Life In 19x19

Let's have a bit of fun before completely capitulating up here

how does that peep help him???

i really didnt read...or not strong enough to read everything.. but i have a feeling that move will not work.
if i am wrong..i might lose this game..

The best I think I can do here is we both connect out, but that way, he doesn't get any points here either. There's no sense in simply giving up without a fight

Let's go all in for now ... I think he needs to be very careful here.

Man, Go is a painful psychological game at times. I've been thoroughly enjoying this game, despite breaking one of my core Go teaching tenets of leaving weak groups hanging without treating them with the urgency they deserve.

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[go]$$Bcm111 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . 4 X . . . . . . . . . . O O . . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . X . . X . O . X . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X . X . . X X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O O . . X . . O . X O O . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O . O . . . O X X X . |
$$ | . . O . . . . X X O . x . x . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X X X O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . O X . X O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 1 X O O O O X . O . x . x . , X X . |
$$ | 3 C X O X O O X . X O . . . X . X O . |
$$ | O X X X X X X X . 7 . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . 2 . . . O . O . O . . |
$$ | O X X X . O 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . . . . 6 . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . X O O . O . . X O . . |
$$ | . X X . . O . O . X O . . . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . X X O . . . . 8 X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

At this point, after move 118, I just wanted to resign. (ok, one square lower for me), and are the three points I really wanted more than anything else prior to my group coming under such severe attack, but I never really got the chance to play any of them in the sente I wanted. Not only that, but the area around the "x" points was supposed to be my influence, especially with the fact I played that gote in the top right to gain thickness. This collection of moves must have lost me at least 15 points, if not 20, and what's worse is White got sente for most of them.

So, before resigning, I figured I'd get some of my sente, starting with that monkey jump, and see how many points I could salvage before counting.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm121 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . X O O . O . |
$$ | . . O . . X . X . . X . O . X . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X . X . . X X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O O . . X . . O . X O O . |
$$ | O O . O . . . . O . O . . . O X X X . |
$$ | X . O . . . . X X O . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | X . . . . X X X O . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . O X . X O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O O O O X . O . . . . . , X X . |
$$ | X . X O X O O X . X O . . . X . X O . |
$$ | O X X X X X X X . X . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . O . . . O . O . O . . |
$$ | O X X X . O X . . . . . . . . . . c . |
$$ | . O O . . . . O . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . X O O . O b . X O . . |
$$ | . X X . . O . O . X O . 5 . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . X X O . . . . O X a . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This might look a bit slow, but if White plays at "a", I may well have to spend a bunch of additional moves in the corner to capture that group, as I'll have no eyes externally meaning it's a liberty race I have to win. I should win it, but it's painful to lose so much potential territory playing moves to capture. I'm hoping "b" becomes my privelege, and then hopefully I'll be able to take the point "c" in endgame to have the corner dead without requiring additional moves.

My latest sequence may look a bit bizarre, and I wasn't sure if it was aji-keshi, but basically I'm preventing him from playing here:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm131 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . X O O . O . |
$$ | . . O . . X . X . . X . O . X . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X . X . . X X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O O . . X . . O . X O O . |
$$ | O O . O . . . . O . O . . . O X X X . |
$$ | X . O . . . . X X O . . . X O . . . . |
$$ | X . . . . X X X O . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . O X . X O . X 1 2 . . . . |
$$ | . X X O O O O X . O . 5 4 O 3 , X X . |
$$ | X . X O X O O X . X O . . . X . X O . |
$$ | O X X X X X X X . X . . . 6 . . O . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . O . . . O . O . O . . |
$$ | O X X X . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . . . . O . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . X O O . O . . X O . . |
$$ | . X X . . O . O . X O . X . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . X X O . . . . O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This seems to work as a nice defence, and as he can't avoid this exchange I'm offering without losing those right hand side stones (not only is it big, it completely resolves that corner liberty problem), I now think I guarantee escaping with the two in the middle:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm137 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . X O O . O . |
$$ | . . O . . X . X . . X . O . X . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X . X . . X X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O O . . X . . O . X O O . |
$$ | O O . O . . . . O . O . . . O X X X . |
$$ | X . O . . . . X X O . . . X O . . . . |
$$ | X . . . . X X X O . b . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . O X . X O 5 X X O . . . . |
$$ | . X X O O O O X . O 6 1 O O X , X X . |
$$ | X . X O X O O X . X O 3 2 . X . X O . |
$$ | O X X X X X X X . X 7 a 4 X . . O . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . O . . . O O O . O . . |
$$ | O X X X . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . . . . O . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . X O O . O . . X O . . |
$$ | . X X . . O . O . X O . X . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . X X O . . . . O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Now "a" and "b" are miai to connect out. If we get to a position like this, I'm a lot more optimistic about doing that count than I was when I was planning on resigning. I'm probably still behind, but at least I'm making a game out of it again rather than just giving up.

