How do I profit from attack without killing

Strategy and Tactics
1

So in thise game I made a big moyo and opponent invaded it with 36 with quite frankly felt like an overplay. Now I feel I should definitely be able to make profit from attacking that stone right? But when I tried it soon became that if I don’t kill the group I get nothing. So how should have Iplayed it so I can let it live eventually and still make points off it? Thanks

2

Well, when your opponent cuts you off at move 42, it is no longer just you attacking, but now you have a weak group for a running fight. And since this running fight is in your moyo (and you had no profit on the other side), the attack automatically profits white, which is why he cut you off.

3

Thank you. Now what should I have done different then?

4

idk, I’m at your level. But I do think that you should have hane’d at Q7 instead of Q9 and sacrificed the one stone so that it turns into a fight between your strong group and his weak group instead of two weak groups.

5

I’d start by asking “where do I want to profit”, and then think about how to make your opponent run/live in a manner that gives you what you want. I think you could carve out a decent center, and also connect to one of your weak groups, based on your influence. If you wanted to do that by attacking, you’d play something severe from the direction you want a wall. Your opponent runs away/lives, and you get your influence/profit.

Consider a move like N6 instead of M3: your opponent likely runs to the bottom and connects up down there, but that area was easily invadable, anyways. If you could more or less build a wall going diagonally from J4 to P9, it’d probably be worth more than what your opponent is getting. I added some variations for this to the game, though they aren’t terribly well though out, and I’m around your level, so there might be some bad moves in them.

1 Like
6

Looks like a regular move to me. This move has two possible follow ups at O3 and R5, and white was able to play both in the game. M3 was too far to be a real threat.

I am not sure if “make profit” is the right term. You should definitely profit from the attack in one or several of the following ways:

  • make territory
  • drive the attack into your opponent’s territory to reduce it
  • or just reinforce your own groups to prepare for a counter attack.

Driving white back to her own territory looks like a promising strategy here. Unfortunately the moves at M8 (too slow), K9 and H11 just help reinforce white. L9 would have been better and would have made better use of the strong stones at D7-D8,

7

One thing you failed to do is to check how severe the attack should be. There is no single way of attacking. IN this case white isn’t really far ahaead (if at all) on points, because his top left isn’t yet a proper territory. In this case gently securing the side through Q6 might be enough for a starting point.