Review Request - around 16k

Hello everyone,

Here is two games I lost yesterday.

I would like a review of the first half of each game, mostly. There is a point about halfway through where it is obvious that the game is lost and it gets less interesting after that. I should probably have resigned then.

I have done my own reviews below. Please add your thoughts / corrections / etc:


For game 2:

The biggest issue with your game seems to be your defensive mindset. There were several moves where you played something defensive when you could have severed the whole group that was threatening you. Remember: connection is important for both players. The corollary is that you should look for chances to disconnect. This means when your opponent plays a threatening move your mindset should be, in order: (1) Can I counterattack? (cut something off, or defend in a threatening way) (2) If no, is the threat so severe that I even need to answer now? (3) If yes, what is the best defense? You seem to be taking these in reverse.

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reviewforbronzev.sgf (4.8 KB)

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Thank you Marc.

Your comments about strategy were quite helpful. I really need to start playing more aggressively (preferably without everything falling apart – it happened once or twice). You are also right that I wasn’t paying attention to the possibility of splitting enemy groups.

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Thank you too, oopsImStoned. Great review.

Several lines you pointed out confirmed what Mark said, that I need to start attacking more if I want to improve.

Here’s another review for your first game (since I didn’t notice someone else had already reviewed it).

My first piece of advice would be to think about the order of your moves in the opening. Corners, then sides, then center, while responding to your opponent approaching your corners, is a good place to start. There were some big corner moves open for a long time, during which you played a variety of smaller moves.

Secondly, you tend to continue fighting after a point when the results are too small to really matter anymore. Fighting over three or four stones isn’t worth it when you’ve got a 20+ point corner invasion available.

Lastly, don’t let your opponent have eyes! You stopped the final invasion, but your opponent could’ve lived if they took the eye you allowed them. In this game, it wouldn’t have mattered, but if you’d managed to reduce the territory on the left, it could’ve been the difference between winning and losing.

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Thanks ckersch 88. That was very detailed and your advice is appreciated.

One question about the review: In the corner invasion you played out in move 63, if white blocks to the left instead of up, it looks like the invasion becomes much harder for black because of the stone at G17. What is the best result for black then? I couldn’t find a good line.

Also, I see what you said about the eye at the end, but that was beyond my reading ability, I’m afraid.

I think you’re right about move 63. The block to the left looks more severe than the other. I expect that Black lives in the corner with the first variation shown here:

http://josekipedia.com/#path:pdttqgqcpc

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Black still lives. In general, invading at 33 against a large knight enclosure lives, and invading a small knight enclosure is ko.

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