18k game review

[SerDiuK]

Hey guys. After a long break I've started playing Go again. I had some success initially moving up to 16k on Tygem but I've fallen back to 18k since. Since then I'm trying to play a game every day and reviewing it on KGS after a few hours to improve my game.

This was today's game. This is likely not a very good game but I'd love some outside input. I comments and questions in the game from my own review.

http://strak-design.com/serdiuk2.sgf

[schawipp]

After the last move in the SGF, white still has a big "endgame" at upper side, did you play it?

[DJLLAP]

Your refutation of B's weird jump move seems fine to me. W gets a big corner and connection to the side. B doesn't really get much of anything.


While this move is big point-wise it fails to take into account the position of the board as a whole. All of B's stones are one the 4th line, threatening a large moyo. W's stones are similarly laid out, farther apart, but with equal emphasis on moyo rather than territory. When two players are building moyos it is usually best to play in a place that makes your moyo larger, and your opponents smaller. O16 and tengen look good to me.

This invasion looks fine to me. It might not be the biggest move on the board, but it works. Especially when B lets you keep sente.

Looks good. Your follow-up had several mistakes in it though.

Connect at G4. B didn't cut you, so take advantage of it. B's stones now cant connect, and you can probably build territory on the lefft side while attacking his now weak group.

just extend to H5 and you can still attack the B stones.

Your move does look kind of slow... Especially since B can still invade at a lot of places in your moyo and live easily. at this point and invasion of your corner would give you a stone position on the side with a wall facing one of your star point stones, so I think the side and the corner can kind of be considered miai. I think I would make shape for my weak stones in the center with G8.

this move is way too slow and forces B to fix his own mistake at E19 without receiving his just desserts. Play G18 and W either captures 2 stones or connects to the iron pillar on the right.



In general, I think you should work on identifying weak groups and trying to attack them.

[SerDiuK]

After the last move in the SGF, white still has a big "endgame" at upper side, did you play it?

I didn't play anything. In all honesty I still don't see it.

:w7: Your refutation of B's weird jump move seems fine to me. W gets a big corner and connection to the side. B doesn't really get much of anything.


While this move is big point-wise it fails to take into account the position of the board as a whole. All of B's stones are one the 4th line, threatening a large moyo. W's stones are similarly laid out, farther apart, but with equal emphasis on moyo rather than territory. When two players are building moyos it is usually best to play in a place that makes your moyo larger, and your opponents smaller. O16 and tengen look good to me.

This invasion looks fine to me. It might not be the biggest move on the board, but it works. Especially when B lets you keep sente.

Looks good. Your follow-up had several mistakes in it though.

Connect at G4. B didn't cut you, so take advantage of it. B's stones now cant connect, and you can probably build territory on the lefft side while attacking his now weak group.

just extend to H5 and you can still attack the B stones.

Your move does look kind of slow... Especially since B can still invade at a lot of places in your moyo and live easily. at this point and invasion of your corner would give you a stone position on the side with a wall facing one of your star point stones, so I think the side and the corner can kind of be considered miai. I think I would make shape for my weak stones in the center with G8.

this move is way too slow and forces B to fix his own mistake at E19 without receiving his just desserts. Play G18 and W either captures 2 stones or connects to the iron pillar on the right.



In general, I think you should work on identifying weak groups and trying to attack them.

Thanks for the review. I think protecting my own weak groups and attacking my opponent's weak groups is the biggest weakness in my games and contributes to most of my losses at this level (obviously there are other mayor faults in my play too).

The move :w38 I remember regretting during the game.

I'm going to run through some variations keeping your advised moves in account. Thank you.

[schawipp]

I didn't play anything. In all honesty I still don't see it.

Then I suggest to have a look at http://goproblems.com/312?psetid=10505217

[EdLee]

Hi SerDiuK,

The shaped pointed out by schawipp is good, basic, and important to remember.

What's your plan (if any), if inside hane at C4 ?

What's your plan (if any), if cuts at C6 ?

OK for now. You have bigger problems elsewhere. (E.g. , , )
( Future: White's local shape combination is not very good --
not a problem at this level. )

Connect at G4. Only move. Broken shape for Black.
See also Toothpaste .

[SerDiuK]

Ohhh, now i see it. Thats indeed a very good shape to remember!

Hi SerDiuK,

The shaped pointed out by schawipp is good, basic, and important to remember.

What's your plan (if any), if inside hane at C4 ?

What's your plan (if any), if cuts at C6 ?

OK for now. You have bigger problems elsewhere. (E.g. , , )
( Future: White's local shape combination is not very good --
not a problem at this level. )

Connect at G4. Only move. Broken shape for Black.
See also Toothpaste .

Hmmm.

If :b9 does a hane on the inside I would cut at D4. That fight should go alright for me no?

Damn the cut by :b11 at C6 is a lot trickier. Fix at B5. After that I don't know. Maybe play D10 and keep D6 for aji?

You're very right about :w36. Should have taken my time to read that out.