Life In 19x19

Posted: **Fri Dec 10, 2010 9:46 pm**

Here is one of the most recent games that I have played, please criticize and help me improve:

Posted: **Sat Dec 11, 2010 1:38 am**

It's late here, so I have just time for a few comments.

Your grasp of fuseki seems very good for 13K - you had good balance through the first 20 moves. Work a little on joseki and you'll be several stones stronger. In particular, move 5 at N16 is stretching too far. O16 is most often played, though O17 and N17 have been seen too.

A few other thoughts before my forehead bumps the keyboard: try to avoid the empty triangle shape ( http://senseis.xmp.net/?TheEmptyTriangleIsBad ), and avoid being on the receiving end of the hane at the head of two stones ( http://senseis.xmp.net/?HaneAtTheHeadOfTwoStones ) as happened at moves 11/12.

Posted: **Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:50 pm**

(;GM[1]FF[4]AP[glGo:1.4]ST[1]SZ[19]KM[-5.5]PW[sit555]WR[4k+]PB[shinigami]BR[13k]RE[B+9.5]TM[600]DT[2010-12-10]PC[IGS-PandaNet]CP[Copyright (c) PANDANET Inc. 2010];B[pc]C[sit555: Hi!];W[cp];B[cd];W[pe](;B[md]C[JB: Just a tad too loose. See variations.];W[qp];B[qj];W[qh]C[JB: Your R10 stone is light. You do not have to save it. Also, there is a lot of room for it to run if needed.
If you have a choice between strengthening a side or strengthening a corner, the corner is better. See variation](;B[qm];W[qc](;B[pd]C[JB:Generally it is bad for you to get haned like this. See variation.];W[qd](;B[qq]LB[oe:A][qe:B][qb:C]C[JB: This feels unfinished. I'd play 'a' or 'b' or 'c'. But if you must play against the lower corner, don't attach. A 1-on-1 attachment is usually a defensive move. You have a two- or three-to-one advantage in the local area in the lower right corner. You can play attacking moves. See variation.
];W[qr]C[JB: Terrible play by white.];B[pq];W[rq];B[pp];W[rp];B[pn];W[pr];B[eq];W[gq];B[cn];W[cr];B[bq];W[cq];B[bp];W[ep];B[dj];W[cl](;B[bm]C[JB: This gets you locked in. If you come out, you threaten to entrap the C8 stone. See variation];W[bl](;B[cm]C[JB: Too small, and accomplishes almost nothing. See variation.];W[dl];B[cg];W[nq];B[fc];W[po];B[oo];W[qo];B[np];W[on](;B[om]C[JB: This stone had two liberties. Next, you make one move; white makes one move. Now it has three liberties. You just forced white to make his cutting stone 50% stronger.
Generally, it is best not to chase cutting stones unless you can kill them, or unless your stones on one side of the cut are substantially weaker than the stones on the other side such that you must force him away from the weaker group.
See variation.];W[nn];B[no]C[JB: Again, N4 is better.];W[nm];B[jp];W[oq];B[lp];W[op];B[ol];W[nl];B[ok];W[rm];B[rl];W[rn](;B[hq]C[JB: There is really no territory to be made on the lower sidebecause of O3. See variation];W[gp];B[hp];W[en];B[mq];W[lo];B[ko];W[mo];B[mp];W[ln];B[kn];W[lm](;B[fp]C[JB: This is suicidal. Think big. See variations.];W[fo];B[gr];W[fq];B[fr];W[er];B[br];W[dh]C[****Gotta go. END COMMENTS ******];B[ci];W[kc];B[kd];W[lc];B[ld];W[nb];B[nc];W[ob];B[id];W[jc];B[jd];W[pb];B[mc];W[mb];B[ic];W[ec];B[ed];W[dc];B[cc];W[fd];B[dd];W[ch];B[bh];W[bi];B[bg];W[bj];B[fj];W[ei];B[dm];W[ej];B[pf];W[qf];B[oe];W[qe];B[qg];W[pg];B[rg];W[of];B[rh];W[ph];B[ne];W[mj];B[km];W[oc];B[od];W[mf];B[go];W[dq];B[em];W[fm];B[gc];W[dg];B[df];W[ef];B[fe];W[cf];B[bf];W[de];B[ce];W[nj];B[oj];W[oi];B[jg];W[rf];B[qi];W[ho];B[gn];W[hn];B[gm];W[hm];B[gl];W[hl];B[gk];W[fl];B[ll];W[ml];B[hk];W[jl];B[kl];W[ik];B[ij];W[jj];B[ii];W[kj];B[el];W[fk];B[ek];W[fn];B[gj];W[dk];B[fi];W[fh];B[gh];W[fg];B[gg];W[ff];B[gf];W[ee];B[ge];W[fs];B[hr];W[co];B[bo];W[dn];B[am];W[kg];B[kh];W[lh];B[ki];W[ji];B[jh];W[li];B[lg];W[me];B[lf];W[nf];B[nd];W[mg];B[le];W[sg];B[ri];W[rk];B[sl];W[qk];B[ql];W[qn];B[pk];W[pm];B[rj];W[ib];B[hb];W[jb];B[nr];W[io];B[ip];W[jm];B[jn];W[in];B[pi];W[bs];B[ar];W[al];B[df];W[ao];B[ap];W[cj];B[os];W[or];B[ns];W[ps];B[lr];W[kk];B[eh];W[eg];B[sh];W[sf];B[ai];W[aj];B[ah];W[gs];B[hs];W[es];B[cf];W[ha];B[ga];W[ia];B[sm];W[lk];B[nk];W[jo];B[kp];W[il];B[as];W[cs];B[sn];W[so];B[pl];W[pn];B[tt];W[mk];B[tt];W[tt]C[You can check your score with the score command, type 'done' when finished.
Click on a group of stones to mark it dead and remove it from the board.];B[tt]TB[aa][ab][ac][ad][ae][af][ag][an][ao][aq][ba][bb][bc][bd][be][bn][ca][cb][da][db][dc][ea][eb][ec][fa][fb][fd][gb][gd][gi][hc][hd][he][hf][hg][hh][hi][hj][ie][if][ig][ih][iq][ir][is][je][jf][jq][jr][js][ke][kf][kg][kq][kr][ks][lq][ls][mr][ms][pj][qk][rk][si][sj][sk][aa][ab][ac][ad][ae][af][ag][an][ao][aq][ba][bb][bc][bd][be][bn][ca][cb][da][db][dc][ea][eb][ec][fa][fb][fd][gb][gd][gi][hc][hd][he][hf][hg][hh][hi][hj][ie][if][ig][ih][iq][ir][is][je][jf][jq][jr][js][ke][kf][kg][kq][kr][ks][lq][ls][mr][ms][pj][qk][rk][si][sj][sk]TW[ak][bk][ci][ck][di][dj][do][dp][dr][ds][eh][eo][eq][fp][im][ja][jk][ka][kb][la][lb][lj][ma][mh][mi][mm][mn][na][ng][nh][ni][oa][og][oh][pa][pf][pp][pq][qa][qb][qq][qs][ra][rb][rc][rd][re][ro][rr][rs][sa][sb][sc][sd][se][sp][sq][sr][ss][ak][bk][ci][ck][di][dj][do][dp][dr][ds][eh][eo][eq][fp][im][ja][jk][ka][kb][la][lb][lj][ma][mh][mi][mm][mn][na][ng][nh][ni][oa][og][oh][pa][pf][pp][pq][qa][qb][qq][qs][ra][rb][rc][rd][re][ro][rr][rs][sa][sb][sc][sd][se][sp][sq][sr][ss]C[Game 74 sit555 is removing @ D10
Game 74 shinigami is removing @ L13
Game 74 sit555 is removing @ C11
Game 74 shinigami is removing @ F16
Game 74 shinigami is removing @ E17
Game 74 shinigami is removing @ A5
Game 74 shinigami is removing @ R9
You have typed done.
sit555: 64.5 to shinigami: 74.0])(;B[br]C[JB: You could play this before he plays it and kills you.])(;B[kj]CR[nl][nm][nn][on][lm][ln][lo][mo]C[JB: Threaten the center stones, then take the entire upper left quarter of the board.];W[nk];B[nj];W[mj];B[mi];W[lj];B[li];W[kk];B[jk];W[lk];B[ni]C[JB: THINK BIG!!!]))(;B[nk];W[lm];B[jm]C[JB: Where are those white stones going to get eyes?]CR[on][nn][nm][nl][lm]))(;B[mp]LB[nm:A]C[JB: Now you are threatening to kill with 'a'.]))(;B[en]))(;B[dm]))(;B[oq]C[JB: this leaves white no good alternatives]))(;B[qb];W[qd](;B[rb])(;B[ob])))(;B[qd](;W[qe];B[qm]C[JB: Good for you.])(;W[ql];B[pj]C[JB: White is in trouble here.])))(;B[nd])(;B[nc])(;B[mc]))

