What do you anticipate if w b9? Cross cut it just extend down first?
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If Black plays D12 here, I believe White is very happy to gain a big corner with A15. Not only will White get a lot of cash, also Blacks group will not have two eyes yet.
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I’m worried that cross-cut will be met with white D9, so maybe black should follow this plan:
… or maybe A15 is better after all, especially if we want to invade white rather than reduce.
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Maybe just play 3 directly at 7?
Feels the same in principle.
I’m abandoning that plan, but maybe white will just let us out 
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I would be really happy if white let me go out, the left side will be ruined.
I still think there is too much importance given to that upper corner, but ok.
I think G5 is at a perfect place to play to play B10
The problem after bB10 wB9 bC11 exchange is that white doesn’t have to immediately connect C9 (or double tiger’s mouse D9, or protect with C8), white can tenuki and invade the lower side black moyo, like wH4 bG4 wL3 and white would have a foothold to erase the bottom side black territory.
even if black gets to play bC9 next, white can just wC8 bD9 wB8 bD10, and white would still get some territory . The loss of potential larger territory here for white is nothing compared to erasing the black bottom side.
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In my opinion, the downside to attaching with B10 is that, albeit Black likely finishes with sente, these exchanges solidify whites connection to C4. As Black I would prefer making an eye in the corner starting with A15. This prevents White from attaining a huge corner territory and also preserves the possibility of invading the left side later on.
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But the eye in the corner is gote meaning white can still play around B10 in sente
Whatever black choice he will finish gote
With a large consensus, A15 wins the poll.
Time to discuss and suggest!
On a side note, we have more players joining, which is always a source of happyness. Welcome and don’t hesitate to give your own opinions!
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I think White should capture the stone with D15. This helps the weakness around D12/E11, and Black only gets a ko for a second eye in the corner.
If White plays B16 instead, Black can secure an eye in the corner with A16, although I guess D12 still should be probed first.
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I feel that black D12 wastes the aji of black E11.
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B16
It’s simple and gives us sente.
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B16 seems a bit more severe to me.
We could D15, but the thing we shouldn’t do is ignore the atari.
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E11 is the continuation of D12. If Black plays E11 directly, White can cleanly cut through at D12. On the other hand, if Black D12, w E12, b E11, then White can’t protect all cuts, and Black still has the crawling moves up and down the left sides. These cuts are made worse by White not having captured at D15.
In the current situation, if White protects at B16 instead of D15, Black can play A16, which immediately produces an eye in the corner, because White can’t play B18, nor C18+B19 due to the atari at C17. If White protects at D15 instead, then any black move in the corner either leaves a ko cut at A16 or can be reduced to only a ko eye with C18. So, D15 produces better shape on the outside and on the inside.
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I don’t think black should play at E11 immediately. I think black should probe at B10 first. If white responds at B9, then black could play E11. If white then wants to cut through with D12, black C11 is a double threat (C9 and D11).
If white wants to avoid that, he may extend to C9 when black attaches at B10. In that case, black won’t attach at E11. Instead black might play at C11 first.
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If b B10, w B9, b E11, then it would be very good for White to have captured at D15, because then White can cut with D11.
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I agree that capturing with D15 gives white good aji on the outside.
But we should also consider that black plays B10 after white’s D15/B16 to settle his group. In that case, white B16 would have a more clear follow-up to secure corner territory, compared to when white captures at D15.
So I feel that B16 is a territorial move, while D15 is a thick move.
White also needs to consider how he will respond to black B10 next. Again, white will have a choice between a territorial B9 vs a thick C9.
And then there is the important matter of sente. I suppose white needs sente to invade black’s lower side. Which is more likely to give white sente, D15 or B16?
I feel that chances are that white may lose sente with either move. So white could consider to tenuki and invade the lower side right now, postponing the decision of how to continue in the upper left corner.
But I don’t even know what white should do on the lower side. And is white B3 sente at the moment?
Overall, I feel the position is difficult for white. Black’s lower side moyo feels too good to me, especially black’s stones at G5 and N6 are magnificent. All of black’s stones look perfectly located, while some of white’s stones look a bit suspicious or inefficient to me (O6, R18, Q15, B13, E16).
I wonder how this happened, so I’m curious to check the game leading up to this position.
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