PatD wrote:
The game below is typical on how I lose -- I always mess up fighting for the center.
One of my teachers, a former insei who decided not to become a go professional but to go to college, told me that the center is about fighting strength. He didn't elaborate, but I got the message. As you probably know, it takes 10 stones to make a group with 2 eyes in the center. That means that it is not easy to make a live group in the center. It is easy to mess up. That's one possible reason why you lose in the center.
But there is another possible reason, which was more important in this game, IMHO, and that is neglect of the center. The center is not as important in go as it is in chess, but it is quite important, particularly in the middle game. The center affects other parts of the board that are not yet settled. This game has a number of moves by you that neglect the center. That does not necessarily mean that they are bad moves. In fact, you outplayed your opponent early on. But if you pay more attention to the center early in the play, you will not have so much trouble later on.
Here are a couple of examples, already in the middle game, where you neglected the center. I may be repeating what others have said, but this is important. :
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bc
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . X . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | O . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X X . . . 2 . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . 1 . . O . X . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . a . . . . . . . X O O . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . O . X X X O . X . . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . O . X O . . . . . |
$$ | X X O O O O . . . O O X X O . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X X O . . . . X O X O X . . . . |
$$ | . X . . X O . . . . . O O O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
came into White's framework (moyo). You responded at
a, which saves a few points. But you have been attacking Black's group in the center. That group has no eyes yet. You should continue your attack. Not that you will kill it, but you can make a lot of trouble for it. Also, the Black wall on the left does not yet have eyes, either. The one space jump into the top center,
, attacks both groups. Black will not have an easy time dealing with the dual attack. Be sure to keep sente and invade somewhere in the top right quadrant. The 3-3 invasion will probably be good, but where to invade will depend on how the center fight goes. Because of the difficulty of living in the center, Black will probably mess up, not you.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bcm75
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . X . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | O . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . 6 . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . X . . O 5 X . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . 1 3 4 . . X O O . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . 2 O . X X X O . X . . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . O . X O . . . . . |
$$ | X X O O O O . . . O O X X O . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X X O . . . . X O X O X . . . . |
$$ | . X . . X O . . . . . O O O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
You replied to
with
, allowing Black to push through and cut.
was good, but now the tables have turned. Instead of attacking two Black groups, your two isolated stones are being attacked. In the fighting you have a good chance to cut off and capture
and
, but now it is White who is scrambling and Black who is taking profit.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bc Take care of the center
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . X . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | O . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . X . 2 O 4 X . . . . . O X . . |
$$ | . . . O . 3 1 . . . . X O O . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . O . X X X O . X . . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . O . X O . . . . . |
$$ | X X O O O O . . . O O X X O . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X X O . . . . X O X O X . . . . |
$$ | . X . . X O . . . . . O O O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
would have strengthened White in the center while threatening to capture
. If now
saves
keeps White connected and continues the attack.
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Wcm4
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . O O . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . . . X O O X X O O X . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . X . X X . . X X X . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | O . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X X . X . . . . . . . . O , X . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . W . . . . X . O X . . . |
$$ | . . O . X 2 . W X X . . X O . O X . . |
$$ | . . . O 1 . B B O . . X O O . O X . . |
$$ | . . O . . . 3 O O . X X X O . X . . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . . . O . X O . . . . . |
$$ | X X O O O O . . . O O X X O . X . . . |
$$ | . . X X X O . . . . X O X O X . . . . |
$$ | . X . . X O . . . . . O O O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]
Instead of continuing to fight in the center, White invaded the top right corner, thus strengthening Black in the center. That is understandable, as it is not at all obvious how to handle the
orphans. White 104 invited Black 105, which eliminated the possibility of cutting off the
stones. At this point, that may have been a remote possibility, but White let Black connect those stones, basically for free. And then White 106 basically ceded the center to Black. OC, White did make a live group there, but could have done more. Black's center group still has no eyes. The center was where the action was. White should have seized the opportunity to play there.
As Joaz says,
Think big.
More later.