So, now that I've slept, I can look back at this game again
Thank you again for the reviews. Here I my own thoughts about the game. If Tom could share his as well, I would appreciate it
1-20: Black's opening made that game difficult for me early on. Black's potential areas were so huge that invasion was the only option and I'm more the calm territorial player myself. But black was full of holes so I had to make something out of it.
20-36: I hated that invasion a few moves after I made it and that shows on the board. Basically running with those stones meant that black could just close up a huge area on the top while I would be chasing him along my own bottom territory. I hated the idea so I tried to live with minimum number of moves inside black's territory. It felt painful to get surrounded though.
@Joaz: Yeah I completely failed to identify those black's stones as a target, which is why I did not play E4. It's a recurring failing of mine that I'm so busy worrying about my own groups that I overlook the opponent's weaknesses.
36-56: Basically just feeling depressed with my position. At that point I'm more or less convinced that the D8 group can live but I'm unsure what to do next. I have to deal with the top left, which is huge. I can get the corner at 3-3, but black will build a wall that will help secure the rest of the top left area, which isn't small. If I invade or reduce somewhere else first, there is the risk that I will help black protect the corner and not take away enough territory. Moreover, I also have an invasion point at 3-3. If I don't end in sente, black can reciprocate the invasion. Caught in this dilemna, I'm trying to somehow expand my own moyo on the lower right without helping black to defend his territory, hoping to find a brilliant idea.
56-65: As it turns out, black solves my dilemna for me. I get to defend my corner and secure my area all while killing his stones, so I can happily go and invade. After taking away the corner, I feel confident that I can reduce the rest enough to win the game.
65-end: My endgame is sooo crappy, but luckily Tom makes mistakes too, so somehow with komi the day is saved
By the way, this was longest game I played, ever. It went on for 2:30 hours
(That's not going to impress you dan players but hey, I'm just a DDK!)
), I’ll never forget this nice surprise and how we both smiled and laughed when we realized that we’d already read each other.
. On Tom's behalf, though: he was in byoyomi at that point, so stones on the board were worth time if not points.