Bki's study journal

[Knotwilg]

Black 81. Play and win.

[Bki]

Right.

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Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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It's technically a ko, but black has no ko threat. I thought about black a too but white b and white live easily.

[Bki]

I feel like I have trouble with giving handicap.



I might have gone overboard on this game with the "take all 3-3 and invade" strategy this game. Maybe I should have played something else for , but I don't really like the non 3-3 answer to the close pincer that much. Maybe invading the top might have worked better, as the left group would be less likely to suffer from collateral damage, and if he seal me in and make a large moyo at the bottom, it would be more open and so I could reduce or invade more easily.

[Bill Spight]

Some top of the head comments:

About giving 3 stones: White has no objectively winning play, so the question becomes what are promising losing plays? That really depends upon your opponent. There is a personal, psychological aspect to giving 3 or more stones. As Go Seigen says, White's job is to make the game difficult for Black.

My feeling is that the 3-3 invasion puts Black on familiar ground. There is a joseki that he knows well. how about extending to R-07 in the bottom right? Now if White jumps out to P-14, Black will be on unfamiliar territory. And if Black prevents the jump, White threatens the kick and pincer in the bottom right. Also unfamiliar territory for Black.

I guess your bet is that Black does not know how to use thickness. IMO, that's a pretty good bet for most SDKs.

This play doesn't give Black much of a problem. How about the two space high extension to D-13. Now if Black plays C-08, peep at E-15 and attack the Black wall. If Black plays F-13, then extend towards the bottom left to make a sizable territory on the left side.

White has made virtually no headway against Black so far.

How about K-03, threatening to connect underneath, to jump into the center and harass the Black wall on the bottom left, or to make a 2 space extension on the bottom side?

Yes, that leaves your group on the right side weak. But in general that's how you win handicap games, by leaving weak groups around.

K-03 still looks good, but how about the peep at E-05? Give Black some trouble.

A bit defensive.

Good. You have made a little bit of headway. But you still have a long way to go.

Dubious.

Eye off the ball. Time to jump into the center, with K-05 or maybe L-05. You have already taken plenty of third line territory. Do you think you are ahead? Go where the action is.

Weakening the White group on the side.

You had to, anyway. But now you are weaker here.

Excellent!

Mistake. Black should counter atari and sacrifice this stone.

Maybe also a mistake. Hane at B-03, maybe? In any event, atari at G-07 while he still can.

Bad. C-08 should have been obvious.

Now we know. You are a better fighter than Black. Maybe you could have made use of that difference earlier in the game.

C-08, attacking the whole Black group. Black does not have time to save his 7 stones on the bottom side. White can probably take those stones later. Saving this White stone on C-07 and attacking on a large scale is very big.

[Bki]

Two typical handicap games. One of the won variety (things get complicated, and his stuff dies while mine lives) and of the lost variety (I live everywhere even if I shouldn't have, but the game isn't far enough that it can be saved in the endgame).

[Bill Spight]

Some comments on game 2, after .

Main point: You played as though you were taking the handicap. I.e., you played too safe. Your job is to make problems for Black, not to solve problems for White. With some exceptions, OC.

Two step hane. Very good.

Yes, the atari variation is correct.

Good.

Black has preserved his original lead. This far into the game White should have made progress. Maybe would have been better at F-03 or M-03. Remember, that early in a three stone game all White moves are losing moves. The 3-3 invasion let Black play a lot of moves that maintained his original advantage.

White has a problem with the big Black wall in the bottom left. Even if Black should not theoretically make territory with it, with three stones he can make a lot of inferior plays and still win. This pincer allows a counter-pincer that both attacks and makes territory. Probably better to play a 2 space high pincer.

Joseki, but how about making a base on the bottom side with K-03?

This one space jump is sensible, but how about leaning on the Black counter-pincer stone with L-04? It's not like you expect to make territory to the left. You might as well prevent a jump to L-05. Besides, it may be the theoretically best play, too.

Good play! You expect Black to connect underneath and then you will push through on the 4th line.

Not so good.

Good.

Huh?

Huh? No resistance. Better to hane. The outside hane at M-02 looks better than the other hane at O-02. In variation 3 do not capture the stone on the second line. Push through at O-04 instead, with atari. This cuts off and attacks the Black stones in the corner. You are too good to go stone grabbing.

