Life In 19x19

I don't feel very good about this game.

The game seems out of my control.

I'm doing this to protect the cut.

it also makes my group look a lot more safe. Whether that's true or not, I think we'll find out.

hailthorn011 wrote:@Uberdude
In retrospect, I'm not entirely sure. I think a part of me was trying to look out for the 3-3 invasion despite that not being an issue. It was a mistake.

I see, thanks; connect is so natural for me I wondered why you didn't. At least you had a reason, though as you say not a valid one!

So I'm in this position where I have no idea where to play. My top group isn't exactly solid yet. And is obviously trying to make some points with his group at the top right. Well, that and strengthen those stones. I highly doubt I could kill that group. But I do suppose it would be possible to minimize the amount of points gained there.

But is that the best move for me? I could easily connect my bottom stones with my right hand stones and gain nicely from it. The left side is pretty secure as of now, and I feel I gained quite a bit there. 's top left is pretty much standard corner points. So I'm okay with that.

So by this logic, I have two main moves I should be concerned with:

1. Solidifying the top and making sure I have life.
-This is a no brainer. I want to live there. Death will likely result in a loss. But I guess I have enough room to be able to make life there no matter what. For example if targets the bottom, I can move out at the top. And if targets the top, I can enclose the bottom. But I still have an unsettling feeling about this spot.

2. Making big points at the bottom.
- Technically, isn't alive on the bottom yet. Can I kill it? More than likely no. But that wouldn't be my goal anyway. My goal would be figuring out the best method of connecting my bottom group with my right group and maximizing the points from there and build up a wall. I like Q6 here. It feels like a good move. Regardless, I'd play somewhere around there.
-

But yeah, so really, after having reasoned through a few things, I need to determine if trying to diminish at the top left is worth more than building a wall and trying to enclose points down at the bottom. As I noted, isn't exactly alive down there yet.

So I can probably forget worrying about my group at the top for now.

Sorry if this seems rather jumbled, but it's a collection of thoughts. I think easier when I type. Maybe that's weird. I dunno. Regardless, this is a tough situation....

So I'm basically choosing now between:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Black: 0 White: 1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . X . X . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X X . . . . O . . X . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . O . O . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X X O . . . . W . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . X O O . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X . X . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X . O . O . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . B . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . . . . . X X . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , O . O . O , X . . O O , . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . O X . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

OR

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Black: 0 White: 1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . X . X . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X X . . . . O . . X . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . O . O . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X X O . . . . W . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . X O O . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X . X . . . S S S . . . . |
$$ | . X . O . O . . . . O . S S S . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . . . . . X X . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , O . O . O , X . . O O , . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . O X . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

The goal is to determine which one nets more points. But I think I'm going to bite the bullet and go with Q6. It feels good. I suppose I'll find out if not playing at the top was wise....

Another tenuki from the main battle . White should probably try to see if he can kill now. The plan would be, ideally, to reduce Black's eyespace to one eye on top and then play this move (other moves probably work as well, such as "a"):

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

The question, however, is whether Black is alive on top already or not. White should, probably, first investigate this move, which threatens to cut Black group in two:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

i'm down by a lot
i've got nothing to attack.
and i'm tired from work.

I think I'll fix my bottom group by hitting his pivot point and gaining territory.

I need to threaten to cut something.
He's settle'd everywhere
My groups are semi okay.

Again not feeling positive about this game.
I get home tomorrow around the same time I suppose I'll make a move then.

I find it interesting that both players think they are far behind, and as The Intrepid said, are both tenukiing or considering it from the big fight on the top side.

Complicated position? Unsettled situations? I'm not sure what is causing these assesments, but they can't both be right.

I do know that if I'm not counting closely, I often feel like I'm behind when I don't have a clear lead (i.e. the game is even).

My own current assessment is that black is ahead in settled or likely territory, but white has a group to attack that is too heavy to sacrifice. Depending on how much he can get out of the attack, he may turn out ahead or be able to invade black's sides with impunity.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Black: 0 White: 1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . X . X . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X X . . . . O . . X . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . O . O . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X X O . . . . W . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . X O O . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X . X . . . . . . . a . . |
$$ | . X . O . O . . . . O . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . c . b . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . B . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . . . . . X X . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , O . O . O , X . . O O , . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . O X . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

right now I'm looking at A and B

a I can hane under his stones or try to separate this group and attack it.

b I can threaten to cut and then follow up around c to break the net and cut off his lone stone.

Then I can invade inside three space 4th line jump and suddenly his group is looking flat.

I think I'm about 15points behind so I need to play something desperate like this.

this hurts my top group.. Idk how hard I can fight here....

Expected.

I feel relieved on seeing this. idk it seems soft.

i think i need this move to separate. If i'm not careful i will hurt my own group too much...

I'm not sure I'm not sure...

looks like there's something at these areas...

s14, r10, r8

i'm scared.
So he's threatening to cut me while protecting the cut if he hane's my two stones.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Black: 0 White: 1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . . . X 4 X . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X X . . . 2 O . . X . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . O . O . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X X O . . . . O . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . X O O . . . X . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X . X . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . X . O . O . . . . O . . . 3 O O . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . . . . . X X . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , O . O . O , X . . O O , . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . O X . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

and i think his group is back to no eyes.
I'm not really sure how this will go.

Black appears to have made a mistake because the move in the game does not give Black an eye in sente. Instead, "a" or "b" should have been chosen.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

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

seems like a strange response. it's not really sente. and i don't think it's two eyes.

my first instinct is play

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$c Black: 0 White: 1
$$ ---------------------------------------
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O X . . X . X . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . O X X . . . O O . . X . . |
$$ | . . O , . . . . . O . O . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . O . X X O . . . . O 2 3 . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . X O O . . . X 5 6 X . . |
$$ | . . . . . O X . X . . . . . 4 X 7 . . |
$$ | . X . O . O . . . . O . . . . O O . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X O O . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . . . . . X X . . . . . |
$$ | . . X , O . O . O , X . . O O , . . . |
$$ | . . . X . O . . O X . . . . . . O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

and see what happens from there.

but i'm drunk so i'll wait til the morning.

even though he played gote to save his group i still think i'm losing.

idk if just saving this two stones is enough.