Life In 19x19

This is from the problems within the WBaduk client. Specifically this is question 190 from the 19k-15k set.

The problem asks for black life but I am confused how this isn't a dual life problem?

The answer is black S4 then white goes to R1 and black makes life by playing S2. I don't understand why ...

my reason for k14 instead of j13 at is not a good one, but the resource im using right now is bruce wilcox's contact and sector fights and at the novice level (which i'm still working through) he suggests not to attack using contact because it will make your opponent stronger. i have had a couple ...

ok so i threw this game late. tygem estimated a swing of an 83 pt win to a 30 pt loss. killing is too hard for me, i have to accept that. so i am wondering what's a more conservative approach.

i am black. i am looking at the game and before he invades, even before my move before he invades, i have ...

ok so wait i have been thinking about this. correct me if this new interpretation is wrong.

tsumego is about reading, but it is not so much about brute force reading which is what i once believed -- being able to read out responses to all variations. that is important but, just because you did that ...

in the game i played 2 because my reading skills aren't good enough to even try to read that problem out in a game unless i want to lose on time before i had finally read out the problem. but during a review i was told that i was giving up too much territory in exchange for the thickness which made ...

hey guys, i apologize for posting so many topics lately but i am simply easily confused lol

okay so i have been working on the double hane a lot today. i am pretty sure i understand almost every variation in which black fights back EXCEPT this one. i cannot work it out on my own. im not sure if i ...

here is another example of the same move but to me both black groups don't seem strong at all if white escapes. especially the bottom one

$$c This is a label for the diagram ...

with my skill they would be lol

i am watching what is a really informative youtube lecture on the double hane by starstorm3 and several times he ends his a variation with the marked black move instead of the triangle move but doesn't go into detail as to why. but when i see that i get nervous because i then see white making the ...

so there is a lot of great stuff in this thread, i'm sure. but i am having a hard time knowing what to do about it. i guess my shapes are very bad. how do i get better at this? i honestly don't know much about shape at all. when i do tsumego shape never enters my mind. shape rarely ever enters my ...

no not anymore, this was like 8 months ago when i first started doing problems

the reason i take so much time when playing games, even though i don't read much, is because i am trying to decide what the biggest move is and sometimes it can take me a minute or two before i decide and these add up.

the reason i do so many tsumego is i've heard it's best to do as many as ...

has your reading speed gotten better from doing tsumego? reading being, according to the chapter of tesuji by davies, confirming ALL possible white responses to your move fail before checking the answer?

i ask because about 6-7 weeks ago i realized my awful reading was holding me back, it is far ...

well here is kind of an example of what happens. im white. as soon as black makes r10, i can sense trouble. i play that attachment joseki because i have heard when black doesnt have room to expand from it, you should attack them. and to attack the attachment they make after if they try to. but it ...

well, it would be like, early game, i have some thickness in two spots but my opponent invades so i try to push my opponent towards it or trap him between two somewhat thick lines but then one of those lines gets shut in during the attack.