Knotwilg's practice
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Knotwilg
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Knotwilg
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Re: Knotwilg's practice
Goals for November:
- play 10 games with time settings 5+5x30s
- don't resign, don't lose on time
- for all moves, choose between 3 alternatives and read a few moves deep
- slow & thick rather than fast & thin
- when surrounded/ing read out L&D situation and consume up to 3 periods
- if ko, think clearly about the ko
- consume 1 but last period at start of endgame to identify 5-10 biggest points
- try estimating the score
- review the game
Study:
- 1-5 pro games: end game study
- 30 Hitachi problems
- play 10 games with time settings 5+5x30s
- don't resign, don't lose on time
- for all moves, choose between 3 alternatives and read a few moves deep
- slow & thick rather than fast & thin
- when surrounded/ing read out L&D situation and consume up to 3 periods
- if ko, think clearly about the ko
- consume 1 but last period at start of endgame to identify 5-10 biggest points
- try estimating the score
- review the game
Study:
- 1-5 pro games: end game study
- 30 Hitachi problems
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Loons
- Gosei
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Re: Knotwilg's practice
Why stipulate wanting to err on the side of playing slow? Not that it's a problem, that's mostly what I like to do.
Also, I like those time settings. Want to play? (This is definitely not just because I lost ridiculously in an automatch against you ages ago).
Also, I like those time settings. Want to play? (This is definitely not just because I lost ridiculously in an automatch against you ages ago).
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Knotwilg
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Re: Knotwilg's practice
Thanks Loons.
I made an endgame study of a Gu Li - Lee Sedol game. It was really very interesting. Comments welcome.
Analysis starts at move 155. In the beginning all alternatives are my blind attempts.
I made an endgame study of a Gu Li - Lee Sedol game. It was really very interesting. Comments welcome.
Analysis starts at move 155. In the beginning all alternatives are my blind attempts.
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Knotwilg
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Knotwilg
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Re: Knotwilg's practice
Analysis of a game won largely in the endgame.
Interesting byproduct of these exercises is that I'm starting to understand what Bill means with "sente gains nothing"
In the analysis some of the smaller sente are merely incidental to the flow of the game. There is a difference between the big sente moves that matter and the small sente moves that can just as well be left out for the moment or even kept as ko threats.
In general I seem to have a good feeling for the endgame but it can be improved by looking only at the moves that really matter.
Analysis starts at 138
Interesting byproduct of these exercises is that I'm starting to understand what Bill means with "sente gains nothing"
In the analysis some of the smaller sente are merely incidental to the flow of the game. There is a difference between the big sente moves that matter and the small sente moves that can just as well be left out for the moment or even kept as ko threats.
In general I seem to have a good feeling for the endgame but it can be improved by looking only at the moves that really matter.
Analysis starts at 138
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Uberdude
- Judan
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Knotwilg
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Re: Knotwilg's practice
Sorry to disappoint you. Anything you can add about the endgame is most welcome.
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Uberdude
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Re: Knotwilg's practice
Sorry, I didn't see the endgame as that empty triangle was just too ugly for me to continue! 
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Bill Spight
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Re: Knotwilg's practice
Go to move 210. 
The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins
Visualize whirled peas.
Everything with love. Stay safe.
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins
Visualize whirled peas.
Everything with love. Stay safe.
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ez4u
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Re: Knotwilg's practice
To my eye it just looks like White is ahead after a better middle game. However, regarding the endgame:
- At 133 does Black need to cut at L15? If Black simply played J15, would White capture that stone and allow Black to play L15 and M15 capturing the two White stones on the upper side? If not, is L15 a wasted stone for Black?
- At 135 Black can play atari at H15 instead of peeping with G15. This would capture two stones in sente (or six stones in gote). Better than the game?
- regardless of where Black plays 135, should White tenuki and play N2 on the lower side for 136, threatening to kill the Black group with M2? This looks like an effective forcing move that neutralizes Black's descent at O2 in the game.
- Instead of cutting with 137 as in the game, should Black have played the atari at
below? 
threatens to kill with the cut at 'a' (not 100% sure of this due to all the aji with the marked White stone). If White protects the cut, play reverts to the game, without a big gote gain waiting at the top. Who ends up better?
- 154 is indeed small. Black should not have answered it. Instead Black should have played D5, threatening to break into White's group. No matter how White answers it seems like the monkey jump into the lower left group will become sente. Due to this aji I think Black's B2 was better than the hane (D5 should have preceded it though).
- Does 156 at B14 work? Black descends at A13 and what happens next?
