Seven stones

[EdLee]

Hi Thimblefox,

good.

W has 2 ways to cut this keima, starting at o6 or P6.
See note on .

- standard bad habit: "push and retreat".
W should cut on at P7: "push and cut".
If W could not or didn't want to cut at P7, then don't push with at all.

You were lucky W didn't cut at P7.

No. After the peep , the local follow-up is L2 attach.
If L2 fails, then don't peep with at all.

good, locally: broken shape for B.
Even better is hane E1.

study the local variations if you kosumi at G8 instead;
see what happens if W pushes and cuts, ataris, etc.

locally this is bad shape for W; but your bottom group is in trouble.

- locally this exchange is terrible for you: broken shape.
Globally, this bottom group is in trouble, because of earlier mistakes.

- locally disaster broken shape for you.
Compare to .

turn at H6.

bad habit. You think about why this is bad.
Just connect directly at .

- 101 same bad habit: "push and retreat".
After the push , the follow-up is cut.
If you cannot cut or don't want to cut, then don't push to begin with.
Compare with - .

Notice for all the notes so far, up to 101,
all were basic shape problems (except for your bottom group
getting into trouble, which is a bigger-picture problem. )

[Thimblefox]

To your comments, Amelia.

: I know what kind of position the fuseki aims at, exactly why that's a good position I don't know(!). But that's also why I'm playing it, For instance now I get the opportunity to explore how to reply to . As for the aim of the fuseki itself, I simply know the 'what' (using your opponent's approach to build territory), but as is rather obvious, I don't know the 'how'.

: First off, thanks for the energy you put into this little analysis. Now I want to explore what replying with O16 would look like, because variation 3 and 4 both look problematic for black (not sure about variation 5 right now). I'll look a bit closer at these variations.

: This is true, but then I'm dealing with either a pincer or a corner invasion. And it looks like white can push me into this position? (But maybe at A would be a better result for me )

$$c
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . O 5 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . O 5 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

: I was thinking I might develop influence on the lower right. But I still have to look at how white can exploit this. Fuseki sure is complicated.

: Here I was thinking that the wall would give me influence towards the centre. If white doesn't play at R10, I was thinking I could play there after playing A or B, and then use it to push him down. But there's probably some move here I haven't looked at. I'll take a better look at it.

: Thanks, EdLee. I thought I'd just get cut if I played a hane, and then it'd easily die.

: I'll look into this. should be played at P7 then? Ah, just continued reading. Glad I came to the same conclusion as you then.

: I was thinking of L2, but didn't know if it would work. I promise to do more tsumego.

[Boidhre]

:b8:: This is true, but then I'm dealing with either a pincer or a corner invasion. And it looks like white can push me into this position? (But maybe at A would be a better result for me )

$$c
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . O 5 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . O 5 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

You don't need to worry too much about opponents doing that to you for quite some time.

You can keep it simpler by playing at P15 if you want.

[skydyr]

T

: This is true, but then I'm dealing with either a pincer or a corner invasion. And it looks like white can push me into this position? (But maybe at A would be a better result for me )

$$c
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . O 5 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . O 5 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

$$c
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . W 5 X 7 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . W 5 X 7 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Black can just take the corner and the marked white stone is left looking a bit pointless. White's right side group isn't exactly going to be making big points either, with Q10 there. That's not to say that it's terrible for white, but it's certainly playable for black.

[Amelia]

(using your opponent's approach to build territory)

It could go this way, it doesn't have to. But I was curious to know your plan.

I don't know the 'how'.

You and me both. The 'how' is always the bigger challenge

Now I want to explore what replying with O16 would look like, because variation 3 and 4 both look problematic for black (not sure about variation 5 right now). I'll look a bit closer at these variations.

All of the white moves I showed you are playable for black. Have a look at some joseki from those positions and think at what the result would look like for you. You'll see neither the invasion nor the double approach are really that scary. The challenge is to get the "how" right. And here we are back at tsumego
Edit: by the way have a good look at the shape moves EdLee showed you. All of those are very important for developping good tactics.

: This is true, but then I'm dealing with either a pincer or a corner invasion. And it looks like white can push me into this position? (But maybe at A would be a better result for me )

Others already answered better than I could

: I was thinking I might develop influence on the lower right. But I still have to look at how white can exploit this. Fuseki sure is complicated.

