(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2] RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[0.00] C[thoughts on alphago shapes] ;B[pd] ;W[] ;B[nc] ;W[qf]C[e.g. self play 13 alphago directly approaches the corner even when B has defended. clearly this aims at the R16 alphago style. given this, where is the best point to pincer? ___ another question is why B doesn't kick but kicks in a very similar self-play game. My answer is that kick and pincer would emphasis the right side in this position and lose strength towards the top. But in self-play that would be slightly bad direction of play given the amount of space.] (;B[] ;W[qd] ;B[qc] ;W[rc] ;B[qe] ;W[rd] ;B[pe] ;W[re] ;B[qb]C[if this is expected, where should B play two moves?] ;W[] ;B[] ;W[pf] ;B[rg] ;W[rf] (;B[qh] ;W[] ;B[qk]C[this seems as close to perfect that B can hope for - W has to make eyes in the centre]) (;B[pi] ;W[] ;B[ql]C[in comparison, I find this slightly less convincing - this is still powerful, but B still owes a move at R12, and B has no hope of continuing in the centre given the Q17 cut] ;W[nf])) (;AW[qp][nq] (;B[qj]C[game 13 is like this, but why this pincer? ] (;W[qd]C[why doesn't W like this anymore?, it seems like it is because R10 is low in this position] ;B[qc] ;W[rc] (;B[qe] ;W[rd] ;B[pe] ;W[re] ;B[qb] (;W[pf]C[is this much less attractive as R10 is low?] ;B[rg] ;W[rf] ;B[qm]C[I'm not too sure]) (;W[qh]C[presumably if here anyway, this is no better than the game - getting in S17 isn't worth giving B Q15 and the aji at S13 (useful if B gets Q14 or P13) this is the pre-alphago reason that professionals didn't play R16])) (;B[pb]C[I have several thoughts on this particularly solid move. Professionals never considered that B should worry about it's own safety (eyespace + access to centre + liberties) this early.] ;W[re] ;B[pe]C[at this point it is very tempting for W to tenuki, but why does alphago play N16? presumably it is a more efficient local way to defend than R12 or R18] (;W[md]C[doesn't this look crazy? clearly B is too solid to need to bother responding (W would be very happy to see O16 for example), and it isn't as if W can get much from any local follow up. So what is the meaning?] (;B[lb]C[especially as B can quite comfortably go here]) (;B[mf] ;W[qh]C[if B plays to attack W can take this good time to defend, practically in sente])) (;W[cj]C[this is my answer] ;B[qe]C[locally this is the best way to attack] ;W[rd] ;B[rg] ;W[rf] ;B[rb]C[not very big, but still can be severe sometimes] ;W[pf]C[this seems the shape] ;B[nf]C[this is a bit of a shape to attack, but consider if W had the exchange at N16] ;W[md] ;B[lb] ;W[oe]C[this hane is very bad aji])) (;B[qb]C[this looks so similar but ] ;W[qe]C[W will play here and B's eyespace is worse and B can't play a move like Q15 locally W has M17 or S18 ] ;B[qh] ;W[rb]C[B is in pain and frankly owes another move locally] ;B[kc])) (;W[rd]C[the actual game] ;B[qc] ;W[qh] ;B[qn])) (;B[qh]C[this pincer almost certainly leads to ] ;W[qd] ;B[qc] ;W[rc] ;B[qe] ;W[rd] ;B[pe] ;W[pc]) (;B[pi]C[this pincer? tenuki is certainly possible, but my feeling is that alphago would still go R16] ;W[qd] ;B[qc] ;W[rc] ;B[qe] ;W[rd] ;B[pe] ;W[re] ;B[qb] ;W[pf]C[presumably this gives Q11 bad shape])))