Progress in Black and White

Knotwilg · Post by **Knotwilg** » Sun Dec 18, 2016 4:04 am

Quick analysis for each game. Some points

1. avoid thank you moves; see also 1-2-3 principle
2. taking the upper hand in a major surrounding battle is worth more than approaching a stone in the corner

Majordomo · Post by **Majordomo** » Sun Dec 18, 2016 9:40 am

Thank you for your comments! The 1-2-3 principle is something I find very difficult to apply, there is something comfortable in making a forcing exchange but yeah, I should be more wary of making thank you moves and helping my opponent find shape and such.

Good though on the 3-4 1 space low pincer against the opposing corner 3-4! I'm starting to invite the cross a lot more often as white just to familiarise myself with it, so I guess this sort of thing will come up more and more.

Majordomo · Post by **Majordomo** » Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:32 pm

So, happy holidays all! I got to play a few games recently and thought I'd post a couple of losses. In both I think I disintegrated after reading mistakes - in the second game I got a real good start (I think) but then I misplayed and it turned around, I don't like these "sharp" positions - I'm not accurate enough in my reading! In the first game, I think I did good until I mishandled his invasion and made bad panicky exchanges after which I was just trying too hard for the rest of the game to "trap" him into making a mistake.

Anyway, the games. Comments are of course welcome and appreciated!

1st game

2nd game

I often find I spend way to much time early, then in byoyomi I start stressing and making dumb mistakes a lot - normal I guess, but how should I try to think of my time in these typical 20m 3x30s byoyomi games to avoid spending it all in the early opening / midgame? I know playing late endgame in the last byoyomi has cost me quite a few games heh.

skydyr · Post by **skydyr** » Wed Dec 28, 2016 3:21 pm

I don't know that I can provide that much, but I've made some comments on the first game:

Majordomo · Post by **Majordomo** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 6:15 am

@Skydyr - thanks a lot for your comments! I agree, I definitively think I missed my chance to do something against his top left group, and H3 was premature if not greedy!

So, I think I've played my last game(s) of the year, and thought I'd mark the end of "Go in 2016" (for me) with this post.

2016 has very much been the "Year of Go" for me, I learned the game technically in 2015, but 11th of february 2016 marks my first 19x19 game of Go (previous games had been 9x9 and 13x13 against GnuGo) - where I played no handicap against a 1d / 2d (at a boardgame meetup, where I suggested Go since we were the only two left without a game and I figured I could teach him heh). Including that I've logged 285 games of 19x19 Go (live and online) and I've gone from complete beginner to 1k on KGS. So yeah, not quite 1d in a year but eh, close enough!

So thanks to all of you; L19 has been important for my progress - this journal (and the reviews you've all given) and the other posts on the forum (other reviews, theory, Malkovich logs etc etc) have been great resources in my quest for improvement!

My goals for 2017 is to continue to improve - seeing the Norwegian champion play as a 3d on KGS makes me feel it's within reach (in a few years maybe heh, I know ranks are not exactly linear hehe), so that's the long term goal. I'll keep posting here and as always, reviews / comments etc etc are very welcome.

The last game of 2016 was a loss for me, a 0 komi game against a 2k - and yeah, I wanted to be a bit "creative" but I don't think that worked out very well until he submissively let me bully him around instead of resisting (which would have left me a lot further behind). In the end I lose by 3.5 points, but I think I should have lost big time after my opening and the stuff I did that didn't or wasn't supposed to work - so when the end came I even thought I'd won but I forgot about the (lack of) komi.

Whatever I may think of my play at least it's better than I was (I'm Jumanah):

Knotwilg · Post by **Knotwilg** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 8:37 am

Why did you resign in that last game?

dfan · Post by **dfan** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 9:35 am

Knotwilg wrote:Why did you resign in that last game?

Likely because he had only been playing for a month at that time

Beginner to 1k in a year is very impressive and inspiring! It definitely gives me hope that the path to 1d doesn't have to be as rocky as we sometimes assume it must be.

Majordomo · Post by **Majordomo** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 12:12 pm

Knotwilg wrote:Why did you resign in that last game?

