i was surprised by black . I thought he would play elsewhere first. Sure I might lose the whole bottom but surely I'll get sente. As for whether he pushes up or out first I have no clue. But I think there may be room for a possible capture race. If it doesn't happen I'll post what I was looking at later.

Do you mean you were surprised by ?Do you mean you think getting sente is bigger than losing your whole bottom ?

Well, all my reading just went down the drain. I spent the last 10 minutes looking at variations from white fixing the cut directly. I also considered what would happen if white played at G5, making the table shape, although I spent less time on that. I did not consider white would do this.

My only hesitation about cutting now is that it removes a precious liberty from my group. After white blocks - and he will block or I may just have to give up on trying to read in go - I have only 4 liberties. Not super weak, but not as strong as I could be. I can get one more liberty from the push, but I'm not sure I want it as the ladder there would protect the cut at L5. Then, I need to either live locally or kill the white stones to the left.

The problem is that I don't see how to do either.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 This result doesn't seem to work - too big of a ko.
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . X . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . 3 2 O O . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X , . . O 1 O X O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . O X X X 4 . . O . X . . . |
$$ | . X O O . 8 7 . 9 . 5 6 . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

So, I play this slide.

Why? Because, with my extra liberty, this works. I get to either live here, connect back to my corner, or, if black resists too strongly, I can counter him with all the cutting points he'll make.

Without the extra liberty here is how this fails:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm1 Oh dear...
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . X . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . 2 O O . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X , . . O 1 O X O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . O X X X 6 5 . O . X . . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . 0 C 8 7 4 3 . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

Is this result that bad for me? Maybe not. I do get to cut off one of white's stones and build a large right hand corner, but then white's group on the bottom is not only totally solid with a lot of points, but it is touching my group in the center. That can't be good.

I'd rather just steal points on the bottom. White can let me live here and I'll be happy with that. The cut will remain unless he fixes it. And if he fixes it in gote then I get to live in sente. Seems fair to me.

EDIT: On a side note, EdLee and Hades12 are talking a lot about this fight. I'm interested to see this discussion post game. Should be interesting.

Alright. My group can either live or connect back to my corner.

Maybe ?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

lets see if black defends the cut.

I was afraid white might discover this move. I had a couple of counter moves I was thinking of trying, but the complications are unneeded. Sente is not so valuable that I should tenuki from this. White still has yet to connect his two stones at . And while white's group on the bottom cannot be killed it does not yet have a two eyes for sure. I just need to keep myself strong in the area and I can still attack this later.

I feel that is urgent enough that I don't need to do anything fancy to steal sente. A capture of will be sente for me later, and will get me my second eye in the center. I suppose white could deny the eye for a ko, but that would mean I have a chance to cut off his lower left stones. I'd gladly fight a ko for that.

I am pressed for time right now, but I thought that I would just throw this idea out there.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm31 Prisoners -
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . . X . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O O . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X , . . O . O X O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . O X X X . 1 . O . X . . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

probe. Just testing for aji.

An interesting move. I assume white is trying to make sure I can't connect my corner to my group on the bottom. I need to be careful here. After both protecting the cut and playing this move it will be harder for my group to use aji to either live or connect.

I play this move to keep my corner as strong as possible. I don't want any aji over here that might make the corner become a second weak group.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bm31
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . 4 X . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O O . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X , . . O . O X O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . O X X X . . 2 O . X 7 . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . . . 3 1 . . 6 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

Maybe the hane is better:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . O X . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O O . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X , . . O . O X O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . O X X X . . O O . X . . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . . . X X . . O 1 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

With the pull-back = in the game, then after the turn,
then (a) becomes very big. If W gets (a) first, then the entire corner B group is not settled -- W (b) :

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . X . . . . . . . . . b . . |
$$ | . . . . X . O X . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O O . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X , . . O . O X O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . O X X X . . O O . X B . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . . . X X 1 . O a . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

i think moyoaji might need one more move here.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm31 Prisoners -
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . 4 X . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O O . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X , . . O . O X O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . O X X X . . 2 O . X 7 . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . . a 3 1 8 . 6 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

This attachment may cause him problems.

My reading shows that I only live in gote. I was able to figure out a way to live in ko in sente, but that ko isn't worth it. After white blocks I need to hane at G2.

Just playing to live. This, at least, still leaves the cut at N4.

Could you show the "problems" in diagrams ?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wm31
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . O X . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . O O . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X , . . O . O X O . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . O X X X 2 3 O O . X X . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . 5 . 4 1 X X O . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . a . 6 . 7. . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------------------------[/go]

If I'm not mistaken, if B omits the turn then this sequence kills?

Edit: a makes life

And I live in gote. But at least I lived with a few points and all the white points on the bottom are gone and I still have the cut for later.

Let's see what he does next. I'm sure my opponent will take sente here.