My group on the left is now fairly eye rich. If he tries to remove eyes again, I can easily make the final eye even if he connects those two stones on the left:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm143 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . X O O . O . |
$$ | . . O . . X . X . . X . O . X . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X . X . . X X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O O . . X . . O . X O O . |
$$ | O O . O . . . . O . O a . . O X X X . |
$$ | X . O . . . . X X O . . . X O . . . . |
$$ | X . . . . X X X O 2 . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | 5 4 O O X . O X . X O X X X O . . . . |
$$ | . X X O O O O X . O O X O O X , X X . |
$$ | X . X O X O O X . X O X O . X . X O . |
$$ | O X X X X X X X . X 1 3 O X . . O . . |
$$ | 6 O 7 . . . . . O . . . O O O . O . . |
$$ | O X X X 9 O X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | 8 O O . . . . O . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . X O O . O . . X O . . |
$$ | . X X . . O . O . X O . X . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . X X O . . . . O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Now moves like "a" threaten to kill his right side stones I think... What a hard game this has been

okok.. i knew there was something i didnt see....i just didnt know what that was until the peep.. ) he lives.

The connection here is gloriously and unexpectedly sente I think:

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[go]$$Bcm141 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . X O O . O . |
$$ | . . O . . X . X . . X . O . X . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X . X . . X X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O O . . X . . O . X O O . |
$$ | O O . O . . . . O . O . . . O X X X . |
$$ | X . O . . . . X X O . . O X O . . . . |
$$ | X . . . . X X X O . . . . 1 O . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . O X . X O X X X O . . . . |
$$ | . X X O O O O X . O a X O O X , X X . |
$$ | X . X O X O O X . X O . . . X . X O . |
$$ | O X X X X X X X . X . . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . O . . . O O O . O . . |
$$ | O X X X . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . . . . O . . . . . . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . X O O . O . . X O . . |
$$ | . X X . . O . O . X O . X . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . X X O . . . . O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This ugly looking move, I think, kills all the White stones on the right. If he plays directly to fix, I'm going to play the really large "a", otherwise (and assuming he takes "a" himself first), I expect something like this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm141 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X 5 . . . . . . . . X O O . O . |
$$ | . . O . . X . X . . X . O . X . O . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X . X . . X X . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O O . . X . . O . X O O . |
$$ | O O . O . . . . O . O . . . O X X X . |
$$ | X . O . . . . X X O . . O X O . . . . |
$$ | X . . . . X X X O . . . . 2 O . . . . |
$$ | . . O O X . O X . X O X X X O . . . . |
$$ | . X X O O O O X . O W X O O X , X X . |
$$ | X . X O X O O X . X O . 1 . X . X O . |
$$ | O X X X X X X X . X . . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . O . . . . . . O . . . O O O . O . . |
$$ | O X X X . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O O . . . . O . . . . 4 . . X X . . |
$$ | . . . O . O . . X O O . O 3 . X O . . |
$$ | . X X . . O . O . X O . X . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . X X O . . . . O X . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

After that, we'll just have to see. I'm again reasonably optimistic that this game will go all the way to the end, and I no longer think Black is clearly behind.