Path to 9Dan, step by step.

Knotwilg · Post by **Knotwilg** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 3:01 am

Fast forward to 116

Your analysis is again correct and I just want to hand a mental device to you on how to evaluate such situations. It's really like a detective: what's the situation, what's my weapon, where's the weakness?

The root cause of the mistake is that we see BIG OPPONENT MOYO and not WEAK OPPONENT GROUP.
And the root cause of that is that we see Go as a game of territory, while it is really a game of survival of stones.

So: see WEAK OPPONENT GROUP.

Knotwilg · Post by **Knotwilg** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 1:52 pm

About the 1st win: it was a messy game but what I see most is fighting spirit. This is very promising for your career. You know, techniques and knowledge can be acquired, but things like concentration and fighting spirit are closer to one's character.

Browse through the game: I only have praise for your mentality in this game. I'll leave it to others to point out the mistakes.

hl782 · Post by **hl782** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 5:59 pm

Thanks for the very detailed reviews, and compliments Knotwilg - You know, I don't really feel too comfortable in large scale fights, because I still don't have the reading ability to back it up - but I just do all I can to win... That's all. I don't really understand how my moves exactly demonstrate - 'fighting spirit', and what exactly that is but - thank you for the compliments.

Anyways, here's another game from yesterday. Solid W.

Also, yesterday I dominated my dad in a game of 12 stone handi. I was shellshocked, and I think he was too. For the first time ever, he directly told me that i made him think - and that I improved. I was really really happy.

mitsun · Post by **mitsun** » Wed Sep 16, 2015 10:01 am

Still a couple of instances where you played the wrong direction, not making good use of thickness:

(should be L5 or K6 or L6) and

(should be M11 to really pressure W). But congratulations on

-- whether it works tactically or not, it is the right direction and attitude.

By the way, the B wall after

makes an interesting tesuji problem. If W cuts at P11, can you capture the cutting stone? Even if the ladder does not work? If W also cuts at P14, can you capture both cutting stones (still without ladder)?

Knotwilg · Post by **Knotwilg** » Wed Sep 16, 2015 10:12 am

hl782 wrote:Thanks for the very detailed reviews, and compliments Knotwilg - You know, I don't really feel too comfortable in large scale fights, because I still don't have the reading ability to back it up - but I just do all I can to win... That's all. I don't really understand how my moves exactly demonstrate - 'fighting spirit', and what exactly that is but - thank you for the compliments.

Many players who ask for reviews around here will get the criticism that they're "following the opponent around". Not you. Mitsun and others point out correctly how to take better advantage of thickness and how to better attack. But you are attacking and defending with a sense of independency that is rare. You seem to be taking responsibility for your own moves, very different from "following the opponent around" or responding to other kinds of irrationality or fear.

Enjoy!

hl782 · Post by **hl782** » Wed Sep 16, 2015 11:15 am

mitsun wrote: By the way, the B wall after makes an interesting tesuji problem. If W cuts at P11, can you capture the cutting stone? Even if the ladder does not work? If W also cuts at P14, can you capture both cutting stones (still without ladder)?

If white cuts at P11, can't i capture the stone in a net? Atari him first at o11, then when he extends to P10, I can play O9 and get him. I am a bit confused on what you refer to by the cut at p14 - it looks like white cannot cut at p14? Unless you were referring to him cutting P14 after he cut P11.

Knotwilg wrote: Many players who ask for reviews around here will get the criticism that they're "following the opponent around". Not you. Mitsun and others point out correctly how to take better advantage of thickness and how to better attack. But you are attacking and defending with a sense of independency that is rare. You seem to be taking responsibility for your own moves, very different from "following the opponent around" or responding to other kinds of irrationality or fear.

Enjoy!

Oh - huh. I didn't even know! Haha thanks, and hopefully I'll keep on staying that way!

mitsun · Post by **mitsun** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:05 am

B to play and capture (no ladder):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ $$ ------- $$ . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . O X . . | $$ . . O . . O . O X . . | $$ . , . . O . . X X O . | $$ . . . . . X . . X O . | $$ . . . . . X O X . O . | $$ . . . . . . X O O . . | $$ . . . . . . X O . O . | $$ . . . . . . W X . O . | $$ . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

hl782 · Post by **hl782** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:30 am

I dunno how to make the diagrams so please forgive me for the written attempt at an answer

If the question is to capture the cutting stone at P11 - after the atari, black will block, and then white doesn't really have too much of a reply? If white extends, then black just captures the two stones below with O10. If white counter ataris, then black will atari the three stones at N10, white captures, black ataris again from behind, then drives white up the wall until he catches him in a net at M14. Black should be careful to net at M14, and not push up white to net at M14 because if he does the corner group will get disconnected.

