The Heavenly 100 - Games 41-45

Game 41

Next game was a heavy loss against a US 11 kyu who has played a thousand since December 2022 and steadily improved since then. Looks like has barely touched the 9kyus.

I started okay keeping my areas defended but failed here to stop the deep invasions. I had the lead for a fair bit (early) but then succumbed to my weakness of trying too hard to kill an attacking group and getting heavy in the process then losing a lot of stones when I miss other groups getting weaker.

For example here I missed a killer because I was unaccountably of the opinion that losing the 2 N line stones would allow the invading group free

Woops K8 would wrap and kill and with the sente that would allow me to dig in up the top being around 26 points ahead!

It looks like I had another chance to kill that group by 103 with clever use of ko threats especially around the top left (potentially allowing me the corner) or via ataris that strengthened the my own top left. Instead in a fabulously unthought out section I got into one of those weird multi ko patchworks that A - did not save the group and B - killed 16 of my own stones at the top as it allowed my opponent to strengthen whilst attacking. Yuk.

Game 42

Bugger I seem to be degenerating. Game 40 was a win against someone I shouldn't have beaten so this one was a game I should not have lost. Peaceful generally, bar my normal missing an easy attack and losing stones I was fairly easily dominated by someone who has never got over 13k. It might be all the revision and trying to play differently but everything seems so

Random and that does worry me somewhat.

I am also still missing obvious stuff that I know (well vaguely) for example on the bottom right I attempted to play a monkey jump later by setting up a second stone (which was stupid as I HAD the monkey jump and playing that second stone only meant I lost it and the chance to eat up 5 points (not that that would have made much difference)

Game 43

I had dropped so far that the more psychotic 14-15 kyu players started appearing on my horizon which led to this game versus a player who reached the relative heights of 12 but was doing a similar impression to me and cycling around. Now I did not feel particularly stressed through the game getting and holding the corners I wanted though as usual I missed  an opportunity to save 7 stones and lost a big chunk of territory.

I did decide though that I would try a new approach as Black. Instead of my defensive 4-4 then a 3-4 (followed by extension of 3-4) I would move to my white strategy of two 4-4's then see what happens and tbh it went quite well. I have to use it against better opposition though to decide whether it is truly useful or not.

One thing I did notice was my recent cross cut studies seemed to bear fruit in that I was extending and connecting more than forcing mad ataris. It did not go all well though, take this early bad handle on an invasion

I am not quite certain why I decided to secure that and not o17 but the end result here is that both sides are insecure and my opponent did indeed go running off with a Dragon. Play O17 (with my level follow throughs) and Black is 26.4 points ahead whereas my choice led to being 14-16 so that move was an 8-10 point loss. White then pulled ahead about 16 points before, in a great example of why leading stones is good, forced me to secure the left hand side and totally flipping their lead. At this point the board was fairly secure and defences were strong.

Game 44

Ranked games are weird and sometimes counterproductive especially when you are trying to ground your play more. This games was against an experimental 10kyu with 5000! Games since June this year and not a new player as their first rating post placement was 11 kyu. Since then they have shifted between 11 and 8kyu. Anyway they were experimental as they started with an unusual start. Tengen then very low approaches to the corners. Obviously enough trying to use Tengen to counteract the influence the opponent would be getting walling in and it worked even though I knew what was being attempted. My skill level was not as good so I wasn't able to formulate any decent territory using that influence. This is why it was counterproductive. I doubt this tactic would work against anyone of higher level and it would only work against lower but equally I cant practice solid openings when my opponents is bat shit crazy, here is the point (around move 71) when the AI decided I shifted from being ahead to behind

I actually played F5 (which I see wasn’t really needed, that stone can be sacrificed quite happily. AI wanted to push out on the 2nd line but I think I would have preferred the press up at F17.

Game 45

My deterioration continues though at least I can put it at my sucky life skills as this game saw me loose 14 stones that I should not have lost (with territory going with it) and I lost by 4.

My opponent started 2019 and is another with 5k ranked games. Their rating briefly reached the heady height of 8kyu in 2019 but this was followed by a drop in play over what looks like the pandemic then back on. Since then hovered drastically between 13 and 10.

Important lesson to not try and kill everything. As a positive  I did manage to put in place a defence I had actually learnt that morning. This was the best way to protect a double 2 stone slipped defence against a corner invasion (which is relatively common)

Here is the start point

Recognizable from 3-3 drop ins. Anyway the recommendation I had read was that the secure connection at R15 or P16 makes the stones too overconcentrated and that move 24 keeps it relatively light and still defends nicely against P16 with a loose net

Anyway I was slightly ahead at this point by 25 points but that old saying leaps to mind 'confident, cocky, dead' and so it transpired I neglected defence on another 3-3 on the left

The stupid move was here.

What I should have done was to play A18 and threaten the entire group, black cant let me seal him in with A15 as that kills all so has to play A17 to atari and protect the edge, white drops to A15 forcing black to make life by capturing at A19 giving white sente to play F16 and kill the invader that is otherwise trapped

What I actually did was allow that stone at E16 to not only escape but eventually kill my E stones and 15 line stones

I actually managed to claw my way back to being 3 points ahead and totally missed a corner kill of my own

If black joins at Q2 his group is dead when white plays T1 and either clears liberties from outside or inside putting white 35 points ahead!!. Blacks best alternative looks like sacrificing the clump and playing T1 itself and saving those last 5 stones

But instead of these wonderful moves I failed to kill the corner and lost another 2 stones (N and O 2) and about 4 points territory which cost me the game. That was just the icing on the cake really.

Positives are that my directional play is improving. My big weakness (as ever) is protecting my groups and recognising weak ones. Enjoyed it though.