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BQM 15
   

This comes from my game in the second round of the Moscow tournament, against a 1 kyu, who has already 2200 points EGF rating, so he's rather 2 Dan.

Early in the game, I made a mistake in joseki. In the end, the result favoured ... me. I will discuss the several mistakes made, and I invite you to comment on them. If possible, can you give an estimate of how bad each mistake is in points ?

[Diagram]
Diag.: From a tournament game

White adopts a SanSan strategy. I am surprised by 4, since I don't know it.


[Diagram]
Diag.: From a tournament game

The marked move would now be joseki. I thought it was submissive.


[Diagram]
Diag.: From a tournament game

Fighting spirit urged me to block at 1. This was a mistake and my opponent knew how to punish it. Pulling back to A and allowing him to cross underneath was out of the question, if only for reasons of shape. A Russian 5-Dan told me it was probably best to abandon the bad move at 1 and simply block at B. White gets the advantage, but the game is still playable (for an amateur).


[Diagram]
Diag.: From a tournament game

So again, fighting spirit makes me play 1. Of course White cuts at 2 and I cut at 3.



BillSpight: The Suzuki-Kitani "Small Joseki Dictionary" (Joseki Kojiten) gives the following variation:

[Diagram]
Diag.: Variation 1

I confess I would not have found B 1 in a real game. Does anybody know how Black should continue if W 2 is at 4? Perhaps the following?

Dnerra: I confess if I had seen just this diagram, I would have expected it to be the starting point of a "What went wrong?"-thread, not to be a sequence quoted from a joseki dictionary :-) Doesn't white have more territory? Ok, maybe Blacks shape is a little better towards the center, as he can jump to a, but W cannot jump to b. I still like W a lot better here.

Bill: Oh, the dictionary says that White is better, too. :-)


[Diagram]
Diag.: Variation 2

[Diagram]
Diag.: Variation 1 the ladder

DieterVerhofstadt:

Var 1 works if the ladder at A is favorable. If not, then White can extend at 7. So if the ladder is unfavorable, you have to cut. Kogo's Joseki Dictionary



[Diagram]
Diag.: From a tournament game

A peaceful continuation now lies in Black playing at A. Again White would be better off, but the game remains playable.
Not with this tenacious guy. I played 1. If White now answers at B, matters get only worse: I lose either the top stones big or the three stones on the left. Fortunately now my opponent chooses to settle for peace, which is to my favour.


[Diagram]
Diag.: From a tournament game

A 4-Dan commented that 8 would have been better at A.


[Diagram]
Diag.: From a tournament game

4 at 1. White has 10+ points. Black has a thick wall facing the center. White can cut at A, but that would only please Black, since he'll sacrifice two stones for more thickness towards the right. This result favours Black, but the difference is not so big, I think. Anyway, not something to repeat.

--DieterVerhofstadt



BillSpight: The fact that White does not now want to cut at a shows the futility of W 6 - 8 in the previous diagram. If White pushes through with 6, she should atari at a right away.

Also, W 2 - 4 in this diagram is premature (if correct). Yes, it is sente, but not urgent, and there are larger plays about (such as wariuchi on the right side).

[Diagram]
Diag.: Sente?

I'm not sure if W 1 is sente or not, but if it is, isn't this better than capturing the marked stone? And if it is gote, then it is clearly better than doing so (by definition).





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