Life In 19x19

I'm trying to get back to 5k again, but am having trouble breaking 6k. I think I could use more help in direction of play, since I felt especially lost after letting both groups live.

Any comments are appreciated.

90 was the biggest directional problem that caught my eye just now in a quick run through. Those two stones are aji later, but hardly anything now (especially since they shouldn't actually be able to escape.) Invade the right side or play a reducing move that also expands your center instead.

114 is very bad. Very very bad. Spending so much time and effort (and losing your base at the bottom in exchange) saving those two stones from 90 means you HAVE TO CUT. This peep means you'll never cut those stones off anymore. You should attach at M6 instead. It threatens to come out around the single stone and also eyes the cut.

Also 24 is slow, since both of your groups at the top are stable. You should attack white's weak group in the lower left (J6 looks good to me) to gain the flow of the game, as Magicwand would say.

Welcome back to L19


Black 8 is bad. ( Sorry, but I had to say it ) The high approach is usually played when the side is bigger than the corner. This is definitely not the case on the open board, and especially not the case when white has a solid stone at C11. The low approach would be better.

10: Joseki is Q3. Your stone needs eyes someday.

15: You are lucky that he did not play M4.

16: Very nice exchange for you.

18: Good shape. But a tad slow. Now that he has forced you to strengthen your lower side group, maybe R8 is a good sente.

24: Big, but gote. But R8 is urgent. He is one move away from taking much of the right side.

34: Walking into a shortage of liberties. Instead, pull back with E16.

36: Good move. But now look at your G17 stone. What does it do? You would rather have it at G18 or F18 or H14 or B17, right?

50: Feels like a honte move. Slow, but I kinda like it. Now you can attack at full throttle.

54: Good idea: prepare the double attack. H3 might be a bit better.

68: Yes!

70: While you were gone, beating dead horses became a popular hobby around here. So I'm going to mention G17 again.

78: You're forcing him to connect two weak groups. Either G8 or G6.

80: G8!

84: G8!!

123: Gote. K1 gets you the eye in the same manner, but it also threatens his four stones. ( If he ignores, the kill starts with a throw-in at N1 )

My thoughts:

22: Did you consider tenuki here? Playing the 3-3 is definitely not necessary. H2 (makes white's group a running group with no eyes) seems nice. Given that you'll probably also want to play R8 at some point, playing 3-3 now (and forcing white R11) seems counterproductive.

24: You have a third line stone on both sides. Thus, I think it is hard to make too much territory here and that this move wasn't the biggest.

28: If you plan on playing L18 after this move, to me it feels better to play it immediately. 28 seems to say "I won't let you get out," but then you let him get out.

41: I think he definitely should have atari'd first to cut off this stone. I don't understand why he didn't.

90 seems unimporant to me even if they could connect. I would be looking to try a sequence like Q7-R7-R8 here. Something to hurt that side. After that side, S17 seems next biggest.

138: What if you played R14? The stones you end up saving have no value.

Thank you all for the reviews.

Joaz Banbeck wrote:Welcome back to L19

Thanks!

Joaz Banbeck wrote:Black 8 is bad. ( Sorry, but I had to say it ) The high approach is usually played when the side is bigger than the corner. This is definitely not the case on the open board, and especially not the case when white has a solid stone at C11. The low approach would be better.

I've seen a lot of opinions against this high approach, but lately the low approach seems too low. I've been playing a very influence based game lately, and end up playing moves like this and 10 a lot.

I've had a few wins with it, and I'm having trouble moving back towards the more balanced approach I had before...

Don't feel so bad. You lost by 1.5.

(You have to protect in the top right corner.)

B232 was the game losing move.

Thanks Bill! I really need to pay more attention in my endgame.