I made a couple blunders, but my overall concern is whether I lack anything important in decision making. Such as should I choose this section over that section, should I surround this group or invade, etc.

I left some notes about what I was thinking at the moment. Anything, I'd appreciate.

Hi pocketmad,

You can reply to or tenuki; this doesn't decide the game.

This hane is not joseki.
Before you hane you must read out the cut and variations.
On an open empty 19x19 board, the basic joseki is extend, not hane.
You may want to study why.

If B plays hane without reading the global situation,
B could get into trouble:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B NOT joseki
$$ | ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . ?
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . ?
$$ | . . . . . 5 . . . . . ?
$$ | . . X X . . 4 . . , . ?
$$ | . . O O X X 2 . 6 . . ?
$$ | . . . . O O 1 3 . . . ?
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . ?
$$ --------------------------[/go]

B suffers a loss from misunderstanding of hane.

Study why this is a big mistake. Can you find the correct move ?

Why, in your words, would you say you lost this game?

The main parts were misreadings and assuming 19x19 joseki worked on a 13x13 board. I was also more interested in the center rather than sides and corners, but I don't know if that was as important as my first two reasons.


I'm guessing you're pointing at the ladder-breaker stone in the middle. I was well aware of that. The reason I placed those stones there was I thought I could gain influence on the center while also gaining a large left corner.

Hi pocketmad,

Red herrings ( No to all ).
Please try once more: study the board more closely;
see if you can find the correct move for .

Misreadings: yes;
joseki: not exactly what you think.

Example:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B joseki
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . 5 . . . . . . . .
$$ | . 3 . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . 2 X X . . . . . , .
$$ | . 4 O O X X 1 . . . .
$$ | . . . . O O . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . .
$$ ------------------------[/go]

There are two issues here: joseki, and board size:

• Joseki is extend (above diagram);
• Your hane is not joseki;
• Board size is another issue.

I came up with 2 solutions, none of which were yours. First, I could've placed a stone H4 instead of J5, giving the opponent center while I had side. Secondly, I could've placed a stone at the right star point, giving looks at my lower right 4-4 stone. Once again, none of those solutions were yours.

I actually have no idea whatsoever why you would want to place a stone at M5 aside from preventing open-skirtedness for a potential right side group.

I'm Soryy if this sounds harsh, but:

. Bad idea: your opponent will extend and your two stones are in trouble and will end up in bad shape(if you intend to sacrifice them, this will give him a far too happy life in the corner), which will make the life of his corner group too easy.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bm26
$$ --------------|
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . X X O O . . |
$$ , 1 O X X O . |
$$ . . 2 . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |[/go]

TERRIBLE idea. This would let him capture your two stones in a ladder:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bm26
$$ --------------|
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . X X O O . . |
$$ , . O X X O . |
$$ . . . 2 . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |[/go]

You see that the star point doesnt break it, right?
The result: he invaded where you were strong, made an overplay cut, resulting in you immediately "sacrificing" the surrounding stones giving him a huge corner, where he should struggle for life.



His corner group is not alive yet. By enclosing him in the corner, you force hin to live small and get big outside more or less swallowing his cutting stone in sente, for example like this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bm26
$$ --------------|
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . 5 4 6 . . . |
$$ . X X O O 2 . |
$$ , . O X X O . |
$$ . . . . . 1 . |
$$ . . . . 3 . . |[/go]

After 27 connect and 28 protect, he needs to live in gote(for example with 29-31) after which he is small and enclosed, you get sente and the cut is not usefull.Do you see, why this would be a better result than the game?

Schachus made a detailed explanation, but in essence it's because when we play Go aka weiqi it's a surrounding game.

I am going to post a review later, but just a quick comment.



Your main lack in deciding where to play in go is a lack of knowledge and experience. Once you get a little more experience it will be obvious to you why you would play the hane at M-05.

_________________
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

One thing that you need to learn is the strength and weakness of groups and stones. While in some cases that is easy, it is a large topic. It covers life and death problems, and then some.

You realize that go is a game of tradeoffs. That is good, but you are willing to give your opponent that which he does not have, by strengthening his stones or failing to attack them and by weakening your own stones or sacrificing them. Learning to sacrifice is good, but throwing away your strong stones and strengthening your opponent's weak stones is ill advised. At this point in your go career, paying attention to the strength and weakness of stones is probably more important than paying attention to territory. Fighting produces solid territory.

More details in the review.

_________________
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.

Nonsense, man. I'm the student, you're the teacher. I can take it.



I get it. This clears a lot up, thank you.

Thank you so much! I appreciate it greatly.