Letting me connect seems to be wiser, but it might not be enough.

Blocking here is essential - after that, I'll have a think about my two options a bit!

So, I've decided to go for a sente line. Blocking the other way typically leads to either:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm40 ,
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . O . . . . X . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . X O . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . X . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . 5 7 O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . 4 6 8 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 0 O . . . . X , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . X O 3 X . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . 2 X 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

with cutting aji, or even worse (IMO)

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm40 ,
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . O . . . . X . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . X O . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . X . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O . . |
$$ | . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . 6 9 O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . X , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . X O 5 X . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . 2 4 X 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Where I get gote ... I know it gives me a lot more ammunition to reduce the bottom side, but giving him sente in a position like this irks me...

So far we've been playing the game of chicken, who's gonna blink first? Have I already blinked?

I think I have to fix that top right group before I do anything at the bottom, which is really rather irritating, but that's kind of my fault for making a bit of a mess up there, so I need to be patient and see where Black takes things I think

I've become hopefully a bit more patient of a player these days. I've recognised a bit more clearly that the pain that weak groups can cause, and this just feels like the right thing to do - it's actually pretty hard for Black to ignore if he wants to keep any weaknesses in this group at all, and it starts to get this group close enough to unconditionally settled that I can be a bit more exciting on the lower side.

If anyone has any questions about anything I've done or am planning to do, do shout

Frankly, I take it as a thank you move, I get to correct my shape and now I can basically do whatever I want at the top left region. I wonder if he thinks he is ahead, I think the game is pretty close so far, and doing something about my bottom is super urgent. Also, he was never in danger, he could have just jumped his way out to safety and there was apparent profit in attacking.

Wheeeeeeee....

My sense is that invading here would have been better prior to the exchanges in the lower left, or if white had chosen to block the other way. As it is, black is strong on both sides so there's not a lot of aji for white to use. I suppose the question, however, is whether white could win with a reducing move, and maybe some sort of move pressuring E11.

Probably the only move. I'll either kill him or finish in sente while securing my territory. Although I must say that's a big reduction, he won't be able to get the whole top left either.

Now, sir, show me how to live or escape.

The hanes would give him many forcing moves, it would be too easy, and with Q4, he could get at least a ko.

Am I missing something?



Hmmm... I thought that black HAD to hane.

IMHO, this looks ok for black:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm51 ,
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . O . . X . X . O X X . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . X . X O . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . X . . O O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . X . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . . . X , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . O X O . X . . . X O . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]