One of our newer members played a game on 6 stones with me on Dragon Go. I tried to play moves to see how they would react as much as play to win, I'm not sure if this is a good approach or not. Fireproof said he would welcome comments from other players on our game and asked me to create this thread.
(;ST[2]SZ[19]CA[SJIS]GM[1]AP[GOWrite:2.3.46]FF[4]SO[http\://www.dragongoserver.net/game.php?gid=977615]DT[2015-03-16,2015-03-27]FG[259:]RE[W+1.5]AB[pj][dp][dd][dj][pp][pd]KM[0.5]RU[Japanese]GC[Game ID\: 977615 Game Type\: GO (1\:1) Rated\: N
White Start Rating\: 7k (+11%) - ELO 1411 Black Start Rating\: 15k (-50%) - ELO 550 White End Rating\: 6k (+3%) - ELO 1502 Black End Rating\: 15k (+44%) - ELO 644]PB[Matthew McClintock (fireproof)]BR[15k]WR[6k]HA[6]GN[Boidhre-fireproof-977615-20150327]PW[P·draig O'Sullivan (Boidhre)]XM[248]PM[2]PL[W]OT[30 days with 1 day extra per move]PC[Dragon Go Server\: http\://www.dragongoserver.net/] ;W[fc]MN[1]PM[2] ;B[df] ;W[nc] ( ;B[hc]C[*** Don't kick a man while he is down.
Usually the best moves are those that get ahead of the opponent or catch up. Getting too far ahead or too far behind is often inefficient, especially early in the game. Here Black gets two stones ahead in the top left. Not necessarily bad, but probably not best. See variation.] ;W[qf] ;B[oe] ;W[qc] ( ;B[pc]C[*** You want to make your stones work with the stones you already have on the board. See variation.] ;W[qd] ;B[md] ;W[fe] ;B[he]C[*** Good! This play attacks the White stones on the left while enlarging the Black framework on the top side.] ;W[nq] ;B[qn] ;W[fq] ;B[oq] ;W[np] ;B[kq]C[*** If Black was going to play this way, it would have been better to jump to Q-06 instead of playing the keima.] ;W[iq] ( ;B[lo]C[*** See variation.] ;W[mr] ;B[kr] ;W[lp] ;B[kp] ;W[ko] ( ;B[mo]C[*** See variation.] ;W[jo]C[*** Now things get complicated.] ;B[mp] ;W[lq] ;B[mq] ;W[lr] ;B[or] ;W[nr] ;B[no] ;W[jr]C[*** White wins the fight.] ( ;B[qh]C[*** See variation.] ;W[pg] ;B[ng] ;W[cn] ;B[qb] ;W[rb] ;B[pb] ;W[ra] ;B[dn] ;W[dm] ( ;B[en]C[*** Black has nothing this way, because White is so strong. See variation.] ;W[cq] ;B[co]C[*** Good!] ;W[dq] ;B[cm] ;W[dh] ( ;B[dc]C[*** See variation.
) ( ;B[co] ;W[en] ;B[do] ;W[cm] ;B[dr]C[*** Black secures the corner. Maybe not objectively best, but practical in a high handicap game.] )
) ( ;B[op]C[*** Probably better to eliminate the White aji here.] ;W[ks] ;B[cn]C[*** And then protect this corner stone.] )
) ( ;B[jo] ;W[kn] ;B[ip]C[*** Now Black is threatening both White groups.] ( ;W[mn]C[*** If White secures this group, ] ;B[hq] ) ( ;W[hp] ;B[ho] ( ;W[gp]C[*** If White plays this way, ] ;B[mo]C[*** Black attacks here.] ) ( ;W[mn] ;B[gp] ;W[hq] ;B[fp] ;W[eq] ;B[ep]C[*** Black can build a strong wall while attacking.] )
)
)
) ( ;B[ko]C[*** This attacks the White stone on the right on a larger scale, while threatening the stones on the left somewhat.] )
) ( ;B[qd]C[*** First Black cuts off the stone on the right side.] ;W[pc] ;B[me]C[*** Then he enlarges the Black framework. These plays work well with the Black stone on the right side.] )
) ( ;B[jc]C[*** This is still a pincer against the stone in the top left, but it is also a pincer against the stone in the top right. Black is two stones ahead on the top, but that is how he started out.] )
)
The Adkins Principle: At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins
Boidhre wrote:Skydyr, Black can play E18 instead of E19, in your first ko variation no?
Yes, White is just dead with E18 on the 119 var, and the alternative suggestion on 121 is going to drop liberties I think (and still be dead). Some excellent suggestions for black midgame though
