1 dan game from ogs

[wossname]

i was thinking of reviewing a game, but it seems traffic is pretty slow in this forum! so instead, here's a game of mine open for comments. i'm white

[Harleqin]

misses the chance to break the ladder first (with the atari), before playing in the corner. Comparison with the known sequence starting with H3 instead of G3 shows that this is better for White.

[Harleqin]

:w132: at R9 simply captures the two black stones.

[wossname]

:w132: at R9 simply captures the two black stones.

i think i convinced myself that black r11 threatened issues with the capture race in top right, so i wouldn't have had time to follow through with the threat of R9 to separate the black stones. that's why i chose to take the sente squeeze instead. i may have been wrong!

[Harleqin]

:w132: at R9 simply captures the two black stones.

I think I convinced myself that black R11 threatened issues with the capture race in top right, so I wouldn't have had time to follow through with the threat of R9 to separate the black stones. That's why I chose to take the sente squeeze instead. I may have been wrong!

Since the black group in that capturing race has no outside liberties, but there are a lot of shared liberties, Black can at most hope for a seki. All you have to worry about is that black R11 cannot create life or connect after you cut at S9; then the hypothetical seki would collapse in your favour.

[Joaz Banbeck]

I like 40 at D17. The corner then looks a lot healthier.

[hyperpape]

I'm weaker than you are, so grains of salt and all, but:

I thought 72 seemed suspect--you're pushing from behind when you could jump ahead with a knight's move. And it seems like just jumping then will give you more valuable followups if B takes sente.

[Harleqin]

should simply jump to E14, and should atari at B16 first.

[Joaz Banbeck]

... should atari at B16 first.

That was my first reaction, but it looks like white is behind in ko threats.

[Harleqin]

... should atari at B16 first.

That was my first reaction, but it looks like white is behind in ko threats.

It is much better than to start the ko as in the game. Even if after a black threat/answer/retake you have to pull back to D17 instead of making a threat, it is still better than submitting directly.

[Joaz Banbeck]

... should atari at B16 first.

That was my first reaction, but it looks like white is behind in ko threats.

It is much better than to start the ko as in the game. Even if after a black threat/answer/retake you have to pull back to D17 instead of making a threat, it is still better than submitting directly.

It seems that - given that white cannot win a ko - we are discussing the following two positions:

$$W B17 first, D17 later
$$|------------------
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . 5 . . . . . . .
$$| . 4 O 3 . O . . .
$$| 6 1 X O . . . . .
$$| . 2 . X . . . . .
$$| . . X . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W B17 first, D17 later
$$|------------------
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . 5 . . . . . . .
$$| . 4 O 3 . O . . .
$$| 6 1 X O . . . . .
$$| . 2 . X . . . . .
$$| . . X . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .[/go]

$$W D17 first
$$|------------------
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . 3 . . . . . . .
$$| . 2 O 1 . O . . .
$$| . 4 X O . . . . .
$$| . . . X . . . . .
$$| . . X . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$W D17 first
$$|------------------
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . 3 . . . . . . .
$$| . 2 O 1 . O . . .
$$| . 4 X O . . . . .
$$| . . . X . . . . .
$$| . . X . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .
$$| . . . . . . . . .[/go]

IMHO, black looks better in the first diagram.