Sngrfxz/'s mistakes

Allow opponent to build huge framework  

This is just painful to look at. and are completely ineffective, and the whole sequence allows white to claim pretty much the whole upper part of the board. 30 stones played and the game is already lost. I should not have allowed , and should have tried a better strategy than "attack from afar". Perhaps a, b, or c?

--sngrfxz (22k) 2003-10-12

KarlKnechtel: My basic fuseki instincts suggest at . at d, starting that joseki, would limit the "W has whole side" damage. The shoulder hit of looks silly. White here is patient to proceed with rather than attacking by pushing through.

Shoulderhit  

Joonas Tyystjärvi: since we don't see the whole board, it's difficult to say how black should play. However, assuming that the left side extension is relatively strong, it seems that neither a or will give a good result for black - the resulting group will be heavy. I think the sequence here looks good enough for black - after this, white has territory but it isn't very high and black has some thickness towards the center. Of course, this sequence isn't guaranteed.

Give up chance to kill, and then forget to live in Seki  

, , was an attempt to cleverly prevent White from forming two eyes. The mistake was in not recognizing the danger to my own groups.

Playing at a or would have succeeded in killing White, I think.

At this point White decides Black lives in seki, and passes. Black decides Black is dead and passes. Hilarity ensues during scoring phase (White lets Black win). However, White can still kill (by playing a, b, or c), and Black can get a seki by playing a, c or . I think.

--sngrfxz (22k) 2003-09-24

Attacking so white can strengthen position  

In an attempt to attack what I was seeing as an emerging wall, I give white an opportunity to reinforce his position with . I think a or b would have been a more effective attack. Probably an attack isn't even needed at this point -- let white build a wall and continue to play along the sides instead. Maybe f is preferrable since imagining a white stone extending the proto-wall down the lower right still makes me nervous (Are white's stones too losely connected to be a source of concern?).

--sngrfxz (23k) 2003-09-12

PurpleHaze: is just silly. The best is a, if you feel compelled to attack try b.

 

Charles An example of a premature attack.

Play solidly  

Since isn't a very good play, Black may feel that there should be a way to punish it immediately.

But in general one shouldn't attack without some definite aim. After here, any future cut in the centre becomes a much better play, with not able to make an easy base on the side.

Let white escape.  

In some cases this might still be the right thing to do. Would the absence of the marked stone make a difference?

Note: One of my first (if not the first) games against a human.

--sngrfxz (25k) 2003-09-10

Cutting the other way.  

Karl Knechtel: Yes, the stone does make a difference. Here White cannot play at a and then b, which would escape by serial atari? if were absent. But note that responding to c at a can lead to problems:

Black is too stubborn.  

White will be able to capture somewhere no matter what. Alternatives:

Alternative I  

Black 10 at a.

Alternative II  

is a defensive move to try and find space to make eyes for the white group, while putting some pressure on the black stones. Black 10 at a should make sure Black's stones can live in the corner (see the tripod group); the other black group should find life easy.

Squeeze  

Joonas Tyystjärvi: if the ladder works for black, black can capture the white stones with a Squeeze like this ( connects).

Why is this bad for Black?  

I don't see what Black has lost. White gets the small corner, but Black gets the nice wall.

sngrfxz:In my case the mistake was not recognizing that I was allowing white to escape, even though it may have been a good move ultimately.

Is this worse?  

Karl Knechtel: This is great for Black. The two stones are captured, the stone may as well be (it is isolated and stuck against strong black stones) and White is left with a cutting point at a.