DDK Travails 2

Next up there is a Benko league game versus Igoru, a fellow 15k. The three travails, or mistakes I want to not replicate are essentially all corner based and all, in this game, offensive against white corners.

Situation One. Move 35 I had a secureish bottom and white was trying to surround so I decided to push thinking White may block allowing me to get some stones out into the left.

White though didn't block but pushed out at D6. I pushed in considering the wrap around would still leave me connected and cut immediately at B4, white connected at D4 which cut the liberties of my 2 stones so I connected allowing White to connect solidly at B6. I dropped to B2 and white then played the AI move of C2, nice reading.

Mine was not as good and I next played E2. After post study the correct move was to drop again to B2 giving my little stick 5 liberties versus whites 4 even if connection is made.

So it is just a liberty fight really and White's best result is to sacrifice and push in to connect their central group.

The next lesson to learn was up top. Now at this point I had generated a wall to trap in the white right side but did not use it correctly and White did a good job at taking the lead and though it looks like better players could have lived in the top left (using the currently alive but weak white bottom left as ko threat material) but again that is beyond me currently.

White made a small mistake that allowed me to push a Dragon into his area, I pushed it too here.

In the game I played E16 which sealed me off but it looks like a better move is E17!

Look at that - white has to block at 2 to prevent the Dragon continuing so Black can atati at 3. White must connect as otherwise H17, G16 and H 15 are captured so Black can extend to D17, White hane's at the head of 2. Black blocks at C18, White cant play B18 (otherwise Black connects then if White precents the corner atari Black pushes right and the G17 group is killed).

So instead plays A17 to block Black in, Black pushes right to G18 re-threatening the G17 group, white blocks H18 allowing to gain life with E19= white then needs to make life for the G17 group which has no eyes! and it looks hard to do. Wow so the force that Dragon could apply could have been used as a launchpad for a huge attack.

The final  thing was a smaller attempt in the same after. After being blocked a threw a couple of sacrifices in to see what happened and white made a mistake I could have taken advantage of here.

Now I didn't, obvs.... I actually played C15. What I should have played was B16 (this should have been whites move).White must connect at C15 otherwise the Dragon is alive again. Allowing Black to atari at B18 and Black is alive!!

That is so cool. All these examples show how pushing in can pay great dividends especially if you threaten enough to allow you just an extra move in the corner..

I shouldn't have but won in the end when White got slightly greedy in end game.

AI seems to think Black should have set up some KOs to use that situation but you can see how that could have been an ample source of KO threats - tbh thinking about it a straight 33 invasion top left may have been able to utilise that as well..As a final thought I should have reduced whites area earlier but was to hesitant and lost the chance. Something else to focus on moving forward.