Life In 19x19

I haven't looked at this position for awhile, but it looks very interesting! My original intention was to play a moyo game. A moyo is more difficult to achieve with white (that is, without giving up the advantage to the other player), so the moyo has to appear "naturally." This can take several forms. For instance, I can keep offering exchanges (in particular, corner or side josekis) where I always seek to take the outside. The other player may wish to resist this by insisting on taking the outside himself, but the idea is that this would be an unfavorable exchange for him. In other words, if he were to try taking the outside, he would put me in the lead, even though I wouldn't be able to get a moyo.

Another way to get a moyo "naturally" is by attacking (and, hopefully, chasing) a weak group. This is the approach I hope to utilize in the present game position. I will attack the group on the left and also, hopefully, the cutting stone . A great outcome for me would be if I could force black to live small on the left side or to force black to run with that group into the center while I build influence around it on both sides.

For my move, I also had the choice to play the following.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm27
$$ --------------------------------------
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . , . X . . . , . . . . . , X . .|
$$ |. O . O . X O . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . O O 1 3 . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . X . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . X 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. X O O . O . . . , . . . . . O . . .|
$$ |. X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I rejected this choice because, although I could attack Black on the left side more severely, the cutting group would become significantly stronger than at present (which would also significantly reduce the aji from my two stones at the top) and so would make the cutting group almost impervious to attack.

Given that I did not play at G13, Black needs to decide if he can afford to play there himself or if he has to defend on the left side, first. Stated differently, if Black plays G13 next, will I be forced to connect at F13 or will I be able to hane at E11 with profit?

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[go]$$Bcm29
$$ --------------------------------------
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . X . . X O . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . , . X . . . , . . . . . , X . .|
$$ |. O . O . X O . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . O O X . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . X . . a 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . b . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . X , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. X O O . O . . . , . . . . . O . . .|
$$ |. X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I have to admit I have no idea what Plans I may have had. Really dont want to give the point a took with to white though, and I think it should be possible to handle the left side after following expected exchange, although it does not look pretty

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm23
$$ --------------------------------------
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . X . . 1 O . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . , . X . . . , . . . . . , X . .|
$$ |. O . O . 3 2 9 . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . O 4 5 . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . X . . 8 7 . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . X 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . X , a . . . . , . . . . . , . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. X O O . O . . . , . . . . . O . . .|
$$ |. X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

I probably have to connect. The hane, although very complicated, probably doesn't quite work, but I'll double-check.

On an unrelated issue, I briefly looked through the earlier moves in the game, and I don't agree with my 18 move anymore. I should have pincerred then, gotten a stable group, and sought to enlarge the moyo on the left/bottom from there. Oh well, past is the past.

Maybe I can hane at E11 after all.

If I haned, I could not see how to keep my position together after the following sequence, and so the move in the game was forced.

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

Given Black's move, the question becomes: how severely can I attack the Black group on the left? I definitely shouldn't be able to kill it. Instead, my goal will be to force it to either run into the center or seek small confined life on the left edge. Ideally, I'll be able to do this in sente, such that I get the chance to play first in the top right corner.