Life In 19x19

I come back after nearly a year of absense. The first thing I see is a Big SGF from Bill Spight and already learn one or two new things.

Especially improving your thought process in the beginning and learning to see the power of influence and center control can make life so much easier. I believe that a mistake is more costly the earlier you make it, because it puts you in a disadvantage and thus complicates future situations for you, what will eventually lead to more mistakes in the middle- or endgame. Also it's kind of funny to win the game after giving your opponent all he wanted to take, not knowing that there were indeed much more important things to gain (like allowing him to revive dead stones through connection while gaining center control in exchange).

I still have some questions left, though.

Concerning the answers here about the first black move, I feel that most moves are treated quite equally while my feeling says that C6 and K16 are way advantageous to the other ones, like the one played in the game. Am I wrong to think that countering (or at least considering) the opponents plan is a big value itself? How would you order the suggestions according to their real value?

At move 20 Bill advises to play E6. I often see this advice from players between 2d and 5d amateur level. But pros seem to despise them. What are the strengths and weaknesses of that move? When to prefer that and when to prefer a simple 4th line extension as played in the game?

sholvar wrote:I still have some questions left, though.

Concerning the answers here about the first black move, I feel that most moves are treated quite equally while my feeling says that C6 and K16 are way advantageous to the other ones, like the one played in the game. Am I wrong to think that countering (or at least considering) the opponents plan is a big value itself? How would you order the suggestions according to their real value?

The real question is how to develop your own judgement. Besides, my opinion is just my opinion.

At move 20 Bill advises to play E6. I often see this advice from players between 2d and 5d amateur level. But pros seem to despise them.

That is an illusion. The boshi is not usual, but it is playable. And pros play it from time to time.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of that move? When to prefer that and when to prefer a simple 4th line extension as played in the game?

My own thinking here has a good bit to do with the fact that it is a handicap game.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm21 Not so good for White, I think.
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X . O . . X . . . X . . X . . |
$$ | . . X , . O . . . , . . . . . X . O . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 1 . X . X . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

gave Black the opportunity to play and invade the left side.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm21 How deep is my valley
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X . O . . X . . . X . . X . . |
$$ | . . X , . O . . . , . . . . . X . O . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . X . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I like here. "a" is also playable, I think, as are other moves around this point. At first glance such a play looks too loose, but in pro-pro handicap games, back in the day when they played such games to win, you often see this kind of plan. White sketches out a large moyo, daring Black to enter. Surprisingly often, Black does not, ceding a rather large territory to White. (When White started off going for influence, I thought that he might play like this, but he did not.)

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm20 The frontier
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X . O . . X . . . X . . X . . |
$$ | . . X , . O . . . , . . . . . X . O . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . B . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . B . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

The boshi, , lies on the frontier between opposing frameworks, enlarging Black's framework while reducing White's. A good move.

Daily joseki shows 614 pro games with that move:

http://dailyjoseki.com/browse/bwpwxibvs

note the strong hint of a black stone at the mid star point.