Ixnay. Here is your chance to reduce Black's potential territory on the bottom side. Take that opportunity with the hane on L-04.

Not so good. Bad shape.

Very good. Good shape.

Not good. Who cares about two stones? The danger is the potential Black territory to the left. Better to extend to K-05. If Black wants to take two stones, let him.

Not good. Black should hane.

You have made good progress since the pincer, but now you throw it all away with a defensive move. Not that you have to leave a weak group on the bottom side. Remember that contact plays strengthen both sides, as a rule. You can take advantage of that fact by playing the jump attachment at J-05. That does two things. It reduces Black's potential territory on the bottom side and also strengthens your group. Something to keep in mind.

Black has pretty well recovered his original lead. It is hard to win giving three stones when you play even for the first fifty moves.

Probably theoretically correct, but it puts Black on familiar territory. Maybe better to approach the top left corner with H-17.

If Black turns at R-16 and White connects, Black can take sente and secure territory in the top left with J-17. Then it will be hard for White to win the game.

Lives in the corner, but lets Black make a solid connection with and again, pretty well recover his original lead. This play essentially gives up. Better to push through and then either cut or play O-18, threatening to connect underneath. That way White has some chances, and it may also be theoretically best play, as well.

[Bki]

White has a problem with the big Black wall in the bottom left. Even if Black should not theoretically make territory with it, with three stones he can make a lot of inferior plays and still win. This pincer allows a counter-pincer that both attacks and makes territory. Probably better to play a 2 space high pincer.

This bring a point I'm unsure about, which pincer to make (in general). I sort of understand that close pincers are more severe but more prone to being counter attacked, but I'm unsure about whether to play high or low. Clearly there are tactical differences between all the pincers, but it will require a significant amount of work to get a feel for those (though that's actually not a bad reason to finally start studying some joseki).

In this case I pincered expecting the knight move at Q5, in which case I would have push and cut and fight (even if I'm not familiar with this variation, I bet he isn't either), which would be questionable with a far and low pincer, and since I don't really play the high pincers much I went with the one space low. Your main concern in this comment is the black wall and the possibility to be attacked. A 2 space high then is more flexible than the game move as it's easier to abandon it and treat it as aji to use later if needed, and also easier to escape in the center and have more space alongside the edge.

[Bki]

Since I have less time now due to RL, and I'm sometime too tired to seriously study I'm spending less time on go than the previous months, though I still try to do some problems every day. I thought I could keep the rate of problems and pro games played by having a short period where I wouldn't play much but... Well it turns out that when I have time for go I'm more often feeling like playing.

Still despite going at a glacial pace I finally finished GGPfB vol 4. Partly it's because the last set is fairly I'm difficult and I was in a mood of "take your time solving them well" rather than trying to solve a set number per session. I think I will go with 1001 l&d problem next. Also I'm still going through the Segoe. Currently at the wedge chapter going through the C&B problems. Some of the problems are quite demanding. It's amusing when you look at the solution happy to have cut the opponent in two and realise that you had to read how to kill him too. Or that one problem that really amused me (33 of the wedge chapter in the chinese edition) where you set up a ko to link underneath, but it's not good enough, you have to win it too.

But well you feel like you learned something when that happens. Also it encourage to be thorough in your reading.


Finally a game I played earlier today. I killed a lot of things and won. I feel those are not the most interesting games to go over (though it's better than "I was winning then my inner DDK woke up").

[Bki]

Most of the time, when you fuck up, you end up losing. Sometime though, your opponent manage to miraculously fuck up even more after you try some way to get at least some compensation before things settle down and you have to judge whether to resign.



Maybe, should have connected on the right side, then reduce the upper right or lower left.

I think white 107 was necessary to protect the cutting point. White 113 was probably a mistake though, since, well, following up at s13 doesn't work. M12 looks good, since if black cut at the waist I can play the broken ladder to make life. I've been looking at several variations and it seems I can either live locally or link up with the top side group.

Said topside group would then come under attack though, which means the result is not great. With those consideration, connection with to avoid getting cut off like this would have been better. Then I can get k14 to strengthen the top side, and try to reduce both black's potential territory. The game would then be close.

