Life In 19x19

I won this game on time (I was on my last byo-yomi, too...) but before that point there were lots of swings. I think I was ahead at the beginning of the middle game, but then got a ko to kill one of my groups, and then he decided ko was for chumps, and then he lost a big chunk of stones to my endgame machinations; but it still seemed close, and I gave him a ko which was much heavier for me than I had realized, and as we both scrambled to find more dubious threats, bam, the clock ran out.

I haven't commented the sgf yet, but all remarks are welcome. I'd especially appreciate help with the situation in the center fight and the life and death problem starting at 126.

Here's a few comments. Hope they can help a little bit. They end at 105.

I'd like to note: the variation on 10 is bad, and the corner invasion is a special strategy against the chinese opening.

Shaddy wrote:I'd like to note: the variation on 10 is bad, and the corner invasion is a special strategy against the chinese opening.

Just to clarify... both your comments refer to OtakuViking's suggestion and not the original play, is that correct?

Yep.

Thanks for your notes, OtakuViking. I do need to study the orthodox fuseki more. I tend to think that it's difficult to let W surround the black 4-4 in the UR without similar compensation elsewhere - not that I was super-satisfied with my result.

The problem with W's solid position around L16, vis a vis the left side, is that I don't have a meaningful ladder breaker on the top side, either, so I didn't want to play 21 at c9. I didn't think by central influence was worthless, just not worth as much as you would normally hope from 9 stones on the 4th line. So was the mistake black 21? black 17? Or is it a fair result?

I'm curious about your var. to 53. W54@b3 looks dangerous. W could choose ko, for example, if I'm reading correctly. What is the advantage? Better endgame?

59: This was actually a sequence I wanted to ask about. It seemed a bit silly to pull out the black stone while the right side is completely empty, but OTOH I do end up playing j17 anyway, and I just can't make up my mind who benefit from playing the 59/60 exchange before j17.

My fear with 105 was that he might just let me capture O6, at which point I wouldn't have any other prospects on the left. In the event, maybe I should have been eager to take o6.

And Shaddy, thanks for your comment on the opening.

A couple of comments.