Even game against 12k

[Amelia]

I was glad to get to 12k KGS but since then I keep losing ^^° My reading is just not good enough.
This particular game I found quite irritating. I kept thinking "what the hell is he doing? There's no way that's a good move" but in the end there was nothing I could do. I'd be very glad if someone could shed some light on ths messy game. I included my own comments.

[jts]

17: This is an important point to squeeze in a forcing move at S16. Then return to surrounding W.

25: This connection is small. Even if he captures the stone later, you can always recapture it in ko. You have two options: play s16 and fight ko, or play around k16 to make a mega-huge zone of influence.

29: Your position is in slightly bad shape around the q17 dumpling in the top right; that is, you would have liked to get the same position with fewer stones. But I wouldn't say it's "overconcentrated" - that usually implies you've used too many stones to surround too narrow an area. In fact, you could use any extra stone on the top side, around k16. You also still have ugly aji to play with at S16.

41: Agree with your comment. Forcing your opponent to connect is like passing twice.

47: H19 atari is a stronger way to prevent the connection under.

49: No, capture the stone in the ladder! This move is nearly as bad as passing (because ladder you will need to capture the ladder stone in reply to a white ladder breaker.)

51: If you had captured the ladder stone, you could hane here.

59: Staying connected at D16 is fine.

61:

I need to cook dinner. For now, I don't think there's any mystery, right? Most of the mistakes you made, you saw how horrible the consequences were within two or three moves. No need to be discouraged, everyone is always working on their reading. Your reading will improve over time. Don't think of your missteps as irritating, think of them as fascinating surprises!

[Joaz Banbeck]

I think your most common problem is a tendency to over-focus. When you look at the whole board, you clearly have a good understanding of the game ( a good example is your comment that he had two weak grous, therefore one should die ). But, too often you focus on too small a portion of the board, making small or even irrelevant moves there, while ignoring bigger and more urgent moves elsewhere.

I recommend moving back from the board. I mean that both figuratively and literally. You have been looking at a very small portion of the board, and making the best move in that portion. Now work on making the best move on the board.

[skydyr]

One theme that struck me is that you could be much more willing to let unimportant stones go. When your opponent threatens to capture a stone, ask yourself what that stone is doing. Is it cutting two groups that aren't alive yet? Then fight to keep it. But if it's just a couple points, let it go to get a bigger move in elsewhere.

[Amelia]

I need to cook dinner. For now, I don't think there's any mystery, right? Most of the mistakes you made, you saw how horrible the consequences were within two or three moves.

I'm quite sure of my mistakes, less sure about what I should have played instead (I mean I do come up with ideas, there's just nothing telling me they're not as crap as what I did play). Thanks a lot for the comments.

No need to be discouraged

I'm not discouraged. In fact I'm just annoyed enough to really want this kind of game to not happen again.

I think your most common problem is a tendency to over-focus

Yes, looking back it seems I was trying too hard to retaliate locally instead of just playing solidly and taking advantage of a stronger position later.

One theme that struck me is that you could be much more willing to let unimportant stones go.

Yeah I seriously need to get rid of this bad habit.

Thank you everyone, I have to go to work now but I'll ponder all your comments in quiet this evening.


Edit:

Now go kill something.

[jts]

I need to cook dinner. For now, I don't think there's any mystery, right? Most of the mistakes you made, you saw how horrible the consequences were within two or three moves.

I'm quite sure of my mistakes, less sure about what I should have played instead (I mean I do come up with ideas, there's just nothing telling me they're not as crap as what I did play). Thanks a lot for the comments.

That makes perfect sense. One point to keep in mind is that if it looks like you have no options, it may be that your mistake came earlier, and now you need to live with the consequences. is a good example. Now, as a matter of fact, E16 D15 E15 D14 B17 looks like a good sequence for you. But what if you can't find that sequence, or any other good sequence, and you are convinced that you've lost either D18 or C16? Well, in that case you admit that was a mistake, and you sacrifice one side of the cut as elegantly as you can - or just ignore it, and play somewhere else on the board.

In other words, if you are looking at moves A, B, C, and D, and none of them give you the result you think you deserve, about 10% of the time you're missing the tesuji, E, and about 90% of the time you already missed the tesuji and you need to adjust your sense of what counts as a good result.

[jts]

Joaz took us up to 100 so I'll continue from there.

105: Not so good. Aji keshi: you remove all possible threats against the group (s16 atari, s15 placement), which removes ko threats and reduces endgame possibilities. Removes a liberty: now you have 4 liberties, and after Wn12, you would have only 3 liberties. Doesn't strengthen the connection between your stones greatly.

113: Did you consider any other moves?

117: Aji keshi for similar reasons to 105. Now he has nothing to fear if you play f3, for example.

121: Not sure I agree with your assessment that the left side will be small. You can aim to prevent W from living locally.

129: Note that you have urgent shapes both at D7-8/F7-8 and at G3-4/K3-4. In either case, getting the first move locally is hugely important for either side.

141: Yes; push enemy groups away from your weak side, towards your strong side when attacking. Push them away from your strong side, towards your weak side when sacrificing.

161: Small move, G8 and K3 seem bigger.

166: This is a mistake from W, but that doesn't mean that exploiting it is the biggest thing on the board. Both the B groups and the W groups are completely safe.

207: Not important. You have equivalent options (miai) at J5 and N6. Cut at M7 and try to capture 8 stones.

209: What is your thought here? I would say either J9 or a move like D10 is urgent at this point, depending on how aggressive you want to be.

211: Can you see why J9 is worth more than capturing one stone at L10?

213: Sacrifice K9 (and L10, if need be: wall off the left with H9, H10, etc.

215: No need to recapture. You don't need to reply to every move your opponent makes. Trying to surround the left side is more important than one or two meaningless stones in the middle.

217: Try to determine two things: (1) Did this move affect the life or death of any groups? (2) How many points did this move make? (3) How many points would a big move somewhere else have made?

247: This is only 2 points.

259: You need to play at D13.

262: Ah, okay, I see you figured it out for yourself.

264: This is wrong for W. He needs to play at A16; then the entire group might die, which is worth a lot more. (B must resist A16 by playing D14, and then there is a ko for the life of the group.)

[Amelia]

In other words, if you are looking at moves A, B, C, and D, and none of them give you the result you think you deserve, about 10% of the time you're missing the tesuji, E, and about 90% of the time you already missed the tesuji and you need to adjust your sense of what counts as a good result.

As opposed to playing a random move hoping that a sequence that works will appear on the board by magic

Yes. That makes sense.