Life In 19x19

hyperpape wrote:What would you recommend in lieu of 11? I remember being a little dissatisfied with it during the game, but didn't feel like I knew what else to play.

The 2 space jump from the corner (q7) is one idea. It prevents white's approach there and prepares to pincer and attack the white stone, helps the corner a bit, and doesn't suffer from being low. White can still break the connection with a move like p7, but probably doesn't want to yet as it helps black build the lower side.
Maybe Takemiya/AlphaGo would play the p9 5th line shoulder hit, as that clearly surrounds the lower side. Bit of a gamble though as you probably then need to kill the invasion.

Another correspondence game. I finished it Wednesday. I'd say it's characteristic of my old style, from a few years ago: very solid play without a ton of fighting.

Around move 57, I counted that I was solidly ahead, if I just took big points, and that's what I did.

Move 136 was a mistake, and I think Black can cut off the three stones in ko after playing at M15. I'm not sure if my opponent didn't see it, or didn't think it was enough.

This was an interesting game that ended suddenly when my opponent blundered. Before that, I'd faced several situations that I wasn't sure how to approach.

Move 17: Maybe the wrong direction? It creates potential on the left, but perhaps I should just approach on the bottom?

Move 23: I played this move because of it aims at the peep in the corner, but I think that was a mistake. Should I play at R10/R11?

Move 41/43 Are these reasonable ways to reduce? They feel big, but especially after 41, I worried that White could create a monster territory by responding to the reduction.

hyperpape wrote:

This was an interesting game that ended suddenly when my opponent blundered. Before that, I'd faced several situations that I wasn't sure how to approach.

Move 17: Maybe the wrong direction? It creates potential on the left, but perhaps I should just approach on the bottom?

I don't have strong feelings about this. On general principles, Black can usually play for framework v. framework, with the benefit of the first play.

hyperpape wrote:Move 23: I played this move because of it aims at the peep in the corner, but I think that was a mistake. Should I play at R10/R11?

at M3 looks better to me. You can answer K3 by P2, O3 by K3 and have a chance of settling.

hyperpape wrote:Move 41/43 Are these reasonable ways to reduce? They feel big, but especially after 41, I worried that White could create a monster territory by responding to the reduction.

I'm more concerned about - White at R13 can be answered by clamping at R7, so this point doesn't seem urgent. I think goes at Q14, looking to fight in the centre. The top side is the only place where White has a weakness, so bear it in mind.

and as you play them do look big; but White doesn't have to answer, and I think you should look for an urgent play.

Thanks for the comments. 23 at M3 makes sense to me. Can you say anything about the one space jump to K3 that you proposed as followup? I always reach for the two space jump when it's available--is the thought that White is so strong on the left that the two space jump is weak/accomplishes little?

41/43, I wasn't sure what the urgent play was. I thought about invading on the top, but I didn't have a feel for how it would turn out.

hyperpape wrote:Thanks for the comments. 23 at M3 makes sense to me. Can you say anything about the one space jump to K3 that you proposed as followup?

Ah, I did mean J3. K3 as a base for jumping right out to L6 has some merit.

hyperpape wrote:41/43, I wasn't sure what the urgent play was. I thought about invading on the top, but I didn't have a feel for how it would turn out.

This is surely a good time to invade. at O14 looks quite strategic, making miai of invading the top and right sides. But even harder to figure out what happens next.

I won this game by timeout but the upper right was an odd situation. I don't think I've ever had an opponent jump then enter the corner. It seems wrong, but I'm not sure if my response makes sense.

Another game, that was close, until I lost 20 stones in endgame.

27: seems off.

The attack on the right side doesn't seem to get black much.

117: perhaps r6 is where I should play.

151: this is an error, but I'm not sure about the best play.

I can't identify White's errors...I'm surprised the game wasn't lopsided even without losing the big group.

If I defend, I count White winning by 7.5 (58.5 - 51).

27: seems off.

Consider J17 ( or J16 ) ?
( After , J17 became a nice spot. )

K17 quite natural. If W resists with K16 cut,
then atari H17; if W drops to J18, then G17 is sente.
You capture .

Locally: Push-and-cut starting with D14 ?
Globally: not sure. The game move feels slow, and you fixed W's defect here.
( For example: directly. )

Locally, E3.

This local result is a big loss for B.
( For example: at Q17 directly. )
Still bad aji at R17; maybe R17 directly.

Well, B & W help each other.

P3...

P3 painful for W ( he missed it ).

P9...

Q11...

Result of local fight: B let W get away with murder.
Problems: B's basic shape issues, fighting skills issues.

134 Q3.

231 pass.

can't identify White's errors

Sometimes our opponent doesn't have to make any big mistakes --
if we play enough slow, slack, and/or bad moves, they'll win.

I agree with all your comments. I think I have too much fear of playing deep within an opponent's framework--I need to work to look for places where it makes sense.

EdLee wrote:

can't identify White's errors

Sometimes our opponent doesn't have to make any big mistakes --
if we play enough slow, slack, and/or bad moves, they'll win.

What I meant was that given my bad play throughout the game, I am surprised it was not already a blowout before my blunder.

q6 is soft. Better to p3 or p2.

I was reminded about gokibitz.com, so uploaded your game there and will make some comments/variations:

https://gokibitz.com/kifu/Vy-r9LhIb

Thanks for the comments, Uberdude--they're really nice. The only thing I couldn't follow is whether you were advocating R18 or R17 at move 47.

hyperpape wrote:The only thing I couldn't follow is whether you were advocating R18 or R17 at move 47.

I was saying that you should tenuki: it's too generous to let white capture that stone in sente (given that you still have problems in the right side*). But if you are going to take gote to spend a move there, r17 would be better.

* there is the variation (which I added on move 43) where white starts at r17, you block at r16, and then he can take the one stone in sente. But in that variation he makes the r17 sacrifice to ensure taking the single stone is sente, but the r17 sacrifice has a cost of making your right side stronger and harder to invade. In the game he got the positive aspect of taking the single stone in sente, without the negative of making your right side stronger.

This next game was a peaceful moyo game. I thought hard about move 34, and would appreciate comments if there was a better move. I think I was already slightly ahead by then, and 43-53 seem bad for B. 44 seems like a mistake, however--it doesn't have a great followup if B doesn't respond locally.

Bad etiquette! I didn't thank my opponent for the game.