Okay, this game has a very large difference in the score, but this was more due to one misread in a large stake fight than an all out disastrous game for me.

Well, I did try a disastrous invasion early on, but I think I got a good result in the multiples ko I followed. But then just when I was sure I could kill I was careless because one of the surrounding group was not alive, and I played in one of the worse possible way if I wanted it to have enough liberties...

More embarrassingly, I failed to play the right killing move.

Another game.

Played a lot of games today, but this one I think is more deserving of a review than the others... Because the others... Well, there was a handicap game where I got slaughtered because I didn't verify long enough on the move that let me die. There was that one game when my opponent died in gote...

Well, I might post some of those games later on if I find something interesting while reviewing them.



This game was decided by an overextension in a fight that allowed the opponent to cut me off. But I think I might have some chances had I played a very good endgame afterwards. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

I'm also not totally satisfied with the bottom left corner. Also, I'm not sure whether what I played in the bottom right was the best choice. I think it's fine, but I also think I let white have an easy time, because I think the three space extension was a mistake.

Some thoughts...

I explored some 3-4, 1-space pincer variation earlier. Nowadays, on an empty board, I find myself playing the knight move more often, as a counter-pincer fit my style (and usually double as an extension from the other corner). Other pincers I have more varied answers, though I do like the double approach (and jumping then a counter pincer against the two space high).

I've been playing exclusively double 3-4 in those last game, usually enclosing with when playing black. I'm not quite sure what's the best way to deal with this split, though.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

Should I make a checking extension at a? Then if he play a two space extension it induce enclosing the corner, but what if he answer at b? Split directly? Calmly answer in the corner, content to let him defend?

Or should I enclose with b instead, as it prevent a two space extension from this side?

Here is one of the game I played today :



Crawling on the second line starting with made the game difficult for me. It certainly was premature to play there. Also, the cut at 131 was an overplay and a big loss for me. I should have played Q15 (or maybe P15), protecting the side and threatening the cut, before protecting the group on the top side. G17 would have been huge.

Once again I've got the impression that I win most of my games because of my opponent's failure to properly punish my overplays rather than my own skill. This is really hard to feel satisfied with your wins for games like these. I guess it must be the jump in rank, as previous to that I felt that most of my game I somewhat deserved my wins.

I usually take the second enclosure, let him make a two-space-extension and be satisfied that I got two enclosures and Sente.

_________________
My "guide" to become stronger in Go

Playing too much games doesn't help when it comes to reviewing them afterwards...

Lately, I usually get a good result in the opening, can usually more than hold my own during fights, but manage to make questionable strategics decisions during the middle game which lead to my loss.

I think this game is a good illustration. The game started with a taisha, which I think I handled fine (there's some things I should have done differently in the subsequent fighting, though).

But then come :b141:, which was played as it allowed me to cut at F11. Unfortunately, he could afford to sacrifice those four stones at the same time as getting the left side (compared to my wishful thinking, which was : cutting of those stone and me getting half that side, which would likely be enough for a win). And I stupidly answered his timesuji at :w146: instead of taking the side and the game.

Later on during the endgame, I counted, but forgot to consider his prisoners (but I did for my own) so I thought the game was close and so fought to the last 1/2 point ko.

For move 8 in the last game, did you consider responding to the taisha with O3? White's been playing high and loose for the most part, but it's not necessarily clear how he will proceed to turn that into territory at this stage of the game.

Well, I actually considered briefly P3 instead, but I didn't like it because it made the right side big (it's the natural direction for my top right corner once I enclose) and let him have it.

And I'm the sort of player that welcome complication (though I would not seek them actively in a handicap game against a stronger player), so I would likely play the main line of the taisha anyway unless it was disadvantageous.

Well, arguably it (the main line) is disadvantageous here. White has close-ish support with the G4 group, while black has a low stone at R16. As a result, I think that fighting with multiple weak groups should favour white. More to the point, there is a time for all things. Complication is good when you are behind, and when you would otherwise be forced into an unfavourable position, but it can be a little like putting the game up to a coin toss. Uncomplicated is predictable, and predictable makes it easy to plan to build, maintain, and secure a lead.

Black does have the ladder, though, so perhaps this line would be interesting?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Many other choices possible for
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1 X O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O . . , . . 5 O X O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 8 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

White's moyo potential has been broken up, and white ends in gote. White's lower left enclosure is also facing a smaller side on the left and is somewhat neutralized by black's strong group.

Good points. I tend to underestimate the influences that groups relatively far away can have on the fighting.

That last variation was a good idea on this board. I will keep it in mind.


Apart from that... I received Grade Go Problems for Beginners 4, though I will first prioritize finishing 1001 L&D problems. Having solved the first sixth problems already, though, I think the difficulty will be adequate for my level.

Also, played another game today, and I'm quite happy with it. Obviously, there are quite a few moves that I now think were mistakes, but neither me nor my opponent played any outrageous blunder. And at the very least, I enjoy much more reviewing games like that.



Unfortunately, I forgot to save the comments I put on the sgf...

: Clearly a mistake, I should have extended at least one more. If he defend the side, then I can turn and get the advantage in the centre. If he extend, then now I can play , and the double hane is far less severe, as it also kill off his right side group.