Anyway black 146 was not good. It does nothing and T15 would remove any hope for a ko. But 156 was just horrible, and then 160... then black 168 should have been H8

[hl782]

I think i'm going throw out a potentially hot take and suggest you stop playing handi games against people weaker than you. I think you have more to lose than to gain from them.

[Bki]

Receiving handicap against stronger players and giving it against weaker players is part of one's set of go skills, so I'm not entirely convinced (and practically due to how automatch works not giving handicap means not playing against stronger players too). The reason I (should have) lost here wasn't because I overplayed like crazy, but because I misread the cut and let it happen.

Also it's not like I only play handi games, it's just that those have been the games I have judged the most worthy of being posted here among those I played lately.

[Knotwilg]

Small handicaps make for an interesting game between players of different strength. White should profit from Black's relative mistakes.
High handicaps are for teaching.

Nothing wrong with it

However, if someone systematically plays handi (which you aren't) that might be a sign of "fear of playing serious games" because the ego can always say "oh, it was just a handicap game"

[Bki]

A non-handicap game this time. There were many inaccuracies in my play (for example was probably wrong, I think should have pushed before connecting, 105 was unnecessarily stubborn about not connecting, 119 could have killed the corner, 153 should have either extended to C7 for a completely safe group or been somewhere on the lower side, black 174 at C7 maybe, 213 should have connected at c12 since I then have miai between living connecting to the top without needing to throw away 12 or so points), but my opponent failed to do anything significant so I won by a lot.

[hl782]

Receiving handicap against stronger players and giving it against weaker players is part of one's set of go skills, so I'm not entirely convinced (and practically due to how automatch works not giving handicap means not playing against stronger players too). The reason I (should have) lost here wasn't because I overplayed like crazy, but because I misread the cut and let it happen.

Also it's not like I only play handi games, it's just that those have been the games I have judged the most worthy of being posted here among those I played lately.

I actually disagree. I think giving handi becomes harder the stronger you get, and receiving handi becomes easier the stronger you get, just because you know how to make the most of the additional stones provided to you. Playing against 5-7kyus with 3 stones will likely lead to you making victories through their mistakes. The chance of you playing moves that play down to their level, poor shape, etc. rises with the reckless play that will be required from you having to overcome the handicap. If you really want to play with a handi, i strongly believe playing with a negative komi would be better.

[Bki]

This is quite an embarrassing game (alright, it's fine, except for one move, but that move is... well), but I thought I shouldn't shy away from posting games I'm ashamed of.



White 106. It's just, why did I even play that move? I die in gote, but it's worse than that, I knowingly died in gote and somewhat didn't even really consider playing something else. I could have been one move ahead in killing his left side group. The power of wishful thinking is a terrible one.

Receiving handicap against stronger players and giving it against weaker players is part of one's set of go skills, so I'm not entirely convinced (and practically due to how automatch works not giving handicap means not playing against stronger players too). The reason I (should have) lost here wasn't because I overplayed like crazy, but because I misread the cut and let it happen.

Also it's not like I only play handi games, it's just that those have been the games I have judged the most worthy of being posted here among those I played lately.

I actually disagree. I think giving handi becomes harder the stronger you get, and receiving handi becomes easier the stronger you get, just because you know how to make the most of the additional stones provided to you. Playing against 5-7kyus with 3 stones will likely lead to you making victories through their mistakes. The chance of you playing moves that play down to their level, poor shape, etc. rises with the reckless play that will be required from you having to overcome the handicap. If you really want to play with a handi, i strongly believe playing with a negative komi would be better.

How is negative komi any better? You're still behind by a lot of points, so you also have to play "recklessly" to compensate. Mind you, I'm not of the school of thought that you should consciously overplay a lot in a handicap game. Play fast and tenuki a lot in the opening? Yes. Seek complications when you can? Certainly. But I'm never a fan of the "I know it's bad but I bet he doesn't know how to respond" gamble.

Anyway, since handicap stones force you to adopt a different strategy, I think they're a good way to have a game that will be interesting for both the stronger and weaker player. At least I think it do that better than reverse komi can.