Life In 19x19

I played white and I'm mostly concerned with the first moves up to black 29. Perhaps white has been far too passive and allowed black to build a very powerful sphere of influence. I dislike having to work my way back into games from the get-go so I'm looking for advice on the general opening strategy for white. My one suggestion is that white should've jumped out at 10 and then attacked the R-09 stone. Taking the corner was exactly what black needed.

The bottom right joseki was played wrong (but the right joseki gives B a wall anyway) and 26, 28 were passive. To 25, though, I think White is winning (modulo the bottom right corner)

Joelnelsonb wrote:I played white and I'm mostly concerned with the first moves up to black 29. Perhaps white has been far too passive and allowed black to build a very powerful sphere of influence. I dislike having to work my way back into games from the get-go so I'm looking for advice on the general opening strategy for white. My one suggestion is that white should've jumped out at 10 and then attacked the R-09 stone. Taking the corner was exactly what black needed.

The lower right corner wasn't right for white. The standard variation at Q3 would have been better. Alternatively, I like to double approach when the opponent answer with a two or three space pincer (also occasionally with a one space pincer)

Apart from that, it isn't actually that bad. The side is still wide enough that you should be able to invade successfully, and if you do, black will not have a lot, while he gave you a fair bit of solid territory in exchange (and you can still jump into the corner with R17, and without the drawback of hurting O17 you would have had he not leaned on your group)

Invade immediately with . My first instinct is R10, though R11 might be possible, as well as Q10.

To elaborate a bit, I really don't like the moves played from to .

Your opponent just announced loud "I will turn the whole right side into my territory." And then you help him do exactly that? Sure, you get some territory in compensation, but nowhere near enough, and you let him have sente.

was wrong. It would have been okay (maybe. I would prefer Q9 or R10) before , but afterwards it's just too deep. Reduce with something like L12.

On the rest of the game...

was just silly. Black should immediately hane at C13 and now white result is terrible.

Up to is good. At , you need to extend at Q3 first. You can take a look at the joseki here:http://senseis.xmp.net/?44PointLowAppro ... eLowPincer. Black gets a stronger wall here than he should, and white ends up sealed in.

At , white's response is slow and also aji-keshi. White's choice to follow up to the approach with K16 means white is looking to build a moyo. Black's jump is actually too slow, and black should go at least one space farther. Even then, invading is not a big deal for white to handle, because he can trade the side stone to play the 3-3 point and live in the corner. D10 seems like a fine move for white, or maybe something like K14. Locally, M16 or M17 would work well. Before the -:b29: exchanges are made, also, black's stone at S9 is low, so you could reduce black with a move like O9 or the slightly more dangerous P9, or another move in that general area. There's so much space there, white shouldn't have too much trouble living in the center with good shape and limiting black's prospective territory.

As for also, this is an overplay. White's group is too weak and black can just cut to either capture it or use the aji to cut white's group in half.

For later in the game, at , the other side is bigger, so white should block the other way, and at :w58, white needs to extend once more instead of protecting the cut directly.