Not much to say about this move, there aren't really any other choices. It'd be intolerable to let white get this point.

I also considered this, and while it's true that the ladder doesn't work for white, it seems that white gets a lot of forcing moves, and it's unclear in what way this would be better for black.


-*- Move #15 -*-
Show Diagram Code[go]$$Bc -*- Move #15 -*-
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$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . . . . . O 2 3 . |
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[/go]Hide Diagram Code

This is exactly why I hate the Chinese :P It doesn't feel like there's anything nice for White here, but once committed, White must fight. I feel bottom stone of White's should have approached the lower right corner, as this shape feels favourable with Black tengen. I expect the sequence to play as follows:


-*- Move #17 + #18 -*-
Show Diagram Code[go]$$Bc -*- Move #17 + #18 -*-
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . W . . . |
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[/go]Hide Diagram Code
At least Black's framework is broken up, but I'm still feeling uncomfortable with this line as White.

This kind of game is very good for black. But rengo = chaos, so maybe white still has a chance.

My sealed move:



Show Diagram Code[go]$$Bc
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . c e O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 3 . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . . . a b W X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . X . O . X . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------
[/go]Hide Diagram Code
I want to play B1 as a probe. At this point I expect to induce W2. If I play B3 first, then White might not respond to 1 later at 2. If White responds at 2, then later Black threatens to exchange Ba - Wb, giving White bad shape. Also, if White plays W2 and then plays at "c", Black threatens the exchange, Bd - We, also giving White bad shape.

Instead of the marked stone, my inclination as White would have been to jump to 2 right away.

This is one of those times where I have no clue what the best move would be. So here is what is going through my boggled mind...


Figure A
Show Diagram Code[go]$$Bc Figure A
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$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W b . . |
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$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . . . . . O X . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . d . . |
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[/go]Hide Diagram CodeMy first instinct was to (a) or (b). However, I think (b) might be what white is looking for so that they get this:

Figure B
Show Diagram Code[go]$$Bc Figure B
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$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W 1 4 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 7 . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . X . O . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . w . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . y . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------
[/go]Hide Diagram Code8 would be played at w,x,y or z giving white control of the side of the board.

(c) from figure A is bad for black because of this (another variatin I did not put for see was black playing 3 at 4 instead. I felt that gave white too good a chance to peep into the corner):

Figure C
Show Diagram Code[go]$$Bc Figure C
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$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . X . O . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------
[/go]Hide Diagram Code
playing (d) from figure A felt comfortable because it guards the bottom right corner, but then gives white a chance to invade the top right corner. White starts to get good shape in the middle of what used to be blacks very nice moyo..... However, both corners are now guarded for black and black has the choice of playing j,k or m to help influence on the top.

Figure D
Show Diagram Code[go]$$Bc Figure D
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$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . m j . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . X . . . k . X . 3 . |
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$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . 4 . 2 . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------
[/go]Hide Diagram Code
(f) from figure A seems like a fools play because of (q). If white plays (r) for some reason instead, that could be good for black but that is just hoping for too much I think...:


Figure E
Show Diagram Code[go]$$Bc Figure E
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$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . . . . . O X . . |
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$$ | . . . . . 1 . q . O . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------
[/go]Hide Diagram Code
(e) from Figure A is a good way to invade whites corner as long as joseki is played like this:

Figure F
Show Diagram Code[go]$$Bc Figure F
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$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . X . O . X . . |
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$$ | . 9 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 6 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 5 4 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 3 O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . 1 2 . . . . . O . . . . . X . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------
[/go]Hide Diagram Codeor this:

Figure G
Show Diagram Code[go]$$Bc Figure G
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W . . . |
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$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . X . O . X . . |
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$$ | . . 2 O 8 0 . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . 1 3 4 7 . . . O . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . 5 6 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------
[/go]Hide Diagram Code
So I think I might do with (d) from Figure A because this looks like it could be good to me:


Figure H
Show Diagram Code[go]$$Bc Figure H
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$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . X . . . 5 . X . 3 . |
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$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . 4 . 2 . . |
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$$ | . . . d . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . X . O . X . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . |
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$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . a . . . . . . O . . . . . X . . . |
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$$ ---------------------------------------
[/go]Hide Diagram Codeafter 5, if I were white I would feel the need to play 6 with my top right group to make sure of life. Then Black plays 7 at (a) to invade the corner. After the corner joseki sequence, having control of tengen begins to become a clear advantage in this stage of game.... And the vital points to play next is to reduce at d or e, or you can mask that your goal is e or d by attacking at h as a cover......(i dunno if that will actually work... it was a last second idea and I haven't read it out...)

And so, even after all that analyzing, I still have no clue if I even mentioned a good move..... But, I'll shake off the confused feeling, play what i think is right... and hope to God my higher ranked teammates can bail me out and that I don't end up thrown overboard....lol..... (old pirate movies and walking the plank flood my mind right now....)


I kind of wish i had the turn before.... I would have played 15 in the same spot.... But this move..... *sigh*