: Here I was thinking that the wall would give me influence towards the centre. If white doesn't play at R10, I was thinking I could play there after playing A or B, and then use it to push him down. But there's probably some move here I haven't looked at. I'll take a better look at it.

Well, white is quite thin in the area. So you can expect to push him down. But the way he will answer your moves will change the board. Your opponent will want to avoid being surrounded (Being surrounded this early in the opening is normally bad). He probably won't be happy about taking 2nd line territory all the way and leaving you a perfect wall on the outside. He'll by trying to get out.
So before you start pushing him around, you need to think about where you'll be pushing him.
Depending on where you start, the board won't look the same. Choosing a direction can be very difficult.

[Boidhre]

More usual:

$$c
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . W 5 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . W 5 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Sorry, I didn't spot being out of place.

[Thimblefox]

Before I joined IGS, I looked up the ranking system on Sensei's Library, and came to the conclusion that if I assumed my rank was 15k on KGS at best, I should set myself as BC on IGS. First I found that the BC's were just too weak, so I played a few people who were 17k?, I defeated most of them as well. The following match I played, was against someone who was 17k+, and so I realized that perhaps Sensei's Library hasn't gotten this right after all.

I usually play on IGS with my cell phone around midday while my daughter sleeps in her baby carriage. So I haven't been too picky with opponents. I have about an hour of playtime before she wakes up. Anyways, I'm wondering when I'll get a fixed rank, and I hope I'm not going to get placed totally absurdly because I've messed everything up with the ranking system. My profile on IGS says "9 wins 1 losses (rating 4 matches) / 17k? (0 points)".

I assume this means that out of these 10 matches, 4 of them were rated, but I can't figure out why. I mean, aren't matches between two BC players rated either? But even excluding the BC games, I still have 7 games, all against normal opponents. But somehow 3 of those games weren't rated then.. And the system doesn't tell me which games were rated either. It's sort of confusing.

As for the game file, at move 213 I say that "A looks better", I mean that move 213 at A would be better.

http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/download/file.php?id=5785

[Knotwilg]

Hi

Despite a mistake in the beginning, you completely outplayed your opponent and this is a game to be proud of. In particular:

- you built a strategic advantage despite the initial tactical loss
- you cut his groups
- you kept his groups eyeless
- you never made any big mistake anymore despite the pressure of winning a won game

these are all goodies to take with you

In what follows, I'll point out some technical issues which will become important as you play better opponents, with most importantly

15: cut
47: reduce liberties
71: fantastic strategic thinking
95 & 159: empty triangles are very often worse than local alternatives

Knotwilg (kw)

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2]
RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[0.50]TM[600]
PW[White]PB[Thimblefox]WR[17k]BR[17k]DT[2015-03-27]C[Despite a mistake in the beginning, you completely outplayed your opponent and this is a game to be proud of. In particular:

- you built a strategic advantage despite the initial tactical loss
- you cut his groups
- you kep his groups eyeless
- you never made any big mistake anymore despite the pressure of winning a won game

these are all goodies to take with you

In what follows, I'll point out some technical issues which will become important as you play better opponents, with most importantly

15: cut
47: reduce liberties
71: fantastic strategic thinking
95 & 159: empty triangles are very often worse than local alternatives

Knotwilg (kw)
]RE[B+Resign]LT[]NB[12]NW[12]RR[Normal]
;B[pd]BL[590]
;W[pp]WL[595]
;B[dc]BL[582]
;W[ep]WL[592]
;B[ce]BL[578]
;W[cp]WL[589]
;B[jd]BL[572]
;W[jo]WL[587]
;B[qn]BL[567]
;W[pj]WL[582]C[So this is another thing I have to learn to deal with fuseki wise.

kw: never mind]
;B[qq]BL[498]C[According to Eidogo this joseki is played by white when he plays sanrensei.

kw: jumping into the corner is always a possible move after a pincer]
;W[qo]WL[567]
;B[pq]BL[476]
;W[oq]WL[561]
(;B[oo]BL[437]LB[op:A]C[Now I find A better.

kw: it's not even a matter of taste. It is MUCH MUCH better to cut the opponent than to force him to connect in this kind of close encounter.]
;W[pr]WL[546]
(;B[ro]BL[414]LB[op:A]C[A still seems like a good option to me.

