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ScartolVsOldskyman2003
   

I'm still giddy from this win. Not only did it put me back in the 9k rank (after two stupid losses), but I made the biggest kill I've ever even attempted. In many ways, I was just lucky (white admitted he overplayed a bit in the middle), but I'm still extremely proud of the game.

I risked everything and it paid off. Probably not the best lesson to teach, but I'm putting it up because I think it might help younger/newer/weaker players. And besides, it's just a good story. I do appreciate feedback, but I'm not asking for extensive commentary; I know my play was risky and there were certainly more level-headed alternatives.

Black: Scartol (10k)
White: Oldskyman (9k)
Location: KiseidoGoServer

[Diagram]
Moves 1 to 10


Things started off calmly enough. I was leaving myself open to attack the upper left, but I think it worked out pretty well.

[Diagram]
Moves 11 to 20

Since white retreated to the lower side (probably assuming I would close up the lower right corner -- which I probably should have done), I kept the heat on with B1. After B9, black is squished and tight on the bottom -- but it's early.


[Diagram]
Moves 21 to 30

B1 is small, but it felt necessary to stabilize the bottom. I was surprised by W4, and W6 also took me by surprise. I felt I was able to make a pretty good shape out of the situation.


[Diagram]
Moves 31 to 40

After the corner joseki, I realized that a moyo in the center could work out pretty well. After all, white hadn't entered the middle from the top too much, and I had the support on the left to help it out. But W10 made it clear that this wouldn't happen without a fight.


[Diagram]
Moves 41 to 50

So I welcomed the fight. We scrapped a little on the edges, and then white stepped into the ring with W10. Now it was all or nothing. I knew I would probably lose, but then I thought of that speech George Clooney makes in Ocean's Eleven, and.. well, I knew I had to give it a shot. I've been reading KatosAttackAndKill and I think that had a lot to do with my "go get 'em" attitude.


[Diagram]
Moves 51 to 60

The keimas B1 and B3 felt really solid, but after W4 I felt like there would be no way to keep this thing contained. B5 was somewhat desperate -- I felt like I might get some advantage if I could use my wall-making for a more realistic purpose and snatch a corner or something. B7 is similar; I'd been planning to do it at some point, and it seemed as good a time as any. I didn't realize how useful it would be on the whole board.


[Diagram]
Suggestion.

unkx80: The keimas may be very solid, but I feel that they make it too easy on white. I would suggest playing along the lines in this diagram. The other moves may be disputed, but I think B1 is the only move.


[Diagram]
Moves 61 to 70

I think W2 is a mistake. If white had used the weakness of the B1 stones to connect, he would have had a much easier time of it. But I guess he worried that black would connect on the right. It seems that white believed he would be able to make everything live, and didn't have to risk anything -- a pretty fair assumption, I suppose.

W10 was the last straw. It was time to close up the middle and start fighting for life.

Next: The Fight!



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(OC) 2003 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.