Played 2 casual games today (actually 3 but an early L&D / liberty race fail in the corner doesn't count )
Was hoping to get them reviewed here.
As always, I should've minded my time better. But that's one of the reasons I don't enjoy playing online. I did play 2 games now, though, and I hope there's something to learn from them either way.

One close win, one close loss.

Game 1


Game 2


Game 2 has a hypothetical L&D situation around move 196.

I did not review the games with any AI because I simply feel that doesn't help much. I usually learn best by a self-review (which I've done, quickly but I've done it) and then a review by someone stronger, pointing out 1 or 2 additional things to take with me.

Thanks!

Several comments, mostly on attacking.

Main focus: Divide and conquer!

Corollary: Keep your weak stones connected.

Also: Don't take your eye off the ball. Press your advantage while ye may.

_________________
The Adkins Principle:

At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?

— Winona Adkins

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's the way to bet.

Game 2, move 50:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . X X X O O O X |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . X X X X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O 2 O . 3 . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . X . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . X . , O . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . X . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This move is way too defensive.

White has two weak groups. The classic time-tested way to win when your opponent has two weak groups is to force them toward each other, then split them so that one of them dies.

Like this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$ Move 5 is thematic. 6 and 7 are miai
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X O O . O X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . O . . . X X X O O O X |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . X X X X . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . O 2 O . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4 . 1 . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . O . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . X . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . X . , O . . |
$$ | . . . . . X . . . X . . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X O . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Game 2. What Joaz said.

Main focus: You need to learn to attack. Not just how to attack, but to attack.

My suggestion: Play some 3 stone games against stronger players and practice attacking. See Okigo Jizai for some ideas.
(You can search for it here.)

_________________
The Adkins Principle:

At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?

— Winona Adkins

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's the way to bet.

Thank you, both.
It is a recurring problem for me in my game, and it seems like a huge barrier. When I play myself, I tend to see the board subjectively and see my groups as weakened, while I don't see the other one's groups as weak.

It's a strong dose of lacking confidence. And it's probably not by accident that this creeps into my Go playing lately.
I hope the Go training camp in Germany, where I'll study 2 weeks with strong teachers, will offer me the necessary guidance to take the next step and overcome this barrier.

A mental device that may help: your groups are not your groups, your games are not your games. They are immortal friends who help you become a better player.

(I had a very interesting conversation with someone who was in the visual arts, back when I was still very active as a songwriter. He said: "I don't hang on to my works all that much. They help me becoming a better artist. Often I reuse ideas of earlier paintings in a subsequent one. Sometimes I make different versions of one work." Myself I saw my own songs as sacred, never to be touched after I had conceived them. Songwriting is different from painting, but I learnt a lesson there)

There is no barrier.

If you attack your opponent's groups, you will come to look at them differently. And your own, as well.

_________________
The Adkins Principle:

At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?

— Winona Adkins

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's the way to bet.