Re: What makes some moyos better than others?
Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 7:15 pm
Several times this game you had a good attack going, but then went for small profit, rather than effectively prosecuting the attack. Perhaps you thought you were taking profit while attacking, but you were actually giving up a strong attack for too little compensation.
was your best move of the game, attacking on a large scale, not going for small corner profit. Keep looking at the big picture like this!
may feel like an attacking move (taking away W base), but it is actually quite submissive. W can now regard his previous play as a successful forcing move -- he made a deep invasion and you responded with a low defensive move. If W later runs out to the center, this will turn out to be a great exchange. Your suggestion of M5 would be a true attack, threatening to capture W on a large scale. If you succeed in enclosing W here, it is not obvious he can live, and even if he lives, you will make overwhelming outside influence. You could also consider a really grand attacking move like L7. If you can force yourself to look for and play ambitious moves like this, your game will improve.
The cut
at L6 is an example of missing the big picture and going for small profit. This cut is not an attacking move! Your goal here should be to attack all of the W stones within your extremely strong sphere of influence. Moves like K7 or L8 are the right direction, strengthening your weaker stones and pushing W toward your strong stones. This way even if W escapes, you will create outside thickness which will be useful in other directions. The game move gave W the opportunity to sacrifice a few stones on a small scale, leaving your outside stones weaker and your inside stones over-concentrated.
The later cut
at M7 was exactly the same mistake. Again you went after the lure of a very small profit. This cut is the wrong direction, making incremental territory where you are already extremely strong, while forcing W to move toward your weaker stones in the center. Large scale plays like L8 or M9 would be true attacking moves in the right direction. If your position is not yet strong enough to support these plays, simply defending at J9 (preparing for M9) would be good. This simple defense would constitute much more of a threat against the W group to the right than the game move.
was your best move of the game, attacking on a large scale, not going for small corner profit. Keep looking at the big picture like this! may feel like an attacking move (taking away W base), but it is actually quite submissive. W can now regard his previous play as a successful forcing move -- he made a deep invasion and you responded with a low defensive move. If W later runs out to the center, this will turn out to be a great exchange. Your suggestion of M5 would be a true attack, threatening to capture W on a large scale. If you succeed in enclosing W here, it is not obvious he can live, and even if he lives, you will make overwhelming outside influence. You could also consider a really grand attacking move like L7. If you can force yourself to look for and play ambitious moves like this, your game will improve.The cut
at L6 is an example of missing the big picture and going for small profit. This cut is not an attacking move! Your goal here should be to attack all of the W stones within your extremely strong sphere of influence. Moves like K7 or L8 are the right direction, strengthening your weaker stones and pushing W toward your strong stones. This way even if W escapes, you will create outside thickness which will be useful in other directions. The game move gave W the opportunity to sacrifice a few stones on a small scale, leaving your outside stones weaker and your inside stones over-concentrated. The later cut
at M7 was exactly the same mistake. Again you went after the lure of a very small profit. This cut is the wrong direction, making incremental territory where you are already extremely strong, while forcing W to move toward your weaker stones in the center. Large scale plays like L8 or M9 would be true attacking moves in the right direction. If your position is not yet strong enough to support these plays, simply defending at J9 (preparing for M9) would be good. This simple defense would constitute much more of a threat against the W group to the right than the game move.
because I distinctly recall having another game reviewed where I did play the tiger's mouth
I was afraid of White putting pressure on the stone at F3. I figured that if I lost that White would get a lot of territory, and my group wouldn't be very big at all.
?
you felt you had to invade the left side or it would get too big. So you invaded and you exchanged the six marked Black stones for the six white stones. This is a faultless example of making territory while attacking. Unfortunately White was the one attacking and making territory. Look carefully at your stones. They achieve nothing but escape from a small part of White's formation. After 72 they still do not have eyes and can end up subject to further threats in the future.