Painful Loss
Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2019 4:57 pm
I played the game below at the local club today. My opponent and I are about the same rank (3-4k AGA). Would someone have time to provide some comments?
I thought the game started off well. I think my first real mistake is at move 54, but overall, I was very happy with my play up to move 108. At move 108, I had a chance to simplify the game for a fairly straightforward (I think!) win. Unfortunately, I didn't simplify and tried to do more than I needed to do to win... Even with that blunder, I think I recovered and was happy with my play until move 172. Here I made the first of a sequence of mistakes that ultimately cost me the game.
I thought the game started off well. I think my first real mistake is at move 54, but overall, I was very happy with my play up to move 108. At move 108, I had a chance to simplify the game for a fairly straightforward (I think!) win. Unfortunately, I didn't simplify and tried to do more than I needed to do to win... Even with that blunder, I think I recovered and was happy with my play until move 172. Here I made the first of a sequence of mistakes that ultimately cost me the game.
There is an art to winning a won game. 
AlphaGo Teach likes your play. 
: What about the hane-and-connect at B-17? I seem to recall that it is good when Black has stones on both nearby star points on the side.
I think the crawl at G-18 is better, because it carries a threat. If 
at H-17, White has lived with sente and can tenuki. 
What about one point further in, at L-03? Doesn’t that have a better relationship to F-03?
Looks too solid. How about the keima at M-06? If Black pushes and cuts you can sacrifice the two stones in the corner for greater outside strength and sente.
Good!
Yes, C-07 was better. Another case of living without threatening anything.
Time to plan. White has the advantage, because Black has played poorly so far, taking gote when he didn’t have to. Presumably he is a good fighter. You each have two weak stones on the bottom side. Yours are weaker because his have more room. But you have sente. If you both run out, you can probably maintain your lead. Sacrificing your two stones is an option, but that would be a pretty large sacrifice, and you can’t at this point see getting much strength from doing so. Both your play and your suggested play probably lose your stones. My suggestion is the shoulder blow at H-06, which even starts to make an eye for you. If now Black peeps at G-04, you can push through at H-04. You can lose one stone if you keep Black separated. The result will probably be run-run, which looks OK. 
Overplay. Black should peep now, when White cannot push through at H-04.
The tesuji is J-01. But probably better to go with you idea of sacrifice in exchange for outside strength and atari at K-05.
One point lower (P-13) might be better. More solid. The dogleg keima is a pretty good shape. 
Good. Dogleg keima. 
(White 102). You don’t have to win the semeai to win the game. How about N-09?
N-09 threatens to push and cut.
L-08 is a shape point (middle of three).
H-17 is tesuji, the nose attachment, leaving Black with 3 dame. Now if Black hanes underneath at H-18, extend to J-17. Then when Black connects at G-18, mend your shape with J-15. Black can still trade his stones for your 5 stones in the center, but with gote, not sente. Big difference. 
stones may be an exception, where that joseki is fine for White. 
and take the corner. But when Black extends, as in this game, if White plays 
- 
, 
is not good, because with the 
here is quite nice. 
looks pretty bad.
in this diagram is better, but White has left aji behind. 
