Life In 19x19

Knotwilg wrote:
I've seen too many game reviews that vary on the theme "what a moron I am when I stop thinking". Well yeah.

This will definitely happen. But I really hope that this will help my basics. I think blitz is more about finding the move that works in 90% of situations that are similar to the current one, rather then finding the one that is needed exactly now. Obviously this will result in a game that looks poorly played, but this is probably true as well for one-hour games if you look at them through the eyes of a correspondence player.


@Bill: Cool. I looked for some information, but couldn't find any, do you know weather there are other specific things among his recommendations? Maybe blitz games are one little piece of a big master plan?^^

paK0 wrote:@Bill: Cool. I looked for some information, but couldn't find any, do you know weather there are other specific things among his recommendations? Maybe blitz games are one little piece of a big master plan?^^

Wilcox introduced his EZGo in a series of articles in the AGA Journal in the 1970s, which is where I remember that from. I doubt if there is much in those articles that he did not publish later.

Ok thanks, I guess I'll keep looking.

Anyways, here a game(I'm black). I'm not asking for a full review, but I have a question on a specific move: 61

Is there some kind of standard response to this? So far I played mostly with receiving handicap, and a lot of my opponents use the 3-3 invasion against a corner that I think should be safe. Is it just to unsettle me or is there really aji there? Thanks in advance.

First, at , black needs to play at B11 to help the lone stone, and not the strong group.

As for , this is a sharp move, and it works because black's corner is basically surrounded. Playing the empty triangle at R16 may work, but it's complicated and I think the mistake comes earlier.

At , capping like this is quite aggressive. It's not necessarily wrong, but a more restrained approach might be to take the side with R12 or so and let white run out while black consolidates the top.

Later, at , what is the purpose of this move, exactly? Black could instead consider P16 to solidify the corner while keeping up the pressure. Black's O14 stone would have miai to connect to either side, and if white pushes through, he's still just running heavily and O14 can be sacrificed having done its job.

In a sense, I feel like black's aim here is to kill, but it's a bit unreasonable and black could just take profit solidly instead, avoiding the troublesome situation altogether.

This corner invasion is quite common and reasonable. There is a lot of aji here, with the threat of a cut or connenction. The surrounding B stones need to be quite strong for B to be able to kill the invading stone outright.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B common invasion
$$ +--------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . W . X O . O . .
$$ | . . . X . O . . . .
$$ | . . X O O . . . . .
$$ | . . X . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . O O . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ +--------------------[/go]

There are a few standard continuations, but really only one you should memorize. This is appropriate when B is relatively weak and wants to make a safe base in the corner. It lets W take part of the corner in sente, but it leaves B with good shape and no worries about living. When studying this sequence, make sure you figure out why W must capture at move 6, letting B connect underneath, rather than descending to keep B separated.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B safety first
$$ +--------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . 5 3 2 . . . . .
$$ | . 7 O 4 X O . O . .
$$ | . . 1 X 6 O . . . .
$$ | . . X O O . . . . .
$$ | . . X . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . O O . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ +--------------------[/go]

If you feel B might be strong enough to kill the W invasion, then there is no substitute for trying to read out the entire fight. Every position is a little different, so guidelines or standard continuations will not really help.

In this particular position, blocking directly as shown below seems like the best try, but the fight is difficult for both sides. Here is how the first few moves might go. Trying to work out the result would be a really good exercise, more for the reading practice than because the same sequence would work in another game. It is quite likely that the outcome depends on the position of the marked W stones on the outside.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B difficult fight
$$ +--------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . 4 3 . . . . . . .
$$ | . . O 1 X O . W . .
$$ | . . 2 X . O . . . .
$$ | . . X O O . . . . .
$$ | . . X . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . W O . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ | . . . . . . . . . .
$$ +--------------------[/go]

Thanks, this is pretty much what I have been looking for, getting through as many standard sequences as possible.

Question for this one: Move 33. I should have prevented the connection at 40, but this move seems to happen quite a bit. In this case I was strong on both sides, but it also happens sometimes in loose sanrensei formations. Until now I've almost always answered with a hane, but that leaves behind a ton of aji, white can crosscut, just extend or maybe counter-hane. Would stretching have been better here? How about if black is not as strong? Any input appreciated.

First a comment from the last game, for move 63 white should have cut. Did you expect white to cut when you played s15? Anyway, he was kind enough to only block at n17, so gave you a golden opportunity to go back and fix the cut. Then everything would be safe.

In the latest game you are so strong that you can probably go bonkers and play p10 and still kill white, but for a sensible instinct stick with the hane.

I would hane to the other side since it would be harder to escape to the center.

For 36 I would play Q9 because S11 is a fine response to a cut at Q11. If your opponent played S11, then R12.

For 40 I would have played S6.

It would turn out a bit smaller I guess but it would still live in gote.

This sort of invasion is largely to punch you in the insecurity so you'll make mistakes.

Yes, should block, particularly since T5 threatens the corner. Also, could be a tesuji at T8. And if you did not see that, at least consider at R8, ignoring the atari. If W captures one stone and you block, are you in any danger? The cut does not work for W.

But none of this really matters, since the sequence you played made enough thickness to win the game.

