Progress in Black and White

[EdLee]

I should have pulled back with P13 maybe ?

Re: If the broken shape is bad ( which depends on the global context ),
then either keima P13 or o12 could be the solution ( which again depends on the global context ).

[dfan]

I'll admit I don't see anything with F14? It doesn't cut the groups apart and the top is completely alive isn't it? or am I missing something?

Sorry, I meant H14 (I got it right the first time).

[skydyr]

Regarding your question about getting comments, download the sgf and edit it using your favorite sgf editor. Then when you create the post, upload the file, preview the post, and copy/paste the link you see in the preview into the sgf tags to show the uploaded file when you submit it. You can preview it again to check.

[Majordomo]

Thanks for the tip skydyr, and yeh, I see what you mean with H14 (I think) dfan.

Anyways, for today's game I played against a 3k and won on time. If my last game was calm this was anything but - and the majority of the full-board fighting took place in byoyomi so I think there were several missed lines of play for both sides.

I'm somewhat proud of my game - I did make mistakes (of the kind that I can recognise myself) both in reading and judgement but I think I held my own somewhat. He ended up making weak groups that I could harass and hopefully kill at one point but timed out like I mentioned while the fight was still ongoing.

Winning on time is a bit (very) disappointing - but was probably the only way I could win the game since I doubt I'd see the required lines to kill his weak groups and my endgame is very weak.

I've taken a bit of time to run the game through Leela (an AI) - just to see how it evaluates the position, and it has me ahead for most of the game even (it drops me significantly behind after move 57 but then has me ahead again from move 85 after my opponent makes a second weak group). However Leela might be fancy with it's evaluation but it doesn't really explain what I did wrong so any comments are welcome!

The game with comments:

[EdLee]

Hi,

R5 ( your var ) is OK.

Maybe slow.

Slow. Your comment correct: you follow him.

[Majordomo]

Thanks for you comments. How would you judge the position at the end when he timed out? I know I would have lost most likely but when I analyse it with Leela it favours black significantly - if so I'm guessing it either thinks his center group is dead or that my lower right is alive - but I'm not nearly strong enough to verify - for me I'd guess his group is alive and mine is dead heh.

No games today, or yesterday, which is annoying - I think I need to put in an effort to play more - though it's much more comfortable for me to just study pro games & tsumego since I have less fear of being disrupted then.

Today I did order a pile of books though - which ought to carry me through the summer and beyond. Jump Level Up 1-5, Tesuji, Get Strong at Tesuji, and The Endgame. I'll probably treat myself to some more for my birthday so I didn't want to overdo it now heh.

For tsumego / tesuji I'll admit I'm looking forward to having puzzles with answers - Cho Chikun's Elementary are mostly fine but I am stomped at some junctures where the shape becomes too open and I have to read very wide - then I'm not always able to completely verify my solution so it's more of an educated guess.

[Knotwilg]

See Tower Stone Tesuji in Sensei's Library

[Majordomo]

Ah cool. I definitively didn't know that one.

Today I actually got to play some games (yey) - well, games as in two but one of them was aborted after 25 moves due to my opponent timing out. Oh well.

The actual - full - game was an even game against a 4k and I won handily but I'm not so sure about my play all the same - I did spend all my time while my opponent played rather quickly.

If 4k is my actual rank I guess I should start asking my 2(?)dan EGF friend for less than 9 stones when we play - but with his love of creating a horribly complex board I feel that it would lead to my swift demise. Oh well - I'll learn I guess, and taking 0 stones is the goal so, onwards!

Tsumego - I'm nearing the end of Cho Chikun's Elementary, but for the last few 50 or so problems I've really wanted an answer key - and I've also become a bit lazy I think in my reading but for the carpenter squares and the more open problems (or similar at least) I'm just not able to prune bad variations quickly enough so I get overwhelmed by checking and rechecking the same variations to ensure I haven't missed something. I'll be happy when my books arrive and I can start to practice some tesuji which is something I feel is lacking in my play - I often don't feel that I play sharply enough or take advantage of what I think is bad shape.

The game:

[skydyr]

Overall, this seems like a good game for you. Your opponent made mistakes and you recognized them and acted on them. I've included some comments below:

[Majordomo]

Thanks - I did feel I did good (at the time anyway) and thanks a lot for your comments!

I did play a game yesterday but my opponent collapsed quickly and resigned and I didn't have the time for another so I didn't think it worth posting.

Today I had two bad games against the same opponent (a 3k) - one where I collapsed and just resigned after 30 moves (misreading in a corner situation, collapsing horribly and just resigning) and one where I kept at it and then collapsed and didn't resign but started putting stones down more or less haphazardly in frustration and then resign.

It really felt like one of them games where I don't think I've improved at all and I'm an imposter for having the rank that I did (I don't think my quick rank-up to 3k helped my rank anxiety any, I both felt like an imposter and didn't deserve having it and at the same time wanting to not play in order not to lose it - the mind is funny how it can bother you like this even when I know it is irrational, like it is anything of value instead of an indicator - I'm working on this ladder-anxiety mindset since it's hampering my ability to enjoy the game even when losing).

The game:

Preface - I've been going over games I play with Leela (supposedly some 2-3 dan I think) after in order to see how I'm doing and help with my positional analysis, spotting blunders and ye, just exploring the game. Is this something you think is helpful or too much of a crutch in terms of reviewing? I'll admit I don't always trust it's win / loss indicator but it can't be all wrong can it?



