Played 2 casual games today (actually 3 but an early L&D / liberty race fail in the corner doesn't count )
Was hoping to get them reviewed here.
As always, I should've minded my time better. But that's one of the reasons I don't enjoy playing online. I did play 2 games now, though, and I hope there's something to learn from them either way.

One close win, one close loss.

Game 1


Game 2


Game 2 has a hypothetical L&D situation around move 196.

I did not review the games with any AI because I simply feel that doesn't help much. I usually learn best by a self-review (which I've done, quickly but I've done it) and then a review by someone stronger, pointing out 1 or 2 additional things to take with me.

Thanks!

Several comments, mostly on attacking.

Main focus: Divide and conquer!

Corollary: Keep your weak stones connected.

Also: Don't take your eye off the ball. Press your advantage while ye may.

_________________
There is one human race.
----------------------------------------------------

The Adkins Principle:

At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?

— Winona Adkins

Game 2, move 50:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . X X X O O O X |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . X X X X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O 2 O . 3 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . X . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . X . , O . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . X . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This move is way too defensive.

White has two weak groups. The classic time-tested way to win when your opponent has two weak groups is to force them toward each other, then split them so that one of them dies.

Like this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$ Move 5 is thematic. 6 and 7 are miai
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . X X X O O O X |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . X X X X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . O 2 O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4 . 1 . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . O . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . X . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . X . , O . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . X . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

_________________
'I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others." -Marcus Aurelius

Game 2. What Joaz said.

Main focus: You need to learn to attack. Not just how to attack, but to attack.

My suggestion: Play some 3 stone games against stronger players and practice attacking. See Okigo Jizai for some ideas.
(You can search for it here.)

_________________
There is one human race.
----------------------------------------------------

The Adkins Principle:

At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?

— Winona Adkins

Thank you, both.
It is a recurring problem for me in my game, and it seems like a huge barrier. When I play myself, I tend to see the board subjectively and see my groups as weakened, while I don't see the other one's groups as weak.

It's a strong dose of lacking confidence. And it's probably not by accident that this creeps into my Go playing lately.
I hope the Go training camp in Germany, where I'll study 2 weeks with strong teachers, will offer me the necessary guidance to take the next step and overcome this barrier.

A mental device that may help: your groups are not your groups, your games are not your games. They are immortal friends who help you become a better player.

(I had a very interesting conversation with someone who was in the visual arts, back when I was still very active as a songwriter. He said: "I don't hang on to my works all that much. They help me becoming a better artist. Often I reuse ideas of earlier paintings in a subsequent one. Sometimes I make different versions of one work." Myself I saw my own songs as sacred, never to be touched after I had conceived them. Songwriting is different from painting, but I learnt a lesson there)

There is no barrier.

If you attack your opponent's groups, you will come to look at them differently. And your own, as well.

_________________
There is one human race.
----------------------------------------------------

The Adkins Principle:

At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?

— Winona Adkins