Life In 19x19

The opponent's move aims at cutting me at H14 while building a moyo on the left side. Invasion is and reduction is still possible though, so I am not really worried about this second function. Responding to the cut will probably end in this way:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$cm1 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . O . . . 6 7 . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , X O . . . O . X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O 2 4 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O 1 3 5 X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O X O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O X O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . O . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . O . X . . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

This gives my top group a living shape (at least, that's what I feel). My outside stones are weak though.

Defending with J15 here (gives the best eyeshape, plus kosumi from my lone K16 stone), feels slow though, and because my top shape is alive I will play one the outside, strengthening my stones if he cuts (which I do not expect directly, it is just aji to keep in the back of my head). Outside moves are always more valuable than inside moves.

Sente because he only has one eye.

I'd rather not be surrounded, so let's just lean on black's bottom group.

Normaly this is very bad shape because of the push through point.
Howhever because of my shape I think this is playable.
I might be wrong though and then we'll see that by his next moves I guess

Opponent's move
I think Otenki is trying to stake out a gigantic moyo on the right. However, there are still many invasions possible, and as rule 8 of http://senseis.xmp.net/?TheTenGoldenRulesList says, "Be unhurried to enter the opponents territory". An other aim of his is to make the cut at H14 more severe, but after my shape move at K12 this pressure is not that big.

Urgent points
Urgent points are very important. Unlike big points, urgent points are point on which the whole flow of the game depends. Points which decide on life or death, surrounding and being surrounded, keeping a snake out of your territory. In my opinion, O6 is such a point. To substantiate that, let's compare these two diagrams:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$cm21 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , X O . . . O . X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O X O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O X O . . O . X . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . B O . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . O . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . O . X . . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In this diagram, black's O5 group cannot be surrounded, so he never has to worry about his eyespace. My H12 group will never be able to connect to the lower right, so that is one escape route less. There is also no definate split between the bottom group and his right side, meaning any invasion on the right will be less severe and dangerous. White's bottom right group is almost surrounded, so either he has to push out while black builds influence in the pushing battle and white will run through dame, or black will gain forcing moves while white lives.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$cm21 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , X O . . . O . X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O X O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O X O . . O . X . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . W O . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . O . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . O . X . . . X . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

In this diagram, white's bottom right is under no pressure at all. However, black's bottom group can be attacked severely if he does not act now. If this happens, it is not hard to imagine white will gain a center moyo. The move at O6 also lessens the threat of the cut at H14, because white has more directions to run in. Lastly, invasion on the right side will be more severe, because the two black stones on the right can never connect to the bottom and have to run towards the left.

So, after comparing these two diagrams and deciding O6 is really urgent, I play it without hesitation.

Positional judgement
I think black is still a bit ahead in this game, but I feel his last two moves where slack. Because of these slack moves I will keep on playing calm and only start fighting when I have the advantage, because even if we continue peacefully I feel like my developing moves will be more efficient than his.

I don't care that he is surrounding my bottom group. It can live and thats all it needs to do. Center influence is not worth anything ecept for reducing and for that its too early. Taking points now while potentialy reducing his teritory in the future.

By the way, if you change the "$$cm31" part of the diagram code every ten moves, the x1'th move will not show up as the (x-1)1'th move.

Another chance to attack! Harr! I will take it. This can not lead to a good result for black. In the sequences I see I will connect his K2 stone, send him running or he will live very tiny.

I think my last move was a thank you-move, because it allows N6, ah well.

I hope I've read enough variations.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$cm31 Prisoners:
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X . O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , X O . . . O . X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . X O . . . X . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O X O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . X O X O . . O . X . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . X O . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O . O . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . O . . . . X . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , 7 3 5 . W O . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . O 9 X 6 2 4 X . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . 0 8 . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]