Life In 19x19

It's also interesting to note that this is only the second 4th line stone that I've played this game.

I really wonder if I should try to be more balanced. Where do "balance" and "consistency" meet?

Kirby wrote:It's also interesting to note that this is only the second 4th line stone that I've played this game.

I really wonder if I should try to be more balanced. Where do "balance" and "consistency" meet?

i was about to post the same thought, Kirby seems too worried about being consistent to me (though i remember inconsistency was criticised in some of his previous games). i am not very good at theory, so i usually go with 'the end justifies the means' and play whatever move i currently like most in the position

actually i find it hard to define consistency so it wouldn't go against balance (in fuseki) or flexibility (in fight). i guess something like 'the move should give you more than it costs you' could work, but it is hardly different from just a good move

otherwise i think Kirby has a good position and if white backs up his kakari with an extension like K16, black can enclose his lower left corner, for example with keima E4 or ogeima F4, and be quite satisfied.
i don't really like letting black kakari O3 under attack, but if black extends to K4 to protect it, then his sansan starts looking like a weak spot of the whole black formation.
other thing is that i can't play with sansans

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm11 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . b O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . a , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
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$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Instead of 17 at (a) why not at (b)? This point looks huge. If W(c) then B(a) maybe.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm11 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , W . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Did I just make a framework? Whoa, wasn't sure I still remembered how. Obviously, border plays will be big, but group stability comes first. If my opponent doesn't play something local to 'a', I'm thinking I'll get to harass his lone stone there. My club president has been haranguing me about the price of tenuki and how to poke weak groups and such. While that stone can jump into my corner, that would give me even more influence, in comparison to his...2 fourth-line stones? Doing my best to do fast development, and that would allow more. I would love to play again in the top left, as I don't like the thought of him getting E13. I may actually try to fix that before returning to the bottom right, but we'll see. The question in my head is, is E13 (for me) an example of that Japanese word for stable, solid moves that are unquestionable? Honte, that's the one. If so, almost by definition, I should play it or suffer. Hmmm...

My opponent is gaining a LOT of solid territory, but I still don't feel like I'm behind. Hopefully I'm not lying to myself.

His move is solid. It's hard to say where the best place to play is. I kind of want to play in the top left, still, but maybe it's too small.

Pressuring around R8 also appears interesting.

The bottom also looks like an important place to play...

I don't know if this is good or not, but I don't like it if he approaches me:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm11 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , O . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

So I want to play on the right first.

Was debating between this move and O5. Obviously I don't want to get sealed in, and I want to separate both lone white stones. I ended up on this move because I'm a little more comfortable with the shape, and because it makes R10 look a little more intimidating as a followup. If my opponent defends on that side (I would) I'll probably pincer the other stone. I'd have to decide for sure based on how he responds, but my eye immediately wants low and close, so it's severe and urgent. I just need to read to see how much that affects my corner group.

I seriously considered this move:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm21 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , O . . O . , . . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

But it just feels too flat, especially with the marked stone in place.

Again, doing this so one because it's severe. If he jumps out, I'll make a base on the bottom and threaten to attack again. If he takes my corner, I'll make a westward-facing wall.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm21 Prisoner Count: B-0 W-0
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O . O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X O . . . . . , O . . O . , b . . |
$$ | . . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . |
$$ | . . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , a . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

My opponent's move is reasonable, but I look forwards to trying the invasion at 'a'. 'b' alsos seems to have some interesting aji, though it could hurt my stones to the left a little.

I don't think that this choice can be that bad - I feel like he'll get over-concentrated no matter how he plays.