Life In 19x19

This is just fear by Black. If he cuts and then descends, his corner is completely safe and the three stones are stronger than White's.

Boy, I've gotten myself in quite a fix allowing this cross-cut. This sort of fighting is exactly what I suck at.

This is what I expect.

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[go]$$B
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . . O O O . . . . . . O . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . X X . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . X . X . . . , . . O X 2 X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O . . . 1 X O 4 . X X . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . . 3 5 . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Ouch! But I think that's the best I can do. If I don't extend with ...

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

I might as well roll over and die right now, rather than allow this.

I think I've dodged complete disaster and have settled for moderate disaster. I've lost 3-4 handicap stones of advantage at this point from rough guestimate.

The only source of comfort is that white has a couple weak groups still. If I can get sente, I'll look for some way to attack the upper left white group and/or the two white stones at G3 as a way to aid my left side group. B12 is a point I want to get; it prevents a connection and a white eye at the same time, while confirming my eye at C11.

More gote for me. This is terrible. Plus I have the following to look forward to.

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

I'd rather not have to give up those two stones but this looks difficult.

now i have some time to comment on this game..
my recent move is looking at "a" and "b".
i am building some influence to attack unstable group in the middle.
also if i can seal lower left corner then i can invade 3-3 point for the kill.
i think i can attack the weak group on top now and possibly kill that group.
but i also can attack by attacking somewhere else and getting influence.
one or two moves by black will not give him life so i dont have to attack directly.
black really dont have much points anywhere. i might win by points and not have to kill any group.

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[go]$$Wcm71 Prisoners - W: 2, B: 0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O X X O . |
$$ | . . . . X X . . . . . . X X O X X O . |
$$ | . X X X O . . . . , . . . O X X O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . O . O . |
$$ | . O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . X . X X X . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X X . . . . . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ | O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . O X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . . O O O . . . . . . O . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . b . 9 . X X . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . . X . X . . . , . a O . O X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O . . . X X O . . X X . |
$$ | . . . . . . X . . . . . . X X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

My original plan was to attack the white group in the upper left, probably starting with B12. Hopefully, that would get me a little influence in the center which would help me attack this group. But the more I looked at my cut, the less excited I felt about that option. I keep reading out situations where I get cut off in a bad way, and I'm not sure they're the most severe thing white can do. I really feel like I need to protect here, but it feels so slow, and my shape still isn't very good. But this threatens to cut white, so I think it's sente. I just hope it's not too small.

Again this game looks like Magicwand will win it because of his opponents fear. Black lost so much in the last 5-6 moves. I believe fwiffo has a strong reading ability but the presence of magicwand seems overwhelming, which leads fwiffo to play moves that are solid, way toooooooo solid. Nobody has won a game of go with just defending moves.

Maybe magicwand has the ability to eat fightingspirits or something?

point"a" is my right. i dont think he has time to play that point.

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[go]$$Wcm81 Prisoners - W: 2, B: 0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O X X O . |
$$ | . . . . X X . . . . . . X X O X X O . |
$$ | . X X X O . . . . , . . . O X X O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . O . O . |
$$ | . O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . X . X X X . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X X . . . . . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ | O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . O X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . . O O O . . . . . . O . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . 1 . O . X X . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . . X . X . . . , . . O . O X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O O . X . X X O . . X X . |
$$ | . . . . . . X a . . . . . X X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

SENTE, MY BITCHES! Now I gotta decide what to do with it. I think I gotta B12 before I can attack that group in a serious way, but is it really sente? Maybe I can poke away at that group more strongly. If I get some more power out there then maybe I can get more serious about cutting at F5.

I looked at several moves to attack this group. The goal here is to build up a little power in the middle (and maybe take a little territory at the top if the opportunity presents), then see what I can do about the bottom white group.

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

I wanted to protect the connection underneath with a, which also removes a potential gote eye for the white group along the edge. But a itself is gote, and the connection underneath is only in ko. Since last I looked at this ko, I think I've gained some threats, so it's less ugly looking than before.

I also considered b, followed by forcing moves at c and/or d (not necessarily in that order). I'm pretty sure it's sente, but it's pretty aji keshi. Almost as bad as pushing through a bamboo joint.

So I figured, if c is forcing after having played b, is it forcing without playing b? I think it is, but it feels slow. So I looked at the jump at e, and it seems to be fine. Yeah, white could push and cut, but that gives me enough forcing moves that I think the result is favorable for black.

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

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[go]$$Bm11
$$ -------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . X X . . .
$$ | . X X X O . . . .
$$ | . . O O O . . . .
$$ | . . O X O X . . .
$$ | . O . X O X . . .
$$ | . . X 3 X O O 4 .
$$ | . X . . 2 X 1 . .
$$ | . O X X . . . . .
$$ | O . O . . . . . .
$$ | . O . . . . . . .[/go]

is needed to prevent a ladder, so he can't run away with . So I think the push and cut is unlikely.

what i played is probably an overplay but since i have ko to secure my life i will push my luck.
if i get some more points in the middle..i dont have to caputre any of his group to win.

I read this out... I'm so curious what is being written!