- At 133 does Black need to cut at L15? If Black simply played J15, would White capture that stone and allow Black to play L15 and M15 capturing the two White stones on the upper side? If not, is L15 a wasted stone for Black?
- At 135 Black can play atari at H15 instead of peeping with G15. This would capture two stones in sente (or six stones in gote). Better than the game?
- regardless of where Black plays 135, should White tenuki and play N2 on the lower side for 136, threatening to kill the Black group with M2? This looks like an effective forcing move that neutralizes Black's descent at O2 in the game.
- Instead of cutting with 137 as in the game, should Black have played the atari at
below? threatens to kill with the cut at 'a' (not 100% sure of this due to all the aji with the marked White stone). If White protects the cut, play reverts to the game, without a big gote gain waiting at the top. Who ends up better?
- 154 is indeed small. Black should not have answered it. Instead Black should have played D5, threatening to break into White's group. No matter how White answers it seems like the monkey jump into the lower left group will become sente. Due to this aji I think Black's B2 was better than the hane (D5 should have preceded it though).- Does 156 at B14 work? Black descends at A13 and what happens next?
Dave Sigaty
"Short-lived are both the praiser and the praised, and rememberer and the remembered..."
- Marcus Aurelius; Meditations, VIII 21
"Short-lived are both the praiser and the praised, and rememberer and the remembered..."
- Marcus Aurelius; Meditations, VIII 21
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Knotwilg
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Re: Knotwilg's practice
Thank you Bill and Dave. Both your remarks point to investing more in endgame plays that have a relationship with life & death, looking at placement tesujis and others. This would further increase the benefit of L&D study and tesuji, well into the endgame.
Bill's tesujis would have been hard for me to find in a real game. Dave's N2 however should have been more obvious to me.
Bill's tesujis would have been hard for me to find in a real game. Dave's N2 however should have been more obvious to me.
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Knotwilg
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Re: Knotwilg's practice
Having played a few more games, I've experienced that having a long term plan - in my case playing thickly until the endgame and then play good endgame - helps in playing more calmly and not rushing into battles or play careless moves. In a recent game I made two mistakes (one strategical mistake, one blatant joseki mistake) but instead of trying to make up for it instantly, I applied some damage control, with the intention and confidence to make up for it in the endgame.
Eventually the first mistake resulted in a capture with bad aji and later, the aji came to life to my advantage. The second mistake was written off as a sacrifice in favor of a big centre. I won by 24,5 points. Endgame skills were not really necessary, apart from counting and making sure that I could afford answering my opponent's late desperate attempts.
In short, counting on good endgame prevents all out attacks, which are rarely necessary. Having a plan for your game improves the mindset and the results.
Eventually the first mistake resulted in a capture with bad aji and later, the aji came to life to my advantage. The second mistake was written off as a sacrifice in favor of a big centre. I won by 24,5 points. Endgame skills were not really necessary, apart from counting and making sure that I could afford answering my opponent's late desperate attempts.
In short, counting on good endgame prevents all out attacks, which are rarely necessary. Having a plan for your game improves the mindset and the results.
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Knotwilg
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Knotwilg
- Oza
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Re: Knotwilg's practice
After analyzing 3 pro games, I studied the endgame of a club member's game of the same strength. Not surprisingly I was able to spot many mistakes from both players: we're always a few stones stronger when analyzing. I also misjudged a few issues. Next I wanted to see if my endgame analysis could reveal mistakes in KGS 5d play.
In this game, White starts the endgame prematurely with a monkey jump, before his chains are properly connected. He ends up in sente but with less liberties, which next allows Black to break through the lines and destroy potential territory. In the process, both Black's and White's weakest group are being dislodged and a trade takes place. So there has been a major stage of middle game fighting after the first attempts to gain endgame points. In the end Black loses 6 points in sente due to a mistake but still wins the game. In my opinion this shows that White should have continued the middle game with a thick move in the centre, which affects both groups and makes some potential territory.
Analysis starts at move 171
In this game, White starts the endgame prematurely with a monkey jump, before his chains are properly connected. He ends up in sente but with less liberties, which next allows Black to break through the lines and destroy potential territory. In the process, both Black's and White's weakest group are being dislodged and a trade takes place. So there has been a major stage of middle game fighting after the first attempts to gain endgame points. In the end Black loses 6 points in sente due to a mistake but still wins the game. In my opinion this shows that White should have continued the middle game with a thick move in the centre, which affects both groups and makes some potential territory.
Analysis starts at move 171