My Study Journal: Shodan in 800 days?!

[EdLee]

what if W pushes through T16?

Hi Jujube, at R17 instead solves this particular problem.

[Uberdude]

But....... what if W pushes through T16? This is small right? But if now B tenuki, W ataris, then takes the whole corner! It is hard to stomach. Yet if I respond at e.g. S17, then W fixes, I'm in the same position as before but my corner is smaller!

You are correct you shouldn't let white atari in the corner, as it is big for both points and eyes for the white group and yours. So respond at s17. But you aren't quite right that after w connects against the peep you are in the same position but the corner is smaller.

First let's look at that smaller corner claim. Yes it seems like white made your corner smaller in sente, but he also made it more solid, there is now no chance for white to invade at 3-3. On move 30 there is still considerable aji for white to try something in the corner with the peep at 3-3 and p18. Now with the white two space extension on the top side still somewhat weak such an invasion, even if it lives in the corner, is not to be feared yet by black as white will damage his outside group if he lives in the corner so black can then attack that. But if that outside group gets stronger then the corner aji could be used well by white. So one could think you now have something like a 10 point corner with 100% certainty versus a 15 point corner with 70%.

Now for being in the same position, the point of the peep is that it reduces white's eyeshape in sente, so later you could have some chances to kill the white group, whereas your exchange helps white make eyeshape.

In fact I wouldn't want to play the peep, but the q14 hane after white's mistake at t15. This is another way to exploit the fact white's move didn't help r14, he can now only play r13 instead of q13. Then play p12 to seal white in, and this is sente to kill the group, and then develop the centre by attacking the top group. Another, more speculative, approach would be to refrain from making the p12 outside for life exchange and immediately attack the top group and see if you can get it running and then get some stones in the centre which means the right side group can't make eyes by running into the centre, and then kill it.

[Jujube]

Then play p12 to seal white in, and this is sente to kill the group

When you say "this is sente to kill the group", you mean that after P12, W will have to now protect the vital point at S13, and this gives me sente to attack the group at the top?

Yes, I totally get it, if I hadn't provoked W into playing S13, I could have played Q14 in sente, and W can't double-hane because of shortage of liberties. Mmm, that result is much better than what I had!

I was going to ask a last brief question: to attack the group at the top, would you shoulder-hit at N16, knight's attack at N15, split at K17, or something else?

These are very helpful lessons. It is easy for me to see how someone could start playing the type of moves I am making and not notice them for years!

[Jujube]

This is the weekly update!

I dropped to 12kyu on KGS, but then I won 3 of the last 4 games, and now I'm 10kyu. I'm not going to update my rank on here
until my rating is more solid. I'm pleased that I'm winning games.

I really recommend to watch Dsaun's lecture on YouTube about shapes and running fights. I found it extremely helpful. He really hammers home the importance of playing on the opponent's vital points, and I found it really helped strengthen my groups and weaken the opponent's groups, making it easy for me to make eyes, and difficult for the opponent to do the same. It's a long lecture and worth re-watching.

I wasn't going to post a game this week because the games have been either messy fighting games, or games where I don't feel either player played very well. But, I'll post this one, because it was fun to play. I ended up winning by a large margin. Both players made many howlers. I haven't commented on the game.

I hope to make it to SDK in the next month.

[Loons]

I might play at J17 to stop white settling locally (and probably get points on top).

...P16 seems stronger?

seems like it has to be R16.

would be infinitely better at B7. First line placements are cool moves, but it is rare that they are the 'lead out' move, especially when your own stones do not have enough eyespace.

Cool moyo building on the middle right ... 118 does seem like an overplay. First place I would look is Q7 with the feeling that black is too thick and white is too little to survive. The sequence to 126 is an insufferable concession.

Ultimately you are less of a DDK than white is (awesome).

[Jujube]

No games to post this week, but I'd like to post a quick update.

Dropped back to 11kyu on KGS, which was disappointing, not for losing a rank, but because I played the game in a state of utter confusion about what was going on.* I got into a fight and ploughed on without reading it out, without considering how difficult the fight was going to be for me, tried to make a group escape, failed miserably, and resigned. It was stupid.

Went to a Go club on Tuesday and lost an even game against a 7kyu. It was my first OTB game; enjoyed it very much, so going again this week.

A board and stones and mat are arriving from Japan at some point. Posting a picture when it's here. The set is extremely nice, it's going to spur me on to be a better player, to grow into it; to arrive at a level where I feel like I should own it and it should feel proud to have me as an owner. (Yes, I'm personifying a Go board. So what.)

*This concerned me. At the moment, I am finding threats in my opponent's play and weaknesses in my own play, instead of the other way around. I'm playing the game pessimistically. For example, when I jump, connect diagonally, or make a shape that is any weaker than a solid connection, I am forever afraid of what happens to my stones if the opponent cuts. Yet when the opponent makes the same connection, I am forever afraid of what happens to my cutting stones, instead of the opponent's cut stones.

I'm going through Tesuji very slowly and putting problems on a board to make the information sink in.

