Life In 19x19

Aphelion wrote:So far white has been like a spoilt brat, prancing around the board and tenuking as he pleases. If possible, I want to make him squirm a little with this next move.

I approve.

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[go]$$Bc Move 8 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0 Corrections: B=9, W=10
$$ ---------------------------------------
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . d , O . . . . , . X . . O , X . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . c . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b a . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Basic opening principles tell me I should approach or enclose an unbalanced corner, but none of them look really good to me now. If I enclose my bottom right at a or c I feel that I am too low on the right side. b is questionable because it doesn't really secure territory and I don't have much moyo prospects with that marked white stone on top. If I approach the top at d or e I will just give him thickness on the top which harms my pincer stone. One of my main priorities is to maintain the balance of power on top so I can extract some advantage from him tenuking the top right.

So what now?

The big sides seem to be bottom and left. I considered the kobayashi sequence (I don't think he can pincer because he can't block on a side with much potential for him and still end in sente to get an extension):

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[go]$$Bc Move 8 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0 Corrections: B=9, W=10
$$ ---------------------------------------
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , O . . . . , . X . . O , X . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W . . . . |
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$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . 3 . . . . . , 5 . . |
$$ | . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This seems no good, I don't see a strong way to split his groups. If I play out the standard kobyashi shoulder hit:

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[go]$$Bc Move 8 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0 Corrections: B=9, W=10
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$$ | . . . , O . . . . , . X . . O , X . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
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$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . 0 . . . |
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$$ | . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . 8 6 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 7 5 . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . 3 . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This might be okay, but just doesn't feel good to me. I don't like making defective moyos on the bottom with the kobayashi, and White seems to nicely link up with the top. I am still considering some line around this though.

I could split or approach the hoshi from the left, but that just ends up with some boring sequence with me giving up sente. After which the board might look something like this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Move 8 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0 Corrections: B=9, W=10
$$ ---------------------------------------
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , O . . . . , . X . . O , X . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
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$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 3 . O . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . 4 . . 2 . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I don't fancy giving white the first move on the top like this. So I will probably play there myself

So now I'm looking at a or b below:

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[go]$$Bc Move 8 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0 Corrections: B=9, W=10
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$$ | . . . , O . . . b , . X . . O , X . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . a . . O . . . . |
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$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I haven't really looked at the possible continuations...and to be honest there seem to be so much possibilities I can't read far ahead more than 1-2 moves. But they look right. b seems more solid, but a seems to have the right spirit despite having a vague feeling of overplay. Chances are my moves will be one of these 2.

Screw it, I'm not going to overthink myself into the corner. This is the instinctive, feel-good move, and I'm pretty sure its not all that bad. Its also the scariest move for white if I put myself in his shoes. So here we go, bring it on!

The problem with younger brother's move is that white can lock us in, maybe after 'a', maybe before. Maybe 'b' is better for them. But regardless, we have to get out.

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

After my move, we are threatening to make substantial territory on the side. Grabbing the corner with 'a', shown below, is a possibility.
Playing 'b' seems to make white too strong and thus endanger our pincer stone. In particular, it encourages white to play something like 'c' and then 'd'. The problem with 'd' is that it works well to connect whites two-space jump which is currently a bit weak.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bc Move 9 - Prisoners: B=0, W=0 Corrections: B=9, W=10
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . c b a . . . |
$$ | . . . , O . . . . , . X . d O , X . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$---------------------------------------[/go]

The two-space jump can become a problem for white. If they make the natural kosumi ( not 'a', for that is pushing from behind ) then they are becoming heavy enough in the center that we may be able to profitably cut at 'c'.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

Darn. That was one of the moves I considered right from the beginning and returned to here and there, but I kept feeling it was a stone something that I wanted but couldn't find time to play due to the was a lack of a follow up if White just ignores and counter pincers. I also felt that if I played here, I should have just played the keima response to the approach instead of a pincer. Another reason I didn't consider it heavily was the fact that I'd have spent 4 moves on the right side. Even if White pushes me along a couple times before a counter pincer (which is bad I think), its still a bad move that has some synergy with his 5-4 point.

However, this does make it clear where my territory is going to come from, whereas before it was seriously in doubt. This also makes my bottom right much more comfortable. If white approaches it the pincer looks much better, and if White lives it alone the kobayashi from before looks more playable. I just hope Phelan makes a mistake soon though, I don't like falling so far behind in terms of corrections.

I wasn't a big fan of Aphelion's choice myself because 1) It doesn't make a base and doesn't seem necessary for safety yet, and 2) it doesn't attack White sufficiently (White's still outside the sector line!).

Black's stone at the top still looks like it has plenty of room to manage itself even if White counter-pincers.

A bit of a rushed move, since I don't have much time, but I definitely can't push from behind here, and jumping ahead leaves a nasty cut behind. So I think it's time to switch the focus from this side. I don't completely like this move, since it removes the threat of approaching from the other side, but anything else seems to leave this corner too vulnerable.

I'd also like approaching the lower right, but again, the top right corner seems to need a move, even if it's not the one I picked.

I think we want to make as much use of this group as possible, and having it not floating without any eyes or a base is going to make that hard. If we can mostly settle in the corner, the original two point jump can become a light stone, and we can keep a number of extra options open.

Pretty much only move. White might pull back here, but I've often seen white tenuki at this point. Either way I expect a counter pincer on my M16 stone like below. The 2-3 exchange show below also has a good chance of not happening:

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[go]$$Bcm0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . 2 O 1 . |
$$ | . . . , O . . . . , . X . . O , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I'm going to refrain from posting triggers unless its for the most obvious moves to maximize opponent corrections.

I assume that topazg wants to build local strength, and then attack Black's stone from the other side, starting a running fight. Let's see how it goes. I think this has to be played here, anyway.

If white gets to this point he lives automatically, and puts my pincer stone in an awkward position. I need to play here to maintain the balance of power. This is also big endgame in its own right.

This position also has some similarities to the Kobayashi after a 1 space high approach. I am using those sequences to guide my play. I will post some thoughts when I find the time.