Life In 19x19

Pushing again? Hmmmm... I leave some awkward shape and yucky looking squeezes, but I can't easily get into the middle after White plays L9 if I respond again, so it's time to go go go!

I don't think I have the time to connect. I would be happy to exchange being cut off from my bottom right stones for capturing B's M11 stones. He will probably save those stones though.

I think I will make some sente exchanges here, and then go back and protect the center with or something like it. The weakness in Blacks shape at "a" leaves some aji, even if Black gets the first move on the right afterwards.

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[go]$$Wcm1 :b3: :w1:
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . . . . O O X O O . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O X . . . , . X X X a X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . 9 . . . . . 5 7 . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . O . . . . . O 2 6 8 X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . O X 3 1 . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X 4 X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . O X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , X O X O . , . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O . . O O O X X X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . X X X O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . O O . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . X O . O . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O . . O . O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

Interesting ... Obviously White assumes I'm forced to just extend here, but I'm not convinced. Let the fighting commence!

I was not expecting the cut. At first I thought I had made a huge mistake, but as I read it out, it doesn't seem to be too bad for me.


If we assume the following sequence, Black has a number of options of how to respond from here. Lets focus on a-d which seem like the most obvious choices.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm1 :b3: :w1:
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . . . . O O X O O . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O X . . . , . X X X d X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . 2 1 O 3 b . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . O . . . . X O X . c X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . O X O O a . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X X X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . O X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , X O X O . , . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O . . O O O X X X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . X X 1 O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . O O . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . X O . O . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O . . O . O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

First "a". Because 2 is an atari, and the ladder works, those two stones are easily expendable.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . . . . O O X O O . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O X . . . , 2 X X X 3 X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . X O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . O . . . 4 X O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . O X O O 1 . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X X X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . O X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , X O X O . , . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O . . O O O X X X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . X X X O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . O O . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . X O . O . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O . . O . O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

If "b", then Black has to defend with 3 to prevent the ladder. I have some forcing moves in the center, so I think the situation is not all together hopeless. Maybe I can live or get a ko.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . . . . O O X O O . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O X . . . , 3 X X X . X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . X O O O 1 . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . O . . . . X O . 2 . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . O X O O . 8 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X X X 4 . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . O X . 5 6 . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , X O X . 7 , . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O . . O O O X X X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . X X X O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . O O . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . X O . O . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O . . O . O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

The peep at "c" has the same fallback as "a", just let go of those two stones and ladder the stones on the outside.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . . . . O O X O O . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O X . . . , 2 X X X 3 X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . X O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . O . . . 4 X O X . 1 X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . O X O O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X X X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . O X O . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , X O X O . , . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O . . O O O X X X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . X X X O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . O O . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . X O . O . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O . . O . O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

"d" is the hardest to deal with, because it eliminates a lot of the aji in the corner that might help me make life. After the sequence below, Black can spend another move on the side to keep White from getting more eyes, but White can the cut the two stones offin the center with "a".

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . . . . O O X O O . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O X . . . , a X X X 1 X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . X O O O . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . O . . . . X O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . O X O O 6 . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X X X 2 . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . O X . 3 4 . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , X O X . 5 , . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O . . O O O X X X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . X X X O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . O O . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . X O . O . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O . . O . O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In conclusion, I hope this fight works out for me, because if it doesn't the game is over.

Mmm, this is a popcorn moment... I suppose I should double check my reading, as he's going straight ahead with something that I thought just died