probably looked a bit funny, but I'm pleased with the choice, as I considered it genuinely urgent. However, I think both "why?" and "why then?" deserve an explanation, so here are some of my thoughts and considerations.
Why not before my 3-3 invasion? If I take it straight away, White makes considerable points in the corner, and my move is effectively dame. It's still not small, as it fixes that annoying cut, but it doesn't do anything to prevent White from making fairly efficient points:
$$Bcm67 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . X O O . O O O . |
$$ | . . . . 2 . X . . . . . X O . X O X . |
$$ | . . . O . . O O . , X . X O . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . 1 . . X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X . X O . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . O O O . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . O X O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O , X . O X . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bcm67 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . X O O . O O O . |
$$ | . . . . 2 . X . . . . . X O . X O X . |
$$ | . . . O . . O O . , X . X O . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . 1 . . X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X . X O . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . O O O . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . O X O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O , X . O X . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
Here I feel dissatisfied, as it isn't clear what the further purpose of the move is, other than to connect. My biggest concern was White creating thickness in sente from my invasion, and then cutting - it looks like maybe that was hard for White to do, but something like this was really worrying me:
$$Bcm75 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . X . X O O . O O O . |
$$ | . 1 X X O . X . . . . . X O . X O X . |
$$ | . W O O O . O O . , X . X O . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . 5 7 . X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . C . . 6 4 3 X O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X 2 X O . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . O O O . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . b . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . O X O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O , X . O X . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bcm75 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . X . X O O . O O O . |
$$ | . 1 X X O . X . . . . . X O . X O X . |
$$ | . W O O O . O O . , X . X O . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . 5 7 . X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . C . . 6 4 3 X O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X 2 X O . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . O O O . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . b . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . O X O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O , X . O X . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
Now not only do I have to protect my poor left group in gote, but White builds points, and further thickness. Moves at "a" and "b", for example, suddenly create swathes of points that I have no good way of reducing. In very short order, all my effort at building points is quickly overtaken by White generating large amounts of territory in very few moves. However, by invading the corner, and keeping sente (albeit accepting small local point losses in doing so), allows me to negate the area marked with a circle, and gives me the potential to reduce further, such as with the following:
$$Bcm71 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 5 . . X 7 . . . X . X O O . O O O . |
$$ | . O X X O . X . . . . . X O . X O X . |
$$ | . 6 O O O . O O . , X . X O . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X . . X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . 9 . . . . X . X O . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . O O O . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . b . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . c . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . O X O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O , X . O X . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bcm71 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 5 . . X 7 . . . X . X O O . O O O . |
$$ | . O X X O . X . . . . . X O . X O X . |
$$ | . 6 O O O . O O . , X . X O . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X . . X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . 9 . . . . X . X O . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . O O O . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . a . . . . . . . . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . b . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . c . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . O X O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O , X . O X . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
I don't want to play this shoulder hit just yet, as the lower left must be settled first, and frankly, I still don't know what White's going to do with his sente, but it surely must be in the lower left somewhere. However, it's clear from the final position here that those further moves around "a", "b" and "c" are, whilst not quite dame, not capable of generating the territory I was fearing White would achieve in the centre.
As a result,
felt very urgent to me. It's counter-intuitive in a way, as it's clearly gote, and doesn't generate me any points. However, as discussed in the other thread on "big and urgent", an urgent move is one that, if not taken very quickly, changes the global landscape in a substantial way, and has impact that stretches into the future with regards to the strategic direction of the game.
I remember a really interesting thread a while ago (I think it was another Malkovich game) where someone stated they it was bad to let your opponent get what they wanted, and Bill very insightfully responded that he prefers to win games where he gives his opponents exactly what they wanted (but obviously not what they
needed). I can't remember the post, but if anyone knows, feel free to link it. Anyway, I've realised that a lot of my play revolves very much around this concept. Give my opponent territory at a point where the thickness is more valuable to me, and make it tempting enough that my opponent takes the bait. Give my opponent thickness at the point where I can find a move or two that neutralises its impact enough to make sure that any territory I can gain has greater value, and so on. I don't claim to be very good at this, else my rank would be higher (I can barely hold KGS 2d on a good day, and that makes me weaker than both my opponent here and a number of the other observers that have commented on the game), but I
have noticed I tend to base my plans around this sort of idea.
The reason I've left the lower left for as long as I have is it has an inherent sort of miai value about it. White can give me a) or b), and take c) or d) himself, but none of them are locally particularly bad in their own right. The game is developing around the idea that, at some point, the corner becomes urgent when any given result is suddenly significantly advantageous to the other player, but I'm still not convinced we've
quite reached that point. However, because I'm aiming at the reduction (
in the third diagram), I suddenly want to settle the lower left so I can play it without harming my left hand side. Finally, this gives me a reason for treating setting those stones more urgently, as I have a forward plan that partly relies on me doing so.
Having just said all this, Dave is definitely going to get sente after he finishes poking around in the corner, and how he uses it will have a really big impact on what's left of the board. I haven't even bothered really counting in detail yet, as there's just too much up in the air still. However, I do at least feel like the board is close enough to be an interesting game for both sides.
I must admit, I'm glad I took a break from Go for a while. This is the first time I've been able to properly put real effort into a Malkovich since my first game against magicwand back on GD, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I hope it's still interesting to those observing
I will 
with 
. It may have been "over thinking" at that time but now we have come full circle.
@ 
just makes my other left group fall apart into very small pieces, and there are so many moves around "a" and "b" that threaten to make large amounts of points, that this feels tantamount to throwing the game. I play my variation, because if he chooses now to protect the corner, I get the following:
(the capture), as well. However, it didn't occur to me that the corner was biggest. I had simply imagined this: