Sorry if someone mentioned it on the SGF (I can't read them from the uni computer) but what happened to your left side is called the Monkey Jump, and it's an annoying little move you'll learn to hate (or love). Watch out for the setup: a stone on the second line "peeking" at your open territory.
(;CA[ISO8859-1]FF[4]SZ[9]AP[GOWrite:2.2.21]GM[1]ST[1]GN[ ]AB[cg][gc]FG[259:]PB[Human]PM[0]KM[0.0]HA[2]PW[Igo for windows]RE[B+6.0] ;W[gf] ;C[A good response to White claiming a 3-4 point is the knight jump away?]B[eg] ;W[dc] ( ;C[*** The problem here is that you are already strong in the bottom left. The White stone on the right is weak. You want to put pressure on it. See variation.]B[ce] ;W[ef] ( ;C[Reason\: puts pressure on the White stone, and strengthens Black's grip on the LL corner.
*** Black is already strong there. See variation.]B[df] ;W[fb] ;C[Claims that corner, and the bottom of the board.]B[gg] ;W[hf] ( ;C[I wanted to protect my g7 stone, but I feel this was the wrong move (too small).
*** See variation.]B[hd] ;W[fc] ;B[cc] ;W[cb] ;B[cd] ;W[bb] ;C[Securing that corner.
*** Nope.]B[gb] ;W[he] ( ;C[Is this connection needed at this point?
*** See variation.]B[gd] ;W[fe] ;B[ee] ;W[fd] ;B[ff] ;W[ga] ( ;C[*** See variation.]B[ha] ;W[fa] ( ;C[*** See variation.]B[hb] ;W[hg] ( ;C[This group is isolated, and I think this move guarantees 2 eyes.
*** See variation.]B[ib] ;W[ae]C[This was unexpected. I thought that most of the left side was mine. I ended up losing it all. How should I have replied to this?] ( ;C[*** See variation.]B[be] ;W[ad] ( ;C[*** Nope. See variation.]B[bd] ;W[ag] ( ;C[*** Nope. See variation.]B[bg] ;W[af] ;B[bf] ;W[ac] ( ;C[*** Nope. See variation.]B[bc] ;W[bh] ( ;C[*** See variation.]B[ch] ;W[gh] ;B[fg] ;W[ih] ( ;B[bi] ;W[ah] ;B[ed] ;W[ec] ;C[This seemed to be the biggest endgame move.]B[fh] ;W[da] ;B[gi] ;W[ge] ;B[hh] ;W[id] ;B[ic] ;W[ie] ( ;C[*** See variation.]B[hi] ;W[dd] ;B[de] ;W[ab] ;B[ii] ;W[ig] ;B[tt] ;W[ai] ;B[ci] ;W[tt] ;C[ ]B[tt] ) ( ;B[dd] )
) ( ;C[*** Threatens to capture the three stones.]B[hg] ;W[ge] ;B[bc] ;W[ig] ;B[ih] ;W[if] ;B[hh] ;W[dd] ;B[ed] ;W[ec] ;B[de] ;W[ac] ;B[ad] ;W[ab]C[*** Black wins.] )
) ( ;B[fd] ;W[fe] ;B[ed] ;W[gd]C[*** Ko.] )
) ( ;C[*** Divide and conquer.]B[fe] ;W[ff] ;B[ee] ( ;W[fg] ;C[*** Difficult for White on the top.]B[bc] ) ( ;W[bd] ;C[*** Difficult for White on the right.]B[fg] )
)
) ( ;C[*** Undercuts White and makes territory, too. A dual purpose move.]B[fg] )
) ( ;C[*** Divide and conquer. Can White live in the bottom right?]B[fe] ;W[ge] ;B[fd] ;W[fh]C[*** White looks alive there.] ;C[*** But can White live in the top left? The strength that Black has built by attacking in the bottom right is useful in this fight.]B[bc] )
)
The Adkins Principle: At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins
This position on the left of the board comes up quite a bit in the variations:
$$Bc $$ +-------------------+ $$ | . . . . . O O X . | $$ | . O O . . O X X X | $$ | . a X O , O X . . | $$ | O . X . . O X X . | $$ | O X X . X O O O . | $$ | B b . X . X O O . | $$ | . . X . X . X O . | $$ | . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . | $$ +-------------------+
[go]$$Bc $$ +-------------------+ $$ | . . . . . O O X . | $$ | . O O . . O X X X | $$ | . a X O , O X . . | $$ | O . X . . O X X . | $$ | O X X . X O O O . | $$ | B b . X . X O O . | $$ | . . X . X . X O . | $$ | . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . | $$ +-------------------+[/go]
Instead of White playing at A, suppose they play at B? Looks awkward for Black.
$$Bc $$ +-------------------+ $$ | . . . . . O O X . | $$ | . O O . . O X X X | $$ | . a X O , O X . . | $$ | O . X . . O X X . | $$ | O X X . X O O O . | $$ | B b . X . X O O . | $$ | . . X . X . X O . | $$ | . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . | $$ +-------------------+
[go]$$Bc $$ +-------------------+ $$ | . . . . . O O X . | $$ | . O O . . O X X X | $$ | . a X O , O X . . | $$ | O . X . . O X X . | $$ | O X X . X O O O . | $$ | B b . X . X O O . | $$ | . . X . X . X O . | $$ | . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . | $$ +-------------------+[/go]
Instead of White playing at A, suppose they play at B? Looks awkward for Black.
Good question, Peter. Your homework: what DOES Black do if W cuts at (b)?
I think Black needs to give up his stone on a4, and instead try to cut off White along row 7, probably starting at a7 since that puts immediate pressure on the White group on the A column.
PeterPeter wrote:I think Black needs to give up his stone on a4, and instead try to cut off White along row 7, probably starting at a7 since that puts immediate pressure on the White group on the A column.
very close (with your reasoning) -- but I wouldn't call it "giving up" on black's a4 stone.
You're actually sacrificing it for something much larger. And you won't have to give up the corner at all -- do you see it yet? That's why white will not cut at (b). You can count on it. But you need to see what happens if they do, how black can punish.
I am no good at playing against myself, but after Black's a7, White cannot connect at the top, and I do not see enough space left in the bottom-left for White to create a living group.