Other studying:
Still doing the Lee Sedol - Gu Li jubango games (hence me being fancy and copying their fuseki somewhat), but looking for some more approachable pro players to study. Is Cho Hunhyun a good one to look at? I want someone who loves to fight because I'm trying to cultivate some daring in my play (unless, based on my games here, you guys don't recommend that).

Also, 700 / 900 of Cho Chikun though I'll admit I've cheated a bit and given up on maybe 10-20 of them after just thinking I have the right variation instead of fully reading it out. It really is tiresome with the wide open ones - but I know it helps. Did a chapter in Tesuji today and really want to get started with that as well!

Teachers - I've looked around online and here in the teaching forum to see if not taking paying for personal lessons could be interesting in order to improve faster - anyone who happen to read this have experience with that (as in recommending someone in particular)?

[skydyr]

The game looked reasonable until . Reinforcing in the upper right would have helped with this, of course, but then white likely wouldn't have jumped in the same way.

When white jumped in oddly on the right at it was a bit of a thank-you move, but it's clearly aiming at activating the upper right white stone. White's subsequent 2-space extension is a bit on the timid side, but it's still aiming at that. Just blocking on the side, with a jump down or a footsweep or otherwise would keep white weak enough that black doesn't have to worry about the white stone for a bit yet.

Once white plays the attachment at I don't see a great result for black, and in the game, black's huge moyo has turned into white territory and some black influence and a not so strong group. It's hard to recover when White's gain's on the right are so big. I didn't see any black tesuji to recover on the right side.

Later on, though, don't play aji-keshi moves like . Black's behind enough that he needs to be able to ruin the top.

[Majordomo]

Thanks! That's what it felt like certainly - not sure why I played the shoulder hit instead of a footsweep or block - then if he ignores I guess the shoulder hit would be more appropriate to harrass the group. The only idea behind move 69 was to go some all-in center strategy but he's already in and I don't even think I have enough points there so I guess it just kills off all the things I could do on top.

The fact that I felt the game as unsalvageable - and like you said you don't see a good result for black either - makes me wonder why Leela favours black though (or it's even but like 52-55% for black until 61 and then back up after 94. It really wants me to play P9 - so maybe it sees something or think it sees something. I should get CrazyStone since that's a fair bit stronger I suppose but then I'd need a PC heh. Perhaps I should make it play it out.

[Majordomo]

And for today we have how to lose a lost game - messing up life and death edition (just stress-reading in byoyomi really - I'm fairly confident I'd have won if not for my screwup - this means more Cho Chikun's Elementary for me!)

Other than that though he kind of struggled with this center group which I felt had no business living (and well, it didn't sort of kind of - well other than the fact that I resigned) - but I'm not sure I went about treating it properly? In hindsight I should just have gone further away and taken points that way instead of tightly trying to smother it - but the way he struggled made it big enough for me to win I think.

Anyway - the game + comments - I'm actually not that upset with losing for once, just had a "doh" moment heh.



Like always, comments are appreciated, especially harsh ones - I know I make a lot of mistakes and I really want to at least know where they are and I'm more doubtful of Leela's suggestions thank you guy's!

EDIT: It just struck me as I was thinking about the game - I think I have really bad instincts when it comes to handling thickness (my own that is). The 72-74 sequence exemplifies it I think - what am I even accomplishing here? I think I was very lucky my opponent followed me around instead of taking large points here

[mitsun]

starts a difficult fight. Choices for this move include the obvious O4 and N3 as well as the perhaps less obvious O5 and M3. I have no idea which is best However, the game sequence gave B an opportunity to get a good result by giving up two stones for a nice outside squeeze with at M4.

After , I think W should live directly by capturing at B4. This move is territorially very large, on the order of 20 points. The game sequence helped B make territory here and risked damaging W center thickness.

Concerning your posted comments, and were good moves, which substantially improved W center thickness and potential for center territory. Contrast this to a B move at J6, largely erasing the W thickness. You did well to invest another move here.

was an overplay, which you punished properly. After the large center capture, W had a won game.

You started to go wrong with :w136:. Those three B stones are extremely weak! This move and the next are "thank-you" moves, forcing moves which help B to live. Consider invading at M17 instead. I do not think B can capture this stone, given all the surrounding W strength, so he will be in big trouble. If your reading says this invasion does not quite work, prepare with H17 or M14, taking profit and forcing B to defend.

B was also thin on the left side after :b163:. You should be able to find some way to make a substantial reduction here, rather than forcing B to solidify a large territory. For example, :w174: at E13 would be difficult to stop.

:w176: started to go wrong in the lower left. E7 instead was simple and good. :w178: clamp at F2 is the local tesuji to maximize your territory here. :w184: at F7 was another missed tesuji to connect with no loss.

[Majordomo]

No game today but oh well - teaching my brother to play - fun to see someone go through the same struggles I did heh.

Thanks a lot for your comments though - I went over the board to see the tesujis you mention and think I found the right sequences - also, I've just started reading "Tesuji" now and I see that my view on how to capture cutting stones might have been a bit narrow - no doubt the same goes for connecting tesuji as well (I often spot sequencing issues in my reviews where it's obvious in hindsight that by playing 3 before 1 for example I could connect or cut). Usually I just check quickly if I can ladder or net it but I suspect I've often missed tesujis which would have let me captured them if my reading had been just a bit wider in scope. Something to improve!

Ye W136 was a mistake, and I could have been more severe - I play slack when I think I'm ahead by a lot but I don't really always play that safe either so it's the worst of both worlds.