Life In 19x19

This was a bit of a decision point. The more common line is:

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[go]$$Bcm11 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 4 X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X 7 . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . 8 6 . 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

As @ is sente for White, and why should Black give White that point in sente, especially when it has a decent follow up which makes it a bit bigger than just a decent sized reverse sente?

However, feels a bit painful to me - not only does it restrict my desire to develop the top side, but it also helps White with his development of the left side, so I don't like it very much.

My move is also joseki, although much less common - it's nice shape, it allows me to jump out towards the middle nicely, prevents White from getting the above, and will help with my upper development. I expect White to take his sente in the corner immediately, and then one of the following (a, b or c):

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[go]$$Bcm19 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . 2 X 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X O . 1 . . . . d . . a . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . b . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . f e . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

After that, it's back to the drawing board as to what looks like the best thing to do next. If White plays "c", I think I'm going with "a", if White plays "a" then I'll probably play a far pincer at "d", and if White plays "b" I'll probably play a tight pincer at "e" or "f". I'll think through a bunch of variations if we get there, and I'm a bit uncomfortable that I want to pincer regardless of which side he approaches as it makes me feel I haven't decided which side I want more, but maybe as I have a position on both sides of the corner it's the right approach? The joys of being out of my comfort zone already

The kosumi as a response is new to me, but it makes sense. It invites a pushing battle. Under no circumstances is he allowed to play this point and push me down.

The only move - if anyone wants to know why I think so, just ask

Yay pushing battles.

Again, the only move .. I'm being pushed from behind on the 5th line, I simply must stay ahead.

One more push then sente.

And again let him push me - first, this is points, and second, if I don't he can double hane most unpleasantly. Another forced move.

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[go]$$Bcm21 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X O . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O O O 1 3 5 7 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . 2 4 6 . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I considered this, but I feel with his high stone on the right side my box is too deep and his gets too big. Pushing twice was necessary, and my stones are working together, so it's time to come into his area and break it up.

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[go]$$Bcm1 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X O . X . . . . 3 1 . O . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . , . 2 . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O O O X X X . . . . . 4 . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I expect to sabaki like so or something similar.

I actually thought quite hard about what to play here. I think a pincer feels like the only natural move with the position I have in the top left/top, and because I want to be all fighty about it, a tight pincer seems to make sense. I was really torn between low and high though, and I chose high because I think I'd rather White lived by being pressed low and develop the outside so I can take advantage of moves like "a". I also dislike the fact that, if White jumps out, I really want to jump out with my pincering stone too, but a response from the corner is too urgent to do so - a high pincer makes it hard for White to find a severe followup after he's jumped out and I've responded with a corner move. If White takes the 3-3 I'm pretty happy with the position I can generate in either case, although I'll have to think carefully about how to handle a counter pincer.

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[go]$$Bcm21 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X O . X . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . , . 7 . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O O O 1 3 5 . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . 2 4 a . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Okay so he played the pincer one higher than I thought he would. It's all good.

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[go]$$Wcm1 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . |
$$ | . O X O . X . . . . . 6 4 O . . 7 . . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . , . X 5 . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O O O X X X . . . . . 1 . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . O O . . . . . . . . 2 . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I wasn't too enthused about this although it might be a perfectly fine variation.

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[go]$$Wcm1 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . O X O . X . . . . . . 7 O . 3 1 5 . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . , . X 8 6 4 X 2 . . |
$$ | . . O O O X X X . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . O O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This is my plan so I can take sente. I would then play at A next to strengthen my moyo.

Ok, I wondered if he'd take the 3-3. I now need to have a look at whether I need to play the reinforcing move at the end of the joseki (normal I believe with the higher pincer, but my thickness may make it not necessary yet:

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[go]$$Bcm31 Prisoners: :b100: :w100:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 4 . . |
$$ | . O X O . X . . . . . . . O 5 X O . . |
$$ | . . O X X . . . . , . X . a . X W . . |
$$ | . . O O O X X X . . . . . . . 1 . . . |
$$ | . . X . . O O 7 . . . . . . . . 6 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . O . X , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

The question for me is whether I can play this instead of "a". I'm trying to play more calmly these days, so I'll have a good look when we get there. Either way, this seems ok to me?

Honestly wasn't expecting him to block that way, thought he would try to make his moyo face mine. This isn't bad except his pincer stone is uber close now. I won't get sente like this sadly but at least I'll undermine his right side stone and gut the moyo on that side.

Ok, let him make his move, and then decide - I'm rather inclined towards responding locally. The aji really is pretty intense if I decide to exclude the hane.