#68 Redundant vs Loons, 9x9

[Jedo]

Redundant, what were you doing in Kyoto and what was it like, especially in terms of go? I ask because I'm studying abroad there next spring.

[Redundant]

I did mean would you like to restart from nigiri onwards if you're keen ?

Sounds good. I think I've gotten a good deal better at 9x9 in the time since this game started.

Redundant, what were you doing in Kyoto and what was it like, especially in terms of go? I ask because I'm studying abroad there next spring.

I didn't have the time to do any go playing in Kyoto, but it was awesome. The temples are amazing, and the whole city is just beautiful. My only advice is to not go in August, as the heat is almost unbearable.

[Loons]

Let's get some nigiri happening.

(I am hiding either odd or even);

So even.

If I won I take white.

[Redundant]

5?

[Redundant]

So I'm black, then:

$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . 1 . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . 1 . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

I've been playing a lot of OGS 9x9 games. As black, I play the center. If my opponent one space approaches or knights move approaches, I then attach. I basically try to seal in white and then kill when they try to live on the outside.

[Loons]

$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . X . 2 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . X . 2 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

Man, my Japanese 9x9 rival doesn't open tengen a lot.

[Redundant]

It's my only opening as black.

$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . 1 . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . 1 . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

[Loons]

$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O . . |
$$ | . . 4 . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O . . |
$$ | . . 4 . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

I`m going to pretend I played that contact move.

Do you mind me chattering inanely during the game ? It's my bad habit, as best explained in haiku.

Chatter at the game
Xiangqi board frowns from his frame:
He's cold, wanting use.

(My xiangqi board, as is common, has "A gentleman awaits his move in silence" in Chinese along one edge).

I much prefer 3-4s in 9x9. Also now my right hand stone looks like a probe against an extra-high enclosure that I have played before.

[Redundant]

$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O 5 . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O 5 . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

Go is supposed to be a social game, right? In a at most tangentially related note, I had a dream last night that I was in New Zealand, visiting Shaddy who was a foreign exchange student there. I'm still not sure if it was a nightmare.

He ignored my contact, so I take my local (hehe local on 9-9 is the entire board) profit. If I find time, I'll dig out some of my OGS games starting with this opening. I play a couple of 9x9 games there each week.

[Loons]

$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . 6 . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . 6 . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

A month ago New Zealand was a nightmare for exchange students (lots were in the bad part of our earthquake). Hm, grim.

[Redundant]

$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O 7 . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O 7 . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

You know what I really like about 9x9. It gets interesting very quickly. It's also quite difficult to adapt to after playing a bunch of 19x19.

This space intentionally left blank.

[Loons]

$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . 8 X . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O X . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . 8 X . . |
$$ | . . , . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O X . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

Yeh, I like how sometimes the game degenerates into a single mad, scrappy and vulgar fight sometimes. "Sometimes".

On the tactical front, after he cuts I will pick up the forcing atari and then sacrifice one side. He has a lot of input into how the rest of the game goes. Specifically, I will try and sacrifice the two stones with an eye to a split-down-the-middle board. A split-down-the middle board in which komi is huge.

[Redundant]

$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . , . X 9 O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O X . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . , . X 9 O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O X . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

You mean like now?

[Loons]

$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . 0 . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . , . X X O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O X . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . 0 . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . , . X X O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O X . |
$$ | . . , . , . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

You started it (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

$$Wm10
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , 7 5 6 1 . . |
$$ | . . . 3 4 O X 2 . |
$$ | . . , . X X O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O X . |
$$ | . . , . 8 . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm10
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , 7 5 6 1 . . |
$$ | . . . 3 4 O X 2 . |
$$ | . . , . X X O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O X . |
$$ | . . , . 8 . , . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

My reckoning is that a line like this is good for me, but tricky enough that I might miss something. Also I would like to find something for my two stones to do as zombies. I would like to read a bit further, but I might as well just see his moves, because I dislike the alternative;

$$Wm10
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . 2 . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X 1 . |
$$ | . . , . X X O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O X . |
$$ | . . , . , . , 3 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm10
$$ +-------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . , . , . 2 . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X 1 . |
$$ | . . , . X X O X . |
$$ | . . O . . . O X . |
$$ | . . , . , . , 3 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +-------------------+[/go]

Which, hmm. Seems possible, the ball is very much in black's court with the forcing moves.

A little worried about wishful thinking 'cause of the fast play (knock wood), but as I'm seeing a lot of good lines for me, I'm happy to keep the fast pace up.

Edit (grammar)

Edit 2: Metastrategy. Actually, it is my next move that requires thought, not his. So, perhaps playing my next move quickly is a mistake, even though d6 looks very nice to me. I should examine alternatives. It is of course possible that he has gone to bed and is not going to continue our 20 minute move recent schedule.

[Chew Terr]

You know what I really like about 9x9. It gets interesting very quickly. It's also quite difficult to adapt to after playing a bunch of 19x19.

Do you find the reverse to be true as well?

edit: Now I REALLY want to play some 9x9 =)