[Jujube]

Another week, another update. Today was strange. I played 3 games, the first 2 I played sober and lost both of them, the 3rd I played after a few beers, and won triumphantly. Beer makes us less timid. Maybe I should take a leaf out of Fujisawa Hideyuki's book and drink more regularly

On with the games. As always, I really do appreciate your comments. First game is a loss, second game is a win. I have gone through them myself quickly, but haven't commented on them, it's late over here, and like I said, beer. Might review them tomorrow and post some comments of my own.




I need to play more games. Not playing games is holding me back. I'm doing lots of book problems on my beautiful board but not playing games is really hurting my development.

[oren]

Maybe I should take a leaf out of Fujisawa Hideyuki's book and drink more regularly

Note that he got sober when he wanted to play well.

[CnP]

seems like no difference in play between sober and drunk (to a quick glance). In both you start fights but the 1st against a stronger player who can out fight you and second against a similar ranked player you out fought. Going ddk-sdk I remember the big difference was mainly stopping blindly putting down stones and starting to think whether it was a good idea (I'm still working on this).

[Knotwilg]

Another week, another update. Today was strange. I played 3 games, the first 2 I played sober and lost both of them, the 3rd I played after a few beers, and won triumphantly. Beer makes us less timid.

Or beer tempts us to draw conclusions from very small samples.

[Shenoute]

Just a quick comment on in game 1:

- speaking only of the black group above, this stone is not needed to reinforce it nor does it add points to black's position
- taking into account white's position below and the multiple cuts at D7/E6/G5, only invites white to protect these

When you've made such a strong group as F17, look for some way to use the thickness ("don't play near thickness", either yours our your opponent's).

[Jujube]

Just a quick comment on in game 1:

- speaking only of the black group above, this stone is not needed to reinforce it nor does it add points to black's position
- taking into account white's position below and the multiple cuts at D7/E6/G5, only invites white to protect these

When you've made such a strong group as F17, look for some way to use the thickness ("don't play near thickness", either yours our your opponent's).

My thinking was to keep White low. I didn't want them to jump. But I get your point, it's in no-man's-land, it's not doing anything because the group above it is solid. I should have played something like O17, putting some pressure on the 2-space-extension, or maybe the star point Q10?

[Jujube]

Going ddk-sdk I remember the big difference was mainly stopping blindly putting down stones and starting to think whether it was a good idea.

Sometimes, I think it's because I overcomplicate things. I do SDK problems in tesuji books, I ponder the different types of 3-space-extension joseki, whatever. But I don't think about really basic things, I mean, stupidly basic, like connecting your stones and separating the opponent's. I won the 2nd game because I connected my stones and separated the opponent's.

Maybe I should stop doing SDK-level tesuji problems and concentrate on winning games.

That would be a great book idea, by the way. Concentrating on fundamental techniques that make the difference in games at DDK/high SDK level. Thinking about it, it sounds like Kageyama's book. But maybe updated and concentrating on whole-board problems. Maybe I should get the Cho Hunhyun books? I've heard good things about those.

[Knotwilg]

Going ddk-sdk I remember the big difference was mainly stopping blindly putting down stones and starting to think whether it was a good idea.

That would be a great book idea, by the way. Concentrating on fundamental techniques that make the difference in games at DDK/high SDK level. Thinking about it, it sounds like Kageyama's book.

Kageyama's book, however fun to read, fails to deliver its promise. I found Minue's writings much better in teaching the fundamentals of go.

In order to win games:

1. Don't resign
2. Don't run out of time
3. Use the time you have to read as deeply and widely as you can
4. Connect your stones and separate the opponent's
5. Study life and death problems to knock the opponent out in the middle game
6. Study endgame techniques to outlast the opponent
7. Above all, play and study with the best possible attitude and don't let your fears and desires dictate the pace or quality of your game

[CnP]

Going ddk-sdk I remember the big difference was mainly stopping blindly putting down stones and starting to think whether it was a good idea.

Sometimes, I think it's because I overcomplicate things. I do SDK problems in tesuji books, I ponder the different types of 3-space-extension joseki, whatever. But I don't think about really basic things, I mean, stupidly basic, like connecting your stones and separating the opponent's. I won the 2nd game because I connected my stones and separated the opponent's.

Maybe I should stop doing SDK-level tesuji problems and concentrate on winning games.

That would be a great book idea, by the way. Concentrating on fundamental techniques that make the difference in games at DDK/high SDK level. Thinking about it, it sounds like Kageyama's book. But maybe updated and concentrating on whole-board problems. Maybe I should get the Cho Hunhyun books? I've heard good things about those.

I like Cho's "Lectures on Go Techniques". I had a good experience with volume 1 in particular. Learning tesuji is not wasted effort though (or training your reading/visualisations skills).

Other books on fundamental techniques are "How not to play Go" http://senseis.xmp.net/?HowNotToPlayGo and Robert's First Fundamentals http://senseis.xmp.net/?FirstFundamentals but what I was meaning more than extra books is when you pick a move to play, stop and read ahead a bit - not just in life and death situations.