kw: again, it's almost mandatory]
;W[qp]WL[530]
;B[op]BL[396]C[kw: it's a little late now because White can capture two stones]
;W[rq]WL[465]
(;B[rp]BL[340]LB[nq:B][or:A]C[I can cause more trouble with A, I think.

kw: no, because your stones will be captured; it's better to force the capture from the outside, with B]
;W[qr]WL[460]C[the sequence 15-22 is technically instructive
try for yourself how to get better positions than this one]
;B[po]BL[325]LB[qh:A][dj:B][ql:C]C[kw: don't play close to opponent's strength; leave the battelfield (A, B) or treat your stones lightly (C)]
;W[np]WL[454]
;B[no]BL[316]
;W[lp]WL[437]
;B[qk]BL[280]LB[ql:A]TR[qn]C[I need to connect.

kw: no, this is the better idea, although technically better executed at A]
;W[qm]WL[412]
;B[rm]BL[248]
;W[pm]WL[400]C[kw: now it's WHite's turn to play strange moves]
;B[pn]BL[239]C[kw: good]
;W[om]WL[395]
;B[qj]BL[196]C[kw: good]
;W[ok]WL[381]
;B[pi]BL[179]
;W[oi]WL[378]
;B[ph]BL[176]
;W[ql]WL[351]C[kw: horrible move by white, removing his own libertoes]
;B[rl]BL[162]
;W[pk]WL[345]
;B[dj]BL[156]LB[co:A]C[I could also approach here. I guess I played this point because I didn't know how to approach this enclosure.

kw: very good]
;W[dk]WL[335]
;B[cj]BL[148]C[This seemed more reasonable than extending towards the middle.]
;W[ck]WL[324]
;B[ek]BL[144]C[kw: very good instinct. The question now is, can White cut?]
;W[ej]WL[321]LB[ej:A]C[I finally understood that when white cuts here, it can actually work to my advantage, because I can build territory/a wall.

kw: if that was the idea, then you should build the wall in the first place, playing A yourself instead of the hane

see variation]
(;B[ei]BL[134]
;W[fj]WL[316]
;B[fi]BL[102]
;W[fk]WL[301]
;B[el]BL[83]
;W[fl]WL[297]
(;B[dl]BL[70]LB[gi:B][em:A]C[A would've given me more liberties. But then again I guess I simply shouldn't have played there and play at B, or something.

kw: the stones are to be sacrificed now, see var]
;W[cl]WL[293]
;B[gd]BL[38]
;W[em]WL[288]C[kw White passes]
;B[dm]BL[26]C[This is just wasting my time and points.

kw indeed]
;W[dn]WL[286]
;B[fm]BL[589]
;W[en]WL[273]
;B[mo]BL[580]LB[md:A]C[Also not doing that much right now. Maybe I should've just played at A. ]
;W[mp]WL[270]
;B[gi]BL[571]C[kw: good move]
;W[gm]WL[267]
(;B[iq]BL[531]LB[oh:A]C[Except for poor timing, is there a better move for invading white here? This is one of the things that's bound to be useful to know how to do.

kw: the first question is: "is the invasion necessary?

Isn't it more interesting to build for black than to destroy?

see var
]
;W[hq]WL[262]
;B[hp]BL[523]
;W[ip]WL[257]
;B[gq]BL[515]
;W[hr]WL[254]
;B[md]BL[483]C[I guess I gave up on that project.

kw: this, and this alone, shows you have a great future; giving up on lost projects and leaving their potential for later use is a sign of a real go player]
;W[gp]WL[246]
;B[dh]BL[472]
;W[bj]WL[236]
;B[ch]BL[443]LB[bi:A]C[Simply playing at A didn't seem safe at the time. But it seems fine now.]
;W[ci]WL[232]
;B[di]BL[439]
;W[bi]WL[228]
;B[bh]BL[432]
;W[gj]WL[218]
;B[hj]BL[421]
;W[hk]WL[206]
;B[ij]BL[406]
;W[ik]WL[202]
;B[ln]BL[358]TR[hj][ij][ln]C[I think I was planning to connect these two groups. Not sure how that would happen though. It doesn't seem very thought through.]
;W[jj]WL[198]
;B[ji]BL[355]
;W[ii]WL[190]
;B[hi]BL[349]
;W[ih]WL[188]
;B[kj]BL[342]
;W[jk]WL[186]
;B[ki]BL[339]C[kw: very good

