Cartier wrote:
Indeed plan-less play is a major problem - most of the time I have no idea how to react.
I know how you feel. To make a plan, you need to have or find a goal, a good position to aim at. But how do you know what a good position is?
Cartier wrote:
On the whole, i'm still pretty bad at identifying big moves across the board...
Quote:
How do I improve the aspect of my "plan-less play"?
Well, there are books that you can read. But you still need to develop a feel for good development.
One thing you can do is to pretend that you can make two or more moves on your next turn. What would they be? Obviously, the result will be good for you.
Next, think about how your opponent might play to keep you from getting to something like that position. Not too hard to do, OC. Often your best play will be one of those plays to reach that position or one of the plays that your opponent might make to prevent that.
One way to develop a feel for good development is to use my heuristic to compare two plays. (It works better for strategy than tactics, for gote rather than sente.
) Assume that you make one of the plays and that your opponent makes the other. And vice versa. Compare the two resulting positions.
Cartier wrote:
For move 46 my idea was to take more territory on the left side...
Let's apply that idea to
in the first game.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wcm46 Develop top side
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . X X |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O O O O X X X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . 1 , . . . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . . . |
$$ | . . . a . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
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$$ | . . . X . . . . . b . . . . . O . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
The saying goes, "Corners, sides, center," and the corners are occupied, so the sides are possible continuations. Let's compare
with "a" and "b", and "a" and "b" with each other.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Diagram 1
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . X X |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O O O O X X X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . W , . . . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . . . |
$$ | . . . B . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
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$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Diagram 2
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . X X |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O O O O X X X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . B , . . . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . . . |
$$ | . . . W . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
Diagram 1 vs. Diagram 2. Which looks better for White, which feels better?
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Diagram 3
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . X X |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O O O O X X X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . W , . . . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . B . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Diagram 4
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . X X |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O O O O X X X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . B , . . . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . W . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
Diagram 3 vs. Diagram 4. Which looks better for White, which feels better?
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Diagram 5
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . X X |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O O O O X X X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . . . |
$$ | . . . B . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . W . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wc Diagram 6
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . X X |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O O O O X X X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . . . |
$$ | . . . W . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . B . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
Diagram 5 vs. Diagram 6. Which looks better for White, which feels better?
----
Note that these are not necessarily the plays that you would choose. For instance, if you decided that the bottom side was where you want to develop, then you might play here.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wcm46 Approach
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . X X |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O O O O X X X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . b . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
You could compare the approach with the extension to "b", as above.
Or if you decided to play on the left side, you might play low instead of high.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wcm46 Wedge
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . X X |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O O O O X X X O . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . X . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O X . . X O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X O . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O . . . |
$$ | . . 1 a . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
However, my heuristic does not work too well to compare
with "a" because the comparison becomes tactical rather than strategic.
Good luck!