Hi forum,

I am new to game but not a beginner, I have played about 500 games so far and have studied some fusekis and josekis. I am rated about 14-17 kyu on various servers and understand very basics of the game.

I am also new here, and posting for the first time so not sure if I am posting in right board. If it is in a wrong board please move it.

Now my question is about comments on a Pro game by John Richardson based on commentary by Michael Redmond 9p. Game is listed here with commented SGF file: http://www.ranka.intergofed.org/?p=11732

Image related to the position of my query is here:



After move 118 author says miai at A and B, game over. I don't understand if it is Miai about life or points or something else. Can someone please explain it to me?

** minor edits due to autocorrections **

Hi xoxox,

Welcome.Your software probably auto-corrected Miai .

The commentary text: After move 118, White had the miai of striking at Black’s right group and pushing through (with move 120). Even though Yu’s [White's] group had no eyes on the right side, Black cannot save all of her outside stones. The game is now over.



Paraphrasing the commentary: after 118: if gets (a) R11, then can attack 's right-side group and have enough profit (globally) to win; otherwise, if pushes through at (b) L13, then will kill some of 's center stones, and also have enough profit (globally) to win.

Interesting to see if the engines agree with the human notes in the SGF.

I am on a mobile device so don't have any access to engines, though leelazero works well on an app with FB elf weights. Don't know how to analyse using that.

It means miai for safety of the white group on the right side: either white can play on the right which will make some eyespace and also take away eyespace of black's o11 q9 etc group (I don't know if black would die, but for sure white shouldn't die easily with the weakness of black's group to exploit) so live locally, or white can push and cut in the centre and capture some of black's surrounding stones (reading this out is a bit of work so unless white loves uncertain risk she should do this before embarking on this sequence, but the feeling black has too many weaknesses on the outside is reasonably obvious to a strong player).

Thanks for the reply, Though I didn't get it all, I understand it now little bit better then before. I am new to game and reading is far away from where I currently stand. But sometimes it helps me understand overall game better when I ask these questions.

Yes, it's not a simple miai like saying a/b are miai for life below. It's miai for a strategic objective without specify actual sequences which might be 20+ moves long.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$ | . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . , . . . .
$$ | O O O O O O . .
$$ | X X X X X O . .
$$ | . a b . X O . .
$$ +----------------[/go]