from this point onward, you outplay the opponent]
;W[jg]WL[180]
(;B[jh]BL[329]C[kw: except for this move, which removes your own liberties in close combat

see var
]
;W[hg]WL[176]
;B[hh]BL[323]C[I didn't want to give him the chance to make eyes too easily.]
;W[ig]WL[173]
;B[kg]BL[307]
;W[gg]WL[154]
;B[ko]BL[271]
;W[kp]WL[151]
;B[ho]BL[260]
;W[hn]WL[144]
;B[io]BL[252]LB[ko:A]C[Maybe A confused him, but my group would have had more chances if I hadn't played it.]
;W[in]WL[139]
;B[jp]BL[240]
;W[jn]WL[136]
;B[go]BL[595]
;W[fp]WL[130]
;B[gr]BL[574]C[kw: this is grandiose]
;W[ir]WL[118]
;B[jr]BL[566]
;W[lo]WL[101]
;B[kn]BL[554]
;W[kq]WL[95]C[Now I also see that I should just ignore this. I can kill the white group before he kills mine, and then I can expand on both sides.]
;B[jq]BL[527]
;W[js]WL[58]
;B[hs]BL[497]
;W[kr]WL[46]
;B[is]BL[492]C[Now I only have the left side.]
;W[ks]WL[41]
;B[fn]BL[487]SQ[ek][dl][el][dm]C[On the one hand, the corner is a lot of points, but on the other I keep his two groups separated.

kw: it might look that way, but due to the capture, white is really connected]
;W[fo]WL[35]
;B[gn]BL[482]
;W[fq]WL[31]
;B[fr]BL[479]
;W[er]WL[27]
;B[es]BL[473]
;W[ds]WL[25]
;B[gl]BL[413]
;W[cm]WL[17]
;B[hm]BL[407]
;W[jm]WL[599]
;B[km]BL[367]
;W[kl]WL[592]
;B[mm]BL[323]
;W[ml]WL[578]
;B[ll]BL[305]
;W[lk]WL[574]
;B[lm]BL[294]
;W[lj]WL[563]
;B[kk]BL[280]
;W[jl]WL[556]
;B[gk]BL[260]C[Woho!

kw: very nice]
;W[nm]WL[546]
;B[mn]BL[253]
;W[nn]WL[533]
;B[mk]BL[222]
;W[nl]WL[514]
(;B[mj]BL[213]LB[mi:A]C[Playing at A looks more dangerous for white.]
;W[li]WL[510]
;B[kh]BL[210]
;W[mi]WL[506]
;B[nh]BL[200]
;W[on]WL[497]
;B[rn]BL[189]
;W[kf]WL[482]
(;B[lg]BL[569]C[kw see var]
;W[lf]WL[477]
;B[mg]BL[562]
;W[mf]WL[473]
;B[nf]BL[541]C[This didn't seem very threatening to me at the moment, since he didn't have any eyes. ]
;W[og]WL[464]
;B[oh]BL[518]
;W[ni]WL[451]
;B[ng]BL[455]
;W[pg]WL[440]
;B[qf]BL[449]LB[qc:A]C[Now I wanted to safeguard my corner. Simply playing R17 seemed way too passive.

