extension on the bottom would next allow me to reduce his potential, and he can't really expand his moyo that much. Moreover, if I later play the shoulder hit, it make a wall facing the right less attractive. The high shimari seems best in this position.

[skydyr]

I'm not sure about a checking extension, as white can't really aim at an invasion if black ignore it (a kosumi would lead the invasion toward the wall, and make it impossible to connect underneath), so black will instead approach the lower right.

My thinking was that expanding along the bottom is something black wants to do, so this prevents it and helps make future reductions like the knight's move more severe later. I suspect that some of the other moves are more pressing, though.

[Charles Matthews]

looks too deep to me.

Agree. Black might well have killed White in the centre to win outright: that probably would have been the result with more fighting power.

I disagree with . Here Black can't expect so much from the 4-4 point. So I think just enclosing the lower right is correct. The Shimamura-style formation on the right side isn't bad in itself, but the upper side becomes no-man's-land, with the top left strong white group hardly coming into the game.

If White didn't feel like reinforcing the right side with , the opening seems to have gone a bit sour.

[Bki]

Today's game :



Problems :

GGPfB Vol 4 : 109-138 yesterday, 138-157 today (I did one less because it was at the end of a page)
Cho Chikun Encyclopedia : 51-100 (though the 64 eluded me yesterday, and I only solved it when I looked back this morning)

[Charles Matthews]

Today's game

White gets a lead early on. In the region of , Black's poor shape is not really punished. White should have pushed harder.