Gérard TAILLE wrote:
Bill Spight wrote:
So let’s talk about this position. Since the idea of an ideal environment seems to be non-productive, let’s not use it.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$B
$$ ---------------------
$$ | . O . . X . . . . |
$$ | . X O O X . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . |
$$ | . O O X . . . . . |
$$ | . O X X . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------[/go]
The only hope for Black to do better is to play A-17.

Good idea Bill to analyse such position.
let me continue your analyse by this play A-17
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$W White to play
$$ ---------------------
$$ | . O . b X . . . . |
$$ | a X O O X . . . . |
$$ | X . O X X . . . . |
$$ | . O O X . . . . . |
$$ | . O X X . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------[/go]
Now the point is to compare my new move "a" to the well known "b".
b is well known? In general it doesn't look so good to me.{shrug}
Edit: I have to take that back. In general it does look better.

Gérard TAILLE wrote:
The ko we can reach with "a" and "b" are quite different and I will take again the environment g1 >= g2 >= g3 >= g4 ....
white plays at "a":
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$W white to play
$$ ---------------------
$$ | 2 O 4 5 X . . . . |
$$ | 1 X O O X . . . . |
$$ | X . O X X . . . . |
$$ | . O O X . . . . . |
$$ | 6 O X X . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------[/go]

take g1
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wcm7
$$ ---------------------
$$ | X 1 X O X . . . . |
$$ | 3 X O O X . . . . |
$$ | X 5 O X X . . . . |
$$ | . O O X . . . . . |
$$ | X O X X . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------[/go]

takes g2

takes g3

takse g4
and black score is ScoreA17 = -g1 + g2 + g3 + g4 - g5 ... -5
White plays at "b"
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$W White to play
$$ ---------------------
$$ | 4 O . 1 X . . . . |
$$ | 5 X O O X . . . . |
$$ | X 7 O X X . . . . |
$$ | 3 O O X . . . . . |
$$ | 2 O X X . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------[/go]

takes g1

takes g2
and black score is ScoreD19 = g1 + g2 - g3 + g4 - g5 ... -7
White should prefer A17 if ScoreA17 < ScoreD19 that means
-g1 + g2 + g3 + g4 - g5 ... -5 < g1 + g2 - g3 + g4 - g5 ... -7 <=>
2(g1 - g3) > 2
That proves that the white move at "a" is in general better than "b" as soon as g1 - g3 > 1
Two examples:
with the environment 3½, 3, 2½, 2, 1½, 1, ½ (g1 - g3 = 1) the move "a" is better than "b" but
with the environment 3½, 3½, 3, 2½, 2, 1½, 1, ½ (g1 - g3 = ½) the move "b" is better than "a"
How about this?
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$W White to play
$$ ---------------------
$$ | . O . 1 X . . . . |
$$ | . X O O X . . . . |
$$ | X . O X X . . . . |
$$ | 3 O O X . . . . . |
$$ | 2 O X X . . . . . |
$$ | 4 X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------[/go]
Assuming no ko threats, now or later, this may well become seki, with Black having 1 point by Japanese/Korean rules, effectively 0 by AGA rules. But it is known that this position favors Black in general, because Black has little to lose in the ko and much to gain. This is the main reason why, in general, D-19 does not look so good to me.
1) Suppose that White makes seki with

.
AGASekiScore = g1 - g2 + g3 - g4 + ....
2) Suppose that

takes g1 and

makes the ko.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$W White to play
$$ ---------------------
$$ | 6 O . 1 X . . . . |
$$ | 7 X O O X . . . . |
$$ | X 9 O X X . . . . |
$$ | 3 O O X . . . . . |
$$ | 2 O X X . . . . . |
$$ | 4 X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------[/go]

= g1

= g2
Throw-inScore = -6 - g1 + g2 + g3 - g4 + ....
White will prefer to make seki in gote when
g1 - g2 > 3
Which is very rarely.
If neither player throws in then the AGA score will be
NoThrow-inScore = -g1 + g2 - g3 + g4 - ....
Black will prefer to throw in when
2g3 - 2g4 + ... > 6
Assuming, as a first approximation, that g4 = 2g4 - ..., we have
2g3 - g4 > 6
Normally, g3 ≅ g4, so we may write
g3 > 6,
So at lower temperatures, we may assume that normally the

connection will result in this score.
AGAD19-SenteSekiScore = -g1 + g2 - g3 + g4 - ....
ScoreD19 = g1 + g2 - g3 + g4 - g5 ... -7
This is better for Black when
3½ > g1.
Now let's compare this sequence with White's throw-in instead of D-19.
ScoreA17 = -g1 + g2 + g3 + g4 - g5 ... -5
AGAD19-SenteSekiScore = -g1 + g2 - g3 + g4 - ....
White's throw-in is better for White when
2½ > g3.
These simple gote environments are not close approximations, and typically the largest play in the environment does not have a miai value 1 point larger than the third largest play. So it looks like once the miai value of the largest play drops below 3½, White D-19 would typically make seki with sente. I.e., White D-19 is not so good at low temperatures when there are no ko threats. OC, at higher temperatures the conditions when it is best may well arise.