kw: if you want to save the corner in this position, play there]
;W[qg]WL[438]
;B[qh]BL[437]
;W[rf]WL[433]
;B[rd]BL[383]C[kw very good]
;W[rh]WL[424]
;B[ri]BL[374]
;W[si]WL[420]
;B[sj]BL[360]
;W[sh]WL[417]
;B[qe]BL[314]
;W[re]WL[415]
;B[se]BL[304]
;W[sf]WL[403]
;B[sd]BL[299]
;W[rg]WL[597]
;B[je]BL[265]
;W[jf]WL[585]
;B[ff]BL[254]
;W[fg]WL[582]
;B[ef]BL[245]
;W[eg]WL[579]
;B[dg]BL[231]
;W[df]WL[576]
;B[cf]BL[223]
;W[de]WL[573]
;B[dd]BL[212]
;W[ee]WL[571]
;B[fe]BL[209]
;W[hl]WL[556]
;B[gm]BL[201]
;W[pf]WL[546]
;B[oe]BL[190]C[All I knew was that it was a cutting point, and that now it wasn't anymore. x)]
;W[ne]WL[530]
;B[nd]BL[180]
;W[me]WL[524]
;B[fs]BL[155]
;W[lh]WL[518]
;B[nj]BL[114]
;W[oj]WL[504]
;B[dr]BL[586]
;W[eq]WL[494]
;B[cs]BL[583]
;W[cr]WL[490]
;B[ds]BL[577]LB[br:A]C[A looks better.]
;W[dq]WL[485]
;B[br]BL[574]
;W[bq]WL[482]
;B[bs]BL[563]
;W[qc]WL[478]
;B[qd]BL[555]
;W[pc]WL[476]LB[oc:A]C[White doesn't seem to have that many other options available to him. The peep at A seemed the most promising, but then I could just play at Q17.]
;B[oc]BL[551]
;W[ob]WL[473]
;B[nb]BL[540]
;W[rc]WL[466]
;B[pb]BL[535]
;W[qb]WL[458]
;B[oa]BL[531]
;W[qa]WL[454]
;B[sc]BL[518]
;W[sb]WL[451]
;B[ra]BL[513]
;W[pe]WL[447]
;B[od]BL[508]
;W[ld]WL[587]
;B[lc]BL[503]
;W[mh]WL[566]
;B[kd]BL[466]
;W[of]WL[558]
;B[sg]BL[454]
;OS[])
(;B[mh]C[kw: better technique]))
(;B[mi]))
(;B[lh]C[this connects your cutting stones to your strong sides
white cannot live with that poor string of stones]))
(;B[oh]
;W[ni]
;B[nh]
;W[mi]
;B[lg]LB[qc:A]C[Black's moyo is huge and White will have to invade at A for example.]))
(;B[em])
(;B[bk]
;W[em]
;B[bl]
;W[cm]
;B[gi]))
(;B[bk]
;W[bl]
;B[bj]LB[ej:B][cl:A]C[kw: the usual idea is to give white a weak position by hane-connecting. White now has the cut at A to worry about, so he doesn't have time to deal with his stone at B]
;W[cm]
;B[fk]
;W[fj]
;B[gk]
;W[gj]
;B[hk]))
(;B[or]
;W[qr]))
(;B[op]
;W[qr]
;B[nq]
;W[or]
;B[rq]C[very important]))
(;B[op]C[kw: the cut is not easy but must be played in this position

some ideas next]
(;W[nq]
;B[po]
;W[qp]C[can't]
;B[rp]C[ladder])
(;W[oo]C[white struggles and helps black with the atari]
;B[np]TR[np][op][pq][qq]SQ[qo][pp][oq]C[the strong player plays straight, the weak player plays diagonal]
(;W[nq]
;B[no]
(;W[mq]
;B[on]
;W[po]
;B[ro]C[loose ladder])
(;W[on]
;B[mq]
;W[mr]
;B[lr]C[the double hane!]))
(;W[no]
;B[nq]C[good position]))))

[topazg]

Most important thing to pick up on really is one of the most basic and fundamental Go principles - keep yourself connected, keep your opponent's groups separated (when his groups are independently weak) - and remember the value of sente. If he's threatening to catch an unimportant stone on the edge, it's probably not big enough to care about.

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2]
RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[0.50]TM[600]
PW[White]PB[Thimblefox]WR[17k]BR[17k]DT[2015-03-27]RE[B+Resign]LT[]NB[12]NW[12]RR[Normal]
;B[pd]BL[590]
;W[pp]WL[595]
;B[dc]BL[582]
;W[ep]WL[592]
;B[ce]BL[578]
;W[cp]WL[589]
;B[jd]BL[572]
;W[jo]WL[587]
;B[qn]BL[567]
;W[pj]WL[582]C[So this is another thing I have to learn to deal with fuseki wise.

T: it's fine, and yeah, you do ]
;B[qq]BL[498]C[According to Eidogo this joseki is played by white when he plays sanrensei.

T: Invading is fine, good option.]
;W[qo]WL[567]
;B[pq]BL[476]C[T: Good]
;W[oq]WL[561]
(;B[oo]BL[437]LB[op:A]C[Now I find A better.

T: 100% yes, much, much better. Cut / disconnect your opponent, keep your important stuff connected and alive. Rule of thumb for the whole game, every game.]
;W[pr]WL[546]
(;B[ro]BL[414]LB[op:A]C[A still seems like a good option to me.

