Life In 19x19

$$Bcm59 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X X . , . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . X O X X X O O . . . . . . . . X ...

$$Bcm57 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X X . , . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . X O X X X O O . . . . . . . . X ...

$$Bcm55 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X X . , . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . X O X X X O O . . . . . . . . 1 ...

$$Bcm53 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X X . , . . . X . X . . . |
$$ | . X O X X X O O ...

$$Bcm51 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X X . , . . . 1 . X . . . |
$$ | . X O X X X O O ...

$$Bcm49 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X X . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . X O X X X O O ...

No worries. I am so glad that we are still playing this game. I've been enjoying it.

$$Bcm47 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O ...

$$Bcm45 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X X . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . X O X X X O O ...

$$Bcm43 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X X . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . X O X X X O O ...

Here is another common pattern appears in the orthodox opening. This appears in a game between Choi Cheolhan (B) and Shi Yue (W)

$$Wcm1 ...

$$Bcm41 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X X . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . X O X X X O O ...

$$Bcm39 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X X . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . X O X X X O O ...

$$Bcm37 Prisoner Count: B-4 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . X . X X . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . X O X X X O O ...

If you only took up the game again within the last month it seems that to say you have hit a plateau seems a little exaggerated. I think of a plateau as being stuck for a prolonged period of time, say a year or at least 6 months.

More likely, you quickly got back to where you were 10 years ago and ...

I also learned how to choose the right pincer.

Why does white play the one-space high pincer here?
$$Bcm1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O X X |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . . . . X X X O X X . |
$$ | . . . O ...