Life In 19x19

Bah humbug, very sorry about this everyone, I'll see if I can at least finish the game. I'm very good at going totally AWOL I'm afraid, and I'm not really a fan of excuses, so I hope an apology is ok.

Regarding this game, even re-reading my notes I can't quite see what I was thinking of here. Nothing really works properly... so I'm blocking here simply because White has to cut, then cut on the other side, and later capture, so even though I'm going to concede the loss of letting him out, I'd rather exchange this move before connecting underneath. I haven't counted the game, it doesn't look as good for Black as I seem to remember thinking it was many months ago, but it looks pretty playable still, even though you may find my ideas and direction may not match what I'd been thinking before I'd left.

If there's any sorts of analysis and comments you want from me (for those still watching), please ask away, otherwise my comments will probably be mostly brief to prevent boring everyone

My expectations:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm77
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . . . . O . . O . . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O a . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . c . . , . . . |
$$ | . b . O X . O . . . . . . . X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . . . . O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . 4 . C . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . 6 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O X X O . O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 5 . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

All of this looks pretty much forced, and then saving those stones looks very heavy, so I'm going to do one of "a", "b" or "c" most likely. I may play @ instead, but then White plays at the circled point and responds to a following by taking another liberty away from my three stones, and that feels like a poor use of the aji in the above line, so I'm guessing what you see above is what will happen.

So, I guess I get to pick the next move elsewhere ... something based in the middle I think

The funny thing about Malkovich games is that as I explain moves that I thought about in depth, I quite often re-evaluate my decision and change my mind several times. I could simply save my group, but that gives black sente and a move like "a" makes it very difficult for W to make much in the center. Especially since B can lean with "b" to make a big moyo on top. I considered playing "a" myself, but if B captures by filling in a liberty instead of connecting the outside the cutting stones at J5 is problematic. The question was how to make something in the center in sente.

I think I found an appropriate answer with my move. here is my sequence:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm81
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . . . . O . . O . . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O . . . . , . . b . . X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . a . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O . . . . . . . X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . . . . O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . O 2 6 . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . X O X 3 4 . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O X X O 5 O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 1 . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

If Black plays as above, I get sente to play "a". If black plays part of the ladder out it is a little more complicated, but I think that W's position reamains pretty strong, but now "a" is not as large, so W can rescue his stones on the side, maybe after a forcing move or two in the top left.

I think this is bigger than N10, my other candidate move at the moment. It doesn't get me much, but it squeezes White's shape and prevents White from building up a dominating position facing towards the middle from up here

Hold on, what was White's last move?? That's locally disastrous isn't it?

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm81
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . . . . O . . O . . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O . . . . . . . X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . . . . O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . O 2 . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . X O X 3 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O X X O . O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . 1 . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

Now I have at least a ko to save those stones... in sente, unless he wants me to capture the 6 stones below as well...I was expecting the following if I'd connected the lone stone instead of connecting at the bottom last move:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm81
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . . . . O . . O . . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O . . . . . . . X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . . . . O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . O . 2 . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . 1 X O X . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O X X O . O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

Now I'm picked up in a neat net. As he's down to 2 liberties though, he's in a bit of trouble here. I may simply go and play locally down there next move

Well this was unexpected and unfortunate. I don't think I can ignore it.

I really want to return to the lower side, but I'm happy with the last exchange, and as he didn't hane, it doesn't feel anywhere near as urgent for me to play another move immediately. So, I may as well embark on this move now, and either reduce the top to build points next, or if he stops me from doing that, the lower side still beckons.

Well I didn't get either point that enlarged the center, so I might as well capture these to make sure that I have no weak groups and get a few points in the meantime. I am starting to feel bad about this game.

Having taken both the points I was worried about White taking, I'll use this moment to start pushing the boundaries of what Black may be able to get away with. There are a few points on the left and the lower right that interest me, but this area feels big. I'm also trying to work out exactly how big J17 is.

I might have played this:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm81
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . . . . O . . O . . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O X . . . , . 7 . . . X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . O . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . X . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O . . . . . . . X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . . . . O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . O O . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . X O . O . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O . . O . O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

I can't say for sure that it is better, but M17 is just too submissive.

One of the bigger considerations about J17 was whether or not White could afford to split last move:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$Bcm81
$$ +---------------------------------------+
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . . |
$$ | . X X X . X . 0 . . O 9 . O . . X . . |
$$ | . X O O O X . . . , . 7 . . . X . . . |
$$ | X O O . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . |
$$ | . X X O . O . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . X . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O . . . . . . . X X X . . |
$$ | . . X X O O . . . . . . . O X O . . . |
$$ | . . O X X O . O O . . . O . O . . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . X O C 6 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . O X X X O C C O . O . . . O . . . |
$$ | . . . O X . O O O X O . . . . , X . . |
$$ | . . O . . X . O X X O X . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . X O X . X X . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X . X . . . . . . . . . |
$$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

It's really rather ugly for White, and I'm not convinced it's playable, but not only would J17 have prevented it, it would also be mutually worth points, and give extra possibilities to the move at M16.

Sadly, it was also completely gote, and would likely encourage White to walk out towards the centre (L15 perhaps), so I decided the direction I'm playing in game is going to be bigger ... we'll just have to let that last top point resolve itself later at some stage.

The wedge would be the normal move here, but That really makes black's center stronger. I count myself as around 10 points behind if Black doesn't make much in the center. This way, Black might ignore my move leaving bad aji for later. It may even let me invade deeper into his territory.