T: Yes, still vital.]
;W[qp]WL[530]
;B[op]BL[396]
;W[rq]WL[465]
(;B[rp]BL[340]LB[or:A]C[I can cause more trouble with A, I think.

T: I agree, but only if White can't play O3, which requires a fair bit of reading, else O3 is better.]
;W[qr]WL[460]
(;B[po]BL[325]TR[pn][rn]C[T: Most importantly, get into the habit of not leaving these cuts. Q6 is fine.]
;W[np]WL[454]
;B[no]BL[316]
;W[lp]WL[437]
(;B[qk]BL[280]TR[qn]C[I need to connect.

T: R8 and P7 are both better than this]
;W[qm]WL[412]
;B[rm]BL[248]
(;W[pm]WL[400]C[T: Strange!]
;B[pn]BL[239]
;W[om]WL[395]
;B[qj]BL[196]C[T: Good. Settle this big group]
;W[ok]WL[381]
;B[pi]BL[179]
;W[oi]WL[378]
;B[ph]BL[176]C[T: Good, vital move.]
;W[ql]WL[351]
;B[rl]BL[162]
;W[pk]WL[345]
;B[dj]BL[156]LB[co:A]C[I could also approach here. I guess I played this point because I didn't know how to approach this enclosure.

T: It's fine here ]
;W[dk]WL[335]
(;B[cj]BL[148]C[This seemed more reasonable than extending towards the middle.

T: Hane is a good habit.]
;W[ck]WL[324]
;B[ek]BL[144]
;W[ej]WL[321]C[I finally understood that when white cuts here, it can actually work to my advantage, because I can build territory/a wall. ]
(;B[ei]BL[134]C[T: As a rule, atari on a cutting stone here is often bad. Why make White stronger?]
;W[fj]WL[316]
;B[fi]BL[102]
;W[fk]WL[301]
;B[el]BL[83]
;W[fl]WL[297]C[T: A good result for White.]
(;B[dl]BL[70]LB[gi:B][em:A]C[A would've given me more liberties. But then again I guess I simply shouldn't have played there and play at B, or something.

T: The problem was E11, not the following moves.]
;W[cl]WL[293]
(;B[gd]BL[38]
;W[em]WL[288]
;B[dm]BL[26]C[This is just wasting my time and points.

