Life In 19x19

Posted: **Sun Apr 12, 2015 6:32 pm**

Here is a position that came up in a tygem game today. I played white. Black just played the marked stone. I had a really hard time deciding on my next move. I ended up attaching at "a". My result was OK, but my opponent let me off the hook at least once.
It seemed that if W played "b" it invites "c". For every additional stone W plays in B's area, B gets a move in W's area, so it seems like a bad exchange. But a W stone at "c" doesn't look all that great either.

So my question is where is it best for W to play next.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . O . . . . O . . . . X . . . . | $$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . c . O . . . . X , X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . | $$ | . . . . . . . Y . b . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . O X . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . O X X . . . X . . . . . a . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Here is the full game record.

Posted: **Sun Apr 12, 2015 7:24 pm**

My instinct is to play here:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$c $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . O . . . . O . . . . X . . . . | $$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . O . . . . X , X . . | $$ | . . . . . . W . . . b . . . . . O X . | $$ | . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . O X . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . O X X . . . X . . . . . a . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

But I have no idea if it is good or not. I just like to make a relationship between the white stones. If you can get sente, then attaching at 'a' seems like a good next plan.

If black defends around 'a', you can move in around the 'b' area above.

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2015 5:08 am**

I don't think c in the original diagram is too bad.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wc $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . O . . . . O . . . . X . . . . | $$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . 1 . O . . . . X , X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . O X . | $$ | . . . . . . . Y . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . O X . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . O X X . . . X . . . . . . 3 . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

If black makes a box-shaped moyo, you can leap into the 3-3 point. This looks OK for white to me - black is likely to be over-concentrated on the outside. So black may take the 3-3, but then white can walk into the moyo from the top.

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wc $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . O . . . . O . . . . X . . . . | $$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . 1 . O . . . . X , X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O X . | $$ | . . . . . . . Y . . 3 . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O . . . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . O X . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . O X X . . . X . . . . 2 . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Black can try to disrupt white's shape, but there doesn't seem to be anything very serious. for example:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Wc $$ --------------------------------------- $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . O . . . . O . . . . X . . . . | $$ | . . O , . . . . . , . . . . . , X . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O . . | $$ | . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . 1 . O . . . . X , X . . | $$ | . . . 5 4 . 2 . . . . . . . . . O X . | $$ | . . . . 6 . . Y . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . 7 . . O . . . . . . . . . . X . . | $$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . O X . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . O X . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . O X X . . . X . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ ---------------------------------------[/go]

Posted: **Mon Apr 13, 2015 2:45 pm**

@Kirby

I probably thought about this move for two minutes or so during the game, and then looked at the position again for a review, and then again to make a post about it. Never once did this incredibly natural looking move enter my thoughts. I am completely baffled on how it never occurred to me.

@drmwc

I didn't read too deeply after "a" in the original diagram. It just seemed to have mediocre shape. Maybe the attachment at G10 could start a fight that W doesn't want to deal with. In any case, it seems like it leaves behind a lot of aji for Black to exploit later. Maybe, I just didn't do enough reading though.

*Edit
Oh, and thank you both for your input!

Life In 19x19

Where to play?

Where to play?

Re: Where to play?

Re: Where to play?

Re: Where to play?