Life In 19x19

Using Q10 to make right even stronger. All that's left now is for w to approach the bottom left corner.

Gotta start some fight eventually, or else w will happily take the bottom and the top and turn the game even. There's also the possibility of further splitting at M3.

All normal so far.

FlamingMetroidzd wrote:Gotta start some fight eventually, or else White will happily take the bottom and the top and turn the game even. There's also the possibility of further splitting at M3.

No, you don't. Black would still be ahead by two stones. If White happily takes the bottom and top, Black has the right and left side, and Black still has the corners (invading which will hurt the white sides but solidify the black ones).

Here, the lower part of the left side was the biggest open area of the board, and the black hoshi stone in the lower left was the one with the most urgent need of attention. Black is already low on the left side, so for the high-low balance, the simple one point jump to D6 would have been perfect.

The wedge between the white stones is usually only played when Black already has support at M3. Here, White has the support. The natural progression is now for White to jump to F5, which Black has to answer at D6, then White plays kosumi at J4. It is the same as if you had played D6 to begin with (normal), White jumps to F5 (strengthening the lower side), and then Black invades at White's strongest area (very bad).

The expected result. Ok, fighting hasn't really started, but I'm leaving potential. Will my stone get eaten the next move? Perhaps, but I'll get my uses out of it later.

I don't want black to be able to protect the corner in almost sente, so I'll move in.

This would be pretty good since the center is useless due to (a).

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , O . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . 6 . 4 . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . 2 3 . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . 7 . . O . X . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , O . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . 3 , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . 2 . . O . X . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This looks alright, the profit is quite good.

Looking back H3 was probably a bad move... Oh well. If w C8, I'll attach to the top, which looks favorable for me from what I can have read. I think w could start a ko for life, but even if ko is somehow won, letting me have such a wall to attack with wouldn't be a good idea. Some examples (ko variation comes about by play along the sides instead of crosscuts in which variations were too numerous to put here):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , O . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 5 W 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 3 2 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 6 X . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . 9 8 . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X . . O . X . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , O . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . 3 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . W 1 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 6 4 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X . . O . X . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , O . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . 3 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . W 1 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 7 4 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . B . . O . X . O . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Going to take a corner. This one seems more senteish than the bottom right.

He is going all-out turtle now, hopefully he has normal 2 kyu endgame skills, otherwise this could be problematic.

Prospects for the bottom have becomes somewhat lacking (at least for now; I can still reduce, invade later at M3, or use H3 aji if need be... see b). So after this joseki, I will take sente to the top.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . Q . a a a . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , O . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X Q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . Q . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X Q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . b . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . b . O , . b . b . X 3 . . |
$$ | . . X . . O . X . O . b . O . 1 O 5 . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 4 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I'm still deciding on which of the moves at a I should play. Notice how the triangle stones would no longer have a base, so it wouldn't necessarily be bad for me to run out to the center, as I could then turn around and attack that group. So should I play G17, H17, or J17? (K17 is out of the question because it is a contact play--shoulder hit--and would only force my opponent to become stronger) G17 seems a bit close to w's wall allowing w to gain more territory to the right while J17 would be hard to respond to a K17 contact play, so I'm leaning towards the middle of them. Although playing G17 would indeed remove the most base of the triangle group possible.

In any case, I'll be happy whether white has me live and take the top or run and split things up.

I'm completely out of it today, sleep deprivation and so forth.

I have two invasions left or doing something on the top. I may be hard to come up with enough points if I can't get much at the top so if he invades then I have to read out a winning strategy.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoners: W=0, B=0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . c , O . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . c . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . b . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O , . . . . . X 1 . . |
$$ | . . X . . O . X . O . . . O . X O 3 . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . O 4 2 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]