I'm Soryy if this sounds harsh, but:
pocketMAD wrote:Hi pocketmad,
Red herrings ( No to all ).
Please try once more: study the board more closely;
see if you can find the correct move for

.
I came up with 2 solutions, none of which were yours. First, I could've placed a stone H4 instead of J5, giving the opponent center while I had side.
. Bad idea: your opponent will extend and your two stones are in trouble and will end up in bad shape(if you intend to sacrifice them, this will give him a far too happy life in the corner), which will make the life of his corner group too easy.
$$Bm26
$$ --------------|
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . X X O O . . |
$$ , 1 O X X O . |
$$ . . 2 . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bm26
$$ --------------|
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . X X O O . . |
$$ , 1 O X X O . |
$$ . . 2 . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |[/go]
Secondly, I could've placed a stone at the right star point, giving looks at my lower right 4-4 stone. Once again, none of those solutions were yours.
TERRIBLE idea. This would let him capture your two stones in a ladder:
$$Bm26
$$ --------------|
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . X X O O . . |
$$ , . O X X O . |
$$ . . . 2 . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bm26
$$ --------------|
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . X X O O . . |
$$ , . O X X O . |
$$ . . . 2 . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |[/go]
You see that the star point doesnt break it, right?
The result: he invaded where you were strong, made an overplay cut, resulting in you immediately "sacrificing" the surrounding stones giving him a huge corner, where he should struggle for life.
I actually have no idea whatsoever why you would want to place a stone at M5 aside from preventing open-skirtedness for a potential right side group.
His corner group is not alive yet. By enclosing him in the corner, you force hin to live small and get big outside more or less swallowing his cutting stone in sente, for example like this:
$$Bm26
$$ --------------|
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . 5 4 6 . . . |
$$ . X X O O 2 . |
$$ , . O X X O . |
$$ . . . . . 1 . |
$$ . . . . 3 . . |
- Click Here To Show Diagram Code
[go]$$Bm26
$$ --------------|
$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . 5 4 6 . . . |
$$ . X X O O 2 . |
$$ , . O X X O . |
$$ . . . . . 1 . |
$$ . . . . 3 . . |[/go]
After 27 connect and 28 protect, he needs to live in gote(for example with 29-31) after which he is small and enclosed, you get sente and the cut is not usefull.Do you see, why this would be a better result than the game?