Large Handicap fighting 1

Black to kill  

This position is taken from a 9 stone handicap game. Black needs to kill the . We can assume, that all the stones on the outside are safe, and White will have no chance to make an eye around a. White has one eye in gote at b.

Conclusion: White must fight his way out, or capture something for an eye in sente. How should Black continue after ?

Charles is a clear mistake, though; try dropping back.

Variation 1  

White is dead after : two half eyes.

Variation 2  

The real reading problem might start after here.

Klaus: actually it starts after , because there are no useful alternatives for white...

reverence: one eye in gote (2)  

Conclusion: Black can not connect at 6 so he should not play at all.

What about this?  

?/Corner Invasions

Pashley: In every position shown above, I would be tempted to play c and take what looks to me like sure profit in the center. I might not do it since the corner looks more urgent, but I'd be thinking of it.

As B in a handicap game, I tend to avoid the complex fights where W is likely to surprise me, look for some sort of balance between building moyo and securing territory (which I never get quite right, but maybe close enough) and take any sure profits I see.

In this position, with the corner apparently lost, c seems entirely obvious to me (about 8k). What am I missing here?