Life In 19x19

I was wrong about it being Gote for black. He can clamp on S3:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . |
$$ | . O O . . O . . . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | . X . O . . . . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . X X . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . O . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . X . . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . X X X . X . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . O . O O O X . . O X . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . X X O X X . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . . O X . . . . O X . |
$$ | . X X , . . . . O O . X . . . 5 3 O 2 |
$$ | . . . . X O O . X . O X . . O O 4 1 . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . X . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Now P5 and T3 or T5 are miai for black.

I don't have to play T4, I could tenuki and let black into the corner, I think I could make 2 eyes, but I want the territory.

So, I'm trying this counting thing out ... seems to me that White has about 50-55 points of solid territory, plus komi and probably the potential to get about 10 more points. So, I'm aiming to get between 65-70 points by the end of the game.

Looking at Black, I would say I have roughly 40 solid points going into this move. I need to make up a 15 point difference. I think I have the influence to do it, but I need to squeeze out points. The top looks like the most likely place to make up ground, but I have to account for the stone at K16, which is a thorn in my side whenever I try to read something out.

I considered H17 first, but in my reading White was able to activate K16 effectively and I gain almost nothing. Next I thought about H16, but again the K16 stone could activate and cause me much trouble.

So, since I seem to be weaker here than I would like to be, I decided to play the contact play at G17. This is more complicated, but I think I can answer whatever White brings to the table.

This would be bad:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . 5 2 1 . . . . . . . X X O . . . |
$$ | . O O . 3 O X . . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | . X . O . 4 . . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . X X . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . O . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . X . . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . X X X . X . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . O . O O O X . . O X . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . X X O X X . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . . O X . . . . O X . |
$$ | . X X , . . . . O O . X . . . , . O O |
$$ | . . . . X O O . X . O X . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . X . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

So I play first in that area. I didn't find any good sente plays anywhere on the board.

So far as I can read, I can block here. If he tries to contest the top, I can cut into his corner pretty deep.

I looked at this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . 4 O X 3 . . . . X X O . . . |
$$ | . O O . 6 O X 1 . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | . X . O . . 2 . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . X X . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . O . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . X . . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . X X X . X . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . O . O O O X . . O X . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . X X O X X . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . . O X . . . . O X . |
$$ | . X X , . . . . O O . X . . . , . O O |
$$ | . . . . X O O . X . O X . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . X . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I don't think I can make 2 eyes for both groups, so I just defended

This is the safest play. White still has the sente endgame play to reduce my top, but this position feels much more comfortable now. The game looks much more even to me, though White now has sente. He'll need to find some effective moves, but I've left very few attacks available against my stones.

I'm just trying to play the biggest point. But I'm lazy and have no good idea of where the biggest area is.

I wanted to block at Q13 instead of Q11, but that leaves a push and cut around Q10 for White to exploit.

I need to find the best ways to reduce White now, and try to pull ahead ...

I don't know what marcus is counting, but I think black is ahead:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm101 :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . O O X . . d . . X X O . . h |
$$ | . O O . . O X X . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | . X . O . . . . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . X X . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . X . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . a . . . . . . . O f . . O . . c . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . O . O . . 1 . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . X . . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . X X X . X . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . i . . . . . O . . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . O . O O O X . . O X . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . X X O X X . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . f . O X . . . . O X . |
$$ | . X X , . . . . O O . X . . . , . O O |
$$ | . . . . X O O . X . O X . . O O . . . |
$$ | . b . . X . . . . . X . . . O X . e . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Black:
a = 12
b = 12
c = 14
d = 14
====52

white
komi 6
e = 12
f = 10
g = 10
h = 4
i = 6??
====48

And I think it's optimistic to give white 6 points on the left. I think a play on the bottom is big for both players, and I also think there are a lot of forcing moves against white's center groups that black can use for points.

Still trying to play the biggest endgame.

I suppose that's pretty big, but it should be gote, I think.

iseijin wrote:

$$Bcm101 :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . O O X . . . . . X X O . . . |
$$ | . O O . . O X X . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | a X 4 O . . . . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . O . . . . X . . X X . . . . . . X . |
$$ | b X X . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . O . O . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . X . . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . X X X . X . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . O . O O O X . . O X . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . X X O X X . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . . O X . . . . O X . |
$$ | . X X , . . . . O O . X . . . , . O O |
$$ | . . . . X O O . X . O X . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . X . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm101 :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . O O X . . . . . X X O . . . |
$$ | . O O . . O X X . . . X . X O O O O . |
$$ | a X 4 O . . . . . O . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . O . . . . X . . X X . . . . . . X . |
$$ | b X X . X . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . O . O . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X . . X . . , . . . X . , X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . X X X . X . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . O . O O O X . . O X . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . X X O X X . X . O X . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . . O X . . . . O X . |
$$ | . X X , . . . . O O . X . . . , . O O |
$$ | . . . . X O O . X . O X . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . X . . . O X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

4 should be at a as that way white can be sure b is his privilege later. Like this it is possible that black may have a good time to play b himself, which threatens to save the 1 stone with descent and white is short of libs to cut it off.