Kirby · Post by **Kirby** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:39 am

mitsun wrote:
The first part is easy, but does the W atari make it fail?
$$
$$ -----------
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ . . O . . O . O X . . |
$$ . , . . O . . X X O . |
$$ . . . . . X . . X O . |
$$ . . . . . X O X . O . |
$$ . . . . . . X O O . . |
$$ . . . . . 4 X O . O . |
$$ . . . . . 1 W X . O . |
$$ . . . . . . 2 X . . . |
$$ . . . . . 3 . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$ $$ ----------- $$ . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . O X . . | $$ . . O . . O . O X . . | $$ . , . . O . . X X O . | $$ . . . . . X . . X O . | $$ . . . . . X O X . O . | $$ . . . . . . X O O . . | $$ . . . . . 4 X O . O . | $$ . . . . . 1 W X . O . | $$ . . . . . . 2 X . . . | $$ . . . . . 3 . . X . . | $$ . . . . . . . . . . . |[/go]

Yes...?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ $$ ----------- $$ . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . O X . . | $$ . . O . . O . O X . . | $$ . , . . O . . X X O . | $$ . . . . . X . . X O . | $$ . . . . . X O X . O . | $$ . . . . . 1 X O O . . | $$ . . . . . O X O . O . | $$ . . . . 6 X O X . O . | $$ . . . . 5 4 O X . . . | $$ . . . . . X 2 7 X . . | $$ . . . . . . 3 . . . . |[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ $$ ----------- $$ . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . O X . . | $$ . . O . . O . O X . . | $$ . , . . O . . X X O . | $$ . . . . . X . . X O . | $$ . . . . . X O X . O . | $$ . . . . . X X O O . . | $$ . . . . 0 O X O . O . | $$ . . . 9 O 8 O X . O . | $$ . . . . X O O X . . . | $$ . . . . . X O X X . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . . . |[/go]

Then what? Black seems to have too many weaknesses:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$ $$ ----------- $$ . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ . . . . . . . O X . . | $$ . . O . . O . O X . . | $$ . , . . O . . X X O . | $$ . . . . . X . . X O . | $$ . . . 3 . X O X . O . | $$ . . . . 2 X X O O . . | $$ . . . 1 O O X O . O . | $$ . . . X O O O X . O . | $$ . . . . X O O X . . . | $$ . . . . 4 X O X X . . | $$ . . . . . . X . . . . |[/go]

Edit: Well, I guess there is the ladder on top, but I assumed "no ladder", since you mentioned it.

hl782 · Post by **hl782** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:52 am

Here are two games I played today - Unfortunately, I lost them both.

The 1st game, I was especially furious with myself for losing because it was a won game. 1 horrendous mistake led to my entire downfall. I got really greedy - wanted the entire center for myself/not let my small stones die - and I paid my price. Should have held myself back considering i was already like 30 points ahead.

The 2nd game, I couldn't help but think that my opponent was a bit stronger than me - Though I did myself no favors in the beginning my making 2 weak groups and let myself drown.

Edit - here's a 3rd. I won this one. He let me break through the top which was gg. Slightly annoyed because he wouldn't play me in a ranked game for some reason and insisted on playing a free game.

hl782 · Post by **hl782** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:55 am

Kirby, I think in ur variation, if black instead extends after 8, rather than atari, black can catch the entire lump of white stones.

Kirby · Post by **Kirby** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 11:03 am

hl782 wrote:Kirby, I think in ur variation, if black instead extends after 8, rather than atari, black can catch the entire lump of white stones.

hl782 · Post by **hl782** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 12:01 pm

Oh oops - i was looking at the stones directly from my game - in which there was a stone 2 spaces away from your move 9, that black could use to capture the entire thing.

hl782 · Post by **hl782** » Fri Sep 18, 2015 4:40 pm

Halfpoint wins are the best. ^_^

hl782 · Post by **hl782** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 12:00 am

Two more wins - these were tough wins - especially the first one! As always, any comments would be greatly appreciated

Win 1

Win 2

I wish I can play at this kind of level consistently. I'll upload later, but I had a miserable 40 point loss to someone i had beaten before twice. I not only want to raise the ceiling for myself but raise my floor as well.

As for problems, I am 450 problems down in Get Strong at Tesuji - Slightly disappointed that I am only scoring around 86-88% - considering this is my 3rd runthrough. I have a terrible sense of when to atari, when not to atari, etc - I miss more 1/2 star problems than i do with 3 and 4 star problems.

Life In 19x19

Path to 9Dan, step by step.

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Re: Path to 9Dan, step by step.