Hehe, like dfan says - I didn't know any better. Funny that that was my first thought on seeing the game too hehe.

And yeah - I'm happy with my progress but Go has consumed all my other hobbies this year. And I had three months off work at the start of the year heh - a I've spent a lot of time on Go.

Knotwilg · Post by **Knotwilg** » Sun Jan 01, 2017 9:48 am

Woops ... I missed the gist of the message. Obviously that's too harsh a comment for a 30k. Anyway, the fact that I didn't recognize the level of that game says a lot about your potential.

skydyr · Post by **skydyr** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 10:10 am

I rather liked the joseki (or start of one at least) in the lower right, which you don't see much anymore, and which I think we can safely assume neither player had seen before.

Majordomo · Post by **Majordomo** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:41 am

So just popping in since it's been a while - january has been a bit slow Go wise, though I'm diligent with my tsumego and monday teaching games (with my teacher) at least.

Thought I'd post a game, one I did win rather easily in the end - but it's of the kind to make me nervous, because I always figure if my opponent can be 1k and play his opening like he did then I'd be in for some fierce fighting and plenty of room to throw it all away. But the game never devolved into complications and I knew myself to be comfortably ahead in the endgame so yeah (I'll admit to getting a bit lucky on the right side, because I played 142 without knowing if there was anything there - I really should be more thorough in my reading since I think spotting the line here should be within my "readability") ...

I'm very interested in how I could have handled his left side invasion better - after I got F10 in I was thinking I should be able to kill him. And, could he have made Ko in the upper right?

Anyway, I'll keep posting games, maybe with some more regularity

Majordomo · Post by **Majordomo** » Fri Jan 27, 2017 5:05 pm

The game that made me 1d - though we'll see if it sticks - I kinda doubt it since I feel I got lucky with him dying like he did heh.

I think I played a reasonable game and he messed up a bit in the opening by letting me erase to much of his lower left without him getting too sufficient compensation. Then in the end I screwed up a lot but he did even worse I suppose so.

Anyway, getting to 1d didn't feel special - ribbons didn't drop from the sky nor did I get a personal PM from the secret KGS cabal, I still feel bad about most of my games and think I win by getting lucky and get crushed by being bad. Still kinda proud though, now if only it sticks hehe.

dfan · Post by **dfan** » Sat Jan 28, 2017 6:19 am

Congratulations! Your quick improvement is an inspiration. Just a few months ago I was giving advice to a 5k in this thread.

Uberdude · Post by **Uberdude** » Sat Jan 28, 2017 7:09 am

Two shape/joseki comments:
- n3 is a serious shape mistake: he can cut at o2 and then n2 crawl for a great squeeze.
- likewise s4, now q2 is the tesuji to make you suffer.
Dan players wouldn't let you get away with this!

Majordomo · Post by **Majordomo** » Sat Jan 28, 2017 8:07 am

Thanks both of you!

Yeah, I read up a bit more on that joseki, and played around with the shape some more and saw how much damage he could have done to me if he did the cut. In the game I just shrugged it off a bit as "good enough" until he removed a liberty with N4 - but yeah, that cut / squeeze gives him perfect shape so ouch.

However, after 22 - when I tenuki to Q10 - the result of him cutting isn't good enough compensation no? At least CS didn't mind the result after Q10 - O2 - Q2 so the prior exchange worked out because he misplayed with N4 I guess. I feel like he then compounds his problems by his joseki choice in the upper right.

I blame my ever so slight headache but what is the big problem with S4? is it Q2 R2 S5 S3 Q5 (after which I probably need to go back to take N2, or exchange S6 then take?? Or just Q2 R2 O2 Q1 N2? For the latter, isn't me connecting out much larger than him taking the three stones?

Stuff like these shapes is something my teacher is very good at beating through my thick skull (typically by imploding my position in the endgame through a few innocent looking pokes that are anything but) - but yeah, N3 was a bad auto-play that I should have seen!

I definitively hope dan players let me get away with some stuff heh (otherwise I'm heading below the fold again) - I'm really looking forward to playing dan players even though!

Life In 19x19

Progress in Black and White

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