Life In 19x19

(I REALLY hope I attached these photos correctly. If not, I'll try to fix them.)

I don't have SGFs of these games because they were played IRL, and we didn't physically record them. The opinions I'm looking for are about the ending layout anyway, so the photos I've provided below will do, I suppose.

I'm playing white against someone just starting out. We're on a 13x13 board, and he's using a handicap in both cases.

In this first image, what I'd like to know is whether or not there's anywhere else I should consider playing. When it comes to playing in the center of the board, I tend to lose my grasp of the situation. From my point of view, the game is over, but does anyone else have another opinion?



Similarly, in this second game, I'm wondering where/if I can play in the center.

However, in this case, this isn't the final layout of the board. We ended up playing a sequence on the right side that gave me possession of pretty much everything from the right of the center star point with the exception of the stones in the lower-right corner.

But regardless, and based on what you see in just the photo, what could I have done to come through the center? Or could I have done anything?



Thanks!

There is a double atari for white to play in the second game.

daniel_the_smith wrote:There is a double atari for white to play in the second game.

Here (Hope I'm not being condescending, but I do remember the day when I could not always tell quickly when someone was in atari, much less see places I could put people in atari).

The first game is done. The second game: there's a double atari on the right side. The cut 3 points above the star point is also interesting if black responds poorly to the double atari or even to the single atari two points to the right of the star point.

daniel_the_smith wrote:There is a double atari for white to play in the second game.

Yes, and this ended up being where I took points. Though, actually, I played it wrong...and it just happened that he didn't play the correct move to make me pay dearly for it. I ended up taking that side, but not as efficiently as I could have.

prokofiev wrote:The cut 3 points above the star point is also interesting if black responds poorly to the double atari or even to the single atari two points to the right of the star point.

That's what I kept staring at, too. I just wasn't clear on what move to make. By the time we got done dealing with the atari on the right, though, it was blocked off a bit tighter.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm1
$$----------|
$$...XXO....|
$$.X..XO....|
$$X.6XOOOO..|
$$X..5XXXOO.|
$$....7.2XO.|
$$.....31XO.|
$$X..X.4XOO.|
$$X...XXOO..|[/go]

An example in which the cut is activated.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm1
$$----------|
$$...XXO....|
$$.X..XO....|
$$X.6XOOOO..|
$$X.53XXXOO.|
$$...47.aXO.|
$$......1XO.|
$$X..X.2XOO.|
$$X...XXOO..|[/go]

Doesn't quite work here, but capturing two stones with 3 at 'a' is sufficient for white (more points than the next diagram):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm1
$$----------|
$$...XXO....|
$$.X..XO....|
$$X..XOOOO..|
$$X...XXXOO.|
$$....4.2XO.|
$$....631XO.|
$$X..X.5XOO.|
$$X...XXOO..|[/go]

Best play by both sides?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm1
$$----------|
$$...XXO....|
$$.X..XO....|
$$X.8XOOOO..|
$$X.75XXXOO.|
$$...69.2XO.|
$$.....41XO.|
$$X..X.3XOO.|
$$X...XXOO..|[/go]

A variant: Black can't play 4 unless he can fight the ko. This thus transposes to the above line:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm1
$$----------|
$$...XXO....|
$$.X..XO....|
$$X..XOOOO..|
$$X...XXXOO.|
$$....6.2XO.|
$$....451XO.|
$$X..X.3XOO.|
$$X...XXOO..|[/go]