Li League - Match 11 - Senko vs Fukuoka

 

The 2nd half of the season will start soon! I haven't a clue if it will be standard rules, Blitz or something special... No doubt we will find out very soon.

Pairings

Eek, Poor Yanagihara Saki cannot catch a break getting Ueno Asami in the return match but as a major plus for Fukuoka this is a pretty good match up tbh. Hoshia Shiho (3040) versus Chiaki Mukai (3055) might be the decided but in the first round Jo Bun'en was the only Fukuoka winner and this time she (at 2923) is up against Tsuji Hana (2803). I think Tsuji Hana played beyond her level in her previous bouts so two of these matches could go either way. 

Now some of the Board choices are interesting. In the first match Fukuoka put Saki on 1, Shiho on 2 and Bun'en on 3. Senko put Izawa Akino on 1, Ueno Asami on 2 and Chiaki Mukai on 3. So Fukuoka kept Board 1 the same and switched 2 & 3 and Senko kept 3 the same and switched 1 & 2. I think having Fukuokas Captain available to take on the Senko co-captain means this should be more even between any game not involving someone with the surname 'Ueno'

Board	Fukuoka	Senko	Result	Winner
Board 1	Ueno Asami	Yanagihara Saki	W+R	Ueno Asami
Board 2	Tsuji Hana	Jo Bun'en	B+R	Jo Bun'en
Board 3	Chiaki Mukai	Hoshiai Shiho	B+R	Chiaki Mukai

Full Cast is here

Board 1 - Ueno Asami (White) vs Yangihara Saki (Black)

Opening

This started in a standard fashion with Black Star Point then 34 facing opponent and White Start Point then 34 facing, Black then took a bigger 2 space enclosure bottom left with White looking to go for a Myo with D11, Black then knight approached the corner and white 1 spaced back and rather than go for a moyo herself Black then knight enclosed the other corner allowing white to pincer the F3 stone (and why not). Black then ignored and took the top center at K17 and its at this point White started to get aggressive..

Middle

White instantly attached and Black promptly hane'd and rather than cross cut White hane'd the other side, both players then connected before Black jumped to the center and white jumped to the right to make a base. Rather than kick Black then knight approached the 34 stone close to her group and White |Shusaku diagonaled. A few settling moves then ensued before Black pushed in allowing White force Black into a huge dumpling,.,,

Now that upper fight now spread over the entire board but tbh Asami was totally dominant and steadily increased her score and was about 38 points up when Saki, under apparent time pressure blundered and lost a large group with this move

The red smiley is the AI suggestion to save the group..This pushed the score to 72 points but the game had been over almost from the start and Black resigned soon after.

End

Board 2 - Tsuji Hana (White) vs Jo Bun'en (Black)

Opening

The previous game going as expected meant a lot of pressure was on Bun'en to give Fukuoka a chance. Black opened Star point, White 34 facing Blacks potential other corner with Black 34 facing self and white doing likewise. Black then took Dwyrin's advice and 1 space high approached the lower left facing 34. The standard Joseki almost played out with Black not playing the last 'get base' move and instead enclosing the closer corner with a 1 space allowing white to pincer or semi invade which naturally allowed Black to push from the right.

White now attached to the 1 space enclosure with Black deciding to let White take the corner and sealing White in which forced white to 1 space again as her invasion was now looking under threat. 

This gave Black Sente to Knight approach the last 34 standing with white Shusaku diagonalling. Black then ignored to make some shape for their bottom left group before (after a couple of strengthening moves)  White approached the last corner with a knight from Blacks side.

Middle

A meaty fight then ensued on the top right and Black soon started to dominate. It looks like White tried to sacrifice to potentially build a wall facing the left but Bun'en made a great move by dropping to S7 threatening the earlier white corner invasion, Hana protected allowing Black to bend round white at M9 and capture another bunch of stones

Curiously white carried on playing in what appears to be an attempt to make a dead group live (but might also be a way to use a quick sacrifice to make some time..) The game was still really close at this point.

End Game

For once the end game matters.  Moving from the middle above Black was only about 2 points ahead. White gained a temporary lead when Black launched a monkey jump bottom right. This seems to be a mistake because it should be Gote. As it stands Hana sealed the position as so

But if you look at the position above AI thinks White should not play 162 (and if 162/163 then not 164) and instead play at J14. Black has to protect allowing White to then go back and secure - this gives an even game.

White missed this but so did Black playing J11 allowing white to play J14 forcing F14. Showing how close it was this led to the killer move of the end game. Black dropped to F2 and white dropped to J2 but this invited another monkey jump and this one switched the lead back to Black,

That was a Sente jump giving Black an 8 point swing and Black retained her lead to a resignation.

Well played by both players.

Board 3 - Chiaki Mukai (Black) vs Hoshiai Shiho (White)

Opening

So all was to play for in the final game. Mukai opened Star as did Shiho, Black then went 34 facing self and White did likewise. Black then approached the 44 (not the 34) with a knight on the White side and White ignored to do the same but to the 34 on the right bottom. Black Shusaku diagonalled allowing White to then take the defensive move on the left. Both players were playing very loose with the Joseki timings and Black now 1 space approached the other white corner high with the standard Joeski playing out. Black now pincered at the bottom and white took a defensive move into the corner before Black started pushing down from it's right side diagonal. White then using a shoulder hit to reduce any potential moyo. Interestingly instead Back 1 spaced left and then made a dogs head and a fight broke out.

Middle 

The fight on the bottom left was close with Black taking a slight lead but it is a very confused melee of stones. White made a mid error here

Where the AI seems to think a base at O3 is more important and from here Black was now about 10 ahead and never lost the lead.

The game continued right into the end game finishing here.

I am interested by Senkos approach but think they might be hurt in the finals where all 4 players play. Perhaps the reliance is that if they get a draw (2 wins 2 losses) then the most group game wins means they win..