Path to 9Dan, step by step.

[hl782]

this one truly hurt.

i dont want to take solace in the fact that i did not have to make top left into a ko. and that i got a 1k into a situation where it could have been game over.

ill learn from this

[EdLee]

( & ) -- this combination seems strange.

Letting W get this move...

Maybe H14 first. If W saves his stones, you get at least one atari J13, then connect.

L19.

[Uberdude]

White pulling back here is a little soft and gives black many options (more common is q16, or r14 which can revert to large avalanche). You played r14 turn very quickly which reverts to a joseki, but it's worth considering your other options here. First is tenuki, because white didn't take a liberty (as he does with r14/q16) he doens't have a severe follow-up so tenuki is plausible, and o3 r6 k4 looks a good choice to develop the lower left moyo. o3 for r6 also has some tactical implications if you do then want to play the r14 turn and r10 extension (it makes white loathe to play the r8 checking extension as it is inefficient once r6 is on the board). As well as the r14 turn the p17 attachment is another local follow-up here, which appeals to me because you will damage the upper side framework white was trying to make with k16 (but also k16 negates the thickness you build). Overall, I favour tenuki to o3: you can think of your approach stones as light and preventing white from making an ideal formation in sente. This kind of flexible thinking is important to play a strong opening.

this move is odd, but requires a careful plan to counter. Your kosumi of 17 is usually played when d9 is at d10, because then after e12 you can hane f12 and if white hanes at f11 you can safely cut at e11, so white would likely have to empty triangle (nevermind that with d10 you would rather play the kosumi from e11 direction, with the leaning attack at f16 to follow the empty triangle). Because d9 is far away e13 won't enclose him. If you just want to play d18, that looks an okay-ish move but don't make the e13 exchange first. The other idea I would think about is do you want to invade the top side? With o17 low maybe not, you can afford to give it to white so how about playing g15, if white defends at h16 then can you play e11 to enclose white with the g15 stone to help? If I'm feeling adventurous I might play j16.

P.S m19 is quite a few points better.

[Bill Spight]

Some comments.



Main focus: Think big. Attack on a large scale.

[hl782]

Thanks for all the comments! I am still very very winless against 1ks, but against 2ks my record is well. It's quite the mental block im having

Here's a game vs 2kyu.
I shouldn't have made 2 weak groups - but in the end due to some decent fortune, I won.

[aiichigo]

Move 6: I feel settling like this is too passive for white, the left is an area white wants to build. After move 26, white has made two small groups the left is easily invaded, white hasn't gained very much at all.

After move 22: The result of this joseki is good for white, Black's bottom has poor potential, and white is now all over the right, the loose pincer was a bad joseki choice, because black really wanted to block the other way.
Note now white can attack black's group with O2 and O5 a little later.

Move 28: this move should be golden, guo juan 5p herself guarantees you can only get good outcomes from playing this move I don't know if you subscribe to guo juan's internet go school, but if you don't get a good outcome if you send her your sgf she'll tell you where you went wrong

Move 34: Although when black plays at C2 White's group isn't alive yet, playing at C9 is too slow, your group isn't weak when your opponent is. Black's play at C2 hasn't made black's group alive, so white should keep attacking this group F7 looks OK, as now black will be sealed in, and white can build the outside

Move 38 and 40: These moves aren't needed here, if you can cut, cut, if you can't then don't just play there. these kinds of moves are bad sente moves, black becomes strong and removes any chance of shenanigans later, the result of these plays gives white bad shape. White has made these stones a lot heavier, their loss will be much bigger, this group has no eyes, and is making no territory, Move 38, playing at F9, connects these stones to the group at the edge.

Move 64: Don't feel the need to always connect against a peep, sometimes the cut doesn't even work...

