Ah, this is far over my head!

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[go]$$cfig_1.31 Prisoners; 黒: /白: .
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . O . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . X O . . . O . O . . . . O , X . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . X . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . O . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . e . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , O . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . P X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . a c . . . . W . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . b X O . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . d O . . . . . . . X . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . O . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . O . O . O X . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . X X . O X O O . . X . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

It would be easy to settle quickly as possible, but black must erase as much territory as possible to stand a chance. I guess the way I can see to help that is to somehow use the central stones, so moves like d wouldn't have as much effect in that regard.

At a, black doesn't seem to create eyespace anyway. c feels better, but the d seems to make sense in that regard. d is a bit too much, maybe; white can just compromise.

It feels like there is something in this position, but it's too complicated for my level, making it hard to decide on a move or which direction in which to aim for aji. Hopefully, something around e threatens the upper left while still having an effect on the center.

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[go]$$cfig_1.32 Prisoners; 黒: /白: .
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . O . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . X O . . . O . O . . . . O , X . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . X . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . O . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X 1 O . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . 3 . . . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . a . . . X . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . O . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . O . O . O X . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . X X . O X O O . . X . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

The previous position (at move 58) was one of precisely the type where I could spend ages deliberating on find only the "very best" move and still not be happy . This may come again soon.

Something like this pops into my mind. Maybe the aji around a prevents the ladder, although I'm sure white can still trade and win. Obviously white probably wouldn't play in this fashion, but it's fun to wonder.

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[go]$$cfig_1.33 Prisoners; 黒: /白: .
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . O . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . X O . . . O . O . . . . O , X . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . X . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . a O . . . . . O . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 7 5 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 6 4 O X . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 8 X 1 O . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . 9 . . 2 . . . . O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . a . . . X . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . O . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . O . O . O X . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . X X . O X O O . . X . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Like this, white is captured and black could even connect at a.

It may not be the best strategy, but I'll still take it as a last chance.

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[go]$$cfig_1.33 Prisoners; 黒: /白: .
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . O . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . X O . . . O . O . . . . O , X . . |
$$ | . X . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . X . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . X . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . a O . . . . . O . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 7 5 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 6 4 O X . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 8 X 1 O . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . 9 b . 2 . . . . O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . X . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . O . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . O . O . O X . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . X X . O X O O . . X . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Whoops! This doesn't capture white. But if white takes gote at b, then there is still some aji around a, I think.

Anticipation. I haven't read the position very well yet

It is blocking white's territory in, making it clear, that I wanted to avoid, but now there is little choice .

Okay, I *think* E13 is the move that can help black gain something on the left, but as I somehow feel MinjeaKim knows something I don't, I'll go into more detail next move just in case I have to explain a big misread instead .

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[go]$$cm61Komi_6.5 Prisoners; 黒: /白: .
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . O Q . . . . . . . . . . . . . Q . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . Q . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . . . O . . . O O X # |
$$ | . . X O . Q . O Q O Q . Q Q O , X . . |
$$ | . X . a Q . Q . . . X . . . . . # X . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . X . . # # . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . 9 . . . O . X . . # # . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . . . . . . # . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O O X . . X . X # . . . . . . . . |
$$ | Q O X X O . Q . . , . # . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . O Q . Q . O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . # . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . Q X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . Q . X . # # . . X # # |
$$ | . . Q . . O . O Q . . # . . # X . . . |
$$ | Q O . O . O X . Q , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . X X . O X O O Q . X . . . . Q O Q Q |
$$ | # . . X X X . . . . . . . O Q . . . . |
$$ | . . . . # . . . . . . . . Q . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

ok, I've embarked upon another count-- using counting skills that are far below impressive, I will say. I guess I count everything trying to improve my poor counting skills.

W 87 + 6 + 1/2 = 93.5p
B 68

I can only see maybe finding a trickling of less than 10 points in the other areas in the board-- but white can find extra points too, I'm sure. If the margin remains over 10p in the next 20 or 30 so moves, it might be time to resign (right now it's at least 15 points I think, a slight crushing).

This is a position in which even I warrant being a wannabe-hero to solve this position.
Black might as well start somewhere.

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[go]$$cm71fig_1.34 What works?
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . e X O . . . . . . . O . . . O O X . |
$$ | . . X O . . . O . O . . . . O , X . . |
$$ | . X . d . . . . . . X . . b . . . X . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . X . . . . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . X . . . O . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O O X . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X X O . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X . O . . . . O X . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . a . . X . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . O . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . O . O . O X . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . X X . O X O O . . X . . . c . O . . |
$$ | . . . X X X . . . . . . . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I don't know what's going to happen here. As far as I can tell, this move captures the white stones, but is still only 15~17 points. It's clearly not enough for a gote move, my last count showed black's deficit to be possibly over 25 points white has already creeped into "territory" that I include in the poor count , exaggerating the deficit, so I really did not want to have to use this move. However, If black tried any other alternative, white will probably realise and protect here before black can use it, and black needs the cash.

So black will have to play crazily on the other parts of the board. I'm hoping for moves like a, wishing to get around to d, and cutting at O15 to handle white's next move in that area smoothly enough (hopefully...) quickly jabbing at c...
Not to mention somehow managing to get around to e before white. It's an extreme task, but I don't think it's late enough to resign without trying first.

Let's hope black's last move isn't a hallucination first.