Samsung 2012 game 4

Moves 1 to 10  

-- is known is known as the micro chinese pattern. These first 10 moves are the same as the 11thNongshimCup/Stage 3 Game 3, where Gu Li was White against Lee Changho.

Moves 11 to 20  

Apparently this is a well known opening pattern and Gu is interested to know Lee's reply. Lee quits the aforementioned opening at . In the other game, White (Gu Li) played at immediately.

Moves 21 to 30  

The game unfolds quite differently, with White still taking influence against Black's territory, but Black is much lower here while White's influence is not working for him.

Moves 31 to 40  

When splits White's forces, White seems in trouble already. It also isn't clear what good the - exchange has brought forth.

Moves 41 to 50  

With the corner stones are split off and from this point onwards a long, drawn out struggle starts, evolving about these stones, whether they should be saved or sacrificed on a grand scale.

Moves 61 to 70  

The battle spreads into the corner ...

Moves 81 to 90  

... and to the side ...

Moves 101 to 110  

... and to the centre ...

Moves 111 to 120  

... until decides to sacrifice on a grand scale and build a huge moyo at the bottom as a compensation. One can sense that White does grudgingly so.

Moves 131 to 140  

looks like terrible aji keshi but Gu Li must have judged that the bottom was not possible to invade anyhow and increasing liberties here would prove vital to the centre stones. Black maintains the initiative with . White decides to fight back with and .

Moves 151 to 160 (7 at 1) (10 at 4)  

A ko fight arises but Black seems to have thought through matters.

Moves 161 to 170  

ignores White's threat at and a ko exchange takes place, Black becoming very strong in the centre, in exchange for giving up the upper left corner. The sente that invariably results from winning a ko, is used to further reduce Whit's bottom and expand the lower left corner. is very big indeed.

Moves 171 to 180  

When connects, it is hard to see how White will win this game.

Moves 181 to 190  

Especially since Black has up his sleeve. This endgame sente is another hidden gain from the ko fight: White did not get this corner for free and must answer. However, White launches a counter at in an attempt to turn the tables.

Moves 191 to 200  

And White seems to succeed! While Black has to play the almost neutral connection of , White splits Blacks seemingly untouchable forces in the lower left. Apparently was an overplay or badly timed.

Moves 201 to 210  

Or maybe not ... Black finds a way to keep the pressure on. He then abandons the lower left to revive the upper left with and , leaving either of his groups at the bottom killable but not both: a and b are miai. Or is there more to it ... ?

Moves 221 to 230  

Brilliancy! Black starts bullying the White group that originally killed the corner. The hunter becomes game.

Moves 231 to 240  

Sheer brilliancy! -- set up a shortage of liberties so that not only saves one of Black's groups but moreover forces White to capture the black corner stones, starting with ! The miai savings have turned into a masterplan.

Moves 241 to 250  

Black now further uses the aji in that area to reduce the biggest White territory.

Moves 251 to 260  

With the game seems to be decided.

Moves 271 to 280  

The reduction goes as far as .

Move 291 and end  

Black wins by 5,5 points.

I (Dieter) would surely like to see professional analysis of this fantastic game.