BQM 347

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Here's a middlegame question -- I'm playing Black, and played the marked stone, after which White plays 1. How should I respond to White's play? (And would the marked stone have been better used in this area?)

Thanks in advance - I learn a lot by reading your responses!

--golearner(12k)

[Diagram]

Moves 101 to 101

[Diagram]

Current position

MrTenuki (KGS 3k): Let's first estimate the score.

In terms of sure territory, White has about 70 plus komi, while Black has about 80. Of course, this is slightly offset by the fact that black's stones at M13 and N16 are blighted, and J3 is in atari. Still, black can look forward to playing a monkey jump on the left side (if white doesn't grab the double sente first), and black might still be able to save either M13 or N16 for a few more points (assuming that the five stones on the upper right are not cut off). But remember that it's Black's turn right now, so you could say that black is at least slightly ahead.

LukeNine45 (2k AGA): I think the monkey jump actually doesn't work because of WS. But I also think that black has more in the lower left-- I think there are some sente moves against the lower side white group. I would definitely rather be black than white on this board.

MrTenuki: What I meant to say was that black can threaten a monkey jump by capturing C9.


[Diagram]

Possible continuation

Now, notice that White's group is on the second line and is not entirely alive yet. So this is one possibility:

With a sequence like this, White still has to live in gote, while black's right side is sealed off. And if White resists, just cut:

[Diagram]

Variation 1

W3 might also show up anywhere within 3 intersections (in terms of Manhattan Distance) of the location shown here, but the reply is the same: B4 captures the corner, and white still have to worry about making W1+W3 live.

And if white waits for one move before resisting:

[Diagram]

Variation 2

Black can again threaten to cut. If W7 is played at a, Black can seal off the group by playing B8 at b:

[Diagram]

Variation 2: Continuation (B7 at a)

And it's a ko for life at worst.

(Of course, black can also try to kill by playing the 2-2 point, as white currently has no eyes. But this plan can certainly backfire if White somehow anages to live on the right side after Black cuts of the corner. So if your yose is good, one option might be simply responding to White's Move 101 by blocking off the right side.)


[Diagram]

Did it happen like this?

LukeNine45: I'm curious as to how and when the top right happened. I think a mistake has been made there already.

If this is what happened, then depending on when it took place, Black probably should not have tenuki'd.

[Diagram]

Moves 67 to 70 - A bad tenuki?

golearner: Here's the sequence that started that corner, and yeah, I played tenuki.

Alex: I don't know that it's tenuki that's bad, but both B2 and B4 are mistakes. B2 drives White in precisely the direction you don't want to go, and B4 stands a strong chance of being mochikomi.

Instead of B2, try this:

[Diagram]

Keep White out of the right

Alex: I don't know quite what's best to play next... my first inclination was to exchange a for b and then tenuki, but on second glance it seems like aji keshi, because there's a lot of potential with attachments like b, c, d, e, etc... depending on how things go, any of those moves could result in either the upper right corner getting cut off, or Black penetrating into White's central territory... but if things don't go as planned, they could also end up with Black losing some stones or needing to end in gote, so it's tough.

As an example, though..

[Diagram]

Attach and crosscut

Black still has the aji of a to cut off some White stones later.


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