Life In 19x19

These are my games from this weekend's tournament. Sadly I don't have records of the games I lost, it would be much more instructive to receive criticism about them. I lost two games at Saturday, but suffering of horrible lack of sleep I couldn't record or remember them. One of my games was short enough to remember, and other one was (humiliating enough) broadcasted at KGS so I have the sgf. My boyfriend friendly deleted the kibitz, because I didn't want to see the comments. (I couldn't care less about strangers' comments but I am rather sensitive about what some of my "friends" say in kibitz mode.)

Please mostly say things about my moves, since I'm the one to learn here.

Hi, I was at the tournament too

I'm at most as strong as you are, but like to think fuseki is my relative strong point. So, a few comments on the beginnings of the first game, and some random musings on the second. Take both with a grain of salt.

Game 1:

is bad shape, it should be at O15. If black escapes to P13, there is a push & cut variation at O16 that is complicated but seems to work.

R17 is better, then the best white has is a two-stage ko, see: http://senseis.xmp.net/?L2Group#toc4

Blunder, as you satisfactorily showed Perhaps N19 works, but really white should just have escaped first (e.g. J15) before attacking the corner.

Game 2:

I would prefer Q12 to take sente and move to another part of the board.

O13 looks much better.

Too eager. Black should hold off and let white worry about this group.

Overplay. White can play elsewhere or defend the cut.

Black should play R12 immediately

What do you do if black plays S14?

Defend the cut in the center!

Overplay

A disaster for white.

If black plays J2, white's center group dies.

Thanks for both of you! I should be doing school stuff now but I'll discuss the rest of comments later.

HermanHiddema wrote:Game 1:

is bad shape, it should be at O15. If black escapes to P13, there is a push & cut variation at O16 that is complicated but seems to work.

I thought that I should pick the symmetry point for attacking both white groups... But well I have heard others say, too, that this is wrong shape. Ataris are too nice for white?

Eerika Norvio wrote:Thanks for both of you! I should be doing school stuff now but I'll discuss the rest of comments later.

HermanHiddema wrote:Game 1:

is bad shape, it should be at O15. If black escapes to P13, there is a push & cut variation at O16 that is complicated but seems to work.

I thought that I should pick the symmetry point for attacking both white groups... But well I have heard others say, too, that this is wrong shape. Ataris are too nice for white?

Yes. The kosumi has a vital point (actually 4, by symmetry):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ . a . .
$$ a . X .
$$ . X . a
$$ . . a .[/go]

Each of the points a is a vital point for the kosumi, where white would like to play. If there is already a stone there when black plays, it is usually not a good move.

Common examples:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B bad kosumi
$$ +------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . X . . .
$$ | . . . X . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . b O . . . . . .
$$ | . . . 2 . . . . .
$$ | . . 1 a . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . c O . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . O . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . O . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . X . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ +------------------[/go]

in response to the invasion is a common beginner mistake. White wants to capture black, but the shape is too weak. With the push at a and the attachments at b and c, black can manage easily, and white usually ends up with a wall with defects.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W bad kosumi-tsuke
$$ +------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . a . . 4 . . .
$$ | . . . X . . . . .
$$ | . . 2 . . . . . .
$$ | . . 1 3 . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . 5 . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . .[/go]

Another common beginner mistake. Black thinks he can defend the corner before extending to , but with on one of its vital points, later the invasion a on another vital point will expose the weakness of this kosumi.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W bad tower peep
$$ | . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . X 2 X 5 . .
$$ | . . . 1 3 4 . .
$$ | . 8 @ . X . . .
$$ | . 7 6 . . . . .
$$ | . . . O . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . .[/go]

White thinks the tower peep of allows her to cut black, but the kosumi shape is too weak. After black cannot avoid either or being captured. (See also http://senseis.xmp.net/?CrossCutAfterTowerPeep)

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but it is generally a good idea to be very careful before playing a kosumi if one of the vital points is already taken.

TIM82 wrote:sequence 14-28: I can't form a reasoned opinion on this for some reason. Ok I guess?

I thought long before invading here. I was thinking about f17 instead. My teacher has said that given black p8, for example, the black moyo isn't really *huge* yet. But I dislike opponent's moyos, so I just played what made the game feel good for me, even if it's slightly suboptimal. And if black plays p8, it weakens my right side group.

TIM82 wrote:Perhaps a misjudgement, but I would leave these stones to themselves for the moment. Is black really going to use a move to capture them if you take a big point elsewhere?

I would as black. They are cutting stones.

TIM82 wrote:Protect the cut while threatening to enter top corner seems better, some random variations attached. Can't of course read the whole thing out

Yeah I should have just connected. I am just making unnecessary mess here. I misread I can capture black in geta

HermanHiddema wrote: I would prefer Q12 to take sente and move to another part of the board.

I was thinking that, but was worrying about black group getting strong too easily. Probably I should have thought about not creating weak white group to prevent that.

HermanHiddema wrote: O13 looks much better.

I see. That one I didn't even think about. I am rather weak at making good shape.

HermanHiddema wrote: What do you do if black plays S14?

Lose some stones, I suppose. I knew in this point that I had messed things up, because the ridiculous "geta" sequence. Luckily black allowed white s12.

HermanHiddema wrote: Defend the cut in the center!

Yep, should be common sense

HermanHiddema wrote: Overplay

A disaster for white.

If black plays J2, white's center group dies.

I cannot really understand what I played there. Around move 96 I read I'm dead almost for sure.

These games were played with one hour basic time and 5/25 Canadian overtime. Both me and my opponent were running out of basic time when moves like b111 were played. I think his clock beeped and he played that move as a reflex. Saved by bell or something.