I've completely lost my train of thought in this game, so I'll simply play the natural move ... keep White split.

I don't feel like this has been my best game.

Normally, I don't have enough time to think about whether I like how the game is going or not in a game.

I think that's one difference of malkovich.

Anyhow, I will try to push a couple of times to look for some center territory. Then I'll try to invade on the bottom left.

If I somehow end up with sente, I'll reduce black on the left and attempt to close off some center territory.

I think this is a hard game for me, but those are just my levels of priority.

That's a lot less tactical than I have been, but those are my strategic thoughts at the moment.

I've totally lost my train of thought on this game. Coming back to it, that White center looks huge ... I wonder if my opponent can close it all off? I took a lot of profit along the edges and the corner, neglecting influence for the most part. While the game still feels relatively even, I can't help for feel like I'm slowly losing ground.

I would like to get both K18 and S12 ... both would make me feel more secure. However, this fight on the bottom is more urgent, in my opinion. White is forcing me to cut off his two stones. I should oblige him and cut them off.

We'll have to see where this ends.

Maybe something like this?

I feel like I'm getting good value for my two stones. If I can get enough territory in the center and break up black's territory enough, I think I should be in good shape.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm73 Move - 73; White Prisoners - 0; Black Prisoners - 1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O O . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X X X X . O . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O . , . X . . . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ | . X O O O . . . X X . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . X X X O X X X O . . . . O . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O O O O . . O . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . O . O |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . W O . . . . X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 3 1 X X O O O . X O X . |
$$ | . . X , 4 . . O O , . X . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . X O O . X O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I that my two stones have enough aji to help me here.

This is my very rough estimate of the score. if things continue as they have been.

The problem is that black's score has a lot of potential along the sides.

I think that I can't win this game.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm73 Move - 73; White Prisoners - 0; Black Prisoners - 1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | C C C C . . . . . . . . . . . . M M M |
$$ | . . C C . . . O O . . . . . . X M M M |
$$ | . . C O . . X X X X . O . . . . M M M |
$$ | . O C . . X M M M M . . . O . X M M M |
$$ | . X O O O . M M X X . . . . . . X M M |
$$ | . X X X O X X X O . . . . O . O X M M |
$$ | M M M . . O O O O . . O . C C C O X . |
$$ | M M M . . . . . C C C C C C C C O . . |
$$ | M M M . . . . . C C C C C C C C . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . C C C C C C C C . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . C C C C C C C C . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . C C C C C C O C . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O . C C C C C . . O . O |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . O O C C C . X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X X X X O O O . X P X . |
$$ | . . X , . . . P P M M X . . . X P M M |
$$ | . . . . . . . M X X M X O O . X P X M |
$$ | . . . . . . . M M M M M . . . X X M M |
$$ | . . . . . . . M M M M M . . . M M M M |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

= 65
= 58

I have to truly outplay my opponent here if I hope to win.

Because we are also not playing with komi.

I also want to try my darndest to get the biggest yose plays.

I think I must continue to take as much side profit as possible.

When you are pushing, it is good to get ahead. It's not small if black gets to turn here.

This should be sente.

And I should be able to use the aji of my stones to invade on the bottom left more easily and then I just have to try to connive black out of a position on the left.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm75 Move - 75; White Prisoners - 0; Black Prisoners - 1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O O . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X X X X . O . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O . , . X . . . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ | . X O O O . . . X X . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . X X X O X X X O . . . . O . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O O O O . . O . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . W . . . . . . . . O . O |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . O O . . . . X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X X O O O . X O X . |
$$ | . . X , . . . O O , . X . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . X O O . X O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm75 Move - 75; White Prisoners - 0; Black Prisoners - 1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O O . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X X X X . O . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O . , . X . . . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ | . X O O O . . . X X . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . X X X O X X X O . . . . O . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O O O O . . O . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . W . . . . . . . . O . O |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . O O . . . . X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X X O O O . X O X . |
$$ | . . X , . . . O O , . X . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . B . X X . X O O . X O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I think this would be a good move for black. Let's see what he does. If he plays here, I might have a much harder time or it.

I hope that he plays like this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm75 Move - 75; White Prisoners - 0; Black Prisoners - 1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O O . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X X X X . O . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O . , . X . . . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ | . X O O O . . . X X . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . X X X O X X X O . . . . O . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O O O O . . O . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . O . O |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . O O . . . . X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . B X X X O O O . X O X . |
$$ | . . X , . . . O O , . X . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . W . . . X X . X O O . X O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

And then I would still have room to live down here and then maybe do my conniving.

Ok, let's push further into the center.

To be honest, I'm not sure this is a good idea. However, this game is becoming a lot of fun! Time to simply play and see what my opponent does in response.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm77 Possible?
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O O . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X X X X . O . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O . , . X . . . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ | . X O O O . . . X X . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . X X X O X X X O . . . . O . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O O O O . . O . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . . O . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . 8 O . . . . . . . . O . O |
$$ | . . . . . 9 1 3 4 O O . . . . X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . 7 6 2 X X X O O O . X O X . |
$$ | . . X , . 5 . O O , . X . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . X X . X O O . X O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]