Life In 19x19

Echoing Harlequin and k43r,
Now is most certainly not the time to be thinking of minor reductions and endgame! There are MANY life and death issues that both players seem to be missing, or only partially seeing.

After black's monkey jump, the marked white group no longer has enough eyespace to live unconditionally. If black can seal it off around A, it could die.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . B . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . X O O X . . X . . . . . . W X . |
$$ | . . X . O X X . . X W W W W W W W X . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , W X X X W X X . . |
$$ | . O O . X X . . W W . X . . X X . . . |
$$ | O X X X . . . X . . X . X X O O O . . |
$$ | . O O X . O . . a a . . . O X X . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . . O . . X . X , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . O . X . . . . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . O . . . O X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O . O . . . X . . X . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . , . . X X O X X O . |
$$ | . . O X . . . X . O . O . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . O . X . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

If black plays here, the marked white group looks dead.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . X O O X . . X . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . X . O X X . . X O O O O O O O X . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , O X X X O X X . . |
$$ | . O O . X X . . O O . X . . X X . . . |
$$ | O X X X . . . X . . X . X X W W W . . |
$$ | . O O X . O . . . . . . . O X X . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . O . O . . W . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . . O . . X . X , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . O . X . . . . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . O . . . O X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O . O . . . X . . X . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . , . . X X O X X O . |
$$ | . . O X . . . X . O . O . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . O . X . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

If white can break out through the center here, and also manage to exchange the triangled stones in sente, then the upper right black group can be killed with a move like 1. Black has only a half-eye at a and a half eye at b, for a total of one eye.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . b . |
$$ | . X . X O O X . . X . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . X . O X X . . X O O O O O O O X . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , O X X X O X X Y . |
$$ | . O O . X X . . O O . X . a X X . Q . |
$$ | O X X X . . . X . . X . X X O O O . . |
$$ | . O O X . O . . W W . 1 . O X X . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Q . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . . O . . X . X Y X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . O . X . . . . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . O . . . O X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O . O . . . X . . X . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . , . . X X O X X O . |
$$ | . . O X . . . X . O . O . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . O . X . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Also, if white can break through the center, then Black's marked group is not necessarily alive either, although it has a few options still. For example, it can make an eye at a using the 1-2 exchange, although this will hurt the corner.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . X O O B . . B . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . X 2 O B B . . B O O O O O O O X . |
$$ | . . . O 1 a , . . , O X X X O X X . . |
$$ | . O O . B B . . O O . X . . X X . . . |
$$ | O B B B . . . B . . X . X X O O O . . |
$$ | . O O B . O . . W W . . . O X X . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . . O . . X . X , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . O . X . . . . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . O . . . O X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O . O . . . X . . X . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . , . . X X O X X O . |
$$ | . . O X . . . X . O . O . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . O . X . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

The situation in the upper left is not yet finished. It seems that black can live with a, or white can kill with b. This is less urgent than the fight in the top right, but still quite large, and definitely more important than some of the vague moves that white and black were exchanging in the lower right quadrant of the board.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . |
$$ | . B . B O O X . . X . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | b . B . O X X . . X O O O O O O O X . |
$$ | . a . O . . . . . , O X X X O X X . . |
$$ | . O O . X X . . O O . X . . X X . . . |
$$ | O X X X . . . X . . X . X X O O O . . |
$$ | . O O X . O . . . . . . . O X X . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . . O . . X . X , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . O . X . . . . B . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . O . . . W B . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O . W . . . X . . X . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . , . . X X O X X O . |
$$ | . . O X . . . X . O . O . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . O . X . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I might be wrong here, but the black group on the bottom does not look clearly alive to me. It's surrounded, and doesn't have quite enough eyespace to be comfortable. For example, if white can exchange 1 for 2, and then find a good followup for , it's not entirely obvious that black can get 2 eyes. Visually it looks like black has eyeshape around a, but it's undermined by the marked stone, which can give atari at any moment to destroy any eye there.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Wcm
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . X O O X . . X . . . . . . O X . |
$$ | . . X . O X X . . X O O O O O O O X . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , O X X X O X X . . |
$$ | . O O . X X . . O O . X . . X X . . . |
$$ | O X X X . . . X . . X . X X O O O . . |
$$ | . O O X . O . . . . . . . O X X . . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . . O . . X . X , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . O . X . . . . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . O . . . O X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O B B . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O . O . . . X . . X . |
$$ | . . . O B B . . . , . . X X O X X O . |
$$ | . . O B a . . B . O . O . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . W . B . . 2 1 . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In total, this adds up to a LOT of unsettled groups, several of which neither player appears to have noticed.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . X O O X . . X . . . . . . W X . |
$$ | . . X . O X X . . X W W W W W W W X . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , W X X X W X X . . |
$$ | . O O . X X . . W W . X . . X X . . . |
$$ | O X X X . . . X . . X . X X O O O . . |
$$ | . O O X . O . . a a . . . O X X b . . |
$$ | . X O . . . . . . . . O . O . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b . . . |
$$ | . . O O . . O . . O . . X . X , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . O . X . . . . X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . O . O . . . O X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . . . . . . X . X . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . O . O . . . X . . X . |
$$ | . . . O X X . . . , . . X X O X X O . |
$$ | . . O X . . . X . O . O . O O O O O . |
$$ | . . O . X . . . . . . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Seeing as the most of the life and death issues revolve around white breaking through the center around a, Black should play to contain white there, and white should fight to cut his way out. Also, both players should also be struggling urgently to be the first to play around b.

Edit: White's last move seems to have caught the right idea. Maybe Jordus has noticed what is going on now.

It is really late, and I'm tired. But I think this might kill those 3 white stones, or at least save those measly black ones. If black can kill those three white stones, he gets gobs of territory.

i didnt see him making that move so early... oh well... I will sacrifice the 3 stones to go for the top side now...

I think this keeps my group connected. If black's group is split, making life with the stones on the left may be tough. White will be able to destroy more of my territory and link up with H18, which is too bad, but if black blocks, I think white can sever the group.

Sorry my comments haven't been very good, but I am completely distracted... I might take a break from GO after I finish my current games. I am just too distracted to comment and I find my play is effected also.... at least that's how I feel...

This is a nice move I didn't expect, trying to take full advantage of white's center territory potential. I think the game is within 5 points, but I'm not great at counting (well, that is, I just don't take the time to count when I should).

If I read this right, this might allow me to link up with H14 if I want, although I re-evaluate how big a move that would be if it comes down to it.

This should prevent white from linking up, though white can seal black in a bit, securing even more territory in the center.