Life In 19x19

I posted this in my journal, more for my own reference than for getting feedback. However, I would like feedback if anyone's willing to give some.



Ignore the comments at the end. I was trying to load the game in the KGS Teaching Ladder, but was having difficulty since a spectator was still "in" the game.

My own thoughts:

Move 4: In retrospect, I don't think this was good. C10, perhaps?

Moves 10-20: I felt almost completely lost with no real sense of what I should be doing. This is illustrated by the amount of time taken for moves 10, 16, and 20.

Move 50: Not useful. Would have been better at N13 or F9.

Move 64: Would have been better at N13.

Move 82: Probably not as severe as I could have been. However, I was determined to play a peaceful game because I'm terrible at fighting and I really wanted to win.

Move 94: Should have been at L16, M16, or M15. I think L16 would've been best since I had just enough liberties to avoid snapback.

Move 104: Embarrassing. I didn't see the oiotoshi until the moment I played. Should have been at M15.

Move 110: Should have been at R3. As silly as it seems, with everything going at the top, I forgot about the bottom right. This has been an issue in other games: tunnel-vision. I think it has to do with the adrenaline rush I get when playing online.

Move 118: Intentional sacrifice. I thought about playing S5, but didn't like the possibility of the cut at R5 since I wanted to keep things as simple as possible (as described in my comments on move 82). I was expecting the following:

Click Here To Show Diagram Code

[go]$$B
$$. . . . . . . . .|
$$. . . . . . . . .|
$$. . . . . . . . .|
$$. . . . . . . . .|
$$. . . . . . 5 3 .|
$$. . . . . X X O .|
$$. . . . X O O 1 4|
$$. . . . . . . 2 .|
$$. . . . . . . . .|
$$ ------------------[/go]

This way, he lives small and is contained without the cut at R5. Since I wasn't confident that I could kill him, I considered this to be the best outcome for me.

Of course, if I had played R3 earlier, this wouldn't have been an issue.

Move 130: Should have been at E6.

Move 146: Not sure if necessary.

4: Yes, because of the shimari, C10 or D10 should be slighty better. But yours is a fine move for 18K.

6: This is dubious. The upper side is getting crowded because of F17. If he runs when pincered - instead of taking the corner - you will find your stone outnumbered and committed to a fight.

Q14 might be a more reasonable move here. Or maybe O16, whereupon your stone at R10 is well placed for many joseki that arise.

8: You are in the beginnings of a fight, yet you play a territorial move. Q14 is better.

10: This does make him heavier, but his shape ends up better than yours.

12: Too slow, and pushing from behind. M14 looks better.

16: You have a chance to get ahead in a running fight. M13 is thematic ( although you might be better off interposing N13 first )


The microwave just binged...maybe more later.

Get a copy of Kageyama's Fundamentals of Go, and read the chapter on 'Getting ahead'.

40: Throw in at E1 to minimize his eye space, then play B1. ( This is a good habit to develop. It might not always be the correct move, but it should reflexively appear near the top of the list of moves that you consider )

42: H2 kills. True, you do have some weaknesses at B3/B4 and others, but he will die first.

48: Big, but slow. If it were sente to kill, then it would be a great move. ( BTW, consider the position if you had thrown in at E1. Then he would have a stone at F1, and your move would be sente )

Something like D12 is urgent. N14 is deadly.

50: Your alternate moves are much better.

54: You're pushing from behind again. See http://senseis.xmp.net/?PushingFromBehind

64: Yes, N13 is better.

72: M16

76: R18

82: The lower right corner is still open. Also, you may be able to get a ko for life if you invade his upper left.

Don't take me too seriously, since I'm only a KGS 8k, but...

Comments:

- I don't agree with you in 10-20, my first think was "Is he really only a 18k?!"
Specially 10, 14 & 16 are not moves that you usually see in a 18k... I might played N13 instead of 20 just to push the white right group harder (and then try to take away some of right moyo with C13, C14 or D14)

- Why did you choose G12 in the move 62? Why not H14 (attacking at K14 and threatening to split groups attacking also G14)?

- If you wanted something more severe I would say C7, you attack B7 and D6 at the same time (and B7 is quite valuable for him).

- Don't worry too much about 104, it keeps happening occasionally, even when you rank up (at least in yose, when you are quite tired after a thigh fight).

- In 122 you should move in T5, so he need to capture S3, and then you can defend in R5, this way you win an extra move... you may push from Q2, that’s more severe, but also more risky.



Anyway, I think you can feel quite satisfied with this game, it shouldn't take you many time with that level of ability to improve and rank up to 14k-12k, it just taking care of the little mistakes. I will recommend you to play a couple of games (time to time) very aggressively, so you learn how (and when) to do it (and don't)... since you think that fighting is your weak point.

blindgod is not so blind a god. At least he seemed to know what he was doing. I won't be surprised if he turns out to be 12 kyu already or better.

blindgod wrote:
Move 146: Not sure if necessary.

Move 146 wasn't necessary where you played it, however black still needs to defend at L2. As it stands, the game ended with a gainful play still on the board (= (Black should win even if white gets it though).