: I think I could have hane instead. He has to connect (if he atari, then I still have the double atari to escape), then I'm one space ahead compared to the game. He has a ko-lock, but it's not worrying as it kill of his side.

103 : Maybe one space narrower would have been better, considering white is quite strong on both side.

105 : Unpunished overplay (white should push and cut).

207 : Not sure if white should have resigned here. He can save his group (either by linking up or living locally) at the cost of letting me save the three dead stones, but afterwards the game is still close.

I'm wondering now if I came across as too strong in my earlier post. When I say that the fighting should favour white, I don't mean that black should collapse or would otherwise throw the game away by playing into this line. Just, on balance, I think it's likely that white will come out slightly ahead of black as a result of the fight, assuming neither player blunders. Not game ending by any means.

No you didn't come as too strong. At least I think I understood what you meant. It even showed in the game how his left side group could help, as it supported the pincer stone at K3.

There were plenty of overplay and mistakes on both side, but nothing died after all.

A very close game. I lost a big group in the middle game, but I had the territorial advantage before that and was able to narrow his advantage through a ko. Unfortunately, I still lost by 3.5 points.



I think should have been one intersection lower. He can break out, but doing so would destroy his top side territory.

should have defended the cutting point, my preference being H6. That peep of his was extremely annoying.

126 : I considered to attack either the middle white group or cut off the right side group. I think I chose wrong. H13 is what I think for an alternative.

196 was silly.

I'm curious whether I could have got the win had I played the endgame better. Anybody thinks so?

Okay, so I had some time with not much else to do than do problems today, so I finally finished 1001 L&D problems.

So, what I will do next?

I got GGPfB 4 recently, and only did a few pages at the moment... I think I will try to do at least 30 problem per day from it starting from tomorrow. Though if some problems prove difficult and take time to resolve, I might do less. And I might do more depending on my mood.

I've got Get Strong at Tesuji, and I've been doing 2 page per evening, and completed the 240 first problems.

I also have the first part of Cho Chikun's encyclopedia of life and death... Let's say for now that I will do 25 per day. Most of those are not long to solve, so it should be more than doable.

It's been some time since I finished Tesuji, so I might go through it again... Or maybe wait a month more before that?

I also got the first volume of Whole Board thinking in Joseki, which is indeed excellent, but I won't count it in the problems I do each day.

When I feel like reading go but not cramming problems, I will continue re-reading Attack and Defence or Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go.

I also have the french book Tsumego (which is, surprisingly, about tsumego). The problems are quite goods, but I think even better is the discussion, either discussing the various tesuji and their purpose, or examples showing how life and death relate to all other aspects of go.


For pro games, I'm currently going through Yasui Chitoku's game. I've got some time before I finish the collection, so I'm not sure who will be next. Go Seigen and Honinbo Shuei are on my "When Dan-level" list. If I decide to continue with the Edo period, maybe Shuwa? I really liked the games between him and Shusaku that were in Invincible. For more modern players, I've been thinking about Sakata, Takagawa, Fujisawa Shuko and Lee Changho.

Advices on that?

I recommend going through the commented games at gogameguru.

https://gogameguru.com/get-better-at-go ... -go-games/

You didn't need to pick specific people to follow. You just need good games.

Well, at the moment I'm focusing more on replaying as many games as possible, rather than getting the most of each games, so commented games are not necessarily the best for that.

As for playing through specific people's games, it's also mostly a matter of convenience. Replaying a game over a sgf is meaningless, and having my computer next to my board is a bother. It's easier to get a collection of games from a single player, so I can just print a bunch of game records.

I played badly today... Managed to throw a few won games because of stupid blunder and carelessness in the endgame (though to be fair, one of those was a handicap game).

No game for review today though. I'm too tired and depressed by my bad play to go over them.

Problems done :
GGPfB 25-55
Get Strong at Tesuji : 241-252
Cho Chikun Encyclopedia of L&D : 1-25

There's need to be some rest, so I didn't do much today.



I played this game. I made a very bad mistake in the top, but managed to salvage thing by living there.

Problems :
GGPfB : 56-78 (that is, finishing the first part)
Get Strong at Tesuji : 253-264

The only interesting game I played today : (the others were too easily won)



I should have either played more lightly with , or more solidly with

Then I didn't check the weaknesses in my shape before playing 116.

Problems :

GGPfB vol 4 : 79-108 (got quite a few of them wrong, though)
Get Strong at Tesuji : 265-276
Cho Chikun Encyclopedia of L&D : 26-50

My reading is quite good when I apply myself, I think, but my judgement is questionable. Some problems I considered the correct answer (as long as with the various possible resistance), but judged them inferior.

Is there any good collection of more strategical problem? That might be a way to solve that problem.

looks too deep to me. Black's stone is low, so he can't build a moyo too efficiently there in any case. What if you just played a checking extension, followed by a corner enclosure if black jumps? If you're really worried about black's potential, something lighter like a cap or maybe a knight's move reduction may be more apropos, but I don't think white needs to worry about it yet. A border point like G14 may also work well, as following up with M17 would be nice for white. Straightforwardly building a shimari in the lower right may also be fine. It stabilizes the right side a great deal, and locks in territory, while it's not clear that black has a single killer move as a followup. The only thing I can think of for black as a followup to white's shimari is a gote checking extension that leaves black quite low on the bottom.