12k (?) vs 5k review

Hi everyone,

I played this game against a 5k and was crushed :wink: During the game I thought I was crushed only at the end but according to the IA I have been behind for a long time (at minimum since move 30).
I can be wrong but it seems that the strategy offered by the IA are a bit above my level. (looks like one needs to read more than 3,4 moves ahead)
However I feel like here are more obvious mistakes in my game, I tried to review it, but it would be great if you could confirm (or not :smile: ) my analysis.

Again, during this match I was focusing particularly on those few objectives: (following the book : “how not to play go” from Yuan Zhou)

G1- not necessarily following my opponent (keeping sente, but that’s not always clear to me)
G2 playing where the gains could be higher.
G3 trying to keep my groups alive

I would be really grateful to any pointers to improve my go.
Thanks in advance.https://online-go.com/game/47176442

(9) better extend to the left or pincer. This move doesn’t do much.

(15) attaching makes your opponent stronger.

(19) overplay. This gives white the opportunity to complicate the situation.

(30) white walks into the centre. Black is in for a difficult game.

(44) splitting black into two groups is very good for White. Always try to connect your group. That makes them easier to defend…

(48) the four black stones are almost captured now. B8 was not a good move. Black should have walked into the centre.

(49) strange timing for a tenuki.

(54) white captures four stones and becomes strong in the centre.

(66) throwing away a ko threat.

(83) up to N11 Black makes a little territory, while White secures the corner (about 25 points).

(103) White gets 4 points as a present.

(112) Again a present for White. White has a 60 point lead. Black resigning is the correct decision. Maybe resigning earlier would have been better.

Welcome to the club! :smiley:
AIs are way above the level of any human player. We just can’t compete.
But we can learn something:

  • when AI tenukis ask yourself: was it really necessary to play another move in that place?
  • when AI doesn’t tenuki ask yourself: why should I have put another stone there?

Keep in mind that deep analysis leads AIs to a more fighting style of playing: they are more able than humans to play the whole board at a time, instead than focusing on a single place. So perhaps, sometimes, as a human, spending one more stone in your sequence can be a safer way to play. I don’t dare to call it more “solid” because my “solidity” can’t compete with the light play of the AIs. But against humans it could work!
I don’t know if AIs ever played honte moves. :smiley:

Look at the win-rate chart (points, not %) and look for big steps.
Move 28 was W+5
Move 29 was W+13
You lost 8 points because of that move.
Extending at F3 was a good way to protect the cut at C2 while keeping pressure on white and gaining point on the bottom side.

Move 30: white escapes
Move 31: black tenukis and loses three more points
You played elsewhere, but your stones in the bottom left weren’t safe!
The group in the corner is quite surrounded, while the three stones at E7 are cut. That means two weak groups that your opponent can exploit.

The sequence starting at move 37 does harm your three weak stones.
37: you extend your safe group for points on the side
38: white keeps your three stones separated
39: you play for points (few points)
40: white plays for influence and keeps surrounding those three stones
41: you try to connect, but it doesn’t work
That still was a move for a handful of points, but your three stones were worth much more than that
42, 43, 44: white atari and keeps your two groups separated
45: that’s useless, black can’t cut and the three suffering stones became four
47: a small move, in the wrong direction, pushing white against your four stones
48: white ignores and keeps surrounding the four stones
49: black tenukis again

Move 36 was W+13, move 48 was W+31.
Black lost 18 points in that sequence.

It’s interesting that move 48 was W+31 while move 49 was W+27
Apparently black gained 4 points by just leaving those four stones that were too suffering.

If you want to use AI to analyse your games, you must look for these evaluations that AI does at each move.
Usually each move loses a little.
A good move is when you keep the score unchanged or lose less than one point.
It’s very common in my games (I’m about 4k on OGS) that each and every move gives a point or two to the opponent. But they do the same to me, so the balance is fair! :slight_smile:
A positive score is very unlikely and I’d say that the +4 points of move 49 are just because of the quick esteem done by the free OGS AI. I expect that a deeper analysis would bring it down to +0, which is a good move.

My general interpretation of the AI score estimation tool is that in Go you can’t really “steal” anything from your opponent: you just can either keep your advantage or give something to your opponent.
So when we gain something it’s just because our opponent gave it to us (and we were ready to take it, that is not negligible!)

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