Life In 19x19

So, my current feeling is that my winning chances are not good, perhaps 30% or so right now. Ed's played a really great game, and as far as I can feel has made no obvious blunders. He's certainly played a game that defies an AGA 4k rating IMHO.

That said, I'm obvious not giving up just yet. One of the reasons I played to the top like I did was to cut. Unfortunately, the cut is messy, and I don't think it actually works:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm60 Prisoners
$$ ----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X 3 O 7 . X . . X . . X O . |
$$ | . . O O O O 2 4 5 , . . . O X X O . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . 6 9 . . . . X O . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . O X X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . . O X . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . X . X . O X O . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . X O O . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . X . . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

This looks relatively promising, albeit complicated, but I do need to watch out for my top group too. Unfortunately, I think White can evade:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm60 Prisoners
$$ ----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X 5 O . . X . . X . . X O . |
$$ | . . O O O O 2 3 . 7 . . . O X X O . . |
$$ | . O . . . . 4 6 . . . . . . X O . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . O X X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . . O X . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . X . X . O X O . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . X O O . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . X . . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

Now I think I have a seriously weak group to worry about. I can pull back and let White block, and I do think that's better, but it feels hard to pull off a serious coup here to me. However, look at the following:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm60 Prisoners
$$ ----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X 4 O . . X . . X . . X O . |
$$ | . . O O O O 2 3 . 9 . . . O X X O . . |
$$ | . O . . . 0 5 6 7 . . . . . X O . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . O X X . O b b . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O a . O X b . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . X . X . O X O . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . X O O . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . X . . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

This is so close to working, that I have a lot of aji to play with. A move at "a" or "b" could simply make this work. In fact, I'm convinced of it enough that I want to play one the second I get sente again, before looking at the lower left. Assuming White fixes his cut if I do play this way, I need a follow up. So, either I play at "a", take my immediate profit in sente, and then play in the lower left, and count later, or I play at "b", and aim to do some serious damage in the center and leave "a" for later. My gut feeling is "a", as it looks like sente profit, and that's a "good thing" right now. However, it may not be enough. It could be that cutting directly is still best :S

Epic game for me here!

EDIT: That's it, if I get sente, I'm cutting. Let's start some fires.

Variation: if W cross cuts with , then after B (a) or (b), it doesn't look very promising for W:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W
$$. . . . . . . |
$$. . . O X . . |
$$. . . . X . . |
$$. . . , . . . |
$$. . . . X . . |
$$. . . . . . . |
$$. . . . a . . |
$$. . . O X b . |
$$. . . X 1 . . |
$$O . . , . . . |
$$. . . X . . . |
$$. . . . . . . |
$$. . . . . . . |
$$---------------[/go]

Lots of thoughts. None of them good. Trying something complicated here.

Maybe topazg didn't like this result:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ ----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . O . . X . . X . . X O . |
$$ | . . O O O O . . . , . . . O X X O . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . O X X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . . O X . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . X . X . O X O . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . X O O . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . . 0 9 . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . X . . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 O X 5 . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 4 7 . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

Maybe topazg's plan is jump to , or (a)...(c), etc.:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$-----------------
$$. . . . . . . . |
$$. . . . . . . . |
$$. . X . . X O . |
$$. . O X X O . . |
$$. . . X O . O . |
$$. . . . O O . . |
$$. . . . . . . . |
$$. . . . O X . . |
$$. . . . c X . . |
$$. . . 1 , . . . |
$$. . . b . X . . |
$$. . . a . . . . |
$$. . . . O O . . |
$$. . . . O X . . |
$$. . . . X X . . |
$$. O . . , . . . |
$$. . . . X . . . |
$$. . . . . . . . |
$$. . . . . . . . |
$$----------------[/go]

Ok, I'm in danger of being stamped on. I can't afford to lose the right edge, and I can't afford to let White build a wall facing the middle. Nice choices, especially when I have to choose one of them. Ed's playing a great game here, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get a single careless move this game. That means complications that come off, or resignation when they don't. I've opted to connect and jump out here because it's kinda sente against his 3 stones. Then I cut in the top left. My group here is not yet alive, but I don't have time to fix it right now. I need a lot more points, if I can get some great coup somewhere, I'll reassess, but right now, I need sente and to grow some sharp teeth.

If he handles this as well as he has the rest of the game, I will have no chance to recover, and that will be fine, at least I'll have gone down in some sort of blaze of glory.

If I take two stones...

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm64 Prisoners
$$ ----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . O . . B . . B . . X O . |
$$ | . . O O O O . . . , . . . O X X O . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . O X X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . . O X . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . X . X . O X O . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . X O O . , . . . . 2 , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . X . . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 O . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

And move them here...

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm64 Prisoners
$$ ----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . O . . . . . . . . X O . |
$$ | . . O O O O . . . , . . . O X X . B . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X O B O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . O X X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . . O X . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . X . X . O X O . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . X O O . , . . . . 2 , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . X . . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 O . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

...it is a much more interesting game. Maybe not better overall, but more suited to blazes of glory.

Compared to this reference variation for ...

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ ----------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . O . . X . . X . . X O . |
$$ | . . O O O O . . . , . . . O X X O . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . O X X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . . O X . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . X . X . O X O . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . X O O . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . . 0 9 . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . X . . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 O X 5 . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 4 7 . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

...it's as if B traded connection on the right side (and territory)
with an "almost" settled group, so it seems W should be OK with this result.

Time to have fun

has been sitting there for a long time.

Locally forced-ish?

Well, that's some cash in the bag at least. Now to not die on the right. If I can achieve that and get some good ground in that lower left, there's still a game to be had!