Move 70:
Playing this move isn't great, white can't develop in this direction, lets imagine Black has already played at S9, would white play at R9? We know when white plays R9 black will play S9, only the fact that white has sente allows this group to escape?
Examine the stone at Q11, the relationship with this stone and R9 is bad, black can cut this knights move relation easily. It is hard to see any good result from trying to save these stones, I think when Black peeped at S7 at move 63, white should just play calmly at S6. If black pushes through at R7, white can just cut at Q6, if Black blocks at P6, white cuts at Q7, now black can give up those two stones, or let white into the middle, white gets a good result either way.

Move 76: Your white group at R9 is still not alive, this push is a bad idea as it is damaging the R9 group, if black plays P9 are white's stones captured? This result gives black about 2 more points than white before komi, so its probably a good choice for Black to take the profit, then see if he can get a few more points to win. Of course the two white stones are weak, but white has two weak groups, trying to save them both won't end well. The two stones are light right now, so white should save the bigger group. Or not tried to save it at all, and make something from the sacrifice.

I think Black's mistake was at Move 116, Black should take white's one stone at R12 and connected out, though the throw in at move 125 was also a mistake S12 also looks to connect Black.

[hl782]

Difficult game vs 2k - but a tricky little tesuji/trick move he missed in the end did the trick




I finally beat a 1k T_________T

[1/7,000,000,000]

Thanks for all the comments! I am still very very winless against 1ks, but against 2ks my record is well. It's quite the mental block im having

Here's a game vs 2kyu.
I shouldn't have made 2 weak groups - but in the end due to some decent fortune, I won.

How about Q8 for black at move 75?

[Charles Matthews]

Difficult game vs 2k - but a tricky little tesuji/trick move he missed in the end did the trick

Fairly clearly the - exchange is a loss for you, and so you should skip it. I didn't count, but I thought you fell behind after that. So, kudos for making a fight of it.

[Charles Matthews]

Difficult game vs 2k - but a tricky little tesuji/trick move he missed in the end did the trick

Fairly clearly the - exchange is a loss for you, and so you should skip it. I didn't count, but I thought you fell behind after that. So, kudos for making a fight of it.

[Bill Spight]

Game vs. tsurugenki

The 3-3 invasion makes small life with gote. Better to start with the shoulder blow at K-16, I think.

Solid connection is better, to prevent Black sente at T-14. See http://senseis.xmp.net/?4473Enclosure33Invasion.

One space jump is better, I think. Lighter play.

[hl782]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lfw ... ZcRXg/edit


Hi All - I started writing up a baduk book reviews guide - in lieu of the one that my friend odnihs wrote.

I think I'm going to make this a bit different than his in a few aspects
1) I'll update the guide every time I reread a book - and write multiple tidbit/reviews on it specifying what level I was at. Hopefully this will be more helpful to people of different levels.

2) A large chunk of my book reviews will be focused around Korean Books! I am Korean, and I don't see lots of korean books available to English speakers. Nor are there lots of reviews about Korean books either. I think I can be of help here


Hopefully, this motivates me to keep working harder to improve my game. Any suggestions on what you'd like to see from the guide - its structure, features, etc, or just a particular book in general - please leave me a message!

[Knotwilg]

Don't expect any return on investment in such an endeavour on your game itself. It's a very different goal to write about go (let alone write about go books) and a different skillset. It will eat away the time you have for improving at the game itself.

Mind you, one goal is not more noble than the other. It's just that one shouldn't have false expectations.

[hl782]

Don't expect any return on investment in such an endeavour on your game itself. It's a very different goal to write about go (let alone write about go books) and a different skillset. It will eat away the time you have for improving at the game itself.

Mind you, one goal is not more noble than the other. It's just that one shouldn't have false expectations.

Reading books -> Doing Problems -> improvement no?
but your point taken! I'll only be writing once I actually go through the books so hopefully as I complete the guide, i will have gotten stronger

[dfan]

I appreciate this document, and the work that you have put into it, but I don't think it is a good idea to talk about how you have acquired books illegally, not to mention your offer to pass copies on to others,