Life In 19x19

This is a game that I recently played, and I felt very lucky to come away with a win. My opening was bad, my mid-game was a struggle until my center bottom group captured 3 black stones due to a black oversight. In the end-game, my opponent made multiple small gote moves, and I ended up with more territories.

Some specific questions that I have:

* What should I do in the opening to make it better?
* Given the mistakes that I have made to create a weak group in the center bottom, what would be a good way to settle it?

I would also love to improve my game, too. Would you have any suggestion on what should I work on? I have already started doing life-and-death problems, but I am wondering what else should I do.

Btw, this game also showed that I am terrible in judging the board position. I was thinking that I was going to lose when the game ended, because I was so bad in opening and the mid-game.

Few comments added. I hope you'll find them helpful.

As for general advice - play a lot, it is the best way to learn new things, especially at ~15k area.

Hi gostudent, your must be at P3. You must block; it's the only move. is also very bad.

See also Toothpaste.

I agree with lobotommy's general advice: play more.

EdLee wrote:Hi gostudent, your must be at P3. You must block; it's the only move. is also very bad.

See also Toothpaste.

I agree with lobotommy's general advice: play more.

As soon as I saw this move I assumed EdLee would chime in about it

Blocking here is the most basic instinct: Cut your opponent and keep yourself connected. As soon as you are split and he is not, he can play one move that affects two groups, but you can only fix one at a time. As Kageyama said, block first, and worry about black's cuts after you've blocked, because whichever cut he picks, letting black straight through is worse.

EDIT: Fixed runaway apostrophes.

skydyr wrote:As Kageyama said, block first, and worry about black's cut's after you've blocked...

Which page(s) and section(s) ?

EdLee wrote:

skydyr wrote:As Kageyama said, block first, and worry about black's cut's after you've blocked...

Which page(s) and section(s) ?

I don't have the book here to look up. I'll check tonight.

EdLee wrote:

skydyr wrote:As Kageyama said, block first, and worry about black's cut's after you've blocked...

Which page(s) and section(s) ?

Page 45/46, cutting and connecting

paK0, Thanks.