T: Yes, extend at G11.]
;W[dn]WL[286]
;B[fm]BL[589]
;W[en]WL[273]
;B[mo]BL[580]LB[md:A]C[Also not doing that much right now. Maybe I should've just played at A. ]
;W[mp]WL[270]
;B[gi]BL[571]
;W[gm]WL[267]
;B[iq]BL[531]C[Except for poor timing, is there a better move for invading white here? This is one of the things that's bound to be useful to know how to do.]
;W[hq]WL[262]
;B[hp]BL[523]
;W[ip]WL[257]
;B[gq]BL[515]
;W[hr]WL[254]
;B[md]BL[483]C[I guess I gave up on that project.]
;W[gp]WL[246]
;B[dh]BL[472]
;W[bj]WL[236]
;B[ch]BL[443]LB[bi:A]C[Simply playing at A didn't seem safe at the time. But it seems fine now.]
;W[ci]WL[232]
;B[di]BL[439]
;W[bi]WL[228]
;B[bh]BL[432]
;W[gj]WL[218]
;B[hj]BL[421]
;W[hk]WL[206]
;B[ij]BL[406]
;W[ik]WL[202]
;B[ln]BL[358]TR[hj][ij][ln]C[I think I was planning to connect these two groups. Not sure how that would happen though. It doesn't seem very thought through.]
;W[jj]WL[198]
;B[ji]BL[355]
;W[ii]WL[190]
;B[hi]BL[349]
;W[ih]WL[188]
;B[kj]BL[342]
;W[jk]WL[186]
;B[ki]BL[339]
;W[jg]WL[180]
;B[jh]BL[329]
;W[hg]WL[176]
;B[hh]BL[323]C[I didn't want to give him the chance to make eyes too easily.]
;W[ig]WL[173]
;B[kg]BL[307]
;W[gg]WL[154]
;B[ko]BL[271]
;W[kp]WL[151]
;B[ho]BL[260]
;W[hn]WL[144]
;B[io]BL[252]LB[ko:A]C[Maybe A confused him, but my group would have had more chances if I hadn't played it.]
;W[in]WL[139]
;B[jp]BL[240]
;W[jn]WL[136]
;B[go]BL[595]
;W[fp]WL[130]
;B[gr]BL[574]
;W[ir]WL[118]
;B[jr]BL[566]
;W[lo]WL[101]
;B[kn]BL[554]
;W[kq]WL[95]C[Now I also see that I should just ignore this. I can kill the white group before he kills mine, and then I can expand on both sides.]
;B[jq]BL[527]
;W[js]WL[58]
;B[hs]BL[497]
;W[kr]WL[46]
;B[is]BL[492]C[Now I only have the left side.]
;W[ks]WL[41]
;B[fn]BL[487]C[On the one hand, the corner is a lot of points, but on the other I keep his two groups separated.]
;W[fo]WL[35]
;B[gn]BL[482]
;W[fq]WL[31]
;B[fr]BL[479]
;W[er]WL[27]
;B[es]BL[473]
;W[ds]WL[25]
;B[gl]BL[413]
;W[cm]WL[17]
;B[hm]BL[407]
;W[jm]WL[599]
;B[km]BL[367]
;W[kl]WL[592]
;B[mm]BL[323]
;W[ml]WL[578]
;B[ll]BL[305]
;W[lk]WL[574]
;B[lm]BL[294]
;W[lj]WL[563]
;B[kk]BL[280]
;W[jl]WL[556]
;B[gk]BL[260]C[Woho!]
;W[nm]WL[546]
;B[mn]BL[253]
;W[nn]WL[533]
;B[mk]BL[222]
;W[nl]WL[514]
(;B[mj]BL[213]LB[mi:A]C[Playing at A looks more dangerous for white.]
;W[li]WL[510]
;B[kh]BL[210]
;W[mi]WL[506]
;B[nh]BL[200]
;W[on]WL[497]
;B[rn]BL[189]
;W[kf]WL[482]
;B[lg]BL[569]
;W[lf]WL[477]
;B[mg]BL[562]
;W[mf]WL[473]
;B[nf]BL[541]C[This didn't seem very threatening to me at the moment, since he didn't have any eyes. ]
;W[og]WL[464]
;B[oh]BL[518]
;W[ni]WL[451]
;B[ng]BL[455]
;W[pg]WL[440]
;B[qf]BL[449]C[Now I wanted to safeguard my corner. Simply playing R17 seemed way too passive.]
;W[qg]WL[438]
;B[qh]BL[437]
;W[rf]WL[433]
;B[rd]BL[383]
;W[rh]WL[424]
;B[ri]BL[374]
;W[si]WL[420]
;B[sj]BL[360]
;W[sh]WL[417]
;B[qe]BL[314]
;W[re]WL[415]
;B[se]BL[304]
;W[sf]WL[403]
;B[sd]BL[299]
;W[rg]WL[597]
;B[je]BL[265]
;W[jf]WL[585]
;B[ff]BL[254]
;W[fg]WL[582]
;B[ef]BL[245]
;W[eg]WL[579]
;B[dg]BL[231]
;W[df]WL[576]
;B[cf]BL[223]
;W[de]WL[573]
;B[dd]BL[212]
;W[ee]WL[571]
;B[fe]BL[209]
;W[hl]WL[556]
;B[gm]BL[201]
;W[pf]WL[546]
;B[oe]BL[190]C[All I knew was that it was a cutting point, and that now it wasn't anymore. x)]
;W[ne]WL[530]
;B[nd]BL[180]
;W[me]WL[524]
;B[fs]BL[155]
;W[lh]WL[518]
;B[nj]BL[114]
;W[oj]WL[504]
;B[dr]BL[586]
;W[eq]WL[494]
;B[cs]BL[583]
;W[cr]WL[490]
;B[ds]BL[577]LB[br:A]C[A looks better.]
;W[dq]WL[485]
;B[br]BL[574]
;W[bq]WL[482]
;B[bs]BL[563]
;W[qc]WL[478]
;B[qd]BL[555]
;W[pc]WL[476]LB[oc:A]C[White doesn't seem to have that many other options available to him. The peep at A seemed the most promising, but then I could just play at Q17.]
;B[oc]BL[551]
;W[ob]WL[473]
;B[nb]BL[540]
;W[rc]WL[466]
;B[pb]BL[535]
;W[qb]WL[458]
;B[oa]BL[531]
;W[qa]WL[454]
;B[sc]BL[518]
;W[sb]WL[451]
;B[ra]BL[513]
;W[pe]WL[447]
;B[od]BL[508]
;W[ld]WL[587]
;B[lc]BL[503]
;W[mh]WL[566]
;B[kd]BL[466]
;W[of]WL[558]
;B[sg]BL[454]
;OS[])
(;B[mi]))
(;B[gi]C[T: Key point!]))
(;B[em]))
(;B[el]
(;W[ei]
;B[bk]C[T: White has a lot of difficulties now.])
(;W[bj]
;B[bi]
;W[bk]
;B[ch]
;W[cm]
;B[gk])))
(;B[ck]
;W[dl]
;B[cl]C[T: Make points!]))
(;W[pn]
;B[rn]
;W[pm]
;B[pk]
;W[nm]
;B[oj]))
(;B[pm]C[T: This would be my choice, and is simple, but R8 also good.]))
(;B[pn]C[T: Now you cannot be cut, this is a very important habit to get into]))
(;B[or]
;W[nq]
;B[qr]
;W[rr]
;B[ps]
;W[rp]
;B[rn]
;W[rs]
;B[qs]
;W[pn]
;B[po]
;W[pm]
;B[nr]
;W[mq]
;B[mr]
;W[qm]
;B[rm]
;W[rl]
;B[lq]
;W[no]TR[qp]C[T: Now the marked group is alive, This is good for White. Turns out you couldn't play P2.])
(;B[nq]
;W[or]
;B[mp]C[T: Now your shape is robust. Q6 is another possibility]
;W[pn]C[T: White cannot cut this way]
;B[po]
;W[qr]
;B[pm]C[T: As long as this ladder is good for Black, this result is a failure for White]))
(;B[op]))
(;B[op]))

