2k vs 3k - close game

[Tryss]

Hello.

I played an interesting game today, and I would like to have some pointers. At the end, I won by 3.5 points (no komi).



And yes, was horrible

[Bill Spight]

A few top of the head comments.

First real mistake by Black. Just play at B-05 or D-05.

Very bad. If Black cuts, White can capture in a loose ladder.

Very bad. Why play close to White’s strength? Why strengthen your live group?

Strengthens White, but leaves weaknesses behind. Better just to pincer.

Good.

Better something like M-11.

Extending from your solid group is small. Better M-11.

You have made your kikashi against the top left corner. You do not have to save these stones. The center is still big.

[Tryss]

Thanks ! These days, I have a problem with whole board strategy

Very bad. Why play close to White’s strength? Why strengthen your live group?

At the time, I saw this as a turn to the center.

[Bill Spight]

Thanks ! These days, I have a problem with whole board strategy

Very bad. Why play close to White’s strength? Why strengthen your live group?

At the time, I saw this as a turn to the center.

So it is. The urgency of such plays at this stage of the game largely depends upon the strength of the groups.

at C-02 was passive. at B-02 was not only small, but allowed White to push Black into a low posture with - . It is natural for Black to want to improve that, but doing so locally is no longer urgent.

at D-05 not only pushes towards the center, it threatens to atari the Black D-04 stone, either at D-03 or at D-05. Since White replied passively to at B-03, White can sacrifice that stone as one possibility.

If had been elsewhere, in the top left corner, for instance, at D-06 would have been an excellent play, preventing White from playing there and forcing Black low. But after plays there and replies, D-07 is not so urgent.

In addition, Black D-06 would have had an eye to White's cutting point at D-03, but after erroneously prevents that cut, Black D-07 has no White weakness to take aim at.

[Joaz Banbeck]

From moves 7 through 21, C16 is often the best move on the board, IMHO.

[Bill Spight]

From moves 7 through 21, C16 is often the best move on the board, IMHO.

Yes. Or C-17 by Black.

[ez4u]

Notice that you would have collapsed if White had played the other atari at K19 instead of L19 on move 224. The entire top is captured due to shortage of liberties.

Way before that when you "forced" White to hane at K15 it blights the prospects of your two stones M15 and L15. In the game White later played O16. However, if White had attached at N16 instead, Black would have been in a tough spot and probably has to give up the two stones in order to protect the top right corner. So Black should probably play J11 instead of J13 and look for a chance to settle his stones without removing the aji at the top.

[Tryss]

Notice that you would have collapsed if White had played the other atari at K19 instead of L19 on move 224. The entire top is captured due to shortage of liberties.

I noticed during the game . 219 should have been connection

About your other point, I was ready to sacrifice these two stones. I would have answered the N16 attach with M17. The main problem here is that I was far from sure to be able to settle my group

[hoa803]

I have recently been looking at Zhou's book on using AlphaGo's large corner enclosures. Seems to me you might want to check it out. Zhou indicates that black doesn't really have a great local response to the white approach, and it's better to tenuki or pincer as somebody else already mentioned.

I had been using the high enclosure myself, but I realized I was emulating much stronger players without understanding the ideas behind them.