Play the attachment at E-17. You know from experience that the usual play in the top right corner will end in gote for Black. Now is the chance to play E-17. Maybe the last chance.

Locally the connection at P-16 is better.

Too close to your strength.

Strengthens the White stone.

Very important. N-16, followed by N-17, followed by N-18 or O-18 depending on White’s play, followed by L-16 is perhaps the only way to play. Get something for your sacrifice. Cut off the White stone. Attack! While making territory, too.

Hane on your weaker side, not your stronger side.

The descent looks better. Try to keep White from making an eye and running out to the center. It is fine if he runs out without the eye. You can win by attacking the weak group.

Descend to the edge at T-08, as mitsun says. To prevent the snapback White must connect at T-06. Then you can connect with the hane at S-10.

Bill Spight wrote::b8: Play the attachment at E-17. You know from experience that the usual play in the top right corner will end in gote for Black. Now is the chance to play E-17. Maybe the last chance.

Would you take gote at h17/g17 after the normal continuation and allow white to turn the upper right into a shoulder hit of 3-3? To me responding to 3-3 is more urgent: I don't mind playing the normal joseki as white's 3-3 was too early.

Uberdude wrote:

Bill Spight wrote::b8: Play the attachment at E-17. You know from experience that the usual play in the top right corner will end in gote for Black. Now is the chance to play E-17. Maybe the last chance.

Would you take gote at h17/g17 after the normal continuation and allow white to turn the upper right into a shoulder hit of 3-3? To me responding to 3-3 is more urgent: I don't mind playing the normal joseki as white's 3-3 was too early.

Maybe you're right.

Thanks for the comments, as always, very enlightening.

So, my blitz games are going well, but today I got some time at university any played two slower games. Both went pretty horribly.

The first one I won't post, I tried to be clever and ended up being moronic, the second one is this:



Luckily he let me kill a big group of his, but I should have lost big time.

Some of my own comments:
No idea what to do, looking at it now I would probably just tenuki. In the game I considered R15, but did not know what happens after black makes an empty triangle and cuts. In the end I chose the chicken move and ended up in a terrible situation.

One day I will stop playing this idiotic move, should have just pincered.

Now I get to attack, but not nearly as strongly as I would have hoped, maybe M15....

Snap move. Might not be too bad, but I should have considered the avalance at least.

Yeah, again this situation, for some reason I never have any clue what to do.

At this point I'm already kinda on tilt, because of the game before and how this one is looking. I have no clue how to best attack the black group on the right.

This again is a terrible result, guess that happens when your joseki knowledge only covers the other cut...

Here I try to kill the group(even in the game I realized it probably wasn't going to happen, so I was kinda playing in wishing mode anyways), bad idea. We both solidify our positions, but since black is ahead, I really should not want that.

:w126: Christmas came a few days early and I was a good boy, so I get to kill this group and get back in the game.

:w152: Not needed...

Enough comments, some more terrible sequences follow and I win a game that I should never had a chance in after the first few moves


Any correction on my comments appreciated. Also better variations always make me happy =)

- For 10, r15 would be good, black could empty triangle and cut and you have a fight. Welcome to Go! But block is not so bad: yes you could have taken advantage of black's slow move with r15 or some extension or tenuki, but giving black that exchange isn't so amazing for him. However, if it was a 4-4 corner then block would be much worse as it would mean black fixes the 3-3 weakness in sente, but with the 3-4 and kick of your game black didn't gain much.
- 16 is fine. If you want to pincer maybe do so before r15, then if black jumps you can r15, but what if he answer pincer with q14? Maybe you'd need to push on the 4th line to gobble up m17, so your play was fine.
- 24 is not an attack. As you say m15 could be nice. Or k16 m16 combo to build a wall. Or something else. So don't do anything here yet until you have a good way to choose one. Against this black style of fast development and weakish 2 space extensions, it's often best to just be patient and keep on playing the game, leaving him to worry about later attacks. If you "attack" too blunty and settle the shape, as in the game, you lose other opportunities. The 24-30 stones you got were pretty pointless as black is alive on the left side, and you just helped him live with his top group.
-32 I'd play low, black has a lot of points and I want some too to keep the balance and not have to rely on some central moyo that might not work. High should be fine too, but against this "grabbing territory with little weakish groups" style one counter is to grab territory yourself too if you are not so good at profiting from attacking.
-38: s7 to separate black, you want to keep miai of pressuring either the corner or r8. 40 can be q4 and then after black defends corner you can o3 and black can't poke out nicely like he did in the game.
-44: Wrong way to attack, doesn't make any profit, like 24. Either tenuki and let black connect on the 1st line whilst you play the opening, or play in a way that means you get s14 as this gives you a nice atari on his corner (and sente to kill it?). In fact there is some worry here that he could attack you wall.
-48 at s14, make your moves multi-purpose.
-50 is ok
-68 e2 only move. Very important. Remember you can capture at c2 unless he can immediately capture some of your stones in sequence of forcing moves in which they never get more than 2 liberties like a ladder (which he can't). Don't think about josekis, think about stones having 2 liberties or 3.
-72 Which stone is more useful: d5 or f2?
-92 If you pass can black live if he plays first? (This is a door group, but if you don't know it you can still read it). So surround.
-96 What happens if black captures this stone?

Just a couple of comments on the early play.