[Thimblefox]

95 & 159: empty triangles are very often worse than local alternatives

This was such an eye opener, I never think about empty triangles when it comes to bigger groups.

[Thimblefox]

Also what you both said about the group at move 45 was very instructive. And for my next game I'll keep an eye out for empty triangles (if I fail to do so during the game itself then at least during the review )

[Thimblefox]

So IGS has decided that I'm 14k? and not 17k? after I won a game by accident (opponent disconnected and didn't return). These two were a lot more challenging, and I was kind of daunted. But if I just take care to try to make my groups live, I don't think I'm on that uneven ground.

http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/download/file.php?id=5794

http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/download/file.php?id=5791

[EdLee]

Hi Thimblefox,

About empty triangles, may I suggest the next time you are about to play one,
pause. Stop. For at least one minute. 60 seconds.
Take some deep breaths. See if you can find a better move.
( In some cases, you cannot; in some special situations, the empty triangle is an excellent move. )
But quite often, there is at least one better local move.

[Knotwilg]

Hi

Don't give up just because you are disappointed. Continue until it really looks like a big loss and you can calmly accept it.

This game is much worse than the one previously discussed. There are quite a few moves that seem nonsensical. So, can you explain what you thought when playing and what you now think of:


47
49
51
55
111
119
121
127
129

In your own analysis, you make a few good points though, so you probably played way below your capabilities. Was it a fast or otherwise distracted game?


BTW, as EdLee also points out, the vow to critically avoid empty triangles didn't quite work out. See 131 among others.

A few good moves: 11, 21, 59, 67, 81 ... Carry those with you.

[Thimblefox]

Hi Knotwilg,

I wasn't really disappointed. I essentially thought that it looked like a big loss, and that it wouldn't make much sense to play on.

47: Alright, so he can simply cut me at S6. But I was thinking that I could connect. I could've played S6 myself I guess.

49: Well, this is me not knowing what to do with that group. I guess I'd just play at some star point now, or get that group connected by playing S6.

51: Umm, I don't know.

55: I thought they might help me build territory I guess.

111: I could've done something for my group on the lower left, I guess. I can't really say myself what I'm aiming for there.

119: Playing at G2 would at least be making eye shape.

121: Umm... making empty triangles and destroying my own eye shape?

127: I guess I wanted to save that group? I'd just play K7 and try to make eyes on the left now.

129: This also seems kind of senseless. Maybe J7 would've let my group live though.

I wasn't that distracted really, but I was struggling to see good moves for some reason. Maybe I was more tired than I though? I'm not certain. Since he put up such a fight I totally forgot to think about empty triangles and alternatives though.