Posted: **Mon Dec 20, 2010 12:17 pm**

Just a quick thought: You were pretty fortunate that your opponent didnt kill your lower left group with a move at A6 instead of A5.

Posted: **Mon Dec 20, 2010 2:25 pm**

Mosdefgo wrote:Just a quick thought: You were pretty fortunate that your opponent didnt kill your lower left group with a move at A6 instead of A5.

A6-B6, then A4 and A5 are miai for two eyes.

Posted: **Tue Dec 21, 2010 10:23 am**

Redundant wrote:
Mosdefgo wrote:Just a quick thought: You were pretty fortunate that your opponent didnt kill your lower left group with a move at A6 instead of A5.

A6-B6, then A4 and A5 are miai for two eyes.

That shows just how rusty I am. Thank you for the correction.

Posted: **Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:03 pm**

Regarding Black 5--I agree with Joaz that it is generally too loose. My comment is just sort of an aside: It amazes me that virtually every response to an approach (and virtually every approach) can be a good move depending on the overall position. Here is a game between Fujisawa Shuko (w) and Go Seigen (b) (white won by 2 points):

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

And here is a game between Kato Masao and Hua Yigang in 1973, in which Masao uses the response: (full disclosure, Masao loses this game)

Click Here To Show Diagram Code: [go]$$Bc $$ +---------------------------------------+ $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . 6 . . , . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . . | $$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $$ +---------------------------------------+[/go]

Again, I completely agree that a bit tighter response is usually better, and this is an unusual move (27 pro games in my database of tens of thousands of games). Still, I thought it was interesting.

Life In 19x19

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